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  • Posted by $ Thoritsu 7 years, 8 months ago
    Ford has VERY good engines these days. Escape/Edge/Explorer are excellent. Escape 2.0 Ecoboost is a great vehicle. Definitely possible for <$30K.

    Before the newest Ford engines, I liked the GM direct injection 3.0 v6. My buddy got an Acadia with it, and it has been flawless.

    I have Subarus, and had good luck until recently. My engine failed at 24K miles (2014 STI) and my wife had a 2009 Outback super lemon. The new 2.0 engines from Subaru are good. Subarus are very easy to work on.

    I recommend the Ford. I am switching from my Subaru STI to the new Focus RS. Escape is based on the Focus.
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  • Posted by Technocracy 7 years, 8 months ago
    Do you want classic body on frame SUV or a unibody crossover. That choice eliminates wide swaths of options.

    Another important choice is what mileage you are looking to get out of it? Crossovers as a rule get better mileage, they are smaller and/or lighter.

    Even a few hybrids around in the small/med suv segment.

    In the small to medium range the vast majority are crossovers rather than body on frame.

    My wife likes her Nissan Rogue a lot, its aimed at an older demographic in the 2nd gen iteration, so we like it a lot better than the gen 1 ones. I have a body on frame SUV, Toyota FJ Cruiser, which alas ended production in 2014.
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  • Posted by wmiranda 7 years, 8 months ago
    I bought myself a RAV4 a while back and my wife appropriated it. She finally handed it down to my youngest son who doesn't take care of it and the SUV has some issue but still runs well. Then again, it also has over 300K miles on it. The darn thing is like that battery commercial on TV.
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  • Posted by tohar1 7 years, 8 months ago
    I know that no less than 3 neighbors on my block have recently purchased the newest Jeep Cherokee. I'm not sure what you might find in your price range, but up here in the hinterlands, the Jeep 4 wheel drive's reputation speaks volumes. My wife drives a Jeep Grand Cherokee that is about 10 years old, and we are seriously thinking about replacing it with one of the new Cherokees. PS: I'm also considering an Elio Motors (eliomotors.com) car. Great gas mileage, and they look like they are going to be FUN! US made, and a great price to boot! Not really for winter-time, but 8-9 months of the year, it should be great!
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    • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 8 months ago
      My son had a Grand Cherokee which was inherited by my grandson who drove it to 150K miles intil the fenders fell off -- literally. I'll check one out as our mini van is a Chrysler, so we are very familiar with the dealer.
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  • Posted by sandcrab72 7 years, 8 months ago
    I have been looking around for about a month, and I am down to a Hyundai Tucson or a Nissan Rogue. The gas mileage on these 2 is good, and I can get an AWD version of either of there for about 24K
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  • Posted by mia767ca 7 years, 8 months ago
    don't know where you live, but i worked part-time for CarMax for a while after retirement...they are fair in buying and selling cars...i traded their stock for years...plus they will ship car if not at your location...go to CarMax.com...they will offer you a maintenance contract...good indication if there is value in car...let me know...mia767ca@aol.com
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    • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 8 months ago
      I thought they were only used.
      There is a CarMax in our area but not very close to us.
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      • Posted by mia767ca 7 years, 8 months ago
        yes...i did not know you only wanted used...sorry...i found a 4 yr old Camry with 20K miles for $16K...in mint condition...driven 50 miles a week...still driving it...hate driving a new car off the lot and losing 20-30% of value immediately...good luck...
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  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 8 months ago
    I bought my wife a 14 and just replaced with a 16 Ford Escape...I think if you got the regular engine with less options you could get one under 30K. (Ours is an eco turbo 4...it's quick and gets 26 around town).
    My wife likes them...me, not real enthused with any of the new vehicles...I'll keep my 07 ranger thank you.
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    • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 8 months ago
      Looked at the Chevy Equinox and the Ford Escape. So far, not too impressed.
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      • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 8 months ago
        Most cars today are uuuuuugggggly, like me, not to mention they all look like the same factory made them...they all share 1/2 the parts...what ever happened to individuality and brand identity.
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        • Posted by $ Stormi 7 years, 8 months ago
