SUV/Car questions and suggestions needed...

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imported_MCA

New member
Well folks...I just recently found out that I am going to be a father of twins :woot: . These two will be my first little ones so I am definitely green when it comes to fatherhood. With that said, it's time to trade in the wife's car (Ford Focus) for something more practical. Our budget is currently set to about $32K (give or take) with a high preference to spend lower. I have been researching vehicles like mad, but user-reviews can only go so far and are somewhat biased (EX: Everyone loves Brand X in an Brand X forum). Anyways, my wife and I have sat down and determined some basic guidelines:



1. No Minivans...I cannot emphasize this anymore...actually, my wife cannot emphasize this anymore.



2. High leaning towards an SUV due to the fact that we will be having twins and we recently purchased a house. We will definitely need the utility.



3. Slight preference to car-based or car-like SUV's. I have read more favorable reviews in regards to ride quality and handling with this genre. I am not completely against truck-based SUVs (4runner, Tahoe, etc) so please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.



4. No need to for AWD or 4WD, as it will be spending 99.9% of its time on the road and not on some remote location.



I figure with all the cars that Autopia detailers have cleaned and made beautiful, this has got to be a great place for suggestions and experience sharing. I am completely open to suggestions so let them fly.



Thanks in advance,

MCA
 
with your children and wife, i am sure reliability is of great importance to you. I would recommend either a honda pilot, or toyota 4 runner or highlander. they are all solid cars. my preference is the pilot but i am biased :) you can get a 2wd pilot now which could be right up your alley.
 
The Pilot is great. Rides very nice, has plenty of power, and is pretty nice inside. My sister-in-law has a Highlander and a friend has a new 4runner. The Highlander is definitely the better riding of the 2 if that is a consideration. Honda's and Toyota's are both about equally reliable and the resale value will be decent on both of them later on. The Highlander is a little tight in back, but you can probably get away with that until your twins get bigger.
 
Too bad she doesn't want a minivan. We have an '02 Honda Odyssey and it has great utility.



I've never driven the Pilot, but that would be a great choice too. I think it is larger inside than some of the other SUVs mentioned.
 
A lot of people don't like the looks (personally I love mine), but the Honda Element is a GREAT vehicle for anyone with kids or pets they need to transport. All the floors are rubberized vinyl, all the seats are vinyl cloth as well. If the kids make a mess, it takes seconds to clean it up.



The space inside the thing is HUGE, and versatile (the rear seats will fold flat against the side wall or can be removed to open up the entire space from the front seats to the tailgate for storage or transport.



Like I said, many don't like it, but I love mine and wouldn't trade it for anything, except maybe the newer EX-P version which has all the panels painted instead of the plastic fenders, etc.
 
My vote is for a Subaru Forester or Tribeca. They handle great, are VERY safe, and reliable. I know you said you don't need AWD or 4WD because you don't go off road but AWD is not just for offroad use. It REALLY helps out on regualr road handling as well. It really is a plus in my book. The runner ups would be a Honda Element, CRV or Pilot.
 
If you don't mind a Wagon, the volvo ones are nice. Start round 26k ish I think. Other than that, I'm with Danase on the Suby.
 
Danase said:
My vote is for a Subaru Forester or Tribeca. They handle great, are VERY safe, and reliable. I know you said you don't need AWD or 4WD because you don't go off road but AWD is not just for offroad use. It REALLY helps out on regualr road handling as well. It really is a plus in my book. The runner ups would be a Honda Element, CRV or Pilot.
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Agreed on all counts. The main reason I went to the Element instead of a Suby is because of the versatility of the interior.



Also, the Element and CRV (not sure about the Pilot), unlike the Subaru, are not full time all-wheel drive. They spend the majority of their time in front wheel drive mode and the rear only kicks in when the front wheels start to slip.
 
I had an Acura MDX, which is basically the Pilot. We loved it, nothing bad to say about it at all, would have bought the Pilot if it were available when we bought. Great vehicle and holds its value pretty well here in Indiana. With your constraints, that's the way I'd go.



Of course, we sold the MDX and bought an Odyssey because with 2 kids, 2 dogs, and 2.5 hours trips to the lake, we needed the space. My wife said the same thing as you and your wife, and now she wouldn't go back. It helps that the MDX, Pilot and Odyssey share the same chassis and drivetrain, so she feels like it is akin to driving the MDX. Especially with twins, the Odyssey would be nice. Just wait till you have to lift TWO baby carriers into the extra height of the SUV. It gets to be a pain. Not trying to sway you, but the Odyssey solves some of the day to day stuff you get tired of when hauling kids and stuff in an SUV.



By the way, congrats on the twins. Are they your first kids?



SamIam
 
Somewhat off the intent of the question, but... new or used? Now is a GREAT time to buy SUV's used. People are unloading them because of the cost of gas... buying used will prevent YOU from taking that hit!



Back on topic, unless you need the towing capacity of a full-sized (truck based) SUV, I would recommend the crossover (car based) SUV's. Better ride, better handling, better gas mileage.



I have a full-sized Tahoe, and although I love it because I need the towing capacity, it handles horribly. IMHO, accident avoidance is poor in this type of vehicle.... which does not translate to "a safer vehicle" which I keep hearing as arguments for full-size SUV's.



Just my (slightly different) perspective...
 
I would definitely go wagon. However, I love my German cars, so I'm not a big help with a 32K limit. I hate Subaru just for biased reasons, but I must admit, they are good cars.
 
We have a CR-V and two kids. We like it. My brother just bought a Pathfinder, and that little V6 in that thing will get up and go. Decent ride, way better than the 4Runner which in my opinion rides like crap. If I could buy any SUV right now it would probably be a Pilot. Nice ride, nice room, it's a Honda.
 
You guys are great...thanks for all the advice. I had a funny feeling that it would narrow down to the Pilot, Highlander, and the Forester; it's the same conclusion that my wife and I reached. However, one car/SUV that slipped under the radar that intrigues me is the Nissan Murano. It has great engine, nice sleek look (IMO) and does fall within that price range. What do you guys think about this vehicle? Thanks again for all the advice.



SamIam said:
By the way, congrats on the twins. Are they your first kids?



SamIam
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Yes sir they are (besides our cars :lol )...we're very excited and were quite shocked when the doctor said we're having twins.



MCA
 
I don't know much about the Murano except that I think it looks horrid. To each their own though. The only thing that looks worse than a Murano is the FX35 or 45.
 
I had a Murano as a rental and absolutely did NOT like the CVT transmission. It seemed to always be on the hunt. I didn't care for the looks either. Nice stereo though.:D



We bought an Odyssey when my son(first kid) was born. Neither of us wanted it and we ended up making ANY excuse to drive it. I'd take a look a what you get in the Oddy before discounting it just cause it's a mini-van.
 
That Subaru B9 Tribeca is sooooo cool, but pricey. The Forester is great, and I do believe it received an updated engine this year. I really prefer them to the CR-V.



The Acura RD-X will be coming out soon, and should fit your budget. It looks really interesting.



You could also look into something you may not have considered--an A3 or A4 avant. I personally love the looks of them.



There's also the Mazda 6 wagon.
 
Corey Bit Spank said:
The Acura RD-X will be coming out soon, and should fit your budget. It looks really interesting.
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Demand is likely to be much higher than supply on these for MONTHS after it's release. It will also likely come with some added markup so that even if the window is 30k it's probably going to be more expensive than he's looking to spend.
 
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