Now that the Alberta Oil patch is once again in full swing and, I am gainfully employed, my wife says her 2001 Nissan Altima is no longer reliable and wants to replace it with a crossover.

I am not interested in buying new. Maybe one or two years old. Can't fathom the thought of buying a new car only to lose 15% of its value the minute we drive off the lot.

I've been looking at all the crossovers and my god am I ever confused. From Chev to Ford, Toyota, VW, Mercedes, Cadillac and all the others out there. So I turn to you my breatheren for advice.

She wants somthing a little higher off the ground to see better. She has gotten use to driving my 3/4 ton. Somthing with a little more storage. No kids, just a dog, so we don't need extra third row seating. Somthing with a little towing capacity for hauling the quad and trailer to our country home in the woods. We get lots of snow here so it needs good ground clearence and traction as well as a good heater and air conditioning. And last but not least, great gas mileage.

For those of you who own crossovers and those who have opinions, I would like to hear the pros and cons of all the crossovers on the market.

I have reviewed all the auto mags and I think car writers are like food critics. They don't really lay it on the line. It's all subjevtive.

Regards,

Carpediem

If you keep a car for ten years then the new car price problem is not a problem .You might get an end of the year vehicle if there are any great changes [don't want to be a beta tester ].The basic difference between SUV and Crossover is that the SUV is on a truck frame and crossover is unibody.
There are so many crossovers you really have to check more than one reviews for each.

I'm driving a 1995 Honda Passport that I bought new. It has 84,000 miles on it.

Jim

You didn't mention leg-room so that may not be an issue, but my wife and I bought a V-6 AWD GMC Terrain (2012) because it has more leg room due to no third row seating. It has about 4500 miles on it so far and we like it except it has no rear seat a/c vents and during hot weather (!00+) the rear seat needs more air flow. It has a small receiver hitch and is rated to tow a small trailer but we have never pulled anything. It seems to get about 19mpg around town and higher on the hwy and will probably improve when the motor breaks in more. If your trailer is more than 1/2 ton or so you probably will want to look at something rated better for towing.

Trailer is an old boat trailer converted to flat dck to haul quad, wood chipper, etc.

Kepp em coming guys and gals. I need to know about your crossovers.

And thanks to those who have posted. I will be checking them out.

Regards,

Carpediem

I am curiously watching this thread as we have gone through a few vehicles. We have kids though so we need a little room.
We have a Toyota 4Runner that we have had for close to ten years and it has been great. We tow a metal utility trailer with it with no problems. It doesn't sit as high as some but it has an electric locking rear diff if needed, and seems to have limited slip front and rear as it goes places without the locker and normal tires most of the time. I wouldn't hesitate to say to consider it.
We just bought a Jeep JK Unlimited Rubicon and it is pretty sweet. Of course, to make it perfect it would come from the factory with a Hemi and about 3.5" of lift with 35" tires and a lower gear ratio like 4:88's or 5:13's.
My wife likes the Ford Edge a lot. We couldn't find one used, and like you I don't like the big hit driving it off the lot.

Crossover is code for a front wheel drive POS.
It looks like a SUV but is built on a car chassis. Yeah the ground clearance may look high but the roof line may be too low to permit easy entry if you are taller than the avg woman.

Take a look at Subaru Foresters and Outbacks. They are reliable, parts are not horribly expensive and and they have full time all wheel drive.

quote:

Originally posted by arkypete:
I'm driving a 1995 Honda Passport that I bought new. It has 84,000 miles on it.

Jim

Off topic but I envy your efficiency. My 2011 Taurus just rolled up to 80,000. Probably 100,000 by December.

What the heck does a wife need a car for in the first place? Maybe a new stove!

I wonder what the odds are you live alone, Jim?

Hey Jim:

She has two stoves and uses both with great proficiency.

And unless you can run faster than 2650 feet per second past the 400 yard mark; well, let's just say she is a hell of a shot sitting down. LOL.

Something to consider.

It is a good idea, if you live in the country or in a small city, to buy the brand of vehicle that is sold locally, if possible.

Makes it easier to get spare parts, and to get those things worked on that you cannot do
yourself.

Same applies to ATV's yard/farm equipment as well.

