what suv should we buy

[mackymaddyconnorsmom]

We are looking to buy a suv. We had a minivan for absolute years. We looked at the Armada, Tahoe and Sequoia. We are leaning towards the Armada. Does anyone have one and what do you think about it? I like the Pathfinder, but I am not sure if it is roomy enough. We are a family of six and two of my teenaged children are 5'10". Thanks

 

[heartsy77]

We are looking to buy a suv. We had a minivan for absolute years. We looked at the Armada, Tahoe and Sequoia. We are leaning towards the Armada. Does anyone have one and what do you think about it? I like the Pathfinder, but I am not sure if it is roomy enough. We are a family of six and two of my teenaged children are 5'10". Thanks

I bought my Honda Pilot in FEB and I simply love it! It seats 8 and has a ton of room! We also looked at the Pathefinder; however, we found it drove like a truck and the Pilot was a smooth ride! We did get the fancy model with leather, backup camera, nav and moon roof; I never have regretted it! I do in home daycare and have 3 of my own kiddos and it is awesome to get everyone around in 1 car!

 

[mackymaddyconnorsmom]

Is there enough room on the last bench for teenagers?

 

[mkel34]

All three of the suvs have listed are trucks as most suvs are. We have a 09' Pathfinder with the 3rd row V6. I wouldn't think a 5'10" teenager would comfortably fit in the 3rd row for long rides. My kids are only 5 and 9 and have no problems with it. I personally love the pathfinder, its our 3rd, this latest one improved incredibly over the last one we had. All 3 suvs you are looking at have compareable gas mileage, all three are pretty much rated at 13/18 and are at similar price points.

Google msn car compare and they have a tool that will build you a comparison of all three.

 

[heartsy77]

Is there enough room on the last bench for teenagers?

yep I have an 18 year old and he can sit there with other kids!

 

[minkydog]

We're on our second Ford Expedition. We love them! They are very roomy; with the third row seating you can easily carry 8 adults. Plenty of leg room in the middle and back seats. Plus, they have one with a big engine made for towing, if you need that. The gas mileage isn't great, but it's an extremely safe car. Our last one saved our lives in a freak rollover. I will gladly pay more in gas to drive a well-made, safe car. And I was one who said I would NEVER drive an SUV. After that wreck I'll never NOT drive an SUV

 

[maciec]

We had a Toyota Sienna that we traded in for a 2010 Suburban. When I went shopping for an suv I couldn't find any suv that would have the comparable space that my van did. With the 3rd row up the Tahoe has very little room in the back, my FIL has the Armada and it is a true gass guzzler as well as the Sequoia, and we didn't look at the Pathfinder because it was just too small for our family needs. As big as my suburban is it gets better gas mileage than the Armada and the Sequoia. I swore that I would never buy and "American" made car, but I absolutely am in L-O-V-E with my suburban. The only thing that I would change about the suburban is that the third row reclined a little bit and and the second row captains chairs would move forward or back.

 

[LJRJR]

I have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia. It is a very comfortable car and it has plenty of room. I have three children and there is more than enought space to fit them. Even with the third row up, I can still fit both of my sons hockey equipment, baseball bags, and my daughters large band instument. Currently, it has almost 90,000 miles and to this date I have not had any mechanical issues with the car. I get about 16 mpg and do mostly city driving. Good luck with your choice. I would buy another Sequoia tomorrow if I needed to.

 

[Fabinva]

We bought a 06 Armada brand new years ago, it was my husband's picked and before buying we did research about all brake problems with these, it was supposed to be "fixed" with this year model but when it is time to change breaks it has a tendency of sticking and not stopping...Way to ley you know! I don't like the vehicle, it feels cheap on the inside, beside brakes we had to replaced the calipers and it does not have that many miles to justify that. I personally would not recommend it.

