what is the best bang for your buck SUV

[2GFWDbeast]

Me and the wife are having a baby boy in about 4 weeks. Were looking into getting a suv of some sort. We live in wisconsin so it would be ideal for something with Awd.We Would like some info from all of you who drive Suv's. Would also like it to have descent gas mileage.

 

[Bud92gsx]

I like the oldsmobile Bravada's..My mom traded her for a fwd hyndai, been kicking herself ever since..

No she wants a truck, or an suv with awd..So I'm trying to talk her back into a Bravada..

There awd, 6 cyl..Not great on gas but that not what you care about..It's about getting around safely around here in the winter..The sound system is awsome..The one my mom had was leather, it was really nice..It's like a blazer on steroids..She had a 99, but hey changed body stles in 2000, and I think they look horrible..I like the 99's..

 

[lauj2gdsm]

toyota rav 4

Find a Car

 

[constant_proj21]

Late 90's jeep. Find one with a good maintenance record, and that has been somewhat taken care of, and you should be set for some time. I've worked on 300,000+ mile jeeps in the past, with stock motors and good maintenance in the past. They go on forever.

 

[97gst_spyder]

toyota rav 4

Find a Car

Thats almost worse than a DSM...

Look at Pathfinders 2002-2003, Toyota 4Runners, Land Cruses. I have driven or owned all of these. Loved them all. (Mostly for work.)

Land Cruiser's are horrid on gas but are tanks.

Pathfinders ride/drive great. If you have the cash, get the V8 one and have it flashed with the Titan rom...Fun Fun...

 

[lauj2gdsm]

If you guys haven't forgot gas price has sky rocketed and the trend is to get a fuel efficient car. Plus hes got a baby on the way. No room in the garage for a hungry gas hogger.

 

[97gst_spyder]

Well if his wife/gf is anything like mine. She stays home with the kids (two - 20month and 2 week old) she doesn't really drive all the time. So a gas guzzler wouldn't hurt me that much.

 

[KazooGS-T]

I say trailblazer. Which are also known as the Saab 9-7x, Buick Rainier, GMC Envoy, Oldsmobile Bravada, and Isuzu Ascender. They get decent gas mileage (17-20avg) can pull anything you want, are comfortable, affordable and have the option of being AWD. Especially the Trailblazer SS with the LS2, instead of 4.2 (I6) or 5.3 (4.2/5.3 are both offered AWD as well, depending on manufacturer).

The good thing about the 5.3/6.0 is if you want more performance, virtually all LSx parts will bolt together, speaking as how they are both in the LS/LQ family. So you can get some headers, a cam, intake, etc with ease and for fairly cheap.

 

[Eagledsm]

I'm thinking about the new Outlander fully loaded.

 

[cs82685]

Wife and I had an edge limited, it was a great comfy car, traded it in for a crv ex-l with nav and were able to cut our payments by more than half, but still wish we had the edge for a multitude of reasons one of which is we find the crv pretty small with the infant car seat in the back seat and the stroller takes up a good portion Of the trunk, can't even think about getting even one of our two 80lb greyhounds in with the baby and stroller

 

[99gst_racer]

Pre-congrats on your baby boy.

What's your budget?

 

[Bishikid]

When reading motor trends, and they were comparing all the SUVs..... they specifically stated the the Jeep Liberty has dominated that catigory for most of the SUVs existence... I'd say a 2002+ would do the job. although I don't expect the gas mileage to be awsome on it.... again its an suv.

other than that, if your looking for a brand new, yet cheap crossover, I'd suggest the new outlander sport... small AWD, affordable, reliable, and best of all it gets 30 miles to the gallon

 

[TeamFury]

You have to with a Jeep. Great performance in various conditions and good gas mileage. I've had mine since 2005 and replaced the tires,brakes and a lift kit. Besides that run's like a top I live in Buffalo, New York lots of snow to.

 

[Clinical]

any 4.0L Cherokee. Seriously the early-late 90's cherokees were great. Comfortable, roomy, great 4x4, fun, and absolute tanks. So many 300k+ 4.0's out there.

