Used car - small SUV help?

[momz]

I'd recommend the Santa Fe as well. We had one for years. I think it was the 2001 model. Anyway, it was one of the first ones made. There have been some nice improvements on them over the years. We drove ours on long trips, plus went tent camping with it. 2 kids and all our gear...we were packed in there, but we got it all in.

We traded it in on a minivan which I love as well. There are some minivans that are capable of towing a pop-up. Have you considered this idea? There is more storage in a minivan in my opinion...

 

[Golf4food]

Any Ford Escape newer than 2008. We love ours. They made some nice changes in the 2008 model and even more nice additions in 2009 and 2010. Great little SUV, great gas mileage (better than many or most cars).

 

[Akmayeli]

I have owned two Saturn Vue's and loved them both. They are really roomy and great for travel. The best part is that they have GREAT crash test ratings therefore your insurance will be really, really low. Oh, also the gas mileage is one of the best out of all of the smaller SUV's

 

[gifchick]

I have a 2005 Suzuki XL7 and I love it, it is my 2nd Suzuki and I have had no problems. Only had reguar maintence done on it.

If you want to know more let me know

 

[howlongtildisney]

My car isn't an SUV but it might suit your needs. I drive a Honda Fit and it's worked wonderfully for car camping. The back seats fold flat and then there's as much cargo space as a good-sized SUV. Definitely too small to pull a trailer, though.

 

[carj]

We have a 2009 Toyota Highlander and I love it! I would not recommend it for anyone who had a need for lots of storage in the back behind the 3rd row. You can fit groceries and other stuff but it isn't good for someone who needs lots a room. (Like for a large stroller) I am not sure how much gear you would want to stow. If you fold the 3rd row flat, you have lots of room.

We don't have the towing package because we don't have anything to tow!

We have 2 kids and I love that I have the space for 7 but most of the time we take keep the console in the middle row, which makes it like 2 bucket seats. We can always pop the center seat in and it makes room for a 3rd person in that row, more like a bench seat. It works perfectly for our situtation. The kids have their space, but we can fit a friend there if the back row is full too.

I have ridden in the 3rd row and it is fine for me. (I am only 5'4" though.) My husband who is 6'3" finds it cramped!

 

[vetrik]

LOVE my Subaru Forester! It's a 2006 - I bought it a year and a half ago with 36,000 miles for around $15,000. It's fantastic, it's a great vehicle and I haven't had any issues. However, we are a Subaru family - DH, my FIL, my grandmother and my brother all have Subarus.

In fact, my best friend liked my car so much she bought a brand new Forester this year when she needed a new car (which happened to be the same color as mine) - now we are car twins!

 

[Enterprise Car Sales]

Another vote for the Hyundai Santa Fe. My parents bought one about five years ago and we all loved it. They just bought a second one last year. Never had any issues on either of the cars. They get great gas mileage. My dad commutes almost 2 hours to work each way and has never had any issues. I really like driving it because you get the SUV height, but it controls more like a car - not a truck like larger SUVs. We're going to be buying one soon.

Another place I can suggest looking for used vehicles is Enterprise - the car rental place. They sale their used cars - usually have been very well maintained and don't have very high mileage. My sister bought her car from them and was able to pick from all over the country. I'm not sure about financing since she already had it through her credit union - but it was a very good car buying experience. My parents also used them for 2 other cars.

Southernbohemian, we saw your post and wanted to say thanks for the nice referral to Enterprise Car Sales. We might be a bit biased ;-) but we think we have a great auto-buying program and we do work with hundreds of credit unions around the country to help you secure financing. If anyone is in the market for a great used car, check us out at enterprisecarsales.com.
- Your friends at Enterprise Car Sales

 

[Irin997]

We own a 2005 Honda CR-V Limited Edition. It is nicely appointed and has a good amount of storage especially with the seats folded down in the back. As a matter of fact, it seems like it even has more stoarge capacity than my father's 2010 model.

However, the pick-up on that car is horrible. Even if you "floor" it it barely gets going. Another issue is the air conditioning. We live in Atlanta and even on warm days, it does not really do a great job cooling the car. Both of these issues are due to the car being underpowered in my opinion (and my husband's too).

We have never towed anything so we cannot speak to that, although it has made many, many trips to Home Depot and plant nurseries for home improvement projects. I just don't know how it would handle the extra weight since it seems underpowered in the first place.

