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Post by pig on May 24, 2011 10:24:53 GMT -5
I find the small SUV's to be comparable in space.
A friend of mine got a Jeep Liberty and after looking at how much "space" there was in it I asked them why they would buy an "SUV" that had less room than a car for cargo. The small ones are worthless.
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Frugal Nurse
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Post by Frugal Nurse on May 24, 2011 10:25:21 GMT -5
Since this is the YM board, I think it is a much better deal to get a 1-2 year old vehicle, but have been hearing so much lately about used car prices being high and that new is better. I would agree with this, but all of the used Escapes I have found in our area already have 70K+ miles on them, are in the $15K price range, and I wouldn't get the 0% financing or the warranty on a used vehicle.
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2011 10:25:35 GMT -5
I keep trying to tell my wife that, Thyme. She is pushing for a Mazda C-9 before the baby comes. I am keeping her mind off of it by strategically keeping her mind on other things, such as a broken dryer.
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Frugal Nurse
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Post by Frugal Nurse on May 24, 2011 10:26:04 GMT -5
I find the small SUV's to be comparable in space. A freind of mine got a Jeep Liberty and after looking at how much "space" there was in it I asked them why they would buy an "SUV" that had less room than a car for cargo. The small ones are worthless. I disgaree. Small SUVs have much more room than my little focus!
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on May 24, 2011 10:26:05 GMT -5
The Escape isn't a very great vehicle although it's rating have improved quite a bit over the last couple of years. If that's what you want buy it. And new they run about 26k MSRP. I've always driven Fords and had good luck with them. The Escape gets great gas mileage (the same mileage my focus currently gets), which is why I'm specifically wanting that vehicle. I'm curious as to why you say it isn't a great vehicle? Are there a lot of known issues with it? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but my sister has an Escape and it is one of the MOST UNCOMFORTABLE cars that I've ever ridden in. It's not bad for running errands around town, but even for drives of 1-2 hours, it's killer on your lower back. They might have improved the comfort on them (she's had hers for a few years), but I'd check it out. If you are seriously considering it, I would advise renting one and taking it for a day trip.
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Post by pig on May 24, 2011 10:27:18 GMT -5
I disgaree. Small SUVs have much more room than my little focus
Maybe more than a focus but not much more. There's no point in getting an SUV unless it's substantially bigger than a sedan imho.
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2kids10horses
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Post by 2kids10horses on May 24, 2011 10:28:56 GMT -5
We've been very happy with our minivan. It's not sexy, but VERY practical.
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Frugal Nurse
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Post by Frugal Nurse on May 24, 2011 10:29:52 GMT -5
Dancin- Thanks. I haven't test-driven any yet, so I guess that would make a difference. I am only just dreaming at this point. I like the way they look, they are priced afford-ably, and they get great gas mileage. I have also been considering other similarly-priced SUVs, but I've always been Ford-loyal, which is why the escape is my current front runner. I will look at and test drive several brands before I buy though, just to be sure I'm getting the best SUV for the money.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on May 24, 2011 10:30:15 GMT -5
My mom had a 2003 Ford Escape up until last May (my brother hit a deer and flipped it) and she loved it and still misses that car. I thought the transmission was a little wonky the few times I drove it over the years, it felt like it slipped and hesitated at times. After my brother's accident she took a loan from my sister's in-laws (brother was uninsured so she didn't get anything for the total) and bought a lemon Ford Explorer (stopped going in reverse). She really misses the Escape, but I do think those vehicles have issues, so I've always jsut kept my mouth shut. While I may not be a fan of that particular type of vehicle, I say if you want it then go for it. Research the Escape and problems, of course. As SUVs go, the Escape isn't huge and obnoxious, like most SUVs can be, and it still has enough room to cart stuff.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on May 24, 2011 10:30:16 GMT -5
I keep trying to tell my wife that, Thyme. She is pushing for a Mazda C-9 before the baby comes. I am keeping her mind off of it by strategically keeping her mind on other things, such as a broken dryer. I can't believe she just hasn't gone and bought a new dryer. Your wife is a saint.
