So I'm rig shopping, mainly small SUVs, leaning towards a V6 - the type that aren't for off road use. I'm after the size, height & 4/AWD capability......after looking around the options are pretty clear; but each has its flaws - most of which are pretty serious - how does one decide which one to "risk?"

My first instinct was to buy toyota and rav 4 was the main choice because highlanders are too hard to come by. Now, rav 4's are known for losing 3rd and 5th gear - well, that's terrible.

So then I got hot on the ford escape, and there are plenty of them around. But hey, they're known for blowing a transmission or 2, that's a $4000 fix, NICE!!

So I thought, hey, what about suzuki, they're still built in japan, right? Yeah, turns out they are, and they are known for cracking cam gears (which are pressed onto the cam itself - so massive destruction ensues).

Kia/Chev is out of the question and the xterra/pathfinders are too fat & heavy for me to care. I'm not interested in the blazer; however if I could find an explorer, or explorer sport trac in reasonable condition I'd consider it.

Saturn vue's blow tranny's too.....

So this leaves me with the CR-V.....which is an all around decent choice if it doesn't have too high mileage; because it needs a fair bit of work at 240+K, or so my research tells me, could be a couple grand worth. But this thing is 4 banger only, so 5spd is the only choice - I'd rather an auto so the woman can take it if need be and the CR-V has a baaaaaad auto mated to it.

So what the hell are you supposed to buy? Can no-one make a decent rig these days?

What about the Hyundai Santa Fe? One of my buddies parents picked one up last week, seems to be a great rig.

Yeah we looked at CR-V, Rav4 and Santa Fe and ended up with the Santa Fe. Personally I didnt like driving the CR-V, felt too claustrophobic and the A pillar was right in my way. The Santa Fe is great, larger then the other two, which was good in our case. No issues after almost 2 years. With the new style out now the price should be coming down on used ones I would guess. Great in the snow as well.

The problem I have with the santa fe is that the AWD versions are too costly to get your hands on, they are $3-4K more then their FWD counterparts - but other competing AWD/4WD rigs are the same-ish price as the 2WD santa fe - and I need awd/4wd capability because of where we bought a house - there were a couple times during this years mild winter where we almost didnt get up here - next winter may not be so pleasant.

im researching the hell out of escape transmission issue - turns out dealerships were putting in the wrong oil - so it's not guaranteed the trans will pop - especially if I buy one that shows no signs of damage (slipping, sticking in park, etc) and do the proper fluid change......the vehicle has everything I'm looking for in a rig for the right price.

You never mentioned the Nissan Rogue/xTrail, have you looked at them?

I had a ford escape No Issues. I put over 140,000 on it. Worked Great. They are good too in a flip over. I flipped mine end over end 3 times and never had a scratch only a bummed shoulder which i still carry today, which is good considering. But the rig held up great. Id buy one again, no problem.

What year was it? I know the 07 up have alot less issues (or at least different issues) then the 06 and older. I'm looking at an 03 limited now that was owned by an older fella, who sold it to his daughter, who is selling it now.

I have a 05 CRV with a auto and 100,000 and no problems, i tow a skidoo and atv with no issues, gets decent mileage ( 500kms to a 45-50 liter tank) Only issues are brakes tend to seize in rear if you dont regularly service them and the diff fluid needs to be changed every so often. Anything with 240,000kms + tends to need a few grand in work at that point.

The wife got an 2008 Outlander and my parents got 2009 Outlander. No issues at all, and ours was demo with 10k on it when we bought it.

It's sturdy and drives well. My wife is not a person that enjoys winter driving but she has no issues in the Outlander. It has pretty good cargo space too.

The prices on them aren't bad either, they are not over priced like Toyota, well they are IMO anyways.

They're worth looking at, take one for a test drive. I've also had no issues with service either, Adam is a good guy to deal with.

If you are going to buy a 03 SUV or something 6-7 yrs old be prepared to have higher repair bills than you'd expect on a car no matter what the make. Also if you are financing it you ought to be shot ....if its for 1-2 years it can be somewhat understood but just think if it is for 4-5 years you will be paying on a 10 - 11 yr old car by the time its done....bad decision! IMO

Buddies mom has a Santa Fe, it gets my vote. worth the extra bit for the AWD.

Mind you, not the manliest looking vehicle out there.

CASH my good boy, nothing but cash.

03 isn't my goal year, today I was in some 06 rigs.

I've been looking for a month and there's nothing but disappointment, even then altimas felt craptacular... The only thing I've driven so far that didn't feel like crap was an 06 sonata

we always have a healthy stock of 07 08 outlander v6's around. 220 hp, 3500 lb towing capacity, 6 speed auto and the remainder of the 10 year powertrain. They are japanese made

Japanese made? Thats not a strong point right now!


My brother in law just bought a new one of these in a dark metallic grey, great rig! Would be my choice in this market.

I bought an 03 Subaru Forester XS Premium with only 85K on it!