Talk Me Out of Buying A New SUV

In My Humble Opinion
21

I have several cars, a sporty hatchback, an SUV and a small city car. The SUV beats all others in terms of ride quality, comfort and interior space. And the streets around here are full of potholes, so I don’t have to worry about destroying a wheel or something.

And in my opinion hybrids are a sham. You need to do a LOT of miles to get any savings from their reduced gas consumption. And besides, the cost of gas is a small portion of the total cost of owning a car (initial cost, insurance, maintenance, road tax etc.)

So I’d say go for the SUV. Also have a look at the VW Tiguan. They say it is way better than the RAV4.

22

I’ve got a Forester (actually, I’m on my second). After around 1,200 miles, they engine totally gave out. Within two hours, I was driving a brand new car from the dealer. As far as I can tell, I’m the only person to have an engine completely fail like this, but Subaru get top marks for service.

23

I’ll toss in another dissenting opinion.
Right now I am driving an 05 Volvo V70 station wagon. Being a non-turbo California spec car (they are were also sold in the Northeast, several states there have adopted California regulations for smog) It carries a 15 year 150,000 mile emissions warranty.
If you were to find one on a Volvo dealers lot it would be about $21,000 or thereabouts.
Driving to and from work, it gets about 24.3 miles per gallon (lots of stop and go) on the open highway at 70MPH it will get just shy of 33 MPG (real world numbers, from my driving)
Again purchasing from a Volvo dealer, it qualifies for the Certified pre-owned program meaning that it comes with a factory backed warranty for a total of 6 years / 100,000 miles. (can be extended to 7 or 8 years for an extra cost)
It seats five on some of the best seats out there.
Safety? As good as it gets. Don’t forget that SUV being tall have a real bad habit of turning greasy side up if you try to avoid an accident. Ask Ford exploder owners about that.
Utility? Look if you can’t carry it in or on a Volvo wagon, you don’t need it. I have hauled a full sized bath tub inside a Volvo wagon. Another time I went to IKEA and bought all the furniture for my daughters room (Loft bed, queen mattress, desk, and book shelf. Everything but the mattress fit inside. The mattress I strapped to the roof rails. I can carry a 10 foot long 2x4 inside the car with all the doors and windows closed.
While it is not AWD, it will handle winters in NJ (Volvo is headquartered there, and I have driven plenty of Volvos in the snow there)
Look if you want an SUV, buy one. But don’t whine when the price of gas goes up. (not if, but when) There are lots of choices out there, my Volvo is just one of many alternatives

24

I have owned and rented several Chevy Trailblazers, and I consider it the best vehicle I ever owned. Incredibly confident road manners. I rented one when I was visiting my cousin in Columbus and decided to go up to see my evil sister in Chicago. On the way back on the interstate between Chicago and Indianapolis, conditions were HORRIBLE. Just below freezing and snow coming down. I saw at least a dozen semis and an equal or greater number of cars/trucks over the side. If it weren’t for the Trailblazer’s supremely confident road manners and REAL four wheel drive, I would have pulled off and checked into a motel. As it was, I made the trip safe and sound.

Four wheel drive really helps in snow and muck. If I lived where it snowed, I would insist on it. Subies are great vehicles too, from what I can tell, if a little pricey. Looked into buying one, but got the Trailblazer instead. A lot more bang for the buck, as I got a huge chunk off the sticker price. The V6 got decent mileage and had plenty of power. Amazing interior comfort. Best seats I have ever had in a car. Chevy trucks are good. Another great thing about the Trailblazer it that it is one of the most successful designs in history. They have been making the same model for over ten years now, and still no plans to change the design, afaik, so parts and service should be easy many years into the future.

My 2 cents.

25

I’ll have to ask for a cite. My understanding is that Volvo’s reputation for safety is purely because it is marketed that way. I have also noticed that most Volvo drivers are the timid types who can’t merge properly into traffic, are easily startled, drive below the speed limit endangering normal drivers, etc.

