SUV for Daughter
 

The collective knowledge of this group never fails to impress me so I thought I would throw this one out there and see what comes back:

My 18 year old daughter just totaled her 2004 Honda CR-V (not her fault I might add) and now we are looking for a replacement. CR-Vs and RAV 4s are the weapon of choice for most parents here in SoCal so tend to be over-priced in my opinion. She is looking for something a little different from her old CR-V but with a little more power, the smallish SUV size, reliability and Bluetooth or at least an aux socket for her music - she is 18 after all. I also want reliability but I want safety for her. Since I am paying for it the budget is $10K tops. I've been looking at Mazda CX-7, Ford Edge and I was wondering what the group might say about those two or any other small SUV. Thanks in advance.

Acura MDX, up to 2007 ought to fit the budget.

CRV'S have expensive a/c failures, all of them.

Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute (Mazda Escape), Nissan Murano, Lexus RX, Toyota 4Runner, Infiniti QX4, Nissan Pathfinder, all good options. The premium models can be had surprisingly cheap sometimes, maybe once they no longer impress the neighbors they lose their appeal?

I thought the MDX had transmission problems?

The 2007 did, but was corrected on Acura's dime up to 93 months. Torque converter.

EDIT: The transmission was a problem up to 2008.

Kia Sorento. Great cars, great warranty and very good crash ratings.

Ford Explorer. My son drives a 2000 6 cyl limited. Loaded. You can upgrade the technology with aftermarket for cheap. Bad mpg but when you can buy a really clean version for $5k who cares.

I think for an 18 year old a Rav is powerful enough to get her into trouble.

Thanks everyone. So steer clear of BMW X3/X5 and Benz GLKs?

You can't go wrong with a Toyota, but they are 'spensive.

Stay away from all Nissan rubber-band transmissions.

Too bad she's not interested in another CR-V, this one looks pretty nice...

2008 Honda CRV LX - 82K Miles

Near you, under 90k miles, looks like it might be original owner and a full grand under your budget.

I don't know about the x3/x5 but the last used x1 I looked at had no spare tire but just the run flat tires.For your daughter that may be a good thing. Older Benz and BMW are off warranty and would be more expensive to fix. Honda CRV and Toyota rav4 would be my choice. Our daughter took over our 2005 Nissan xtrail and had no problems. The equivalent to that now is the Nissan small suv(I forget the latest model introduced in about 2007). Murano and there is the smaller one...

I find the CRV and Rav4 have a pretty choppy ride and adequate power. Reliability is key and also get an suv with side airbags for additional protection if you can.

I'd steer clear of the X3/X5 at any price, and stay away from a $10k GLK....btw, I really like the GLK's.

The Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute are good little vehicles and tidy in size. The new body style Escape is a pretty big step up in price but I've had several as rental vehicles and was pretty happy with them.

The Ford Edge is larger but they are fantastic vehicles. I've had one for years and even bought two more to drive/sell/flip. Very reliable, spunky engine, good handling. Gas mileage is not as good as the Escape but I clock a consistent 23/24 on the highway and around 17/18 in mixed driving. Zero problems with any of them. Absolutely ZERO. I've had the current one for 3 years - bought all of them used.

Service the transmission and replace/flush the coolant. I think its 100K on the service for those items but it is cheap and beneficial to do them well before that time.

angela

I'm also an Edge fan...great road trip vehicle and good site lines.

Mazda CX-7 or Lexus RX330. The Mazda is more fun, the Lex is as bulletproof as they get.
http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-Mazda-CX-7-d935?sourceContext=usedPaidSearchNoZip
Used Lexus RX 350 For Sale - CarGurus

Mazda, Hyundai, Scion, all have exactly what you want...

Agreed to both, I would never put my daughter in anything that's $10k and German.

Has your daughter been taken a car control course, like the one day school Skip Barber runs ? Having a big car may be somewhat safer than a small car, but you also have to drive it.

Hondas are hard to beat, but Mazdas are reliable as well. I put my wife in a Buick Century. It's a nice ride.

My only input is to buy an SUV with stability control. Most of the vehicles mentioned probably are new enough to feature it. The thought is that SUVs are safer in collisions, which they generally are, but they are easily rolled at freeway speeds. I would also make sure to talk about abrupt maneuvers with the offspring, specifically after going off with two wheels.

G