Woman I'm dating picked up a 2007 Ford Edge for her 80 ish y.o. parents for$9000 from private party. 88K miles. Neat little truckster. No oil leaks, interior has held up really well though5-6 years old. We drove it 100 miles to deliver it and I must say I was impressed. Lots of hauling room with seats folded down...plenty of leg room when up. Her parents like it because its not so high up that they can get in and out of it without effort.

I was impressed w/it overall. There's a ton of em on the market.

Never had a CRV issue that wasnt straigh forward. They generally demand a premium because of the Honda name but seem to last forever. Tbelts and oil changes, not much else to do usually.

Rav4's are decent too, especially the mid 2000 design. Nothing fancy but straight forward and dependable.

1st gen Cr-V is like a giant civic. My aunt has one I work on. Simple and easy.

rjp

There's only about 100 different options to choose from. Honda and Toyota you pay a tax for the name, they'll always carry a premium. I would look at:

Honda CRV
Toyota RAV-4
Toyota 4Runner
Honda Pilot - midsize but still gets 25 MPG and has room for adults in back
Acura MDX
Lexus RX300
Nissan Pathfinder
Nissan Murano
Infiniti QX4
Mazda CX5
Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute
Ford Edge

Any reason why the SUV? You could get equal to better interior room, better MPG, and more fun out of a midsize or fullsize sedan. I can haul four adults in comfort in my S8.

Oh crap, add another one- try driving an Xterra.

Got balls, well built and good looking truck. Just don't try the rear seat for long trips. They are in your price range.

rjp

Oh crap, add another one- try driving an Xterra.

Got balls, well built and good looking truck. Just don't try the rear seat for long trips. They are in your price range.

rjp

Forgot that one, I like the XTerra. They suck on MPG though.

We have a CR-V that my wife drives and it's been trouble free basically. Not bad on gas either. I use it to haul stuff for work sometimes and you can get a surprisingly large amount of stuff jammed in it.

Let me whip that list into shape:

Honda CRV - nicest; best engine; fun
Toyota RAV-4 - runner up to Honda
Honda Pilot - midsize but still gets 25 MPG and has room for adults in back; best all around in it's size category; B+ in everything
Acura MDX - nicer than Pilot; more spendy
Lexus RX300 - cushiest; poor handling as the spring rate is sooo soft
Nissan Pathfinder - nice
Nissan Murano - weird-lookin'
Infiniti QX4 - ??
Mazda CX5 - sporty
Fords - not so great; bigger motors

if you need AWD then Sube is the best w/o exception

if you don't get the CRV

No AWD necessary. But I need more cargo space than a sedan will offer. I need to be able to haul a Marshall 4x12 with head in roadcase, a few guitars and other stuff. In between band events, I need room for passengers, so I need four doors. Gotta go practice some more Rush stuff for a bit. Got another guitar yesterday and need to break it in.

You can actually find pretty good deals on the Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti with a little looking. They seem to get forgotten in the used market to some extent. I agree that the CRV is nice but they are WAY more expensive than many of the others, enough so that I would probably defer to a newer and lower mileage example of something else. I'll take a nice Mazda over a beat Honda.

With that criteria I would look wagon first. A few of those:

Audi A4/A6 - nice interiors, sporty, A4 can be had with a stick
BMW 3/5 - more sporty
Jaguar X-type - basically a rebadged Ford but a good deal as a used car
Lexus IS300 Sportback - hard to find, can be had with a stick
Mazda6 - reliable but sporty, can be had with a stick
Mazda3 5 door - technically a hatchback but roomy inside
Mazda Protege5 - really fun little wagon (I had one), can be had with a stick
Mercedes C/E - nice but a little soggy handling for my taste
Subaru Impreza/WRX/Forester/Outback/Legacy - lots of wagon flavors here, I had a Legacy GT wagon that I really liked
Saab 9-2X - WRX for adults
Saab 9-5 Aero - the 9-3 is crap but the 9-5 wagon is a pretty nice car, especially in Aero form
VW Passat/Jetta - if you go VAG, I say just get an Audi
Volvo V70 - nice cars, fun in T-5 trim and really fun as a V70R, available with a stick
Volvo V50 - smaller than the V70

I disagree about the Saab 9-5.

The NG900 and early 9-3's are awesome.

30MPG, turbo and big enough to hold a Marshall cab.

I also get a wagon for your needs - dump the Subes since you don't need AWD and it deadens your feel, while lowering your mileage (which reminds me of an ex-gf...).

Anyway, you have a nice test drive list - post your impressions

I am open to wagons for sure, but sort of want the higher ground clearance of an SUV for occasional dirt roads.

How about a mid 2000 Ford Explorer

2004 Phoenix Explorer

Not great on gas but AC all day and lots of room. Easy to maintain and repair. Blends into the crowd perfectly. No...really...find a clean one for way under your 10K budget all day.

How is the Jeep Liberty? They came with a diesel option and they seem really solid just from sitting in one.

Yeah, an Explorer would fit the bill if it got better mileage, which I don't really need, but want. I love the thought of having a car that totally blends in and no one would notice.

My dad had a Jeep Liberty and I don't think he liked it, but I will ask. Can't remember what the issue was.

The Explorer of that era is pretty mediocre compared to most of the imports, but generally reliable and cheap to own. The Liberty has a lot of little nitpicky issues like many Chrysler products, I personally wouldn't buy one. Unless you pay a big premium for the diesel the MPG sucks too.

If I were getting an SUV I would prefer to get a real one, personally I'd go with a 4Runner. Actually that's not true, I'd go bigger and get another Land Cruiser. Selling my FJ80 was a big mistake. $10k gets a UZJ100 that gives you lots of space inside, tons of off road capability, a really nice high quality interior, and bulletproof reliability.

I owned an NG900 and 9000 Aero so I agree with the goodness of a Saab hatchback. But the 9-5 is a pretty decent car if you find a good one, far better than the new 9-3.