          I'm with you on that Olduglycarl! The joy of hitting the lots to see the new models with my dad, those were good days. We had a Blazer in the 70s, it got us West several times. But my love are my 2010 Camaro and my 20002 Vette. Actually, the Vette is my "truck". We had a screen needing repair, and the Vette was the only vehicle that would carry it. My husband had an Impala, which was great in snow, but I kept telling him it was an old persons care (he is retired., Then he found his love, a 2009 Challenger. What do people do wit all that space in those huge SUVs that look like buses? Most of the time, I see one old lady, alone, driving these huge vehicles which they has no idea how to handle.
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          • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 8 months ago
            My all time fav, was my 61 Ford Starliner, 425Hp and later I rebuilt a 66 Mustang GT Fstbk...still regret having to sell it in 09 when I got laid off from DeWalt Power Tools.
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            • Posted by $ Stormi 7 years, 8 months ago
              My favorite was my first car, a '57 Chevy Bel Bire with A/C - we lived in New Mexico then. I sold it because trying to gt established in the late 60s, just did not have spare cash to give it what it needed. Lived that chrome! My dad raised me liberated, when girls were not, but peacefully so, sharing cars, teaching me to solder, giving me no grace during our tether ball games. I am so glad he shared skills with me which have enriched my life. His last trip was to look at cars at the nearby dealership, the week before he went into Hospice, sneaking out while my step-mom was at the grocery. I smile, I understood.
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              • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 8 months ago
                When I was finally in a position to get my "dream car" I got a '69 Dodge Charger with the 440 hemi engine. I loved that car. Unfortunately, I loved it a little too much. I got a lot of speeding tickets and had to learn to slow it down, the hard way. Just because you can easily do 120 mph doesn't mean you should do 120 mph.
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                • Posted by $ Stormi 7 years, 8 months ago
                  My dad told me not to peel out, but I did. At 16, with a part time job, I soon found myself dipping into my savings to buy new tires. Lesson learned. Then around that time, I a downside to being a girl who drove \ a hot car, but not enough sense to refuse a challenge. We got pulled over for drag racing. I worked after school for what I had learned was a mob run business, cops were our friends - to the extent I got no ticket. My male challenger got charged with something (since you cannot drag yourself), and I learned a lesson in self control. Even though i have had similar challenges by others over the years, the funniest was when a guy in an SUV pulled up beside my Vette, revved the engine, and actually, albeit pathetically, squealed his tires. I slowly left the light, laughing at his need to dominate. I had learned you do not let others dominate your actions, besides I knew I could do 200 mph, no need to prove it.
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                • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 8 months ago
                  Being hyperactive up until 38 years old...betya I got more tickets than you...one thing that was really hard for me to control.
                  I am fond of saying that I used to get a ticket a day...whether I needed it or not...It's amazing I never had an accident...even on the track.
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                  • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 8 months ago
                    I just loved the feeling of power. I lived in a suburb of Detroit and sent my boys to a camp in the upper peninsula and I would visit them flying up I75 to the Mackinac Bridge and beyond. 50 miles outside of Mackinac City in the lower peninsula the ground rose up to a few hundred foot elevation, and I would run the car up to full speed and throw it into neutral and coast the 50 miles into town. Ah, the follies of youth.
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            • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 8 months ago
              I had saved up enough for a down payment on a cheap new car. It was a Ford Mainline six with 3 on a tree. I had $450 in quarters and half dollars. I handed the box of coins to the salesman. I guess he didn't know what to expect since the box was so heavy he almost dropped it. I was 19 so my dad cosigned. I drove the car for 185,000 miles, and sold it for $200 after the motor burnt out and the fellow who bought it dropped a new motor in it and drove it for another two years.
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              • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 8 months ago
                Now that's funny...I bought a 2dr coupe, 53 mainline for 5.00 while on my paper route at age 13.
                That was my first car and drove it until I was 17...it would shimmy at 80...great little 6cy.

