ok now some SUV questions please

[hydster]

We LOVE our 2003 Tahoe! It has a 3rd row, leather, 6 disk cd, we put in a dvd player (saved my life in traffic more than once) love the towing capacity and I love how safe I feel in it. I don't like the gas mileage but it doesn't get much worse than my dh's Infiniti G35 (of course he drives it like he stole it) but he only gets about 3 miles more a gallon than I do.

I love being able to see OVER traffic on the freeway and being able to tell when traffic is slowing down way ahead of me. I feel really safe in it and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE On-Star!

I love the idea of having on-star and it has saved me a fortune in locking my keys in my car and calling a locksmith! It also gives me peace of mind if someone steals it they can usually track it. I love the hands free calling you get with it and the fact that if you are in a wreck and your airbags deploy On-Star will call the paramedics and police for you and stay on the line if you need them.

Heidi

 

[jel0511]

We have an Acura MDX and it is the best car we've ever owned. I LOVE IT!!! We also have all the extras, and the DVD player is worth it's money times 10!! It does have the third row and it folds completely flat when you don't need it, so it's really convienent!!! Good luck looking for a car. If you need the 3rd row for all the time, I suggest you take all the kids with you and have them test it out. Some of them have MUCH less legroom than others, and if you're used to a van, most 3rd rows in SUV's are going to seem puny and useless.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

We had a 2002 Ford Explorer. No problems with it at all.

We just traded it in for a 2004 XLT. It has:

3rd row seat
Dvd system
Rear sensing system
Side airbags
Towing package

One thing I learned was that with Ford different areas offer different options for 'free' in the truck. For example, in our area the rear sensing system, adjustable pedals, side impact airbags, and auto dimming mirror all come standard . In Chicago, for example, the third row seat was standard. We had to pay extra for ours. So when we had ours built they put in all that stuff for 'free'. It would have been the same price whether we added it or not.

They did find a truck with everything we wanted some where else, but it ended up being cheaper to have ours built.

 

[marydmjj]

I have a '99 Durango. We have had it in the shop for the ball-joint problem (I think there was a thread on Dis a while back). Aside from that it has been a great vehicle. A couple of things on the con side: MILEAGE stinks. I get 12-13 miles per gallon max. I don't do a lot of freeway driving so this is the best I get. When the 3rd row seat is up there isn't a lot of storage in the back. If I had to lug a stroller that would be all that would fit back there without stacking stuff on top of it. Aside from that, I love it.

P.S. It looks great with a Mickey antenna ball too

 

[luvindisneyworld]

I love the Explorers and Expeditions.I have had both.

 

[sap1227]

We also have a MDX, and love it. We also have a Honda Accord and I am amazed how much nicer the MDX drives.

Good luck with your decision. When we were looking we also wanted something with 3 rows of seats and that I could drive forever without a lot of repairs.

Originally posted by jel0511
We have an Acura MDX and it is the best car we've ever owned. I LOVE IT!!! We also have all the extras, and the DVD player is worth it's money times 10!! It does have the third row and it folds completely flat when you don't need it, so it's really convienent!!! Good luck looking for a car. If you need the 3rd row for all the time, I suggest you take all the kids with you and have them test it out. Some of them have MUCH less legroom than others, and if you're used to a van, most 3rd rows in SUV's are going to seem puny and useless.

 

[landmark]

We have a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer Premier. We've had it only about a year and only 16K miles but it has already made a trip to the World (priorities ya know)

It gets decent mileage for an SUV with a V8 engine. It has the DVD player which the kids really enjoy and made the two day drive to Disney much more easier to swallow. We find it comfortable and haven't had any trouble with it.

Handles EXCELLENT in the snow and ice. We had a sudden snow here in February that we don't normally get and my front wheel drive car was sliding all over the road but the Mountaineer acted like it was July and the roads were clear. This is great for us as our road is the last one in the city to get cleared and we live at the bottom of a hill.

Best of luck on whatever you decide... there are definitly plenty to choose from!

 

[tinatark]

After tons of research, I bought an 04 MDX in March; got the touring edition with dvd and navigation - it is a great car. We looked at the Durango - the 04 body style is now considered full size. It has a lot of room, the back seat folds flat. There are tons of them (new) on ebay. Limited 4wd models (they're loaded) with DVD are about 24k. I would also consider the Honda Pilot - it is an 8 passenger. I think around 30k for the ex with leather and dvd. Toyota Highlander is available now with the 3rd row, but it's pretty tight in the 3rd row. We just looked at the SRX with the panoramic sunroof - awesome! But that 3rd row is too tight for my boys (9 and 10) now...

