Full sized SUV's

[Sturg1647545502]

This will be the wife's new vehicle and the travel vehicle.

 

Anyone have opinions on one vs the other? Probably spending 15-20k on something used.

[Cordell]

Did you have something in mind? A full size SUV for a travel vehicle huh? That sounds expensive. They all have one issue or another. I'm partial to GM products, but that's mostly because I'm comfortable fixing them.

[Sturg1647545502]

This goes back to my tuck v SUV idea a while back. I dont have anything in mind because a) i dont know anything about them and b) if a good deal lands in my lap my preferences rapidly diminish as my cheaposity rises...so i;d like to be at least familiar about the potential pit falls of each specific model.

[Forrest Gump 9]

07+ Acura mdx or 03+ Toyota 4runner. Are they big enough?

[Sturg1647545502]

07+ Acura mdx or 03+ Toyota 4runner. Are they big enough?

 

 

Yea. It'll be a toss up between fullzised and something midiszed as the MPG is mostly similar. At this point im open to what ever.

[Rustlestiltskin]

07+ tahoe/yukons with mid-high miles are found around the 20k mark. Also, 07+ VW touareg's as well. Both are great SUV's. Not the best on mpg's but around 20mpg is as good as it'll get. I've owned a newer tahoe and now own a 08 touareg. This is the wife's vehicle.

[adamgh81]

I got the wife a 13 Tahoe LS 4wd a few months ago and we love it. We have 2 big dogs (70-80# each) and a spawn of our own on the way and wanted something comfortable enough for a that and a weeks worth of luggage but also can tow a small boat. We're also parital to GM so it wasn't a hard decision.

3rd row seats come out and give us plenty of room. 2nd row seats fold up to the front of the cabin if needed. 5.3L is great, less accelleration than we were used to compared to our I6 4.2L Trailblazer, but it's a much larger SUV as well.

MPG varies between 14.3-16.5, but my wife only works 4 miles away and we only have 2000 miles on it so far.

Overall, we love it. I'm not sure what all has changed since 07, maybe Cordell can help you with that if you're interested in a GM product.

[Smokey]

I spent a decent amount of time looking at SUVs that could serve as dual-duty for towing (5k lbs) and a daily which limited my choices somewhat.

 

What will you primarily be doing with it? How much weight do you need it to tow? How many people/how much stuff do you need it to hold?

 

If I hadn't been right up against the towing capacity, I would have likely gone with an 07+ MDX. They made them bigger than the older models, have plenty of features, and while the V6 doesn't get great mileage, it will usually be better than the V8 counter parts. If you're towing 4klbs or less then I would check one out.

[PRD2BDF]

Get a saab.

 

oh wrong thread.

 

But seriously, a vote for the Tahoe/Yukons. They're champs!

[TurboRust]

Ford Flex....we love ours. Super comfortable, gets about 20 mpg on the highway and you can put either 6 or 7 people in it, depending on the seat set-up you want. We have two kids in car seats and three dogs.

[Green Bastard]

My wife drives an 01 durango. Very comfortable truck, 3rd row seats (back two rows fold flat), handles well for a large suv. Ours has the 4.7 v8. Great motor although a little anemic for how I like to drive. I know you wouldn't be looking at a durango as old as mine, but I believe the drivetrains carried over into the second gen durango (05-?). So the things I know about the drivetrain... Ours has a CAI, bumped our mpg from 12 to 14 city, valve cover gaskets are a bitch to replace and they will leak at some point, and as always with dodge, careful of the tranny's. I don't know if any of the newer ones are better than the older ones, but it seems we got a good one (122k and still drives perfect). I can't say much about other full sized suv's as I've never owned another full size suv, so that's my input.

[IVRINGS]

We love our 2005 VW V8 Touareg, but honestly it can suck the gas like a champ. We get 17-19mpg on avg. I picked it up cheap on a customer moving up to a Q7 TDI. Without having someone check one out done get one. Since I work for MAG I have techs that can look out for the major stuff.

[Mallard]

It might make the high end of the range, but what about a used 2011+ Durango?

[Smokey]

We get 17-19mpg on avg.

 

That sounds nice. I've been getting 14 in my Saab

[31rx7]

I have a 2005 Suburban 1/2 ton 2 wheel drive, 5.3l. Purchased used with 49k on the clock and now has 149k. Drove it for 2 years as a DD, and since then has been used almost solely as a tow vehicle.

 

Had a transmission replacement at 60k miles. Other than that, gas, tires, brakes, and oil.

 

Reasonably comfortable, has seen hard use, always parked outside, and still looks good and drives well. It would be tough for me to recommend something else given the good service we've gotten out of this.

[silverhatch]

+1 for a gm

 

I bought a Yukon about 4 months ago and love it.

[spankis]

I'd vote for a Tahoe or Yukon as well, or even a suburban if it suits your needs. They have served my parents very well across the several generations they've owned. Just be sure that yours has the 5.3L, not the 4.8.

[Sturg1647545502]

07+ Acura mdx or 03+ Toyota 4runner. Are they big enough?

 

So a MDX vote and 4 runner. thanks

 

I spent a decent amount of time looking at SUVs that could serve as dual-duty for towing (5k lbs) and a daily which limited my choices somewhat.

 

What will you primarily be doing with it? How much weight do you need it to tow? How many people/how much stuff do you need it to hold?

 

If I hadn't been right up against the towing capacity, I would have likely gone with an 07+ MDX. They made them bigger than the older models, have plenty of features, and while the V6 doesn't get great mileage, it will usually be better than the V8 counter parts. If you're towing 4klbs or less then I would check one out.

