NFR Well, I Hate To Ask... But Looking For SUV Recommendations For Granddaughter's First Car

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Old406Kid

Old406Kid

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First off, our budget with a number of family members kicking in is a max of 8000$ which brings us to vehicles with higher mileage. I might add that we are in Spokane so snow is an issue and she likes to ski etc. I've been delegated to be the 'shopper' and initially I thought it would be easy but my research has opened my eyes to a lot of potential lemons. My first inclination was a Subaru Forester but the more I read they seem to have a host of common, and rather expensive, mechanical problems. My next thought was a Nissan Rogue but much the same when it comes to reliability.
Right now I'm leaning towards Honda CRV's.
Your thoughts???
 
I'm very happy with my 2010 Forester. I updated the stereo to have Android Auto for navigation and Spotify. Great car, not quite long enough to sleep in. I felt comfortable buying it with 150K miles on it because it had the head gasket replaced.

I swear AWD and antilock brakes have saved my life at least once.

My wife likes her Highlander Hybrid. Another great car.

I think Subaru's AWD is better than Toyota's. Unstoppable in snow with good tires.
 
I'm a big Subaru fan, but I think you're right that there are certain years / models that can have the potential for really expensive repairs. I traded in my 2014 Crosstrek on a new 2019 because the cam carriers (like a thrust bearing retainer) were starting to "seep" oil, and the service consultant explained that replacing them would require complete removal of the engine. So without knowing exactly which models / years to avoid, I can understand looking at other makes.

I have no first hand experience, but I'm under the impression that the CRVs have great reputation for reliability. A quick serach online found a lot of used ones in the high 200K / 300K mile range and still going. I bet you could find one in the ~150K mile range with no accidents for ~$8K.
 
I’m likely in the minority here, but I currently own a Subaru and it will be the last one I own.
Since you are looking at the CRV, maybe a RAV4 might also work for your granddaughter. I’ve never owned one but have friends and neighbors that have had good luck with them. Good luck in your search.
SF
 
Stonedfish said:
I’m likely in the minority here, but I currently own a Subaru and it will be the last one I own.
Since you are looking at the CRV, maybe a RAV4 might also work for your granddaughter. I’ve never owned one but have friends and neighbors that have had good luck with them. Good luck in your search.
SF
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The Rav 4 would be high on the list but unfortunately have the highest resale value which kinda throws it out of our price range.
That said, one major repair on another brand might make the additional cost make economical sense.
 
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Owner of 2 CRVs. Never had any problems with them. Sold each of them when 150k mile mark was hit. 4wd is weaker than Toyota IMHO. Now an owner of a RAV4 ---> luv it...
 
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Dean - our 2013 Forester runs great. It does consume about a quart of oil in 5,000 miles. I have extra rims/tires (Blizzak) - fantastic traction control with those tires. The car has 120,000 miles on it so long term?

Good luck, Grandpa.
 
Be prepared to pay more than you ever imagined for anything reliable right now. I just went through this with my daughter, and it was an eye-opener, for sure. She set out wanting an SUV, but she figured out that market was ugly pretty quick.

We went with a 1-owner Subaru Forester for just under $14K. 2010 with 80K miles. Everything looked and felt super clean, so I feel pretty good about it, especially considering the other stuff in that price range. We test drove some at $12K-$15K that had obvious issues and were going to need at least $1000 in brakes/tires/etc. to be safe.

In short it's pretty rough out there. I was nothing less than shocked. I wish you the best.
 
Dean, there are some AWD sedans out there that are perfectly good vehicles but don't sell well because they are not SUV's. We drove sedans for 100 years before everyone decided they had to have a station wagon with AWD. Such a vehicle may be your best shot at meeting your price goal but as Shad implied, you don't get much for $8K anymore.

Another thing is that generations of us have driven on 2wd most of our lives on roads and tires that are not near as good as today. If I had just 8k to spend on a car I would look for a clean FWD sedan with a good reputation and put the world's best snow tires on it. Great tires can be had for around $1,500, the premium on anything that looks like an SUV may be more like $10,000. It cost to be like everyone else! :giggle:
 
Dean, I truly feel your pain. Earlier this year my daughter wanted a vehicle, a SUV, now that she has graduated from college and has a decent job. That task fell, well you guessed it, into my lap. Boy did my eyes get opened wide up. The pandemic screwed everything up. Supply and demand got ridiculously out of whack. For example, the RAV4 we bought used for my wife went from $18k purchase price to $38k (we bought it just before the pandemic). The impact, while subsiding somewhat, still exists. And it's impact is not going away anytime soon.

We were looking at Toyota and Subaru SUVs about 5 years old with decent lower mileage. What we found out it was cheaper to buy a brand new Subaru Crosstrek versus a used one that was 5 years old. Price was comparable and in some cases less, warranty vs no warranty, lower interest rate for a new vehicle, cheaper to insure being brand new, and monthly payment of about the same (yet a year longer) but taking everything into consideration overall new was better and cheaper ---> just had to wait a couple of months for it to be delivered.

I know this is not the same scenario you are in, but helps you understand the environment you are in. As @iveofione suggests, and is good advice for sure, SUVs are a hot item for sure. Maybe look at vehicles somewhat out of favor. FWD vehicles do great. We had a Honda Accord with Blizzak tires and it would 'climb trees in the snow'. We made it home in snowstorms when no one else could. Yeah, you may pay more for a Honda than it's true value but less than the absurd premium price for SUVs that is ridiculous now. In a couple of years have them buy what they really want when prices are more reasonable. Just some food for thought...
 
