charlesgage

We need a car with a large amount of space and good drivability. We have driven the MDX, the X5, and the oddysey, but have not seen the others in person,

Tell me which you guys like and why.

gandatoyou

Isn't X5 little pricey for 25kish range even it's used? How about American SUVs? I think used Expedition has lots of rooms and good reliability. MDX is a good choice, too.

charlesgage

We have driven plenty of 2002 X5's with 50k or so for 25 or less, same with the MDX's. I would never have tested the X5 but a friend told me i needed to drive it, after driving it and seeing the interior, it dimmed my opinion of the MDX wuite a bit, but the MDX is roomier and the NAVI works better.

zeroday

My 4runner has been great; lots of power and not a single problem at 1.5 yrs of ownership. Great in the snow too.

charlesgage

Did you buy it used or new? Which trim level did you get? Any options you have that you love, or ones you wish you would have purchased?

zeroday

Bought it new. It's an 04 sport edition w/v6. It has a nice JBL stereo, but i do miss navi and heated seats. Those were available in the limited edition which was almost 10k more. My runner was 31k OTD. So far its the most problem free vehicle i've owned.

chungkopi

i'm not a big fan of buying a used suv. female+used SUV=trouble

if i have to buy one i would buy something reliable with under 30K miles then buy an extended warranty.


or just i buy a brand new santa fe v6 2007 coming soon in july or Rav 4. both car has plenty of size. santa fe is actually as big as pilot.

fuckleberry

why ? how many kids you have ?

Chevy Suburban

charlesgage

Hyundai is just not enough luxury for us, i have one child but i go down to my lake place every weekend in the summer and to the family lake place in minneapolis (600 miles a lot) one of the lakes does not have a/c so we usually cart an air conditioner. Both the MDX and the x5's that we have looked at have 100k powertrain warranties, so that's covered. I won't buy american either, i have been wronged one too many times by chevy's and fords.

I might consider a hyundai if they could get their engines right, i rent them quite a bit and the engines are always rough. But no NAV, no real wood and a chintzy interior really turn me off.

CL Platano

I love the Odyssey, that's gonna be wifey's next car..

SodaLuvr

You can get Pathfinders for < $25K when advertised by the local Nissan dealer. Highlanders, Pilots, or 4Runners are also avaliable for $25K-ish.

Of the four, my vote would go to Pathfinder, then 4Runner. The Pilot and Highlander seem dated in comparison to the reason redesigns of the Pathfinder and 4Runner.

chungkopi

i'm not talkin about 2006 santa fe. 06 santa fe sucks.
i was talkin about 2007 santa fe. V6(3.3L) 235 HP with 3rd row seat. it's hyundai so it's gonna be very very cheap. and it's slightly smaller than explorer.

and all of the hyundai's new cars have decent engines. i test drove azera and it is as quiet as my dad's lexus es330.

i would love to get a brand new oddy if i had a family, but it's way too expensive.



http://www.newsantafe.net/cmmania/data/photo/cm5.jpg
http://www.hyundaiusa.com/vehicle/av...n/santafe.aspx

Water-S

get a odyssey they are like a swiss army knife. you can tow,haul people and still get decent mileage. I have a 00 EX with 150 k on it and I get 22-23 mpg normally.
mom has a 05 EX-L she gets 25 mpg with that new cylinder shut down system.

SPUDMTN

IMHO, if you're looking to spend $25k for an SUV, steer clear of an X5. To buy a European vehicle while on a budget just does not seem too smart IMHO, especially at such a low price (with all due respect). $25k will probably buy you an early model X5 with high miles, which is just asking for trouble. It would suck to shell out the money and then be just pouring money into the thing month after month.

So, if you want a good blend of luxury, utility, and practicality, at a value price, check out a pre-owned MDX. I think that's the best thing to do at this price point. I'd also suggest checking out the Pilot, as well. Maybe throw in a Lexus RX300 to the mix.

Best of luck on whatever you decide on

DownUnder

You can get '02/03 QX4's really cheap and are very reliable.

stangg172004

who said Oddysey?

subinf

I really like the Honda Odyssey. Its more mini-van than SUV but its got a lot of space, doesnt lack power, pretty much perfect if you have kids and have to haul shit around.

I do like the new 4runners with the v8 though

Sakuragi

i'd go new pathfinder or used x5. bimmers are not as unreliable as most think or i'm just very lucky.

charlesgage

Wow, thanks for all the replies guys. I have a couple of questions left.

I am really leaning towards the MDX or the oddysey now. The X5 is great and has a 2year/100,000 mile powertrain but is a bit small.

The MDX has lower ratings overall (sometimes including reliability) than the 3.0 X5, this seems odd for Acura. Anyone know why?

I'll describe the MDX we are looking at to paint a better picture:

$25,500
02 MDX Touring w/Navigation, Black w/beige interior, 59,000 miles, towing package and moonroof. Interior has a scratch on the side panel in the back but we are using this to haul kids, it wont be the first. No scratches or dings, and the dealer claims it was a southern car (bought through the acura lease pool). It is factory certified with the warranty to 100,000 on powertrain and 12,000 miles on everything else.

