Good point - I'm getting very nervous about my E550 as it crosses the 100K mark. Time for a commuter appliance I think.

Unless she needs to go off-road, why not a good E320 wagon? Nice and hefty, plenty of airbags, can be had for pretty cheap, very durable, and can swallow a ton of gear. When I send my eldest off to school, she'll go in a MB wagon of some stripe.

What's awful about the X3? I've been seeing 3.0si models around $15k here. Obviously they'll have the typical BMW cooling issues, but is there some other fatal flaw?

Saab 9-7x ?? It's basically a Chevy Trailblazer which people seem to love, but nicer looking outside and inside. Saab depreciation, but mostly Chevy parts.

Not trying to be a jerk here, but why an SUV?

In my mind, cars have certain advantages and disadvantages over pickups.....Pickups have advantages and disadvantages over a car.......Add up all the disadvantages and you have an SUV. Like:

Heavy, slow, high center of mass, poor fuel mileage, can't carry what a pickup can, etc....

Sorry, but never been a SUV fan. Seen plenty upside in the median in the winter when they try to drive 75-80 in the snow and ice.........

That was my thinking. I never got an answer for why the kid needed an SUV. Besides, if the vehicles coming out of my pocket, my kid is gonna get what I give 'em.

Cmon guys - OP wants an SUV. Next thing you know, some guy is going to recommend an air cooled VW ... you know it has happened before ...

G

My daily is a 20 year old Isuzu Trooper.

Its slow, reliable and safe. I've had one guy run into me. Totaled his Honda. I just straightened the bumper with a hammer.

Bought it for nothing, A/C still blows cold.

Suv easier to park I guess. Like those mazdas. E wagon is an interesting option if she can park well. I'd surely feel good about the safety. Drove my mil's crv and hated the motor but not everyone thinks that way.

Subie? Too small?

Edge is a nice size.

Just checked out the Ford Edge on cars.com...looks like an excellent choice. How's the crash rating?

I had two trailblazers for work. Terrible cars, cheaply made and pretty gutless. You see them everywhere because Chevy made a gazillion of them and they are cheap.

She likes being slightly elevated in traffic so she can see a little farther down the road. She has driven my E550 quite a lot (she learned to drive in it) and finds it too low to the ground. She also likes the fact that she knows where the corners are when she is parallel parking. The disadvantage of a pickup to her is that she can only carry one other passenger. The back seat folds down so quite a bit can be carried in the back securely (not practical in a pickup without a cab or cover) and the suspension on a pickup is tuned for carrying quite heavy weights so the ride is choppy on the freeway when empty. Not much snow and ice in Long Beach California.

I've read about more than usual german car electrical gremlins, transfer case issues, airbag faults, and oil leaks.

As for other comments about why an SUV, I tend to agree. Get a wagon, or hatch :)