i am currently car shopping with my wife and so far top 3 choices are fx, cayenne, range rover. i rather get a 2008 gmc sierra but she wants a mid size suv and she will be driving it more cuz she deals with the kids and babysitter stuff. we are more inclinded to 2006 range rover but the gas will kill us and the forums report many problems. and the nav seems outdated. the cayenne s is a little too expensive b/c we are only looking for the turbo ones. so the fx 35 has the winning vote right now. i would like the fx45 better but it wastes too much gas and it is not even much quicker.

we are looking pre owned like 2005 and up so i am concerned about high milage and the maintenance that comes with it like our 105k tune up for the tl, this way i can know what i am in for when we buy something with 65k miles or so. any help and opinion will be much appreciated.

 

well, looks like its the FX.

why would you even consider the others? problems, problems, problems. not to mention being expensive.

 

Can you comfortably be able to afford 3K for a single repair bill if one of these cars needs it? If not you may wind up in a tough situation.

The FX should cost the least to maintain, but none will exactly be cheap. As expensive cars/trucks get cheaper, the cost to maintain them goes up meaning if you can't afford it to begin with, you may have a hard time affording it later. The Japanese luxury brands are generally cheaper to maintain, but some stuff is still expensive.

My advice is to look at cheaper, newer suvs. It sounds like you want a status symbol more than a truck that meets your needs for the most reasonable price which can cause problems later.

 

/thread.

 

Have you thought about a Lexus RX350? We used to have one and it was a very solid vehicle.

Out of the three that you mentioned, I would go with the FX.

 

I did a lot of research on the FX before I bought my Jetta Sportwagen and I would not hesitate to buy one if it fit your needs. There are quite a few people over 100k miles on them and an ever-growing list of people with over 200k miles on their FXs.

And in most cases, there's no list of expensive repairs associated with that kind of mileage either.

 

The FX sounds like the clear winner of the bunch, though personally I would probably look into a newer, less luxurious ride like a CR-V or a Tucson or a Santa Fe.

While Infinitis are generally reliable, as the car ages you'll be spending more on maintenance than a newer car.

 

2007+ mdx

 

FX is the best choice, but if I were you I'd look a bit lower. What about a Murano? It's got the same bodystyle, looks pretty good (IMO), but I bet it's more efficient and probably a nice bit cheaper.

 

I agree because I personally think the newer MDXs look better than the FX but that is me. What about Benz or BMW, I am sure they are more reliable than range rover.

 

that can be said of all cars

 

FX or MDX

I hope your income at 21 years old is quite high considering these uncertain economic times. If I were you, I'd put more money into a home rather than pissing money away on vehicles.

Just a word of advice from a guy in his 30's who owns all his possessions.

 

Out of those three, the FX.

 

fx35/mdx or 4runner. The catenne has a few of its own issues and the range rover is a pos.

 

You can get a decent mileage 4runner made in japan that will be reliable for years and can be had for 15-20k

 

fx35 is kind of small for a family... I think an mdx would be better (imo, I also think it is nicer inside & out)

 

Out of the three, I would take the FX but not even feeling that. I would go MDX if I had to get an SUV. If money wasn't an issue and I didn't need a lot of space, X5 M!

 

yeah.....um you need to rethink your choices.

 

That's kinda like saying that Joan Rivers is hotter than Rosie O'Donnell. She may be, but you wouldn't touch either one with a 10-foot-pole, now would you?

Benz and BMW may be more reliable than Land Rover, but they've still got astronomical repair costs.

I think the FX is almost the perfect size for a family. I've never understood the mindset of needing an SUV if you've got less than 3 children in the household, seems like a lot of overkill, considering a midsize sedan would do 99% of the things you need perfectly fine. My

 

yikes.

You are not even looking to buy new Range or Cayenne? Good luck. Clearly, fx would be your safe bet here. I love the styling of RR, but can't be trusted. You will find plenty of used RR and Cayenne for fairly cheap price... why? warranty.

 

As others have mentioned, you may want to consider alternatives. If you are worried about fuel mileage and repair/maintenance costs, then the vehicles you mentioned probably won't be the most appropriate.

If it were me, I'd purchase something a little more realistic. There are plenty of good smaller to mid size SUVs on the market. Even something like an Escape or Santa Fe is quite nice and relatively reasonable to service.





Terry

 

why not a van or a wagon? cheaper and more practical.

 

why not get a wagon instead of a huge SUV. You're in south cali, meaning SUN SUN SUN, you don't really need an SUV. I would go with a a4 wagon

 

2010 TL because it has superior ground clearance



Sounds like your choice of the FX has already been made. But like others have said if you are concerned about gas and maintenance other vehicles should be looked at as well.

 

I wouldn't buy any of those with over 65K, but the FX is the best choice of a bad lot.

If you are stretching your budget to get one of those with that sort of mileage, I suggest rethinking priorities and getting a less expensive, more reliable albeit less prestigious vehicle.

Get a "prestige" vehicle as a secondary vehicle when you don't need to worry about budgeting the cost of any vehicle maintenance, i.e. can spend at least $1500 on a service without worrying about.

 

Out of your choices I'd take the FX.

Personally I'd go with an MDX Tech/ Sport instead.

 

If fuel consumption/gas prices are a concern of the OP......look out! 2011 is going to be the year of the rise in commodities....and 2012 looks like they will go even higher.

 

If you're looking at FX's, look at 2006 or newer - interior was vastly improved for 2006-on.

I've had a 2005 FX35 for over two years now, currently at 75K miles, and I've only had one surprise maintenance issue pop-up on me (outer tie-rods) for $315. I love everything about our FX35 - it gets 19 mpg mixed driving and the only reason we're looking to trade at 100k miles is to get the newer styled FX35. Used, of course...

There are several FX35/45 owners on here. Ask all the questions you have and I'm sure we'll have the answer...

 

this is about as equally of a horrible decision as getting married at 21

 

Eh, he's from SoCal, there's no attractive women down there anyway, right?

 

where is OP?

i would go for a nice wagon, like an E500/55 or A6 Avant. but if SUV is what you want and nothing else, go for a MDX. or lease a new FX35. im looking at an ad on this page right now that says $499 a month for 39 months. probably around $4grand down.

 

rav 4/highlander/4runner?