Small SUVs....any suggestions??

[stevenpensacola]

HONDA HONDA HONDA

You'll never regret it.

 

[nemo1987]

from what i hear honda is having recalls on transmissions. they are going out in traffic and causing accidents. i would not suggest a kia sportage. my mom has one and they are very small and kinda cheaply made. i just dont like it because it is not very plush either. good deals but not that really great of a car.
**Sarah**

 

[kild]

My wife owns a Mazda Tribute and loves the thing. She has 65k miles and not a single problem (knocking on wood)
We drove the Escape as well, but she liked the colors and badging of the Tribute.

Tribute and Escape are the exact same thing. They come off the same production line. Mazda is a little more aggresive with color schemes. Seems the Escape may have cost a little more when we were looking.

My SIL is a car killer and she has yet to kill her 3 yeard old Honda CRV. It must be pretty good too

 

[shortbun]

Which one gets the best gas mileage? With gas going up, up,
up - that would be a major consideration for me, especially if it's
to be your main transportation.

 

[Poohbear123]

Toyota Rav 4 SUV! We LOVE our 2002! Its great!

 

[Tina]

Thumbs up for the Rav4 from me too. We just bought ours a few weeks ago and I AM IN LOVE!!! Don't forget to check Consumer Reports for the safety and reliability records of the cars you choose. You can't go wrong with a Toyota!!!

 

[DSNY FN]

The Ford Mazda colaboration is aparently coming to an end at the end of 2005 so I am told by a friend of mine that works for Ford. They are going to no longer be building the Mazda tribute or the mazda pick up trucks Mazda is taking over production of both of those vehicles.

 

[DSNY FN]

Also the Satrun Vue is a really nice small SUV to drive and very comfortable

 

[lrmillen]

We also drive a Ford Escape. I'd recommend it. Lots of room. Safe.

 

[monarchsfan16]

My dad's friend is a mechanic and we've been talking to him a lot as we've been searching for a car for me. Since we're also looking for a small SUV, and 4 wheel/all wheel drive, the Subarus did come up on the list. Dad's friend told us point blank, anything newer then a '97 has serious engine problems, among other issues. He said they don't always pop up immediately, but they're there. I know that knocked the Subaru off the list for us.

 

[cinmell]

We have a loaded Ford Escape and love it. It has more room than a car yet it's not trucky. It's a smooth ride and easy to handle.

 

[Feralpeg]

As soon as I get to Florida, I'm getting a Hyundai Sante Fe. They have a great warranty!

 

[chadfromdallas]

Originally posted by Feralpeg
As soon as I get to Florida, I'm getting a Hyundai Sante Fe. They have a great warranty!

Id be careful on buyin Hyundai. They are known for having terrible paint and not backing their warranties.

 

[ripleysmom]

I love my Aztek!

 

[WhenUwishUponAstar]

Since my DH runs a ford store I'm going to chime in.......of course I'm going to suggest a ford but the reason is for the tracking system that helps you back up. It makes a beep sound in the car when you are close to something, the closer the faster the beep. I am thinking all cars should have this system if they did the lil old lady in the great big caddie at circut city wouldn't have hit me last year.

 

[hometech99]

yea on the Forrester!

I don't have one , but have been a Subaru fan since 1979.

It has highest safety rating for its class.

safety is what matters, period.


look:
Small SUV Crash tests

 

[lindajo]

My mom and dad have an Escape that they like a lot. I have a large SUV, but if I was going back to a small one, I would still want one that was higher up off the ground.

Warning, once you buy an SUV, you will not want to go back to a car....(At least it was like that for me, anyone else want to weigh in...?)

 

[kild]

^^ I agree. There is no way we could ever go back to a regular car. I guess we will stay gas guzzlin', ozone depleting, SUV owners

 

[jkovick]

Just as an FYI, particularly if you are financing----both Kia & Hyundai have a less than favorable depreciation rate. Neither hold their value anywhere near as well as others such as Honda, Subaru, Toyota etc.

 

[Shannon G]

I have a 2001 GMC Jimmy, and I love it (although, opposite of the OP, nexttime I think I want something bigger!) I've alwasy had GM vehicles, and have driven them into the ground, mileage wise - actually, my first car, a hand-me-down station wagon from my parents (either Chevy or Buick, don't recall which, but a GM vehicle) that still ran great with over 200k miles on it, and over 10 years old! Finally got rid of it since 12+ years of New England winters were taking their toll on the body of the car! So, I'd have no problem buying a used GM vehicle with relatively low mileage. You should be able to find a used Jimmy in your price range (in the newer models, the Jimmy (GMC) & Blazer (Chevy) have been replaced by the Envoy & Trailblazer).

When I was looking to buy, I also considered an all-wheel drive, but was told that they use more gas than a vehicle with 4 wheel drive that you turn on & off. With what it costs these days, I'd rather save on gas and have to switch into 4-wheel when I need it (which is not often).