And you can get a decent one with decent miles for less than 3k. Hell I've found them with 130-150k on them in overall good condition for less than 2k.

 

[sag1441]

yup. xj or wj with the 4.0 gets my vote

 

[4g63tc]

I love my 2007 Mitsu outlander, AWD, with a 2.4L MiVec, milage isn't too bad with about 24 around town, and you can steal the brakes off it to do a budget upgrade to 2g's

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searc...e=MIT&keywordsfyc=__YXdk__&sort_type=priceASC

even comes with a 3rd row seat, V6 model.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...pe=b&num_records=25&cardist=11&standard=false

Excellent MPG, and plenty of room seats 5 comfortably

Both of these searched in Kenosha , WA

 

[richard33]

I had a 2007 trailblazer. I liked it a lot. It was decent on gas around town and I had no problems with it up until I totaled it with 80k miles. Tows a car with no problem at all too.

 

[420aNEWB]

http://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/pontiac_vibe_gt.jpg



pontiac vibe.

 

[KazooGS-T]

http://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/pontiac_vibe_gt.jpg



pontiac vibe.

No. The trailblazer has the same towing capabilities of a silverado 1500, stock. Like I said, check one out, they can be had for a decent price, are super comfortable, have a good amount of room, and are actually stylish for an suv.

 

[Twistaye]

any 4.0L Cherokee. Seriously the early-late 90's cherokees were great. Comfortable, roomy, great 4x4, fun, and absolute tanks. So many 300k+ 4.0's out there.

And you can get a decent one with decent miles for less than 3k. Hell I've found them with 130-150k on them in overall good condition for less than 2k.

Agreed! I bought my wife a 96 XJ with the 4.0.. It has 4wd but we've never had to use it, even in the snow. Of course I always cycle summer / winter tires on both the Jeep and the Evo, but it's been great . Oh and I have two boys, with two car seats in the back, and there's plenty of room left over.

 

[99eclipse420]

go with a subaru regardless of the model, I would get the 02 wrx but thats me I know its not a suv but great reliable car.

 

[99gst_racer]

No. The trailblazer has the same towing capabilities of a silverado 1500, stock. Like I said, check one out, they can be had for a decent price, are super comfortable, have a good amount of room, and are actually stylish for an suv.

That's a negative. The Trailblazer equipped with the most common engine for that model (4.2L I6), will tow better than most anything else with a 6-cylinder, but it won't tow just as well as a full size truck with a small-block V8. The Trailblazer is rated to pull 5200 lbs (and must use a WD hitch for 4000+), whereas the fullsize is rated at 7500-8000 lbs depending on gear ratio and tire size. Not to mention the fullsize truck also has a longer wheelbase, heavier platform, and larger brakes. All of which aid in stability while towing.

The Trailblazer/Envoy is an excellent SUV though.

 

[Twistaye]

go with a subaru regardless of the model, I would get the 02 wrx but thats me I know its not a suv but great reliable car.

To piggyback onto this guy I've always wanted a Subaru Forester. You can pick one up for a fairly decent price ~3k-9k pending year/mileage etc. They're AWD and look roomy, and then when you get bored later in life you can do an STi swap :O..

 

[4g63monstr]

I drive a 2004 Honda CRV and I love it. The gas mileage is great, its a HONDA, Its roomy, fairly stylish and it is AWD. I got it for around 9k with only 68,000 on the dash and mint interior and a very decent exterior. I have to say that I really enjoy the car and I don't know what people are talking about with lack of space because its damn roomy.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Sorry didn't read the thread, but Honda Passport. So cheap and reliable.

any 4.0L Cherokee. Seriously the early-late 90's cherokees were great. Comfortable, roomy, great 4x4, fun, and absolute tanks. So many 300k+ 4.0's out there.

And you can get a decent one with decent miles for less than 3k. Hell I've found them with 130-150k on them in overall good condition for less than 2k.

This, too. My family had a 96? Anyways, that shit never ever had a failure until a person with no license or insurance or registration rear ended it at a stop going 50mph. My parents were cut out with the jaws of life. Bruised. No injuries.

Also there is a creepy-weird following for outlanders out there. I'm curious to know what get's them so wound up.