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Frugal Nurse
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Post by Frugal Nurse on May 24, 2011 10:31:01 GMT -5
We've been very happy with our minivan. It's not sexy, but VERY practical. Never! I'm just not the mini-van type! Plus, I'd probably spend just as much on a new mini van as I would an SUV.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on May 24, 2011 10:32:55 GMT -5
We've been very happy with our minivan. It's not sexy, but VERY practical. Never! I'm just not the mini-van type! Plus, I'd probably spend just as much on a new mini van as I would an SUV. Famous last words. I said I wasn't a minivan type person either, and guess what, I have one. It's practical as all hell. I traded in a Jetta for a minivan. I cried at the dealer.
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2011 10:33:58 GMT -5
We've been very happy with our minivan. It's not sexy, but VERY practical. I second this. If you want something that oozes practical and space, the minivan is the way to go. I fought it tooth and nail, but now I can't argue that it makes kid, dog, stuff hauling way easier. It's like a living room on wheels! Having said that, I wouldn't borrow money for a car...especially one I didn't really need. No way, no how. I might consider a 0% loan if I had all the money in savings to pay it off at any time, but that's about as crazy as I will ever get. ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2011 10:35:22 GMT -5
frugal - I'd rent an escape before you buy one. It's amazing how much having a car for a day or two changes your mind.
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Frugal Nurse
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Post by Frugal Nurse on May 24, 2011 10:35:38 GMT -5
I wanted to add a more practical reason for getting an suv: I would like something with 4wd, because we tend to get a lot of snow and ice in the winters, and driving to work gets to be very dangerous. My Focus slips and slides all over the place, it scares the crap out of me. And there are no days off for inclement weather at the hospital!
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kiskis
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Post by kiskis on May 24, 2011 10:37:31 GMT -5
I'm also looking at mid-size SUVs. Have a two year old and another on the way, so that means two car seats at the same time. Right now, I drive a 2003 Saturn Vue, which is okay space-wise, but there is some electronic problem that is worth more than the car to fix. Sometimes, the car will just shut off and I have to coast it into a parking lot to restart. ...so yeah, pretty unreliable at this point. Luckily, my work commute is only 15 miles, so I don't drive far.
I am leaning towards a 7-passenger SUV, since two car seats will take up the second row, and we often have one or two additional passengers besides DH and myself. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated, since we're all talking SUVs.
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kimber45
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Post by kimber45 on May 24, 2011 10:38:36 GMT -5
I did the mini-van thing for a while. It did work out pretty good for hauling stuff. We took out the third seat, since we never hauled much for people, and it worked great for our gun show trips.
But even so, I would never buy another one, especially a Ford Windstar. DH has a pickup and I have a Blazer so we have enough room to haul what we need..
paint lady, I agree completely with you on borrowing money for a car. I made that mistake once in my younger days. Haven't had a car payment in over 20 years now.
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2011 10:38:47 GMT -5
I wanted to add a more practical reason for getting an suv: I would like something with 4wd, because we tend to get a lot of snow and ice in the winters, and driving to work gets to be very dangerous. My Focus slips and slides all over the place, it scares the crap out of me. And there are no days off for inclement weather at the hospital! Do you put snow tires on your focus? That makes a HUGE difference. I drove four wheel drive trucks most of my life and while in the deep snow they're better, for the general slippery roads they're actually worse than the low to the ground front wheel drive cars.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on May 24, 2011 10:39:57 GMT -5
I'm also looking at mid-size SUVs. Have a two year old and another on the way, so that means two car seats at the same time. Right now, I drive a 2003 Saturn Vue, which is okay space-wise, but there is some electronic problem that is worth more than the car to fix. Sometimes, the car will just shut off and I have to coast it into a parking lot to restart. ...so yeah, pretty unreliable at this point. Luckily, my work commute is only 15 miles, so I don't drive far. I am leaning towards a 7-passenger SUV, since two car seats will take up the second row, and we often have one or two additional passengers besides DH and myself. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated, since we're all talking SUVs. My niece has a 7 passenger Honda Pilot. No problems with it, nice ride.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on May 24, 2011 10:40:03 GMT -5
Small SUVs are like mid and full-sized sedans. I have an older accord, before they stretched it out to be a full-sized. I will say the trunk is very large, and I probably have more cargo space than the smallest SUV's, but it isn't very flexible. If I put the back seats down I can buy something larger and flat, as long as the kids aren't with me. But, yes, you will definately have more than a focus. I think my bicycle has more cargo space than a focus. ![:P](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/tongue.png) Sorry to laugh at your pain, but LOL.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on May 24, 2011 10:40:31 GMT -5
I wanted to add a more practical reason for getting an suv: I would like something with 4wd, because we tend to get a lot of snow and ice in the winters, and driving to work gets to be very dangerous. My Focus slips and slides all over the place, it scares the crap out of me. And there are no days off for inclement weather at the hospital! My VW minivan has AWD and traction control.
