Hey guys, the last time I was here I was looking at a pretty high mile (208k) Denali XL but I decided against it despite very good records and all because I just did not need something that big. I've been looking for a wagon or an SUV to replace my car to give myself the ability to haul things for a house I'll be buying in the near future. It's been an arduous process trying to decide on what I think looks good, what I would enjoy driving, etc. I'll admit full stop I have only had cars all my life, I have had some big cars (Deville) but no trucks or SUVs. However I just don't think I can manage to cram everything into a car that well when I've got a house and haven't needed to put anything too big in my cars.
My short list (yeah, I doubt most people cross shop these - but whatever, I can see merits in many different ways).
My car (and this replacement) is/will be a second vehicle for me, with my other being a Corvette. I will drive the Corvette a fair amount when it's Spring-Fall, so it will be a fair split between it and whatever the other vehicle is. However, hauling stuff in the Vette will be limited and I don't care to drive it in the rain if I can avoid it - nor the winter (It has summer tires). I found a very clean, well kept '05 Z71 with nearly every option (even the old GPS system) with about 130k miles on it for $10k but I hate to drive something as big as a Tahoe when I have no family to haul in it. It's an awful lot of vehicle to move around for just me. But I do like the safe feeling of that said size, a luxury in its own regard despite not being a luxury vehicle per se.
Thoughts? I know I'll get some bias in favor of the Tahoe. I'm fortunate enough to work out of my own home so I don't drive every day but my current car gets 20 MPG with me punching it all the time and it's a sporty V6 sedan with a 6-speed manual. I have no complaints at all about the gas mileage on that (if I drove it easy I could get 22-23 MPG). The FX35 is almost a more luxurious SUV version of my car, but cargo wise it has nothing on any of the others except the FJ. If gas mileage ever became too big an issue, I'd like the safety of knowing someone else would still buy it - the lowest MPG SUVs I feel will get tanked hard. My Vette is paid off as is my car, so at present money is no issue but I like to live very safely within my means.
My short list (yeah, I doubt most people cross shop these - but whatever, I can see merits in many different ways).
- '06-'08 Infiniti FX35 AWD - I like the looks of these, they have a great exhaust note, they seem reasonable on MPG at around 18 MPG, and I love luxury gadgets and stuff which they have intelligent key and things like that.
Downsides: Hard to find in the specific colors I want, I have a specific feature set I want, not the most cargo space for an SUV, some of these years have dash bubbling problems ($1k to replace).
- '04-'09 4Runner V6/V8 4WD - Looks good, drives reasonably well, not a powerhouse but I test drove a V6 one with nearly 200k miles and it had plenty of go.
Downsides: Toyota reliability means the price for these even with a lot of miles is still high. The one I looked at had the 4LO actuator broken, probably lots of these while still running good haven't had proper maintenance so would be some catch up stuff to do to ensure they keep running well. V8 has timing belt, people seem to questionably keep up on this. Kinda sucks to pay so much and be getting 160-200k miles and they're not all that new.
- '07-'09 Lexus RX350 AWD - Very nice interior, drives smooth, really has a lot of cargo capacity for no bigger than it is, Lexus being Toyota has great reliability and I know of no real issues with these.
Downsides: Possibly the most "rich" soccer mom looking SUV out there. It's like a 65-70% female owned car, and as a guy that hurts its appeal to me. I'd have to get one in black, the only decent color and would need to do a few exterior mods to not have it look so plain.
- '07+ FJ Cruiser 6MT 4WD - As someone who normally only likes cars, these look cool to me. Wranglers never did it for me, but these do look kind of retro classic. Toyota reliability again, so these will last and people all believe it too so they keep their resale value well. It's a real off road machine too (Not that I honestly have any need for that).
Downsides: They seem a bit more prone to road noise, visibility not the best with the weird design, the cool shape makes for some bad gas mileage and it has a really small gas tank for the MPG it gets (Around 15-17 MPG) giving it like a 220-240 mile range. My previous 5.0 Mustang GT had a range like that and it drove me nuts.
- '04-'06 Tahoe Z71 - These still look great, I remember from my test drive of the Denali XL that they ride really nice and I like that feeling of the bulk that it has. Not as "modern fancy" as the Infiniti or Lexus, but reminds me more of the pre-Art & Science Cadillac with that old school luxury feel. Genuinely has massive hauling capability and towing capability if I ever needed it.
Downsides: Gas mileage is the biggest one, with all this weight and just a 4 speed auto the best MPG I saw people reporting was 15 MPG in mixed driving. I'm more comfortable around 18-20 MPG, but I'm afraid of pouring all my money into the gas tank all the time. I also know theft on these is a bit higher thanks to dumb gangsters that like to chop shop these or the like. How much that might be a problem I don't know as it's not a concern in my area usually, but I won't even consider an Escalade because of the theft rate and I know insurance would be more pricey on one because of it.
My car (and this replacement) is/will be a second vehicle for me, with my other being a Corvette. I will drive the Corvette a fair amount when it's Spring-Fall, so it will be a fair split between it and whatever the other vehicle is. However, hauling stuff in the Vette will be limited and I don't care to drive it in the rain if I can avoid it - nor the winter (It has summer tires). I found a very clean, well kept '05 Z71 with nearly every option (even the old GPS system) with about 130k miles on it for $10k but I hate to drive something as big as a Tahoe when I have no family to haul in it. It's an awful lot of vehicle to move around for just me. But I do like the safe feeling of that said size, a luxury in its own regard despite not being a luxury vehicle per se.
Thoughts? I know I'll get some bias in favor of the Tahoe. I'm fortunate enough to work out of my own home so I don't drive every day but my current car gets 20 MPG with me punching it all the time and it's a sporty V6 sedan with a 6-speed manual. I have no complaints at all about the gas mileage on that (if I drove it easy I could get 22-23 MPG). The FX35 is almost a more luxurious SUV version of my car, but cargo wise it has nothing on any of the others except the FJ. If gas mileage ever became too big an issue, I'd like the safety of knowing someone else would still buy it - the lowest MPG SUVs I feel will get tanked hard. My Vette is paid off as is my car, so at present money is no issue but I like to live very safely within my means.
