CHAT Looking for a newish vehicle.

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Profit of Doom

Dismember
SUV, maybe 2015 to current. What are good make/models. 4wd probably, but not likely gonna go slickrock jeeping. Both vehicles we have are 20+ old, my 4Runner has about 350,000+. Need to replace with our last vehicles. Any help appreciated.
 
Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
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raven

TB Fanatic
make a list of what has a CVT transmission and what doesn't
Escape
Equinox
Santa Fe
Tucson
Encore

Tahoe might be a good bet

but this is the exact wrong time to be looking - I know because I have been,
I am actually tempted to buy a 2008 Xterra with the intent of putting it in the shop right off the bat
 
Capt. Eddie

Capt. Eddie

Veteran Member
The Admiral has a 2019 Traverse and loves it.

I would disagree with those saying to wait. I don't believe the economic situation is going to improve in the foreseeable future. My thinking is if you are going to need it and can afford get it ASAP or you may not get it at all. YMMV
 
Grouchy Granny

Grouchy Granny

Deceased
Just came back from the local Toyota Dealer - brand new ones need to be ordered. What they have coming in are already sold. Timeframe for new ones - July through September depending on what options are ordered.

Son bought a 2019 Tacoma which was a lease turn in. The previous driver had added a whole bunch of extras that the son wanted and now does not have to pay for.

Heard from the dealership that they can't keep used cars on the lot - they come in are there for maybe a week and gone again.

Also, Toyota says the chip shortage will last until 2022.
 
naegling62

naegling62

Veteran Member
NoDandy said:
Stick with Toyota.
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That really is true. Look at the complaint websites. Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Nissan, Chrysler all have catastrophic failure as some of their biggest complaints. Toyota has things like the knobs don't work right or the seat is squeaky.
 
Capt. Eddie

Capt. Eddie

Veteran Member
Grouchy Granny said:
Just came back from the local Toyota Dealer - brand new ones need to be ordered. What they have coming in are already sold. Timeframe for new ones - July through September depending on what options are ordered.

Son bought a 2019 Tacoma which was a lease turn in. The previous driver had added a whole bunch of extras that the son wanted and now does not have to pay for.

Heard from the dealership that they can't keep used cars on the lot - they come in are there for maybe a week and gone again.

Also, Toyota says the chip shortage will last until 2022.
Click to expand...
Was told by the dealer when I bought my tractor that earliest date for new Bobcat excavators was June 2022
 
AlfaMan

AlfaMan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
What size SUV are you looking for? Any brand in particular? I see some are poo pooing some vehicles with CVT transmissions. In my day to day experience as a manufacturer's vehicle inspector, the only CVT's I've seen issues with are Nissan Versas. CVT tech is reliable, just make sure you service it using the manufacturer's CVT fluid.

Current Toyotas are damned expensive. Just an FYI. The 2015 to 2019 Highlander is not a vehicle I'd recommend. Cheap thin sheetmetal, small brakes for the size of the vehicle, fit and finish is ok but there's better out there. Current Toyotas are NOT like the Toyotas from the past (says the owner of a 2001 Camry Gallery edition that is utterly bulletproof. And no drive by wire either). Toyota has had issues with their touch screens; more so the fact they aren't replacing them if they're out of warranty (although they should). The Tacomas are still rust buckets-and wickedly!!! over priced. Same with the Tundras-the tin worms LOVE those trucks. The Rav4 in that age range have brakes too small, thin sheetmetal but build quality is ok. Again, pretty pricey.

In your price and age range, take a peek at the Kia Sportage or Kia Sorento. Excellent quality, long transferrable warranties and great fit and finish. Kia is on a roll, they have some of the best foreign cars on the market now (and if you're looking for a van perhaps-the Kia Sedona and particularly the new Kia Carnival are the best built minivans on the road now. ) The "new" Toyota Sienna by comparison is merely new sheetmetal on a 10+ year old unibody. Yawn.

Let me know what you're looking at and I'll give you the breakdown on it.
 
TKO

TKO

Veteran Member
NoDandy said:
Stick with Toyota.
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Hmmm. CERTAIN older ones... yes. Newer ones...not so wonderful. I have been a Toyota guy for 20 years. I have Toyotas now and I can't say that many great things. Sure. The transmissions are good. But on later models they went to CVT which is total garbage. I just had my infotainment screen go out on my 2014 and it's a huge problem with Toyotas. I had to pay 99 dollars labor for them to replace it(plus nearly beg Toyota to do it). Interior build quality on my wife's 2017 Sienna has declined . It rattles like mad inside. Toyota quality is at an end. Having said that, I test drove a Chrysler Pacifica. Whew! Talk about worse garbage. I thought a Hyundai was better than that. I test drove a GM SUV and it's not much better than the Pacifica. Quality is hard to find right now. "Planned Obsolescence" is obviously the key they are all using now. Honda could never build good transmissions of late. I take test drives when they offer gift cards to do so. I drive a lot of cars. They aren't offering them much lately.
 