 

[mackymaddyconnorsmom]

That is scary about the brakes. My kids loved it because it was equipped with many things. I HATE buying new vehicles. We need something soon because my daughter's softball travel season is in full gear and my van is having problems. I am going to look at the Pilot. The only good thing about the last dealership I went to is the salesman let me take it home to show my husband. He is letting me decide which SUV to buy and I don't want to make a mistake.

 

[Kimberly]

That is scary about the brakes. My kids loved it because it was equipped with many things. I HATE buying new vehicles. We need something soon because my daughter's softball travel season is in full gear and my van is having problems. I am going to look at the Pilot. The only good thing about the last dealership I went to is the salesman let me take it home to show my husband. He is letting me decide which SUV to buy and I don't want to make a mistake.

Don't worry about making the "wrong" decision with a new car. The important thing is you get the car that's right for YOU. In terms of price, space, safety, and all your other needs.

I would try the Ford Expedition and GMC Yukon, as they're also in the same class as the Toyota Sequoia and the Nissan Armada. Don't be afraid to look at smaller SUV's as well that may have similar interior space and features such as a 3rd row seat. Just take your time, and don't rush into the sale. The salesman will take advantage of someone buying a car without their head on straight.

Edit: Found a link in consumer guide that could help you out. Probably could find the smaller SUV's there as well.
http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2009-large-suv-buying-guide1.htm

Here's a link for all the buying guides: http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/vehicle-class-buying-guides.htm

 

[bigbabyblues]

We had a Toyota Sienna that we traded in for a 2010 Suburban. When I went shopping for an suv I couldn't find any suv that would have the comparable space that my van did.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but THANK YOU for posting this. We currently have a Sienna, and I'm starting to think about trading it, but I wasn't sure if we could find something with a similar amount of space. I need the third row seat quite often, but I need the space behind the third seat as well. Looks like we're going to be looking at another van when our time comes.

 

[dawson5]

If you do go to look at the Expedition, check out the Flex while you are there. Hubby's boss has been driving one for over six months and loves it. He's a fairly tall guy too. (Hubby is a fixed op director at a dealership, his boss/owner can choose from five different makes, any model, etc.) Hubby brought one home for the neighbor to check out, I didn't drive it but did climb in the third row. It is very good sized, sits lower to the ground also. She ended up with a Volvo XC90, but did love the space the Flex offered. She's been driving Volvo's for the past twenty years, it was kind of amazing she even considered a Ford

 

[ToTLaugher]

I have a 20001 Suburban and love it. I have put almost 150,000 miles on it and it is still going strong. I car pooled with 2 other families and could fit seven kids (4 teens, 2 middle school and one preschooler) for a half hour drive without any complaint. All the kids loved the Suburban. My kids routinely have long drives and never complain about the space. We also have plenty of room for luggage.

HTH

 

[golfgal]

If you need both space and seating your only real options in the SUV market are the full sized SUV's then you deal with the bad gas mileage. Suburbans and Yukon's are nice for the size and flexibility but the 15 mpg would do me in. Perhaps looking at a larger minivan like the Quest or Sienna would be an option too? The smaller SUV's just don't have the cargo space you have now if you have all 3 rows up.

 

[StitchBuddy]

We have a Honda Pilot and love it!!!

 

[dennis99ss]

don't have the tahoe, but do have the suburban. Suburban ride may be a little better than the tahoe, if you stay with the 1500. If you go with the 2500 the ride will be slightly rougher. Absolutely love it. Before the suburban, had an expedition, hated it. To many knick knack problems with it.

The suburban (08) is going strong at 90k miles, without issue.

The ride is great, and you can go about 500 miles on a tank. On a trip, you can go 500 miles between fill ups and not have a back problem as well.

The room is more than enough for a family of 6. plus gear. Have had 4-6 scouts in it with no problem. Have had the family(4) with winter ski gear, no problem. Have even hauled pavers, landscape rocks, wood flooring, etc. inside and still had room to spare. If you look at the suburban, look at 2d row captains instead of 2d row bench. It is much easier to get into the back. Plus, towing is easy with it.