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Post by pig on May 24, 2011 10:41:48 GMT -5
Any recommendations are greatly appreciated, since we're all talking SUVs.
For mid size all the following have decent ratings:
Explorer, Acadia, Durango, Flex and Highlander.
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wodehouse
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Post by wodehouse on May 24, 2011 10:42:11 GMT -5
I wanted an Escape (to replace my Audi sedan) some years ago, seemed like a practical blend of utility, drove the demo and liked it, handled very car-like. Ford later redesigned the car and made it bulkier, tougher, macho. I rented the later model for about 5 days while Vancouver BC. Very nice. Never ended up buying one, and still driving the Audi years later. What could be nice too is a 4 door small pickup truck like the Dodge Dakota Quad Cab. Talk about 'storage'. Drove one of those too and quite liked it.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on May 24, 2011 10:45:50 GMT -5
Have you looked into this issue? My car (Honda Civic) shut off while I was leaving a parking lot and after it happened a second time I looked it up online and found there was an ignition switch recall. That fixed it.
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doxieluvr
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Post by doxieluvr on May 24, 2011 10:46:24 GMT -5
Kiskis, i have a 7 passenger commander. My daughter is the only one that can reasonably climb in the back row. Adults do not have the ability to contort their way back there. Also if that seat is up, do not count on carrying anything larger then an umbrella in the trunk space.
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Frugal Nurse
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Post by Frugal Nurse on May 24, 2011 10:47:23 GMT -5
Having said that, I wouldn't borrow money for a car...especially one I didn't really need. No way, no how. I might consider a 0% loan if I had all the money in savings to pay it off at any time, but that's about as crazy as I will ever get. ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) That's the thing, we would be able to pay if off pretty quickly if need be, but that money is worth more sitting in interest-bearing accounts than being tied up in a vehicle, especially if I wait until the dealer offers 0% financing.
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busymom
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Post by busymom on May 24, 2011 10:47:55 GMT -5
Frugal, if your current vehicle "skates" in the winter, you might just need better tires. My own Chevy skated until I got some really good tires. Now she holds the road like a champ!
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on May 24, 2011 10:48:47 GMT -5
Oh my - I just drove every third row seat SUV that is on the market. How big do you want to go? I mean - crazy comfortable, huge, get the F*** outta my way, I own the place class gives you the Suburban, the Sequoia and the Expedition. Prepare to spend $60k.
The Tahoe's third row seat, as well as the 4Runner and another one we sat in, the third row was practically on the ground, so your legs couldn't hang down, and anyone back there would kiss their knees. Even my 6 year old didn't have much room.
The mid-sized class included the Traverse and the Durango (I'm missing one here, too) the back seat was okay. I wouldn't sit in the back row for more than 30 minutes. The kids might be okay back there, but my kids keep growing.
If you really want something with a comfortable third row seat - a minivan would be the best deal. However, I'm getting the Pilot. The third seat was reasonable, and the second seat was very comfortable.
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Frugal Nurse
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Post by Frugal Nurse on May 24, 2011 10:50:32 GMT -5
No pick-ups, no mini-vans. I will not cross over to the dark side! haha
No, I haven't tried snow tires. It never even crossed my mind. But, honestly, at this point, I'd rather just get the new vehicle. Maybe around year-end, when there are sales and such. That gives me 6 more months to put money into the new car fund and have a more size able down payment, and provides me some cushion in case DH's car finally dies for good.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on May 24, 2011 10:54:06 GMT -5
Do they really have better sales at year end? I was always told that the best deals are Feb - April because they want to get rid of last year's model. I bought my 2002 car in June of 2003, and I got a smokin' deal. They wanted that sucker gone.
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