One of the main reasons I like this car is that the salesman was very nice and not pushy, and that it is sold and serviced through my local acura dealer (the BMW pre-owned models are on a seperate car lot with seperate sales force). Also, acura's nav system is far easier to use than the BMW's.

Here are my two gripes about the MDX:
1: the dash color is AWFUL, the new beige interiors have a black dash, a much better mix IMO.
2: The wheels shake a tiny bit at 75ish, goes away at 80, but this problem recurs on many Acura's i have owned.


So we can get that MDX or an 03 oddesey white with beige for about 21,000 bucks with 50k on the clock. I like my acura dealer better than the honda dealer and the MDX is certified. What would you guys do?

Here is the oddyssey:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...ce=&cardist=28

AS3.0CL

got my 01 with all options except navi with 50K on it and two year warantee remaining for 16K....i got that private party but dealerhsip want alot more. my truck is very clean maybe a couple of nicks but thats it.

charlesgage

I love the QX4, i used to detail them a lot when i did that. I remember them being smallish though. Either of you guys got families? How is the MPG?

SodaLuvr

The problem with the 02 MDX and the 03 Odyssey are their problematic automatic transmissions. You never know when it'll fail. The MDX is okay, as the warranty is covered 'till 100K, and even afterwards, they're likely to cover a good portion of the repair if you show loyalty to the dealer by spending money there and proving that you attempted to maintain the transmission well...i.e. pay them the $50 to drain/fill the transmission every 15K.

The odyssey on the other hand, though its automatic is problematic as well, does not have the factory warranty extension on the transmission. If it fails, which is quite possible, you may be out of luck. A rebuild with a lifetime warranty from Aamco averages about $2500-$3000 for that transmission, fwiw.

For $24K, you can buy a new 06 Odyssey LX. Sure, it may not be as well-equipped as the other two, but is a much more practical choice IMO.

SakiGT

My dad has an X5 and sometimes Im forced to borrow it.

Maybe its just me, but I hate large vehicles. Its quick enough and looks badass with the BMW 20s, but its gets bad gas mileage and it reminds you of that when you take off from a light and the mpg reader moves to 10.

I like the car, and its just personal preference, but after day 3 having such a large vehicle becomes a giant pita.

Id go with the minivan. Sounds like it would suit your needs better. The fact that you would need to lift a huge a/c unit into the back of an SUV doesnt sound like fun. Im pretty sure the rear of the van would be more condusive to loading such heavy and cumbersome items.

Infamous425

i think theres quite a few members on AZ who have 2 kids and a 'smallish' tsx and they dont complain about lack of room

charlesgage

They might live in a city or something but they probably don't:

Ski
Own a boat
Live in an area where 10" of snow in a night is common and will swamp my acura
Have a lake place
Camp

The reason we like at least 7 passenger seating is that when we are down at the lake we often go out to dinner with 1 or 2 other couples and having 3 cars make the drive to town is plain stupid.

I have my cl that i can tow around 2 kids with in town, but this vehicle is for long trips, it maybe gets 8,000 to 10,000k a year, and almost all highway. We run around in town in my car.

AS3.0CL

they aren't to small though, does have a bit of cargo space. one of my friends is 6'4" and he fits comfertably in the back. the cabin up front does surround you and can bit a little small but not really. and the MPG sucks majorly. but i do have a bit of a heavy foot so that can factor into it. i'm usually only in the city and get around 12-15mpg. but on the highway around 20mpg.

charlesgage

Perhaps this is the best idea:

2006 EX-L with 9 miles for 27,222. It is listed as used though, that is very strange.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...en&cardist=139

zeroday

a fucking minivan? who wants to drive a minivan??

MattT516

The new Toyota Rav4. Yes, the Rav4. It's no longer a piece of shit like it used to be.

Water-S

i got one and I drive it on the weekends or if the Accord down.
the reason I don't drive it to work is because i don't want to get it dirty or nasty smelling.

fast-tl

Is American out of the question? We bought a 2003 Expedition Eddie Bauer with leather, rear air, and power fold 3rd row for about 25K, and it has plenty of space and power with the 5.4L V8.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

4Runner for sure. If not the MDX. Stay away from the X5... it's a piece of shit.

chungkopi

minivans are cool!!

1killercls

this is GREAT NEWS!! Another soccer mom with an SUV!

F23A4

zeroday

no...no they aren't.

BstonBruin

I've always liked the QX4. It just seems like the cars look doesnt get old quickly, plus the interior seems to be very nice. Overall, you still see quite a few of them on the raod = reliable. I'd go with that if space wasnt the biggest issue.

BstonBruin

Why soccer mom? Why not baseball mom or something. Since I moved here from Switzerland in fourth grade, I still dont get it. I know a lot of kids play soccer over here while they're young and then stop to play the popular sports. It just seems like its an insult to a sport thats a big part of the culture where I'm from.

Bstonbruin, who plays college soccer

1killercls

65 Fury Convert

This is very good advice. Also you state you need a car with a large amount of space - this the X5 does not offer. The Toyota is vey reliable and has decent room. The MDX is roomy and reliable - tranny aside. The Odessey isn't an SUV but you included in your list. If room is your biggest concern go with that.