SUV around 15k

[Whaledriver]

Hello all. My daughter is about to be driving soon. Looking at vehicles for her. Need something with 4wd, safe and of course reliable. Looking at a rav4 or possible Nissan rogue and pathfinder. 4 runners are nice but out of our budget it looks like. Like to stay under 100k if possible mileage wise. Any advice would be great.

 

[Dos XX]

Honda CRV might be worth looking into.

 

[fngTony]

Rogues are junky, xterra or pathfinder instead. Rav4s are a good option but not sure if they are in that price range for you.

Crv worth looking but don’t spend top dollar. They are saturated in the market and while a solid ride they are a very basic generic car. Extremely dated materials that always look dirty.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Our youngest has a 2008 RAV4 with 205k miles. Awesome car. We sold our CRV to our oldest daughter and her husband. Also an awesome car. I wouldn’t let 100k miles on either be a deterrent.

 

[TuckTruck]

I’d stick with Toyota. Rav 4 or Highlander would be my choice for that price range

 

[Whaledriver]

Appreciate it guys!

 

[SCHUNTER73]

My daughters have been driving older highlanders and a Nissan rogue. Both have been very reliable and easy on fuel. No collisions yet thankfully, so I can’t speak for safety. Rogue has about 159k on it and the Highlander about 185k. Currently looking for something similar for daughter #3.

 

[IdahoElk]

Find a 03-09 4runner with higher miles and a good service record, they're bomb proof.

 

[Yoder]

Check out Carcomplaints.com. You can research any make and model year to see what issues are common.

 

[SBFD63]

If you go the Pathfinder/Xterra route stay away from pre 2010. There is a well known issue with timing chain guides. I've got an Xterra sitting right now waiting for it's third set of chain guides. Otherwise I live the Xterra. I miss driving it in Wisconsin snow.

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

 

[Wyo_hntr]

Xterra

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Ya know, I cringed a bit when my brother bought his 2013 Xterra… 11 years and 260,000 miles later that thing has been nothing but easy for him. Zero major issues at all. Keep up on regular maintenance and she should be good.

Not trying to but in… but my father in law made my wife change her own oil, change her own spare tires, jump start her own car, and siphon gas into her car before she could drive on her own. It was also a manual transmission Toyota pickup which is a skill that I’ve learned is dying off with younger folks. He also taught her very basic diagnostic things to get out of a pinch and a set of tools in the vehicle. Just some food for thought.

 

[axeforce6]

Stay far far far away from Nissans with CVT’s.

 

[Whaledriver]

Oh yeah. She will be doing all prevent maintenance. At least early on. Brakes, oil, filters, diffs, ect. Not to mention some night time tire changes in the driveway.

 

[stephane110]

We used to have an older CRV, it was a 2008 we picked up for $7k (CAD). It was an awesome SUV, better on slippery roads and even deep snow that my Tundra. Also. maybe saved the occupants life when it got t-boned by a truck going 70km/hr

 

[Ucsdryder]

Rogues are junky, xterra or pathfinder instead. Rav4s are a good option but not sure if they are in that price range for you.

Crv worth looking but don’t spend top dollar. They are saturated in the market and while a solid ride they are a very basic generic car. Extremely dated materials that always look dirty.

Xterras in Colorado have a cult following.

Under 100k, 15k is tough in Colorado for a Japanese rig. If you can bump closer to 20k I think it’ll open up a lot of options.

I’m not a fan of the CVT either. But at some point you need to make some concessions at that price point.

 

[Ultracarry]

07-08 Toyota FJ
06-09 4Runner
with around 200k miles still has another 200k to go - just make sure the timing chain gasket does not leak -

 

[fngTony]

Xterras in Colorado have a cult following.

Under 100k, 15k is tough in Colorado for a Japanese rig. If you can bump closer to 20k I think it’ll open up a lot of options.

I’m not a fan of the CVT either. But at some point you need to make some concessions at that price point.

Good points. The cvt wasn’t my only gripe with the rogue, they don’t take curb hits as well as a rav or crv. I’m not completely against a cvt just that after driving one in a Subaru and a Nissan I think Nissan has a lot to improve in the performance of them.

 

[180ls1]

Lexus GX460 with higher miles. GX470 is worth a look as well, it's the best vehicle I've ever owned.

They are incredibly reliable, well-built and safe. Great awd/4x4 system as well.

 

[wesfromky]

Xterra's are nice, but not great mpg. I know it is sorta unfashionable here, but you should also look into subaru. Fairly functional/reliable and pretty good mpg, which may be something a younger person might appreciate more than raw 4x4 ability. I had a crosstrek that did great and got 30+mpg.