Getting a different car...

[Beastlover]

Okay, I have an Explorer Sport...thats the 2 door model. I am unhappy with the 2 door, TOO much of a pain getting Dee's friends into the back seat. SO....I am looking at the smaller 4 door suv's. Anyone have any feedback on them from personal experience? My other choice may be my dad's 300M. It is a 2004, LOADED 17,000 miles. We are talking this weekend on the price. I pulled it up on Kelley Blue Book and saw it will be between 18,000 and 21,000. The SUV I am looking at is the KIA Sorento. ('04 or '05) My girlfriend kinda bashed the KIA based on all the recalls and subsequent problems after the recalls.

I am trying to stay under 20,000, but I am just not sure. Any feedback???

 

[Mermaid02]

I haven't heard very good things about Kia's either. We almost bought a Suzuki XL-7 but decided on a minivan. Good luck!

 

[Loubon]

I just got my DD a Jeep Liberty (God does that make me feel old!) and it is very nice. We've also seen quite a few Ford Escapes on the road which also look nice. Both are much smaller than an Explorer though so if cargo space etc. is important you may want to reconsider. My BIL has a Honda CRV and you can never go wrong with Honda.

 

[chyam]

I am on my 5th Toyota 4-runner, I have never had any problems with any of them other than the normal maintance, my first one had 120,000 miles on it when I sold it. I have to agree with the others, that Toyota, Hondo and Subaru are some of the best built cars out there, although I have heard good things about the Saturns too. With your "2 boys" Spencer and Jake you may want to get a larger SUV, they told me they like to ride too! Good luck.

 

[Disney Doll]

How about the Ford Escape? My best friend has one and she is not the most attentive person in the world to car maintenance and hers is going strong and it's about 6 years old, and she's really had little or no trouble with it.

And they can come pretty loaded as far as options go.

 

[stinkerbelle]

I have 2 friends with jeep libertys...one loves it, the other loathes it. heeh

I traded in my 2001 Pathfinder for the smaller 2005 sport model Rav 4 (the 2006+ models are over a foot bigger FYI). This SUV is SOOO fun to drive! Yes, MUCH smaller then the Pathy...but I can zip around just fine in the Rav.

I will say this...my brother is 6'4" and he said there really isn't ALOT of leg room in the back seat. (of course - he was sitting behind me who had the drivers seat ALL the way back...) so - if you have little ones, probably wouldn't be an issue.

 

[helenabear]

My BIL has a Honda CRV and you can never go wrong with Honda.

I agree with that!

I actually drove a CRV not too long ago while helping my dad buy an Accord. They loaned it to us for the day while he went to get his title and waited for his new car to be cleaned up. I never once thought about really buying an SUV until I drove it! Fairly reasonably priced.

I've never heard much good about Kia, though they are supposedly better than they used to be. I really do love all the CRV had to offer, and if I didn't like my sportier car more, I would buy one

 

[drakethib]

www.edmunds.com

Good site with plenty of info.

 

[mckryan]

How about a used Toyota Highlander? New would be over $20K, but you could probably get a good deal on a used one. DH and I bought one in 2001, the first year they were out, and we love it. Normally we don't buy first generation vehicle, but he wanted the Highlander enough to overlook the possible first year problems. We haven't had a single one. It's on a Camry chassis, so it rides more like a car than a truck.

 

[TTFN]

Look at at the Subaru Forester.

http://www.subaru.com/shop/model_consideration.jsp?model=FORESTER

(hope the link worked) I bought a 2004 model last year for about $16,000, and I really like it. I had a van, but am out of my "van years", and I still wanted to be able to have some room to haul stuff. It has good safety and realiability ratings.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

We bought a Ford Freestyle in November and we love it. Nice compromise between an SUV and a Minivan Four Doors plenty of room. They call them crossovers. The Chrysler Pacifica is another example of one.

 

[Tina]

I love my 2005 Rav4Sport -- although I really really love the new, bigger 2006 models. I went car shopping with my friend on Saturday and after finding that Toyota is not dealing on the price of the new 2006 Rav4s, we went with a Honda CRV. She is extremely happy. The purchase price on the LX was $20,315 (before taxes, tags, etc). You should check them out.

 

[MICKEY88]

Okay, I have an Explorer Sport...thats the 2 door model. I am unhappy with the 2 door, TOO much of a pain getting Dee's friends into the back seat. SO....I am looking at the smaller 4 door suv's. Anyone have any feedback on them from personal experience? My other choice may be my dad's 300M. It is a 2004, LOADED 17,000 miles. We are talking this weekend on the price. I pulled it up on Kelley Blue Book and saw it will be between 18,000 and 21,000. The SUV I am looking at is the KIA Sorento. ('04 or '05) My girlfriend kinda bashed the KIA based on all the recalls and subsequent problems after the recalls.

I am trying to stay under 20,000, but I am just not sure. Any feedback???

I have a 2002 300M Special, it is the most incredible car I've ever owned/ driven,

it is the ultimate blend of luxury and performance, and the gas mileage is great for a car of it's size and speed..

if you want more info on 300M's PM me...I belong to the Chrysler 300M Enthusiasts Club, we have many members that are quite knowledgeable on the cars, including a few who work at the plant where they were assembled.., I can give you the addy for our website, and you can ask other owners what they think of their 300Ms, most members will agree that it's the most comfortable car they've driven on long trips, you can drive for hours and get out of the car feeling relaxed rather than cramped and stiff..

 

[debster812]

Subaru Forester here too. LOVE LOVE LOVE my car. Goes like a champ through all kinds of slop (rain, snow, ice, etc) great safety ratings, decent gas mileage, and room for DS, a friend or two (they're still small) and a big cargo area.

LOVE IT. This is pretty much what mine looks like:

 

[RC Fan]

I agree, you can't wrong with a Honda. Certainly Toyotas and Subarus are really good as well. A Nissan would also be a good choice. I myself am a HUGE Subaru fan.

As far as Kia or Hyundai, both these Korean manufacturers have come a long way! I would suggest that if you are considering a Kia that you buy new (or a demonstrater) over the used model.

 

[mookie]

Hyundai Santa Fe. I absolutely love it!!!

 

[Beastlover]

Hyundai Santa Fe. I absolutely love it!!!

My sis has one...she loves hers too....that is why I am considering the korean made. I have always owned Fords. I just didn't like the ride on the escape. I LOVE the looks of it, though...I'm so confused...

 

[MICKEY88]

My sis has one...she loves hers too....that is why I am considering the korean made. I have always owned Fords. I just didn't like the ride on the escape. I LOVE the looks of it, though...I'm so confused...

get the 300M, with good snow tires it will go thru most snow, if it's too deep for the 300M, just stay home and relax...

better handling and gas mileage than an suv...

 

[puffkin]

I have a Ford Escape for almost 3 years now and I have been very happy with it. Very roomy, lots of cargo space. Handles very well, more like a car than an SUV. I also like that you don't have to climb into it, it sits low enough on the ground to be easy to get in and out, but you are up fairly high for driving. It also handles GREAT in the snow. My mom has an Explorer, which I like, but it was just a tad too big for me. The Escape is the perfect size.

 

[CanBeGrumpy]

My sis has one...she loves hers too....that is why I am considering the korean made. I have always owned Fords. I just didn't like the ride on the escape. I LOVE the looks of it, though...I'm so confused...

Try the Honda CR-V. Although I think the Escape is "cuter" from the back, they look almost identical from the side/front, and the CR-V feels roomier inside. We almost bought the Escape until we tried the CR-V!