What kind of SUV do you drive and would you recommend it?

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well apparently i got the raw deal with the 05 trailblazer, it was great for the first 6 months after we bought it(used) but the second it hit 80K miles mileage went down to abour 12 MPG and the transmission is about to go out. That includes all the work ive done, tuneups, flushes, blown a waterpump on a roadtrip, its just been horrible...
 
I drove a Honda CRV for several years, and LOVED it. I sold it to good friends/neighbors, and it is still going strong. Sometimes I look at it parked in front of their house and wonder if I should have just kept it. I miss it. I have three other friends that drive them, too, and they love them, too.
 
My cousin drives a 1999 Honda CRV. It has a ton of miles on it and still drives beautifully. They haven't had to put much into it through the years, even living in the high desert with some pretty extreme weather conditions.

When we were hunting around for a new (used) vehicle last year we were initially looking at the CRV. However, we actually decided that a good minivan would serve our long term purposes more. I found a 1997 Mercury Villager for a couple of thousand dollars, put another thousand into it on a new serpentine belt to get it in tip top shape. It's been fantastic and handles beautifully (plus, it's paid for!). We can remove the middle seat and move the rear bench seat forward if we need to haul both people and cargo. If we need even more cargo space and aren't hauling people we can fold up the rear bench seat (making it pretty narrow) and move it right behind the front seats, it creates a ton of space - I've even hauled a loveseat in the back. It's a bit lower down than an SUV, which makes it easier to load stuff and animals into it (good for when we add goats to our menagerie next year).

The gas mileage is decent (20's) and this vehicle is known for its reliability. I have a friend with a 1994 model, and it's still going strong for her. The engine is it is actually a Nissan Quest engine, which is fantastic.

We like our vehicles to be inexpensive, take a beating, and last for many years with little upkeep.
 
Volkswagen Touareg.
Test drove it and never looked for anything else. We are on our second one and this one is Tdi clean diesel the mileage is unbelievable
for such a rocket.
 
I used to have a 1995 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer and loved it. Finally sold it and bought a new 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited. I like it but have had several problems with it. It has very low mileage (13,500). This spring the radio started cutting out and was eventually determined to be faulty and was replaced under warranty ~ their cost was over $1000.

The second problem happened just yesterday when I was traveling @ 65 mph on the PA Turnpike over 100 miles from home when suddenly I lost all ability to accelerate. I still had power to steering, brakes, radio, lights etc ~ just nothing when pushing the gas pedal. I drifted to a stop and turned off the engine. When I restarted the vehicle it drove OK for about 40 miles when it happened again and it happened a third time before we made it home. I think that it could possibly be a sensor problem, but it is very disconcerting to lose acceleration power at a high rate of speed ~ especially in a vehicle that has only 13,500 miles on it. This should also be under warranty ~ I hope.
 
I drive a 2008 Honda Fit. I lovingly refer to it as my mini-Pick-up truck. Mini-SUV would probably be more appropriate! 40+ MPG, average, and I haul EVERYTHING in that poor car. I moved everything in my HOUSE in it except for the large furniture. I have hauled seven foot bookcases that three people could barely move in that poor car. I hauled a small WASHING MACHINE in my beloved Honda. Now, I want a boat but the trick is finding one that will fit "in" my Honda that doesn't inflate.
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Can't tow anything with it, though. It would violate the warranty. And, it has an 800 or 850 pound weight limit. I've come close a few times on that one...

So, if you decide a mini-version would work for ya, I suggest a Honda Fit.
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Well, I test drove a 2006 Kia Sorento today. I hadn't done much research on these so I was hesitant (I am not a snap judement person, I need time to think and research) but they were wanting me to buy it tonight. It was a 5 speed manuel and very nice to drive, but I really want to test drive more models before I make up my mind. From the research I just did on it, the gas mileage isn't the greatest, and there seemed to be a lot of problems with the 2006 model.

This is why I am a cautious person, and I don't trust car salesmen. Did I say that out loud?
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Anyway, thanks for all of your comments. I am researching and trying to find them around town so I can test drive them.

Angie
 
It really really depends on what YOU want and what you are needing to accomplish with the truck.
We have a 2000 Ford Explorer -smaller than some of the SUVs mentioned. Works great for what we do - hauls dogs and chicken food and people. It has auto 4x4 and the tranny has been a bit of a sore point with one of the ABS wheel speed sensors going out it has once or twice threw it in 4 wheel drive when it shouldn't have....but at these hot temperatures hubbs can make the 2 mile trip to work and back and just deal with it until the weather deems fit for me to be able to work on the truck a little. It needs CV joints but at 10 years old that really isn't anything out of the ordinary (according to my dad) and they will be replaced as the weather allows
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I've delivered pizza in it in the snow & ice, and it has done everything we've asked it to. It drives good, stops good, etc. and the gas milage isn't all that bad. If the truck was for me (instead of hubby) I would insist on manual transmission, but that's probably just me.

One of the things that led to the decision to get the Explorer is that I have had a Ford Ranger for 8 years that I have rebuilt and done a lot of work on. The Explorer and Ranger are very similar under the hood so in essence I already have a lot of "experience" with the Explorer before we've even really had to fix anything. That's something that played a lot into our decision, but probably doesn't have anything to do with yours.
If you are the type of person who keeps your car a long time and does the work yourself I would definitely put the ease and expense of parts and work on my list of dealbreakers. Kias are hard to work on in my area, either finding someone to do it or finding parts to do it yourself therefore I would not buy one no matter how sweet the upfront deal was.
If you are going to trade the truck in whenever it needs an oil change, then disregard my advice about parts and service. Some people get offended at the *thought* of doing work on their "new" car, while others (like myself) PLAN on doing it over the course of ownership.
 

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