I know it is not a high vehicle but is similar to the smaller SUV's. Try the Subaru crosstrek, it has only been out for a couple of years. 28 mpg city and 32 hwy. It has good interior room space, visibility, boxer engine and excellent reputation in the snow.

I bought a Toy 4x4 longbox new in 1979; the dealer threw in Porsche seats, a 1-ton suspension, grill/headlights guard,tow hooks, a skid pan and an extra 25 IMPERIAL gallons gas tank to make the sale. Cost me $9,000 out the door, including registration and all that.

Kept and drove it every day for 31 years, never did any major repairs, and used it from Mexico to well north of the 45th parallel. Never had to do any cosmetic repairs either, and it carried a cab roof height, steel framed, insulated camper for 26 of those years.

Loved it and didn't want to ever sell it, but when my foot went so bad I can no longer drive a stick shift., I sold it for $4,500 cash, and had a line of guys waiting in case the first guy didn't come through with the money. So it actually cost me $4,500 for 31 years of use, not including gas, oil, and a tune-up every 3-to-5 years. Even buying new, that is cheap like borscht

Replaced it with a Mercedes M class SUV, still with 4x4 and low range transfer case which can be engaged/disengaged on the fly. Frankly, the Toy was more my style, but the Mercedes now has 74,000+ miles on it, and has presented no problems requiring any repairs. Matter of fact, I have changed the oil exactly twice and got a tune-up once about two years ago. The Mercedes has all the bells and whistles...leather seats, memory seating, 6CD/AM/FM/short wave sound system, automatic door locking, lights, windshield wipers, garage door opener, and on and on.

Either one would suit a lady well enough, but most ladies seem to like the extra respect they get when they drive up to someplace in the Mercedes.

The only caution I would give you is to have your wife both drive and ride as a passenger for about 20 miles each before buying. My wife hated the seats in he Toy, and hates the current seats in the Mercedes...just can't get comfortable in them as either a passenger or a driver.

So pick whatever she likes and feels comfortable in, remembering you can get at least a couple of Toys for the tag on one of the Mercedes SUVs.

Have fun choosing, and I hope whatever you get serves you as well as mine have served me.

I wanted a sedan that had AWD however, as seniors, we wanted one that we did not have to climb into.

I got a Chrysler 300C AWD. Mine has the Hemi engine.

I like it's five speed auto transmission because it downshifts going down the steep hills around us so smoothly.

The AWD works fine. Ground clearance is a little more than a sedan.

I really like to drive this car! I have had high performance cars since 1961. This includes Corvette, Porsche, Ford 429!

I see lots of Ford Escapes and Explorers running around here. My neighbor owns 2 Explorers. My reloading buddy (R.I.P.) had a Toyota Rav 4 and loved it, said it was dependable even after 100K miles.

I bought a new, 2013 Toyota FJ Land Cruiser this morning. Momma loved the test drive, and that was all the encouragement I needed.

10" of ground clearance, and 20 mpg.

quote:

Originally posted by carpediem4570:
Now that the Alberta Oil patch is once again in full swing and, I am gainfully employed, my wife says her 2001 Nissan Altima is no longer reliable and wants to replace it with a crossover.

I am not interested in buying new. Maybe one or two years old. Can't fathom the thought of buying a new car only to lose 15% of its value the minute we drive off the lot.

I've been looking at all the crossovers and my god am I ever confused. From Chev to Ford, Toyota, VW, Mercedes, Cadillac and all the others out there. So I turn to you my breatheren for advice.

She wants somthing a little higher off the ground to see better. She has gotten use to driving my 3/4 ton. Somthing with a little more storage. No kids, just a dog, so we don't need extra third row seating. Somthing with a little towing capacity for hauling the quad and trailer to our country home in the woods. We get lots of snow here so it needs good ground clearence and traction as well as a good heater and air conditioning. And last but not least, great gas mileage.

For those of you who own crossovers and those who have opinions, I would like to hear the pros and cons of all the crossovers on the market.

I have reviewed all the auto mags and I think car writers are like food critics. They don't really lay it on the line. It's all subjevtive.

Regards,

Carpediem

What's your budget?