                Still have the receipt on the back of a pack of matches...
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        • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 8 months ago
          Got no choice. we've already sunk more into our 11 year old mini van than it's worth. It's not worth trading in so we'll keep it as a back-up rather than get $1500 in trade.
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          • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 8 months ago
            Been there...maybe you could park it in the back and use it as your man cave...

            Funny, when I was a kid, all our old cars that were no longer reliable or too expensive to fix, ended up in the woods...great place to play cops and robbers as a kid!
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            • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 8 months ago
              No can do. The old van runs great, but after 11 years, the air conditioning could go, or any number of other things, all of which would cost more to repair than the vehicle is worth. In the meantime, we'll use it as a back up when the new one is in service until it is ready for the Salvation Army.
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      • Posted by freedomforall 7 years, 8 months ago
        Herb, my girlfriend loves her Honda Pilot. 140,000 miles with no problems so far. (Bought it a couple years old in '07.)
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        • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 8 months ago
          I'll check it out. However, we are discovering that most SUVs are difficult for my wife to drive comfortably. She's barely 5' and has to be almost on top of the steering wheel to reach the pedals.
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          • Posted by freedomforall 7 years, 8 months ago
            That was a problem for my girlfriend, too. She is 5'1" (and 99 lb) and has always had to search for a car with a comfortable seat and a headrest that is at the right height. She always had a van before this because of that issue. imo, it drives much better than any other SUV I have driven - I drive a 2 seat convertible sports car. I understand what you are going through trying to help find a vehicle that fits.
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          • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 7 years, 8 months ago
            Got it!...duck tape some short 4X4's to each peddle!, either that of see it you can purchase a used "Shriner" car...you know, the kind they used in parades...you might even get one of them pointy hats to wear.
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  • Posted by johnpe1 7 years, 8 months ago
    Herb, last year we bought a 2006 Lexus rx330 from
    a dealership in charlotte, n.c. which had 63,000 miles
    on it . . it was a "miracle find" during the night which
    we secured by e-mail and drove 200-plus miles to buy.
    since then, it has been swiss-watch reliable and I
    have driven the competition from jeep and nissan
    during rental runs to and from atlanta. . it's better
    by a large margin. . sux that it wasn't built in the u.s.
    but the truth is the truth. . gets about 21 mpg with
    all of the creature comforts engaged. . just a data
    point for you. . it was 9 years old when we bought it,
    of course, but it replaced a car which was 21 years old! -- j
    .
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    • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 8 months ago
      Worthy of thought. Although the BW doesn't like used, even though when we were struggling to get our business going I bought a cheap used one about every 2 years. I'm one of the few people who ever owned a Hudson Hornet and actually drove it until the front bumper fell off and the motor gave up the ghost.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 7 years, 8 months ago
    things to watch out for.

    KIA was putting out two wheel drive pretend SUV's they aren't SUV without four wheel drive

    Diesel is better than gas

    Manual is better than automatic which for utility purposes has no real purpose except getting stuck.

    Larger is better than small those miniature vehicles are basically go karts with a cheap body and useless when somebody rams into yiou.

    SUVs have a high center of gravity and do not do fast lane changes or quick turns at higher speeds well. especially the dinky toy kind.

    For a smaller vehicle just get a Nissan Pathfinder short of no diesel they are by far trhe best value for the money

    In the larger versions look for real spare tire, dual fuel tank option, heavy duty bumpers, winch on the front strong towing connection on the rear. Or if not planning to go off road why buy one except for protection in freeway collisions?
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    • Posted by Herb7734 7 years, 8 months ago
      For the amount of and kind of driving we do, many of the features you mention, while practical, are rarely needed by us. The only reason for a mini van or SUV is because the BW is an Avon Lady and delivers pretty big packages on occasion, and for when we take the dog to the park.
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    • Posted by $ Snezzy 7 years, 8 months ago
      We like our 1992 and 1993 Dodge Cummins pickups. We've been told that they are no longer depreciating, and are sought-after because of the indestructible engine. They do need regular engine service, though: replace the injector pump with a rebuilt one every 20 years.
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