And as they age, they break down a lot, and are VERY expensive to fix. My evil sister bought one (used) and I recommended they replace the timing belt. As happens with most people who ignore my advice, she paid the price when the belt broke. The car had a lot of other problems too. Expensive imports are good for the first 100k, but when things start going south, you will take the dent in the wallet. Parts are like 3 to 4 times the price for the same item on a domestic.

26

The 2007 V70 got a 5 star rating, but this is more or less typical for all modern european cars: Euro NCAP | Latest Safety Ratings

27

Damn hamsters ate my post. grrh

Of what is now considered the “standard” safety features (3 point belts, front airbags, side impact airbags, and side curtain airbags) Volvo invented 3 of them (3 point belts, side impact airbags, and side curtain airbags)
In addition to that you can add WHIPS (whiplash protection system) a system in the seat to absorb energy in a rear impact and lowers whiplash injuries by as much as 40% A Volvo patent back in 1995
You can also add SIPS (Side Impact Protection System) an engineering solution where the energy from a side impact is moved away from the point of impact and transferred to other parts of the vehicle so that the intrusion into the car is minimized. Another Volvo first in 1991.
If you want to talk SUVs Volvo was the first to have roll over protection on their SUV in 2003.
Worldwide Volvo has about 1% of the market, yet their mark on the industry particularly when it comes to safety far outstrips their size.

Not doing the required maintenance on any vehicle puts you in a category that is entitled Sucks to be you.
As far as parts prices go, European car parts can be somewhat more expensive than US cars, but Volvo is by far from the most expensive car out there for parts. If you did a side by side between Volvo, MBZ, BMW, and some Japanese makers for parts you would probably find that BMW and MBZ were the most expensive, and the rest were a mix, Toyota might be the cheapest on one part, Nissan on another, and Volvo cheaper on something else. I know when I have gone to the the Nissan dealer for parts, and I have been shocked at how impressively expensive they are compared to Volvo parts.
Three to four times as expensive? For sure not across the board, and for sure I can find something that is 3 or 4 times more expensive on a domestic than it is on my car. I can probably find something on my car that is way more expensive than it is on a domestic.

28

I’m pretty sure that my Land Rovers are the most expensive “Euro” vehicles for parts, or at least they used to be…

I like the LR Discovery II for a good all-around SUV, although they are a bit small inside. I have had two of that model, and one was damn near totaled in a terrible accident and everyone walked away without a scratch- my pregnant self, mu husband, as well as the two people in the car that caused the accident, because we were able to swerve fast and hard to avoid killing them (eventually came to a stop in a Jeep Cherokee- sorry, dude), and the Disco stayed bolted to the pavement throughout the maneuver. Trying that in our old Ford Explorer would probably have killed us both- that thing would probably have rolled like a Slinky down my mom’s attic stairs. :wink:

Discoveries are heavy and sturdy, bit of a hard ride, but i don’t think there is any situation that it can’t get me out of. Hell, it will drive (limp) home on a broken axle. However, with the weight and the power, they EAT brakes, and they ship with cheap tires- we drive straight from the dealership to the Michellin place every time.

I like speed, power, the ability to make quick decisions, and the safety of my own passenger compartment. Land Rovers have proven themselves to us over and over again. But I am in the position to deal with gas prices, mileage and maintenance costs on them.

Disclaimer- upthread I told you that I have a Toyota Sequoia now. I do and I love it, but I miss my Range Rover a lot.

29

There is supposed to be a new “Touring” version of the Hyundai Elantra coming out. It brings back their hatchback and will probably have space comparable to the small SUVs you’re considering. Definitely check out Edmunds and Consumer Reports to compare the vehicles you’re considering.

I just got a small SUV (Nissan Rogue) and am really happy with it so far in terms of stability, mpg, space, etc.

30

Do the safety scores take into account decreased crash avoidance, or higher rollover rates?

31

Yes to the latter, not 100% sure about the former. Though my WAG is that crash avoidance is improved with AWD and traction control systems, and hurt by increased overall weight–so the SUVs that have the former and not the latter will be better off in that category than your average car.

32

Decreased crash avoidance? Could there even BE a stat for that?

Could you perhaps expand on that part?