NoDandy

NoDandy

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Profit of Doom said:
Bought 4 in my life, still have 2.
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We have bought 3, one new. Still have all three. Preparing to sell one. The one bought new, a T-100, has 316,000 on it, still running, had to replace the rear end. We love our Toyota's. Keep up basic maintenance ( oil changes, etc ), your good
 
AlfaMan

AlfaMan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
TKO said:
Hmmm. CERTAIN older ones... yes. Newer ones...not so wonderful. I have been a Toyota guy for 20 years. I have Toyotas now and I can't say that many great things. Sure. The transmissions are good. But on later models they went to CVT which is total garbage. I just had my infotainment screen go out on my 2014 and it's a huge problem with Toyotas. I had to pay 99 dollars labor for them to replace it(plus nearly beg Toyota to do it). Interior build quality on my wife's 2017 Sienna has declined . It rattles like mad inside. Toyota quality is at an end. Having said that, I test drove a Chrysler Pacifica. Whew! Talk about worse garbage. I thought a Hyundai was better than that. I test drove a GM SUV and it's not much better than the Pacifica. Quality is hard to find right now. "Planned Obsolescence" is obviously the key they are all using now. Honda could never build good transmissions of late. I take test drives when they offer gift cards to do so. I drive a lot of cars. They aren't offering them much lately.
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You missed the electrical gremlins and the hoods delaminating on the Chrysler Pacificas......... :) They aren't Hyundai products, they're FCA all the way. Like the paint drips on the 2018 Dodge Challenger Hellcats in black. Middle of the right door, a literal paint drip about 3" on it. Hilarious!
 
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P

Profit of Doom

Dismember
Have 2001 Avalon going to replace it. Also the 4Runner 350,000 has oil leaking head gasket and some check engine light thingy. Want to fix gaskets, maybe timing belt and water pump, then address check engine light. Would it be worth it?
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
We got our Equinox back on March, and I feel so blessed, was at the dealership today to finish some business with them and they are incredibly short on both used and new vehicles.
 
dawgofwar10

dawgofwar10

Veteran Member
You will never go wrong with a Toyota or the upgrade to Lexus, just stay away from the CVT versions if offered. Prices in used cars are off the chart, don’t know if bank lending is keeping up with the increase, so make sure you have a big chunk for a down payment.....
 
Maryh

Maryh

Veteran Member
I have a 2018 Hyundai Kona and am in love with it. It's small but perfect for me. I have had no trouble what so ever! Went from a volvo s80t which was a lovely car but too expensive to repair. It was 17 when I sold it. Though I'd miss it terribly but now I can zip around with no problem and go where larger cars cannot go!
 
AlfaMan

AlfaMan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Profit of Doom said:
I’ve done the alternator and the plugs. I work cheap, so I’ll probably get my money’s worth.
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The plugs and alternator are one thing; head gaskets on that 3 litre could be a bit much. I'd suggest getting shop estimates on that work. Check engine lights on a 3 litre are probably evap codes (a vacuum hose might be leaking, or the seal around the gas cap is bad) ; sometimes you'll get a code for a cylinder 2 misfire (replace the coil packs). Are you certain it's a head gasket issue? The oil leaks on that 3 litre are probably just the valve cover gaskets-pretty simple fix actually. If you're replacing the timing belt definitely do the water pump at the same time.
If that 4Runner is clean rust wise (the older ones rusted bad in the quarter panels and the rear frame extensions/rear bumper area) I'd definitely fix it. People love the older ones like that and will pay good money for a rust free example.
 
L

lolabelle

Contributing Member
I have a 98 4runner. We bought it 5 years ago for 4500.00 put another 3000.00 into it. 1500.00 of it was new, bigger tires and old school Mickey Thompson wheels. I can’t go anywhere that someone doesn’t want to buy my truck. If you don’t need to sell it, I wouldn’t. Love our Runner
 
BornFree

BornFree

Came This Far
For many years no one was more ahead of the game than GM. But they are not the same now.

But I used to marvel at how far advanced their electrical systems were above all the rest. First to have a reliable alternator with a built in regulator that would last over 100,000 miles. First to have a reliable Electronic ignition(and coil in cap). They were using water tight connections for years before the others. Chrysler was the worst. The most unreliable electrical systems of all cars right through the 90's. They did not even make an attempt to make a reliable electrical system until the turn of the century. GM did it in the 70's.