It has been a reliable, good car for us. However, the pick-up and air conditioning issues have been annoying.

You may have a small leak in your A/C. No big deal. Go to Wal-Mart and buy a can of R134A from the auto section - make sure it has a gauge attached. I had a 1997 Honda Accord and needed to recharge the A/C every spring. The can is about $20-$25, takes 5 minutes to charge to the A/C, and will last through all or most of a Maryland summer. Do not go to a dealer - they will charge $120 or more to see if they can even find a leak, which most likely they will not be able to.

As far as a small SUV, my parents have a 2008ish Santa Fe and they (and I) love it! The back seats are very comfy and having the fold-down 3rd row is great when we go with them and my grandparents to dinner or something. My DD9 loves the DVD system with wireless headphones. They get about 26-27 MPG, it's AWD, and they drive from MD to NC at least once a month. Also, when our Golden Retriever was still with us, he fit comfortably in the back with the 3rd row folded down.

 

[morgan98]

You may have a small leak in your A/C. No big deal. Go to Wal-Mart and buy a can of R134A from the auto section - make sure it has a gauge attached. I had a 1997 Honda Accord and needed to recharge the A/C every spring. The can is about $20-$25, takes 5 minutes to charge to the A/C, and will last through all or most of a Maryland summer. Do not go to a dealer - they will charge $120 or more to see if they can even find a leak, which most likely they will not be able to.

I appreciate the advice, but this has been an issue since the car was brand new. What I am trying to say in the in comparison to most other cars we have recently owned, including a 2003 Accord, the air conditioning is weak. It is not that it doesn't work, it just needs to run at a high speed fairly frequently in order to keep the car cool in the summer heat. Again, not a deal breaker, but it is just annoying.

I really think part of our problem is that we have been spoiled by having cars with automatic climate control. You know, the ones where you set the temperature and the a/c automatically adjusts to that temperature. I think we just needed to adjust our expectations.

Now you probably know more than you ever wanted to know about the air conditioning in our car.

 

[Irin997]

I appreciate the advice, but this has been an issue since the car was brand new. What I am trying to say in the in comparison to most other cars we have recently owned, including a 2003 Accord, the air conditioning is weak. It is not that it doesn't work, it just needs to run at a high speed fairly frequently in order to keep the car cool in the summer heat. Again, not a deal breaker, but it is just annoying.

I really think part of our problem is that we have been spoiled by having cars with automatic climate control. You know, the ones where you set the temperature and the a/c automatically adjusts to that temperature. I think we just needed to adjust our expectations.

Now you probably know more than you ever wanted to know about the air conditioning in our car.

Ah, I see! Funny enough, the A/C in my 97 Accord, even right after charging, was not nearly as cold as the A/C in my new (to me) 2009 Camry. This A/C is so cold that I have to turn it down because my right ear gets cold.

 

[lisaross]

I love the Subaru Forrester...I would like to buy 1 next year. Do u think the storage is ok in the back?

LOVE my Subaru Forester! It's a 2006 - I bought it a year and a half ago with 36,000 miles for around $15,000. It's fantastic, it's a great vehicle and I haven't had any issues. However, we are a Subaru family - DH, my FIL, my grandmother and my brother all have Subarus.

In fact, my best friend liked my car so much she bought a brand new Forester this year when she needed a new car (which happened to be the same color as mine) - now we are car twins!

 

[sunlover13]

We just bought a used 2007 Honda Pilot on Friday.

It is not a small SUV, but it handles like a car. In fact, it handles better than my Pontiac Grand Prix.

It has tons of space & a 3rd row that folds down easily.

We bought it at a Honda dealer and the truck is certified. It ended up being about $10,000 less than the sticker price it sold at in 2007, w/ 36,000 miles on it.

 

[hmcfall711]

We have a 2006 Kia Sportage, I love it, it is pretty good on gas. It has a lot of pick up and go to it. I like it because the back seats fold down and makes for a lot of hauling capabilites. We have never had an machanical issues with it. I highly recomend it.

Had my old one for 10 years (bought it with 40,000 miles and drove it until 150,000+ miles and a major crash). After the crash we turned right around and bought another. I LOVE IT!! I also say I owe my life to KIA because the wreck I was in could have been fatal and I walked away without a scratch or anything for that matter. I commute about 350 miles a week and usually only need one fill up each week. Just needs regular maintance.