 

[2BigKIdz]

We are on our 5th Nissan Pathfinder within our family (we have had an '87, 2-91's, '96 and now a 2004). We love them and have had great wear out of each. Have never had any major work done on any, just maintenance -brakes, tires etc. I have absolute trust in them in the snow. We have become Nissan believers, our vehicles now are a Titan and the Pathfinder.
Gas mileage is bad, but I think you are going to find that to be the case for any SUV. 4-wheel drive is essential for us as we both are required to work regardless of the weather and we live on a mountain.


I have had 2 Ford Explorers ('91 and '96, we trade often). I didn't keep the '91 long enough to know if I liked it. The '96 was a 2 door sport and I absolutely hated it. The dash was designed so that I could not see the front end of the vehicle and I ran over so many curbs I thought something was wrong with me until I figured out it was because I could not see (not to mention the 3 times I ran into walls in the parking garage at work! I have never hit anything in that garage except in that vehicle!) The first time (only) I needed to use the 4-wheel drive, it went out on me. I had to park it at a grocery store and call my husband to pick me up.

 

[MScott1851]

I have a 2004 Ford Explorer, I have put almost 30,000 miles on it in 11 months and it has never faltered. The old ones got a bad rap, but they have been totally redesigned in the last two years. I get 19-22 miles per gallon, and I feel safe in it. I used to worry about getting killed in my Camry if I had a wreck on the interstate.

DH drives a 2004 Toyota Highlander, and he hates it. It is his work car. He gets better gas mileage than I do, but he feels like it doesn't have quite enough power.

Both are great grocery getters...I have plenty of room in the back and the back seat folds down very easily in my Explorer..

 

[edcrbnsoul]

Explorer and Highlander both come with 3 rd row seat
From Toyota Website

Vehicles Capacity:

Curb weight (lb.)
4-cylinder (with third row) 3520 (3570)
3750 (NA)

V6 (with third row) 3650 (3705)
NA (3935)

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating -- GVWR (lb.) 5360 5360
Payload [2] (lbs.)

4-cylinder (with third row) 1840 (1790) 1610 (NA)

V6 (with third row) 1710 (1655)

NA (1425)
Towing capacity [3] (lbs.)

4-cylinder (standard/maximum [4]) 1500/3000 1500/3000

V6 (standard/maximum [4]) 2000/3500 2000/3500

Passenger volume (cu. ft.) (with third row) 104.7 (133.9) 104.7 (133.9)

Cargo volume (cu. ft.) [2] behind front/middle/rear seats 80.6/39.7/10.5 80.6/39.7/10.5
Fuel capacity (gal.) 19.1 19.1

 

[scottygirl]

I don't know if it is too late to reply to this thread (you may have made your decision already) but anyhow, I drive a Buick Rendezvous. I really like the way it drives, but if you are going to use the 3rd row seat on a consistent basis, it is too tight. I have 3 kids and there is really not enough room for any "extra" cargo when the 3rd row seat is in use. If you will only use the 3rd row seat once in a while then I say go for it. I need a vehicle where no one has too sit next to each other! Do they make a vehicle with four rows? LOL I personally am going back to a mini-van. GM of course as they pay the bills here!!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I have a Ford Expedition, which comes standard with a 3rd row seat. (Power 3rd row seat optional). The Explorer has 3rd row seating as an option. I have had 7 Explorers and now the Exp. They are great cars and have had a couple that had a problem, but totally fixed under warranty. The odds have been really good.(My dad worked for Ford, so we get a discount.) I love my Expedition, it is big enough to keep DS4 and DS6 apart enough so they can't hurt each other...LOL..

My biggest PRO for an SUV is, unfortunately for small car owner's, their biggest complaint. An SUV provides more metal and size to protect my family in a car accident. Sorry if this offends anyone, but as another Diser (I'm sorry, I think I remember her name, but am not totally sure.) said a couple of month's ago about her accident in her SUV, don't anyone ever give me any grief about driving it. Just ask yourself this....If an SUV and a Mini Cooper were in an accident, which car would you want your family to be in? Sounds selfish?? You betcha.. I wrap my family in as much metal as I can. There are too many nuts out there with no regard for other driver's lives.