 

Towing nothing more than a mini trailer and at max 2 dirtbikes. so less than 2k lbs.

Hauling would be something like 4 dudes and camping/ skiing gear long distances.

 

so a vote for the MDX

Ford Flex....we love ours. Super comfortable, gets about 20 mpg on the highway and you can put either 6 or 7 people in it, depending on the seat set-up you want. We have two kids in car seats and three dogs.

but theyr'e so damn ugly

 

I have a 2005 Suburban 1/2 ton 2 wheel drive, 5.3l. Purchased used with 49k on the clock and now has 149k. Drove it for 2 years as a DD, and since then has been used almost solely as a tow vehicle.

 

Had a transmission replacement at 60k miles. Other than that, gas, tires, brakes, and oil.

 

Reasonably comfortable, has seen hard use, always parked outside, and still looks good and drives well. It would be tough for me to recommend something else given the good service we've gotten out of this.

 

sweet, nother GM vote...thanks. Our battalion vehicles were suburbans that were loaded up with all sorts of gear and had the piss driven out of them. Only complaint i heard from our captains was the electronic gas pedal was kind of annoying. other that that it did the job day in and day out.

 

I'd vote for a Tahoe or Yukon as well, or even a suburban if it suits your needs. They have served my parents very well across the several generations they've owned. Just be sure that yours has the 5.3L, not the 4.8.

another GM vote. why the 5.3 not the 4.8?

[Sturg1647545502]

So a lot of pro GM but what about the others (good/bad)

Nisan Armada

Ford excursion or expedition

toyota sequoia

 

as far as dodge is concerned...ive never really like the look of them Unless an unreal offer come up, they're off the table.

[Smokey]

You're definitely going to want to sit in and drive as many examples of these as possible, because there are certainly some factors that are hard to define with words. Interior is a good one that comes to mind. Audi will blow all others away in this dept with BMW, VW, and Acura coming in close behind. Any of the domestic vehicles in your price range are going to likely suffer in that dept. Driving/road manners will change with each as well. The GMs definitely drive like the trucks they are which is good or bad depending on how you want to use it.

 

If you don't need to tow, then the v6 engine versions will get better mileage, but suffer on power if that bothers you.

 

I was dead set on getting a Tahoe for my next vehicle because it would tow and do everything I wanted. The older ones 02-06 are tanks and with the 5.3L will pull whatever you want. The downside is that the interior is definitely from a 90s truck and NOT AVAILABLE IN BLACK! I honestly can't believe that a manufacturer in 2006 would offer a vehicle aimed at families that you can't get with a black interior. The other issue I ran into was that in the near Columbus market, all of the examples I ran into were rusty 90-110k mile hunks that dealers still wanted $13-$16k for. 07+ Tahoes are great with a MUCH better interior but all but the high milers will be out of your price range and the Active Fuel Management (AFM) has caused a lot of oil burning issues with the 5.3L motors if you look it up online. A good friend of mine has an 07 Sierra with AFM issues and it now burns over a quart of oil every 1k miles.

[Dr. Pomade]

I can vouch for a 2011 MDX. It's large enough to haul three kids, my wife, me, and all my wife's unnecessary shit on a road-trip vacation. It has an optional third row of seats, which is functional if you're a child or a person without legs. But, hey, at least it's there. When the third row of seating is not up, it's got enough space to haul a bunch of stuff, like $400,000 in Whole Foods purchases - which is like 5 bags full of stuff from there. It rides like a sedan and likely could have given my Audi S5 a run for its money from a roll. Not kidding. I would not hesitate to buy another, later model MDX. Also, they are aesthetically pleasing, which is a bonus.

[El Karacho1647545492]

So a lot of pro GM but what about the others (good/bad)

Nisan Armada

Ford excursion or expedition

toyota sequoia

 

as far as dodge is concerned...ive never really like the look of them Unless an unreal offer come up, they're off the table.

 

Not sure about the Armada, but we just took and and almost immediately sold a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. For the couple days it was here, everyone was taking it around for everything. Super nice truck, very comfy and quiet. Ours had 13k on the clock and was a bit higher price-wise than you're looking, but one with more miles could be a good option.

[SRTurbo04]

Cant go wrong with a excursion diesel with the 7.3 but they only made it until 05 so your looking at a 8 or 9 year old truck on the last year so its a bit older.

 

If they still made it excursion hands down but you cant go wrong with a Yukon/Tahoe Im no a chevy person at all but my next vehicle if its not a truck it will be a Yukon/Tahoe. Best bang for your buck IMO

[vonrottes]

I'd say go for a NBS Yukon/tahoe.

What more need be said about the engine other than it's a LS-series

 

As for the trucks themselves, my dad had a 2WD '01 Silverado 1500 LS Ext. cab with a 5.3 LM7.

it was bought used with like 90k on it in '04? and it was a DD, drove to LA after katrina, pulled a open trailer & 1980 Trans-am to Evansville Indiana and pulled the race car from Groveport to Trails every weekend... Only issue was about 1 year after owning it the transmission started slipping while towing. other than that just normal maintenance and had to clean the MAF once.

 

didn't get great mileage, but it was acceptable.

 

All I can say about ford is stay away from anything with a 5r55e.

[PRD2BDF]

My mom has a 2002 Tahoe With the 4.8 and it has been a tank. We didn't touch anything other than brakes and oil. Bought it with less than 40k and has 130,000 on it. The 4.8 is a splendid motor and when you replace the bolts that hold the heads and the pistons to the crank, slap two turbos on it, put 110 race gas in it and turn up the boost, it'll do 1,200 hp reliably. Hot rod proved it