I went ahead and removed…whatever that was. Feel free to try to post a link again, if you wish.
Think outside the box: https://louisville.craigslist.org/ctd/d/2010-porsche-cayenne-clean/6609465965.html
Pretty solid rep for reliability if you avoid the ones with air suspension and “avoid the ones with air suspension” is universal good advice.
I did a spot check on cars dot com and found a 2013 BMW X3 for $14,949. I did an advanced search and checked off “SUV”, “$10,000 to $15,000” and “2009 to 2019”.
Nice, but you pay out the nose for minor repairs.
Hopefully P-man returns to this thread and informs us of what he ended up buying.
OK, since my original comment went in a rather unexpected direction, let me try to get back to what I was saying. Originally I was trying to link to a picture of a two-door Isuzu Trooper, but actually a better example of what I mean is the Suzuki Samurai, which I still occasionally see on the roads.
Toyota at one point did make a small jeep-like vehicle, the FJ40, which is still in use around the world in numerous variants. Like jeeps, it has quite the cult following, and it’s just an all-around useful vehicle. Now, to get one of these old FJ40s in good condition will require quite an investment. But Toyota has an opportunity to make a similar vehicle now, and it would fulfill several useful niches, both for them and for consumers:
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A direct competitor with Jeep’s Wrangler and its numerous variants, which are hugely popular.
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A SUV with true off-road credentials, for people who don’t want a “cute” vehicle but rather a “cool” one even though it’s kind of cute also, but also don’t want to spend the money on a full-size SUV like the 4Runner or Sequoia.
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An opportunity for Toyota to experiment, down the line, with a hybrid engine in a 4WD.
I’m quite happy with my 4Runner but if Toyota made the vehicle I’ve described above, I think it would do well in the US market.
I’ll let everyone know what we end up buying. It may take a week or so. I don’t know that anything is eliminated except Jeeps and the Mitsubishi Outlander, since they seem to have the worst reliability records in the class.
Consider Mazda. A size for everyone with the CX-3, 5, 7 &9.
I couldn’t stomach the cost and size of a 4-Runner, so if Toyota made something smaller and off-road worthy I’d be all over it. But even Jeep Wrangers are getting bigger and more car-like and Toyota dropped the FJ Cruiser due to slow sales.
My thoughts of the other vehicles that I considered:
4-Runner: A dream vehicle in some regards but too big and expensive.
FJ Cruiser: The lack of carpeting made it a bit too off-road oriented for me. Also didn’t like the sitelines
Highlander: I test drove one. The epitome of bland Toyota, blander and more expensive than a RAV4 and as a single adult I had no need for the extra space.
Escape: I hate the unsafe red turn signals of the older model, but liked the “truck-like” look. I rented one on trips several times and liked the feel and site lines. I passed because they’re less reliable than imports (problems include rust and something to do with steering). Didn’t look at the new model as it didn’t seem to offer any draws compared to the other stuff out there
Santa Fe: The older model I bumped my head in as soon as I sat in it. Other than the red turn signals the newer one was just OK.
Mazda 3: I loved the exterior, didn’t personally like the interior and i know it’s too much to ask for real oil gauges and voltmeters, but this one they even forgot to put a temperature gauge in.
Nissan, Honda: I refuse to buy anything with an interference type engine.
The previous generation of the 4Runner was less bulky than the current one, and it’s also less expensive - but no less reliable if you find a good pre-owned one at a Toyota dealership.
I LOVE my 4Runner. It’s a 2008 Sport Edition. You should be able to find a good, pre-owned one like it at a Toyota dealership with less than 100k miles (and there are 4Runners still on the road with literally half a million miles) for a budget that works for you.
Aren’t most engines these days interference? High compression is needed to get a lot of power out of a small displacement engine without resorting to turbos or superchargers.
My choice would be a good used Rav-4 or CR-V
The CR-V has better insurance rates overall.
I actually just recorded this brief musical tribute to my 4Runner.
What can I say, I do love the thing.
Subaru Forester.
What does “interference” in this context even mean?
Basically the pistons and valves occupy the same space within the cylinder at different times. The only thing that keeps them from hitting is the timing belt or chain. If the timing belt fails the piston will hit the valve and cause catastrophic engine damage. In a noninterference engine if the timing belt fails the car will simply stop running.
To add to the above threads some engines are timing chain engines which don’t generally break. To the above Nissan’s basic 4 bangers are timing chain engines. So yes they are interference engines but don’t have the weakness of the belt to worry about.
Why is my quote about insurance in that group?
I have a 2007 Escape and really like it. I’ve only had a handful of problems with it, the anti-lock ring has rusted on both sides and needed to be replaced, and the tie rods needed to be replaced. Everything else has been normal wear and tear items. I have 137k on it now. I ran in to someone with an Escape that was same age with 180k on it and they reported no problems with theirs.
You can buy a new one, though I doubt with much on it, for $18-20k. I prefer new since I keep mine until it dies and I know what’s gone on with it, unlike a used one where who knows how they’ve driven it.