ETA- lots of crash avoidance is driver skill and awareness, is it not? Sure, ABS and stability control help, but I’d take a great driver over a safety feature (or a bunch of them) any day, so I don’t think make/model is a big part of it. YMMV.

33

I LOVE my SUV, an 8-year old Nissan X-Terra. Superbly reliable, comfortable, and room to haul all kinds of stuff inside and my bikes and kayak on top. A Prius or even a smaller SUV just doesn’t cut it for getting my equipment around.

Yeah, gas can get a little pricey when the oil shitheads start playing with the prices, but I adore my beastie and would buy it all over again. I don’t tool down the Jersey Turnpike thinking about taking out other drivers in Ford Focii, but my SUV has weathered three pretty hard hits from other idiot drivers and has risen to live again each time (in one case a drunk driver rear-ended me at a stoplight going about 40mph; totalled his car and caused significant body damage to mine, but no human injuries).

Anyway, this is my personal experience. And, for what it’s worth, I’m an ultra liberal-feminist-eco-hound-holier-than-thou kinda person.

34

I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been driving for 34 years and have never been involved in any kind of accident. The car has nothing to do with it.

Knowing how to drive and what your car can do does.

I’m in an 06 Pathfinder now. I had a 1993 Pathfinder and loved it. Best car ever. When it was time for a new car I bought a 2006 Pathfinder.

We measured 30 feet of snow last year at our house. The Pathfinder gets beat on pretty bad. I drive it back and forth over the continental divide (11.5k ft)every day and so far not so much as a hiccup.

35

We own a Honda Element which is great for hauling stuff around. I have used it to haul a loveseat, and I’ve used it to haul stuff from Ikea. I’ve driven a rental Subaru Forrester and I didn’t really think of it as an SUV, but rather a small station wagon with AWD. I don’t think you would be able to haul a couch in it, either, but to be realistic, will you ever do so?

I liked the Forrester in that it felt like it handled well, had decent pickup, and could seat a few people and haul some groceries, but it definitely didn’t feel too big.

36

The new Foresters are significantly larger than the previous models.

37

Acceleration, handling (emergency lane changing, etc), braking distance, and overall vehicle “footprint” all play into this (keeping you from getting hit as opposed to keeping you safe when you do get hit), although I will agree with you that driver skill and familiarity with their vehicle is more important. That doesn’t mean that “crash avoidance” (or whatever else you want to call it shouldn’t merit any consideration when you’re thinking of “safety features”, however.

Obviously then, you have no need for seatbelts, airbags, or crumple zones, right?

38

[quote=“Richard_Parker, post:1, topic:485601”]

The advice I’ve always heard is that you’re throwing money away by buying new.
[li]They have better safety scores than anything but full-size cars and mini-vans. And for many SUVs (like the Subaru Forrester) this doesn’t come at the price of [/li][/QUOTE]

That was the CW, but no longer. What with huge discounts, rebates and esp 0% financing, New is the way to go. Note that Used has a higher interest rate than new, so the difference between 0% and 8% is ginormous.

Not true- SUVs have about the same death rate per passenger car as compacts. Not sub-compacts, mind you.

Do not buy an SUV for the safety, there’s a false “value”

But you’re not looking at a “real” SUV, you’re looking at one of the smaller ones, like the Forester or maybe the CR-V, right?

Then that’s fine. Basicly it’s a mid-sized car, where you give up a trunk and get a large back area instead. It only costs you a couple MPG, and maybe a couple more if you get the Subaru AWD. (Do you need AWD?)

So yes, if you find a deal on a smallish SUV then go for it. Subaru has some fantastic deals on the **2008 **Forester.

If it’s the same size car, you save with hybrids. Both the Saturn Vue and the Ford Escape get a decent + to their milage. Both have deals going now. I see in the paper $5000 off the Escape and 0% on the Vue. Great cars. And there’s a Federal Tax rebate on both. The Toyota is very very pricey.

So, as long as you’re talking about the smaller SUVs, then go for it.

One last note- never buy a car from a Toyota dealer, you will get screwed.