I personally would not trust any car today. Including the newer GM's. They are all designed to be just good enough quality to make a sale. Expect tons of issues and failures with new technology such as EPS. Some of those failures can be very dangerous. Not to mention drive by wire. And 700 dollar chip keys.
 
db cooper

db cooper

Resident Secret Squirrel
We are on our 2nd Subaru, this one's a 2015 Outback. Love it. Quite dependable.

Also have a 2018 F150 and just hate the damn thing, cuss every time I get into it. To make a long story short, the electronics are overdone, the dealer even admits that's the biggest complaint about it. Just totally annoying. If you want it, $31,000 and it's yours. It has all the heavy haul/towing features including air bags and factory LT tires and rims. 10 speed trans.

The Subaru's electronics are just enough to keep one informed and safe.
 
rob0126

rob0126

Veteran Member
raven said:
...I am actually tempted to buy a 2008 Xterra with the intent of putting it in the shop right off the bat
Click to expand...

Pretty solid trucks as long as they are taken care of.

Here are a few things I experienced and learned about:

- The old dreaded faulty factory radiator can destroy the transmission. (Suggest a new radiator immediately)
- The timing chain guides can wear out prematurely. (That is a monumental job to fix. Not shadetree friendly)
- The IPDM can go south because of corrosion, but I think an OEM one goes for 200-300 on ebay.
- You must use the OEM T-stat, as an aftermarket will make the engine run a lot hotter.
- The passenger side valve cover can leak. Not too difficult of a fix and the OEM valve covers are cheap. (50.00 ish)
- The Camshaft Position Sensor on the passenger side head is not fun to get to if you have big hands.
- Oil changes have a little drama rolled in with them, if you have big hands.

Other than those main issues, I enjoyed our 07. It got 16 city, 21-24 hwy.

It was 2wd and it was a solid truck. It handled snow very well and had some serious pep with that 4.0L V6.
It was a bit swifter than our old 95 nissan maxima.
 
Red Baron

Red Baron

Paleo-Conservative
_______________
I had a 2018 Toyota Rav4 and now have a 2021 Rav4.

Very reliable and the first SUV I drove that has a decent and solid ride quality. Not at all "tippy" in turns.
 
AlfaMan

AlfaMan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
naegling62 said:
They say Toyota's out live their paint jobs.....and that would be true.
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Toyota has some serious paint issues these days...the low VOC paints epa is making everyone use in the us is causing orange peel issues like crazy. Toyota honda everything US made has issues.ford does ok, don't get me started on GM paint. The suburban and truck now have truly awful and thin!!! Paints now. Plus their robots are drunk. 3.2 mils on the front of a fender, 7.3 on the other end. From the factory!!!
 
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bev

bev

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Alfaman will steer you to the best vehicle/deal out there.

He recommended a 2019 (?) Kia Sedona van for my daughter and she loves it.

He recommended a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport for DH and me. I have only two complaints with it:

1. You need to lean slightly forward to check for vehicles on the left and on the right - maybe 11:00-1:00 position - due to the vertical piece that runs between the windshield and the side windows. I’m sure it has a name but I have no clue what it is. Safety issue there.

2. We replaced our Honda CR-V with this car, and I REALLY miss my old drivers seat! I’ve never felt one more comfortable. Of course, the Hyundai’s heated and cooled seats almost compensate for that.

Seriously, Alfaman knows his stuff!
 
AlfaMan

AlfaMan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
bev said:
Alfaman will steer you to the best vehicle/deal out there.

He recommended a 2019 (?) Kia Sedona van for my daughter and she loves it.

He recommended a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport for DH and me. I have only two complaints with it:

1. You need to lean slightly forward to check for vehicles on the left and on the right - maybe 11:00-1:00 position - due to the vertical piece that runs between the windshield and the side windows. I’m sure it has a name but I have no clue what it is. Safety issue there.

2. We replaced our Honda CR-V with this car, and I REALLY miss my old drivers seat! I’ve never felt one more comfortable. Of course, the Hyundai’s heated and cooled seats almost compensate for that.

Seriously, Alfaman knows his stuff!
Click to expand...

The A pillar is what's messing up the view. Car makers design cars for 95% of drivers, the other 5% may have some issues.
Same with the seats.
Honda uses a japanese 95 percentile, Koreans are a touch taller and they're using them for the 95%. Americans are generally taller and so sometimes the sight lines and seat cushions aren't exact for our backs and backsides :)
Glad daughter is loving the Sedona-theyre NICE vans!
 
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