3-4 Year Old SUV opinions
 

Hello fellas and occasional nice lady

I"m kinda doing a thing where I'm considering 3-5 year old SUV choices and I'm going to throw the ball to you.

Smart me would get a Toyota pickup but i'm dumb. You already knew I'm dumb.

Edumacate me like I'm the dumb guy you know I am!


I 'want' a 2021 Cayenne base or a 2022-23 Macan S. My sister has a 4 banger Macan and I'm not interested. 2022 Macan S has the GTS engine from 2021. I like that the Cayenne has the newer capacitive switch setup a year before the Macan. However I don't care too much about the capacitive switches becaue my old Panamera had the normal switches and it didn't bother me until you told me it's outdated now.

I also realize that both these cars will probably be out of warranty on Day 1.

No Mercedes or BMW or Jaguar. Already did it thanks.

Lexus 450h
MDX
Audi SQ5, SQ8 (maybe the same heartache and/or fun as the Porsches but 2/3 the price?) Q7 seems to station-wagony to me.


Brand New or recent Mazda CX-70 or 90

Brand New or recent Kia Telluride or Sorento

Brand New or recent Toyota Pickup.


I also considered a total banger DD like an old Dodge Caravan and then a recent Cayman or 10 year old 911 but that seems pretty dumb. Current Ms Gogar hates the SC cause it's smelly and noisy. You know the deal.





Let er fly, thank you! SmileWavy

what is your budget?

40-50k unless I went for the "beater + weekender" route

New Toyota trucks are really nice but not cheap. For what they cost, there is a wide selection of used metal available. My friends picked up this Tundra and I was impressed with how nice it is:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1752039873.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1752039873.jpg

Here's a shot into craziness. Alfa Stevio QV. I had a Stelvio and loved it. The only reason I got rid of it was because we no longer had a dealer in Hawaii...and there was an airbag recall. Spoke to Alfa NA and was told only an authorized Alfa dealer could do the repair. So off she went.

I am partial to the V6 Cayennes as wife and I each have one as daily drivers. Also like the Tundras as we have one of those for pulling the boat etc. I hate daily driving pickups as they are just a pain parking when going out for lunch or a store and they typically burn more gas. Our 6 cylinder Cayennes are very nice/comfortable driving machines that can pull up to 7500 IIRC and they do fine in snow also.

Always thought the KIA Tellurides look interesting.

F@#% Audi!!! Never again. ;):D

Trackhawk?

I'd probably go with a used V6 Cayenne.

Maybe a used Mach-E if you want to play with something electric. The depreciation is breathtaking...

Toyota Highlander

We have a 2015 Macan S, there was no 4 banger Macan at that time. We bought it used in roughly 2018/19. The paint and interior quality are excellent. Mechanicals have started to fall apart pre 100k in miles. The PDK failed while under the CPO warranty at about 60k in miles. It is right at 90k now. The last two years have been shocks, timing cover bolts to fix oil leak, plastic coolant pipe failure, drive belt (that costs $1,000 to replace), water pump, the list goes on. It's my wife's and she loves it, but my bank account hates it. I declined a bunch of other stuff because she only drives a few thousand miles a year now since retiring. This is all at an Indy that is way cheaper than the dealership. I work on the old cars and have generally avoided dealing with hers. If it were me, I'd go Acura or Lexus.

This. Stepdaughter has one. Very nice vehicle, dirt cheap used.

For 40k - 50k, you could have a Certified Cadillac XT5 or XT6. XT5 is 2 row, XT6 is 3 row. 3.6 V6. If that's too fancy for you, a Chevrolet Blazer or Traverse in Premier trim would be the same vehicle.

If you want something a little larger, go with a Tahoe.

The wife bought a '21 Blazer last fall. It's been great so far. V6, Heated leather seats, Giant moon roof. Bose sound. Cameras all over. I just wish it had memory seats since we're so different in size. Premier trim would have had that.

We test drove a Mazda CX 90, it just felt too narrow and long.

Highlander or Rav 4 hybrid + newest miata allowed by left over $$

The lexus version of the new land cruiser is nice.

Most definitely. Just might be a little more than he wants to spend on this endeavor.

have a new cx-70 - the regular is slow af.
the phev is horrible to drive.
the turbo s isn't exciting but (relatively) cheap and gets the job done.
gets decent gas mileage too. they'll sell one to you for 50k here without too much back and forth.
the alcantra on the plus is hideous so the premium (imo) is the sweet spot.

came from a gigantic box-on-wheels that required 93 and got 12 mpg so sub $ 50 fills are a joy.

any used audi needs a warranty. they break down more than pretty much anything.
mdx isn't a bad choice.
preferred the mazda to the telluride.
tundras are being given away, but the rear legroom isn't like the rams. i'd go look at one of those before the tundra. ymmv.

I absolutely love new Chevys, styling/ergonomics/comfort and they drive great. They are also generally cheaper than the higher line brands, my only concern is how long lasting they might be compared to the Asian brands. I have a 2022 Malibu that I have put 30k on in one year and it’s been flawless. It just does everything that I want it to. The longevity concerns are mostly around the 1.5 turbo engine and CVT box but I just maintain it by the book and try not to beat on it.

I’m looking at many of the same models to replace my daughter’s GLK350, which has been stellar, except I’m looking sub-$30k. I’m yet to read or talk to anyone that has good things to say about the reliability of the late model Macan or Cayenne. Honestly I have read way less negative about the SQ5, and they are excellent to drive. I know you said no Mercedes but the GLC43 is very well made and reliable and they also drive great. Another you haven’t mentioned is the Jaguar F-Pace S, pre 2021 they were a supercharged V6, 2021 and after they went turbo. Reliability seems on par with the rest of these German options. If you really want to roll the dice there’s also the Range Rover Velar that shares a powertrain with the F-Pace, and has a big HP V8 option. They are beautiful but…..it’s a Range Rover. Finally there’s the Maserati Levante S or GTS, I drove an S and was very underwhelmed.

One thing I’m finding in this class of vehicle, nearly all of the Japanese options and all of the German base models went turbo four cylinder around 2015. In a big, heavy, tall SUV, it totally ruins the driving experience. Even my daughter has noticed on test drives, because she’s used to a silky smooth 305 HP V6. She always comments that they feel jerky and slow, mostly because they have a ton of turbo lag and need to downshift to really go anywhere. For me that’s a line of demarcation, no four cylinders in big SUVs.

Lexus 450h sucks in the snow

And since it is Stellantis, you can buy a Mopar extended warranty for a very good price, and it covers the Alfa.

Well, here's one dumb ass to another:D

I have been a huge Toyota fan based on my entire driving life of owning them without any real problems so naturally I suggest the Lexus then the pick up. I drive a Duramax truck myself, when needed but I love my 4 runner only because its smaller, with security unlike a pick up. I must say, nothing is going to drive like the Cayenne GTS. They are just fast with sports car like handling. I drove an old Turbo and love its car like character but I can't get my head wrapped around the repair bills and the potential troubles it brings down the road compared to all of my trouble free Toyotas over the years.