So my girlfriend will be getting her license soon, and subsequently, her first car.
She's absolutely dead set on an SUV or Jeep of some sort. I've suggested other cars to her, but she won't have it. We live in a state where there's snow for about 5-6 months out of the year, so I do see the need for AWD or 4WD but other than that, I don't know where to go.
Budget isn't really being talked about yet. We'd be going for something used/off craigslist.
What are some good SUV's? Originally we were looking at Durango's, but they're not as common as I thought they were and have high as fuck (250+) if they are available.
I was looking at older 2002+ Explorers (since her budget is probably sub $5000) and I found a few, but I've heard really bad things about them chewing ball joints and struts going like x2 as fast as any other SUV from that era.
Which is better in terms of lasting longer? The v6 or the v8?
Cameron Rogers
I live in a college town but i see so man early 20s girls in 4th gen 4runners.
My parents just got my younger brother a 2006 sport 4x4 with 110k miles for just under 15 grand. It's in great condition and should easily last another 100k miles. mpg isn't the best but it's and SUV
Asher Green
4wd Volvo v40
Hunter Nguyen
Mercury mountaineer
Jack Turner
Tell her to shut the fuck up and buy a civic. Awd is unnecessary and it'll just give her false confidence so she'll drive like an ass in bad weather and total the shitbox.
Asher Reyes
>just got an explorer >see this thread
Luke Hall
16 year old gf????
Jaxon Evans
Don't really need an SUV, just get a good ol' Impreza if you really feel the need for AWD/4WD.
desu in most case it's unnecessary. I don't own ANY cars with that.
Easton Powell
Acura MDX or Honda Pilot.
Ryder Wood
If she gets a jeep just be sure to tell her not to turn or it falls over
Jaxson Collins
>I live in a college town So you're in college? Stop trying to sound older than you are, kiddo. You're not fooling anyone.
Avoid these trolls, the Explorer is a death trap. Want your girlfriend to die in a random car fire or rollover? Get an Explorer. If you're looking at Jeeps, check out the Compass 4x4. It's more suited to young women and has a decent 4 wheel drive system. And you can find one with low mileage for around 15k.
Caleb Green
The 2016 Explorer has a 5 star crash safety rating. You're the only dumbfuck in the thread that should be ignored.
Kayden Gonzalez
Explorer is fine if you're on a sub-5K budget, but has obvious drawbacks, consult the sticky for that
If you have a 10K-ish budget, Honda Pilot or a Wrangler if you're girl is really dead set on a Jeep. Both hold value well, are simple and straightforward to maintain, and have 4WD/AWD if you need it.
You can check out the Compass/Patriot, but I hate them, they are rental fleet tier cars that just have god awful build quality, and will be worthless by the time you need to get rid of them
Elijah Williams
>The 2016 Explorer You think OP's """"GF"""" is getting a brand new Explorer? She'd probably get a last generation model.
Brayden Smith
Jeeps aren't exactly safe either. The older generations are even worse.
Jayden Martin
How big are you looking to get? We have an '09 Expedition Limited. It's decent, and my wife loves it. But we also tow a horse trailer with it.
I'm contemplating an '05 Lincoln Aviator, or another BMW wagon. As for other brands, I have no experience with them, so I can't comment.
Gabriel Nguyen
No one up here drives Civics in the winter.
Even I garage my Charger and use my mothers Rav4 she never drives in the winter.
Camden Morales
Not really sure on size. She wants to be able to fit her family on road trips (her sister, and her two parents + me) with all the family luggage. We go camping a few times in the summer.
So far I've looked at Durangos, Grand Cherokees, Explorers, and Trailblazers.
Tbh, crash test ratings aren't much of a bother. She doesn't feel safe in any vehicle, so it's a moot point honestly.
Alexander Powell
Durango is garbage user
Explore is fine on a poverty tier budget but if you're spending more than 5K you have better options
GC and Trailblazer are meh, and again the strength of recommendation ties directly to your budget
Again, I am going to plug the Pilot (because I have one and my wife loves it) and the Wrangler (if your girl has to have a Jeep) for the same reasons I listed above
t. If you can find something, tell me. I've been looking for a few days but really haven't found anything. I just talked with her and our budget is exactly $5000 for everything (so cost of plates, registration, and inspection) so I'm going to say no more than $5000. I can talk prices down if I need too.
Evan Mitchell
Sure is poverty in here. Take two vehicles.
William Edwards
Sure let me take a look. I'll post a few that look promising to me:
if she doesn't feel safe in any vehicle, don't let that bitch drive. fearful drivers are as good as drunk ones.
Joseph Adams
F O R E S T E R O R E S T E R
Jordan Clark
>Tbh, crash test ratings aren't much of a bother. She doesn't feel safe in any vehicle, so it's a moot point honestly.
How you "feel" has precisely zero impact on the vehicle's performance in a crash.
Benjamin Miller
Truck with topper. If she MUST have family, get an extended cab truck. Damn sight better and more useful than a SUV will ever be.
Christopher Reyes
Given your budgetary constraints, you may want to look at an Escape over an Explorer, as the latter is going to be pretty shitty in that price range. 2nd gen is supposed to be pretty decent. First gen was also sold as Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner.
Agreed with LPG that Compass/Patriot are garbage, steer clear.
Adam Williams
SEQUOIA E Q U O I A
Jordan Price
10MPG 0 M P G
Kayden Reyes
4runner how is this even a question?
Jacob Campbell
KEK U C K
If she can handle 15mpg Then she can't space for handle 6 passengers plus luggage
And I don't care if it has 300k in miles it will still outlast anything else posted yet with space for all that
Logan Scott
If she can't handle*
And they still have word filters? S M D H F A M
Henry Gomez
AWD or 4WD is for weakling and degenerates.
Brayden Watson
They aren't safe for people outside them either.
Luke Phillips
Right.
I fucking hate this website.
OP, just let her parents buy her whatever they think is reasonable and safe since she is going to crash it anyway.
Matthew Rogers
SUBURBAN or TAHOE
Pre-07 is cheap as fuck, reliable. 155k miles on my burb and all it needed was a water pump, fuel pump, and thousands of dollars in gas.
Samuel Barnes
She's 19, lives with me and her parents can't afford to get her a car.
She's saved up $5k and needs a car for a job she's going to be going to soon.
I'm going to look into Pilots. Found a guy selling one near me for $4k.
Landon Morgan
This is destined for failure. Abort now.
Josiah Kelly
Needing AWD for snow is a meme that needs to die. I drive RWD and my town averages just under 150" of snow a year. AWD just makes people think they can drive the same as they do in the summer with no problems.
Isaiah Jenkins
>it's a "flatlanders think RWD is fine in the snow because they creep around some plowed and sanded roads in their Crown Vic" thread
Daniel Ramirez
...
Logan Roberts
Seriously >I drive around town just fine in my RWD, we get 6gorillian feet of snow a year, it totally accumulates between scrapes every 10-20 minutes because I only drive the 3 main roads. If you think AWD/4x4 is useless please explain why it's so prevalent. Most people would prefer to pay less for their car, so skimping on this "useless" feature is an easy 4-8g off.
Jason Rogers
I'm sure OP's sister will be bouncing down unplowed country roads in her first car everyday.
