We're in the market for a used (new to us) vehicle. Wife drives a 2012 Malibu and wants upgrade to an SUV to haul the 14 month old. I have researched a little bit with a Rogue, Murano, Equinox, and Santa Fe. Who has good or bad experiences they can share with any make/model SUV? She is opposed to another car or a minivan.
Used Cars- SUV edition
- Thread starter heyguy85
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We have a 2011 equinox and really like it but will be upgrading to a van as we get closer to having another kid. Very reliable other than a cam shaft position sensor that went bad and seems to be a popular issue with them. Other than that we love it.
Yeah but then he'd have to move to Urbandale, have 5 kids, let the crazy aunt move in and haul all of them around every weekend.
I drive a 2012 Ford Escape and absolutely love it. Still wish I could have gotten the Limited model I was looking at (I wanted the leather interior, and it came in black), but the XLT I ended up with was a better deal (1 model year newer and fewer miles for roughly the same money) and is still awesome. Solid gas mileage, reliable in the winter. If you plan on towing anything big, though, I wouldn't recommend it (I don't tow anything, but I wouldn't do much more than a light trailer with it).
Whichever one you get, make sure you bring your kid crap along with to make sure it will all fit in. Bought the wife Mazda CX-5 (0% financing, lay off me, cash-only types), which is a great little SUV. However, at that time, we were just pregnant and didn't really appreciate how much stinkin' room the car seat and stroller will take up.
Compounding the issue is my height - I'm 6'2", and the seat in front of the car seat has to be jacked way forward. Not an issue for my wife (5'7"), but it's her car, so she drives it mostly.
On a recent trip, we were rented a RAV4, which had a TON of space in it. Kind of wish my wife didn't have Toyota hate and that we would have looked at it.
Compounding the issue is my height - I'm 6'2", and the seat in front of the car seat has to be jacked way forward. Not an issue for my wife (5'7"), but it's her car, so she drives it mostly.
On a recent trip, we were rented a RAV4, which had a TON of space in it. Kind of wish my wife didn't have Toyota hate and that we would have looked at it.
I would stay away from the Equinox. I think they are pretty nicely laid out, but GM still has a lot of reliability issues, as noted above. I have an Escape Hybrid that is okay, but the storage in it is pretty limited, and the ride isn't the best. Subarus are pretty well made and the newer ones are much better on gas. I don't know much about the Jeeps, but they have redesigned the exteriors a lot, and they are at least nicer to look at.
I wouldn't consider the CRV, escape, equinox, or the jeep patriot/compass, etc. We got one and felt like we outgrew it after one kid a year later.
I think a Kia Sorento or Ford Edge sized vehicle would be better. Still not a mammoth 7 passenger vehicle, but wider and more roomy than the compact SUVs I mentioned earlier.
I think a Kia Sorento or Ford Edge sized vehicle would be better. Still not a mammoth 7 passenger vehicle, but wider and more roomy than the compact SUVs I mentioned earlier.
My wife and I have a Santa Fe and have been very happy with it. It has a ton of usable room on the inside.
Neighbors just got a new kid and picked up one of those. Looks like the size is right for their family (3 kids).
