just my $0.2 on carfax. Don't believe on them entirely, I have seen way too many cars with good carfax that had been in multiple accidents. If you buying used pay a few hundred dollar more and get it certified pre-owned from the manufacture. Don't fall for one of them dealer certified gimmick, they mean nothing. If a used vehicle is certified by a manufacture and you run into major problems you have warranty from manufacture.

If you buy ford escape make sure you check the butterfly for the gas pedal regularly, they seem to get dirty and your gas pedal kind of gets stuck on intial position a lot( personal experience).

If you can wait, Toyota is coming with Rav4 hybrid in 2012.

Quote from: The Bacon Junkie on October 14, 2011, 11:14:20 PM
Nissans are pretty tough...  You've seen my pickup. 

It's got the 2.5L V-6 in it.   I don't do nearly the maintenance that I should, but she's still running strong at 198,xxx+ miles. 

My dad has an Altima that won't die either.  No issues whatsoever...

Just mt $0.02

+1

I had a Nissan Sentra with over 200k on it. I never had a single problem with it of any kind. Just before I sold it (For a larger vehicle) I thought that finally something had broke. The window washers stopped working right. But it turns out that a frog had got into the fluid tank and gummed up the pump.

On the other hand I have a GMC Jimmy SUV...
Don't get a GMC Jimmy...

BTW the larger vehicle we bought was on of these.


The thing has over 82 cubic feet of cargo space in it or you can haul 7 people in it if need be. I get around 30 MPG on the highway, and its comfy. You can pick up a decent used one for 10 to 15K about 5 or 6 years old or a newer one for around 20k.

Thanks Z..I'll keep that in mind.  Can't wait that long for a vehicle though.

Don't believe the carfax and certainly don't believe the salesman.  The one I was dealing with over the past couple days tried to pull a bait n switch on me.    Thanks for calling my attention to that RM.    

BTW..is it a requirement to have ones nickname on their card?   I had to deal with some guy called "Batman" at VW.

DPa..I actually have been looking at a few wagons.. Caliber, Jetta wagon and the Volvo. 

Anyone have FHE on the Jeep Patriots?
http://www.billluke.com/certified/Jeep/2010-Jeep-Patriot-Phoenix-2c50e5aa0a0a0002006487a997846628.htm

IZ also you want to keep in consideration how long you are going to keep the suv for ? If you planning to drive it to the ground than I would suggest you give some serious consideration to kia ( coming from a toyota guy). If its for short term (3 - 5 years) also look at the residual values on them, You dont want to have to loose more than 50% value of a car in 4 years.

Also, depending on where you live, you want to consider the buying season. Here (mid-atlantic area) used suv 4wd price goes up a notch during winter season as compared to summer time.

Quote from: 99Zulu on October 16, 2011, 06:45:22 AM
If you can wait, Toyota is coming with Rav4 hybrid in 2012.

Not necessarily true.

We will have an RAV4 EV (with a Tesla powertrain) in 2012. 

And my understanding is 1) supply will be extremely limited and 2) sales may be limited to certain states (at least initially).

No plans for a hybrid at this point (although there is an all-new RAV4 coming in 3Q 2012).

Any spy pics of that R?

Quote from: IZ on October 16, 2011, 10:28:45 AM
Any spy pics of that R?

Which one?

The EV is posted on Toyota.com

Pics of the next gen do not exist. 

Quote from: Randimus Maximus on October 16, 2011, 10:19:15 AM
 

And my understanding is 1) supply will be extremely limited and 2) sales may be limited to certain states (at least initially).

Most likely the same state that's getting the first plug-in prius ?

Quote from: 99Zulu on October 16, 2011, 10:50:00 AM
Most likely the same state that's getting the first plug-in prius ?

That would be a safe assumption, although it may be fewer states initially.

I drove an Escape also before I bought the Tiguan, and it was too trucklike in comparison. And I'm a diehard Ford guy (the VeeDub is my first foreign cage).

The new, upcoming Escape looks interesting though.

The Escape has the same truck suspension as the Mazda on which of is based.  The 4wd versions perform decently but MPG is so- so.

MPG on the Escape was another thing that steered me away.

FYI, the Tiguan gets around 27 on the highway, not bad for a 4WD rig.

The Kia Sportage AWD gets 28 on the highway, usually about 22-23 in mixed driving.  Our larger Sorento gets about the same. 

However, the differences in MPG are minor at the high end:

The Kia definitely gets the best of the lot.  The Chevy Equinox claims more, but in real world, it gets far less.

I am a VW guy and I love the Tiguan, but if it is in the ballpark of reason, then you have no excuse to not look at a BMW X3....just sayin....

Quote from: zooom on October 17, 2011, 05:39:28 AM
I am a VW guy and I love the Tiguan, but if it is in the ballpark of reason, then you have no excuse to not look at a BMW X3....just sayin....

his price point is much lower and if it's out of warranty that will be the bill to repair it in three years.  BMW - break my wallet