Poll: which used SUV would you get?

[bull]

I'm in the same as you right now.  Our second kid just arrived and suddenly the Maxima is getting cramped.  Have you thought about the Nissan Pathfinder or the Honda Passport?  We are leaning towards the pathfinder or the Grand Cherokee..  Although i'd like to get my spouse into a Commander but she likes her Nissans.  So we'll see what kind of bonus i get at the end of the year and see what we can afford.   

I've never been within 20 feet of a Passport and know nothing about them but I just talked to my mom who told me a neighbor of hers might be selling a 2002 with just over 40k miles on it, which is unheard of. So I might be learning more about them soon.

The Pathfinders are ok as far as I know, I once had a roommate who owned one. I think they are very reliable but not very roomy.

[azraelck]

I think at first the Passports were a rebadged Izuzu. I honestly can't say much about them though; since I dont know when Honda changed over to their own model. But we've had two Izuzus, both pickups; and they're reliability was second to none, IMO. One reached a half-million miles on it, and I still see it running around a decade after my brother traded it. Buyer beware, obviously.

We have had both the GC and the regular Cherokee. Both with the big I6. The GC actually towed a big '79 3/4 ton Chevy behind it, though the front end was bouncing off the ground, and the CPU burned up. The Cherokee is going strong still, but hauling 3 kids; I don't know. It was fine for two, three might get cramped. One thing, is both had leaking transfer cases. I don't know if that's a common issue or not. Ours were pretty high mileage; so it may not be anything you need to worry about. 

[71charger_fan]

Cherokee with the 4.0 liter six. They run forever. We had a '92 get hit by a tractor-trailer that ran a red light. My wife drove it home. They're narrow, but they're designed to fit places their competitors won't go. Register at jeepforum.com and ask around. They're very popular for very good reasons. When we wanted a vehicle for my daughter to drive at college, the 4.0 Cherokee was the only one considered. It wasn't easy to find a decent one at a decent price, but it was worth the effort.

[dkn1997]

since you asked....

4-8k  +  SUV  + 100k miles = TROUBLE.  prepare to spend more time under this vehicle than in it.  I would suggest putting a couple of grand down and getting a dirt cheap lease on anything, kia, hyundai, whatever.  no matter how shitty it is, it will have a warranty.

you will be bucks down trying to keep an 8k old suv on the road.  all of those parts get expensive in a hurry.

[bull]

I test drove a 4.7 Durango at a dealership Monday night and I liked it a lot. I'm going to look at this one owner rig this afternoon: http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/car/243451663.html

[Orange_Crush]

The Durangos are nice. 

Like I told ya, the 4.7 is Chrysler's unsung hero.  Its a real workhorse.

[451-74Charger]

If safety is important, the impact ratings for rear and side collisions are NOT rated for 3rd row seats on 99% of cars,
The std 2 row models are where the tests are done.
I have a 99 GC, and love it. 4.7 V8 Limited. Yes the "Blend Door" can be an issue, but if you consider there are over 1 million GC's about and the problems only exist on a few, thats better odds than most of not having a problem.
the things i would say watch out for are:

Front CV jount on GC were later replaced by U-Joints due to "technical issues"
the front and rear Driveshafts can bind and cause a "clunk" when stopping. (fixed by anti-seeze)
The steering column has a Clock spring for the wheel contacts/Airbag. these fail early.
the door seals on mine have shrunk and fall off. but besides that, id buy another in a heartbeat.
This is the 2nd GC i have owned.

Now Minivans...you would have to dig me up from 6ft under before id buy one of those THINGS

[andy74]

Bull ,just an fyi- i sold a 03 slt durango retail  last week,4x4 3rd row for 13grand and made a little money ,that was with 35k on it-shop around and youll find a good deal,the older body style is cold at the auctions,so prices on used lots are cheaper-if someone is selling theirs it may because a dealer isnt offering them enough!! pm me if you need any extra help or input,and i can check vins for in service date/recalls too!

[bull]

Bull ,just an fyi- i sold a 03 slt durango retail  last week,4x4 3rd row for 13grand and made a little money ,that was with 35k on it-shop around and youll find a good deal,the older body style is cold at the auctions,so prices on used lots are cheaper-if someone is selling theirs it may because a dealer isnt offering them enough!! pm me if you need any extra help or input,and i can check vins for in service date/recalls too!

Thanks. The guy I'm going to see today said he had the ball joint recall done on this one. I'll get the VIN from him too.

[694spdRT]

I voted for a Grand Cherokee.

I owned a '99 Grand Cherokee with the 4.0L inline six and now have an '05 Grand Cherokee with a 5.7 Hemi. Mileage is about the same with both at around 16mpg average and 19-20mpg on the highway. I prefer the looks of the earlier Grand Cherokee over the '05 but I am happy with both. The new one has Quadra Drive II and is practically unstoppable in the snow. 

If you are looking for an older one I would at least try out the 4.0L as it is a tried and tested engine even if it is old school and had good power pulling my 3000lb boat. I am sure the 4.7's are good too, just never owned or drove one but several friends with Dakota's like them.

[moparsuebear]

I own a Grand Cherokee Laredo, and if you say you have a large family, well, you're not going to get many people in the jeep! The Durango has that extra back row, but Jeep doesn't. But I love my jeep and only have 2 kids, so it works out great. I have quadra track, with studded tires and it runs great on the snow and ice. and my hubby put a new stereo in it a while back and it rocks!

By the way, do any of you name your cars? My jeep is called Graybear, my charger is called Sassy, and hubby's charger is called Rojac. I used to have an Astro Van that was called Bluebell and hubby had a 4runner that he called The White Truck. In Okinawa we had an old Toyota van and I called it Silver Sloth and in England I had a brown volvo that I called Sheila, while Bill and the boys called it the brown turd. Bill had a corvette that he called Festus. I guess we're kind of weird.    Share some of your car names.

[694spdRT]

That is true about the size of the Jeep.  Four average size people can sit comfortably but five is getting pretty cozy. The 3rd row in a Durango or a Commander really doesn't look very comfortable to me either but probably works good for kids.