We bought our son a 2017 Ford escape with 17,000 miles on it 4-years ago for $10,000. It was out of a rental fleet. 2wd, but with proper planning, the weather doesn't slow him down with travel. Wait a day if there is a big storm, or if it's a powder day, use public transportation. You'll get there quicker anyway.
 
Another vote for an older subaru forester, one that has had the head gasket replaced, or a high mileage one that seems to not have had an issue. Also avoid the turbo, more stuff to break, and can cost more to fix (since we're jamming econo here).

I think there are more "problematic" years to avoid, but you'd probably have to do some googling.

Edit: FWD small cars can be very capable. I had a honda fit that handled a few of portland's snow and resulting ice pretty well. It was a surprisingly good hill climber. 3 foot drifts might have been a problem.
 
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Buy an old forester for 4000 take it to a mechanic to have the head gasket and CV joints done.. reliable rig under your budget..
 
A lot of great advice in this thread. We had Subarus and they were great driving cars and excellent on snow, but we had several with head gaskets issues, including one our daughter drove until the engine blew. We switched to Toyotas and have been very happy with them. Currently we have a Highlander. I did sell my Tacoma and bought a GMC half ton diesel for towing the camp trailer. We recently gifted our 2001 Toyota Sequoia to our nephew who was in desperate need of a reliable vehicle. With 303K miles, it is still running strong. Never had any issues with the power train.
 
Depending on where you live, Subarus can be as overpriced in the PNW as Toyotas. But they are a good choice, as are the mentioned RAV4 and CRV. And older 4runner or Pilot might also be an option. 2008-2012 Ford Escape Hybrid might be an option, never owned/driven one, but I hear they are solid.
 
Josh said:
Depending on where you live, Subarus can be as overpriced in the PNW as Toyotas. But they are a good choice, as are the mentioned RAV4 and CRV. And older 4runner or Pilot might also be an option. 2008-2012 Ford Escape Hybrid might be an option, never owned/driven one, but I hear they are solid.
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Although not an Escape Hybrid, we’ve had a 2013 Ford Escape since new , only issue has been the back up camera . Been a great SUV , very popular vehicle, should be a lot of used ones out there .
 
A subscription to Consumer Reports for its testing and owner surveys & satisfaction data might be worthwhile for a car purchase.
 
In a similar situation here, looking for a 4X or AWD to replace Ropers old Forester I bought from Ive pre-pandemic. Car lost a fight with a deer, a rock cliff and a guard rail and was totaled. She’s going to get through this winter with a 2007 Accord with Michelin Cross Climate2 tires. Beaters with 200K miles and no maintenance history are commanding over $5K here.

CarComplaints.com | Car Problems, Car Complaints, & Repair/Recall Information

Free help for car problems, repairs and recalls. What's wrong with YOUR car?
www.carcomplaints.com
A useful tool to indicate potential problems; all cars have certain years that are less reliable than others and you can get an overview from this site. I have lots of faith in Toyotas but looking at the RAV4 it appears the model years 2006-2008 have oil consumption issues and the MY 2019 experience transmission failure at a higher rate than neighboring years. All manufacturers have models with problems that can vary by model year, often occurring when a new feature is introduced.

Maintenance records are of prime importance to me but hard to get when purchasing from a dealer or many private sales. Have a pre-purchase inspection done if you aren’t familiar with the backstory or have questions.
Lots of good information on specific vehicles on the web. The Car Care Nut for Toyota/Lexus products is very good and while annoying to listen to, Scotty Kilmer can be very helpful.
All makes/ models have online forums where you can glean a lot of information in a relatively short period.
 
Robert Engleheart said:
In a similar situation here, looking for a 4X or AWD to replace Ropers old Forester I bought from Ive pre-pandemic. Car lost a fight with a deer, a rock cliff and a guard rail and was totaled. She’s going to get through this winter with a 2007 Accord with Michelin Cross Climate2 tires. Beaters with 200K miles and no maintenance history are commanding over $5K here.

CarComplaints.com | Car Problems, Car Complaints, & Repair/Recall Information

Free help for car problems, repairs and recalls. What's wrong with YOUR car?
www.carcomplaints.com
A useful tool to indicate potential problems; all cars have certain years that are less reliable than others and you can get an overview from this site. I have lots of faith in Toyotas but looking at the RAV4 it appears the model years 2006-2008 have oil consumption issues and the MY 2019 experience transmission failure at a higher rate than neighboring years. All manufacturers have models with problems that can vary by model year, often occurring when a new feature is introduced.

Maintenance records are of prime importance to me but hard to get when purchasing from a dealer or many private sales. Have a pre-purchase inspection done if you aren’t familiar with the backstory or have questions.
Lots of good information on specific vehicles on the web. The Car Care Nut for Toyota/Lexus products is very good and while annoying to listen to, Scotty Kilmer can be very helpful.
All makes/ models have online forums where you can glean a lot of information in a relatively short period.
Click to expand...
Robert - thanks for the carcomplaints link. I looked at 2013 Foresters "excessive oil consumption" and one remedy is replace the pcv valve. Interesting. As I noted to Dean, our Subaru is down a quart in 5k miles (I usually add just short of a quart at 4k). The car doesn't smoke that I can see, it doesn't leak so "consume" seems right. The last time I had it to the dealership they didn't note any issues except it needed a cabin air filter (that I'd just replaced). //
 
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