NFR Well, I Hate To Ask... But Looking For SUV Recommendations For Granddaughter's First Car

[SurfnFish]

How would you like to be an owner of a loaded 2024 80K Silverado and have the roof split and start leaking, and than be told th fix is to hand solder the split?

Chevy Silverado And GMC Sierra Sales Halted Because Their Roofs Are Splitting Apart

GM’s biggest sellers are going to have a rough month

jalopnik.com

 

[Robert Engleheart]

@SurfnFish, if you could pm me the contact information for that Subaru shop I’d appreciate it.

 

[Zak]

Crosstrek the highest rated AWD by Consumer Reports..friends who have them love 'em.
There is a Subaru shop in Spokane that buys high mileage Sube's, performas full service with head gasket and CV's and then sells them. Daughter picked one up for her daughters college car, paid like 8K, body a bit rough, apparently runs great.
Going to park my 04' Suburban at my son's house so it's always there for him when he shows up, use it myself when needed. After a lotta research and test drives, will be shopping after holidays for a 17' - 19' HIghlander. Why those years? From 17' on they have predictive, cruise, auto braking, all the other safety stuff that makes elder driving safer, and starting in 2020 they reduced driver legroom from 44" to 41.5", too short for my legs. The Toy 3.5 V6 is an extremely reliable engine, have owned two of them in an older Highlander and a Sienna (great vans), and they were bulletproof.
How would you like to be an owner of a loaded 2024 80K Silverado and have the roof split and start leaking, and than be told th fix is to hand solder the split?

Chevy Silverado And GMC Sierra Sales Halted Because Their Roofs Are Splitting Apart

GM’s biggest sellers are going to have a rough month

jalopnik.com

For what it's worth, I have had both a Crosstrek and a Forester and like the Forester much more.

 

[SurfnFish]

For what it's worth, I have had both a Crosstrek and a Forester and like the Forester much more.

x2...we drove both and came home with the Forester...consider it the best one we've owned.

 

[SurfnFish]

@SurfnFish, if you could pm me the contact information for that Subaru shop I’d appreciate it.

https://www.hopkinsautosales.com/

 

[Mtnwkr]

I didn't read every comment to see if it was posted but look at Acura and Lexus. Everyone goes straight to toyota and honda and the premium versions get overlooked. They are often well maintained and sell for less than their cheaper counterpart because no one is looking for them.

 

[Old406Kid]

I didn't read every comment to see if it was posted but look at Acura and Lexus. Everyone goes straight to toyota and honda and the premium versions get overlooked. They are often well maintained and sell for less than their cheaper counterpart because no one is looking for them.

You're right, I've been watching the Acura RDX which is comparable to the Honda CRV and not that much of a difference in prices.

 

[RCF]

You may want to take into account the insurance costs. Different models can very greatly. Since insurance is an on-going expense, the costs should be taken into account.

 

[Old406Kid]

You may want to take into account the insurance costs. Different models can very greatly. Since insurance is an on-going expense, the costs should be taken into account.

Are you saying that the same basic model with a fancier name would be much higher?

 

[RCF]

Are you saying that the same basic model with a fancier name would be much higher?

I am referring to an Outback vs. Forester vs. CRV vs. Crosstrek vs. RAV4 can vary a lot. For example my 2006 Ridgeline is 40% more than a 2023 Crosstrek and 2018 RAV4 which we also own.

 

[Old406Kid]

I am referring to an Outback vs. Forester vs. CRV vs. Crosstrek vs. RAV4 can vary a lot. For example my 2006 Ridgeline is 40% more than a 2023 Crosstrek and 2018 RAV4 which we also own.

Wow, that's surprising especially with the age differences.

 

[SurfnFish]

when it comes to owning an older car, having a competent and reasonable mechanic is worth their weight in gold...as is a OBD2 reader to find out whether the latest issue is a driveway vs mechanic fix.

 

[Robert Engleheart]

The Lexus RX series can be very solid, especially the V6 versions and now old enough that you might find one in your price range. A friend had 2 and were very reliable, engine and drivetrain are very good, some had issues with climate control in center stack being a PITA to access but otherwise capable of 300K+ miles. I drove one of theirs around Alaska for a couple weeks then down through BC to Oregon for a couple more. Decent gas mileage and nice driving dynamics for an SUV.

 

[iveofione]

Just a reminder-the next 8 days are the best days of the year to buy a car. Showrooms are empty, inventory is high and is running up flooring cost the longer it sits, people are spending money on Christmas gifts, partying, travelling. Dealers, sales managers and salesmen are already feeling the effects of a slow November and December prospects are even worse.

Get out there now and make those guys squirm. They have been gouging the shit out of people for several years now and the tide is beginning to turn. Be tough and brutal and don't fall for their usual BS tactics, be ready to walk but leave your number in case they come to their senses before January 1.

I bought a 5th wheel travel trailer on Super Bowl Sunday one year, a case of good timing! Three salesmen were on duty at a big RV store, all crowded in an office watching the game. The lot was empty, me being the only customer. I knew what I wanted and stalled around looking at other rigs. Finally, I approached the rig I wanted and asked what kind of a deal they would make. The posted winter price was "As low as we can go!" The salesman was getting irritable but I insisted that he could do better. Finally he let it go for $1,000 under the sale price just to get rid of me. I was happy and he went back to the game.

 

[Porter2]

Not so sure that applies this year or at least with certain models and makes being almost out of Inventory. Took our Pilot to Lynnwood Honda a few weeks ago for routine service and the lot was maybe 30% capacity. Lots of empty stalls. When I called to make the appointment they had a recorded notice that their inventory for cars and certain parts for cars are low due to chip shortages and other transportation logistics.

 

[Old406Kid]

Update
It's been a long road but finally!!!
Going back a bit, we thought we had found a really nice 2011 CR-V and were close to making an offer. It had spent it's life in Lynwood and appeared to have had most of it's service work done at the dealership there. As a last step my son who runs a bodyshop in Lewiston called one of the dealerships that he buys a lot of parts from and had them run the Vin. Turned out that it had recently been at the dealership every couple of months with excessive oil consumption complaints. The dealership had even gone so far as giving a quote on engine replacement.
So back to the drawing board.

After looking at 1000's of vehicles on Craigslist, FB Marketplace, and a number of local dealerships we found an immaculate 2013 Subaru Outback with 159,000 miles that had spent it's life in Auburn. I had more or less decided against Subarus but this one was just too nice to pass up plus the dealer even offered a one week all money back guarantee if we weren't satisfied for any reason. He also said he had his mechanics go through it and everything checked out great! We came home and pulled a Carfax report on it and found that it was sent to auction by the Subaru dealer in Auburn with the last Carfax entry from them saying it checked out good.
The dealer even threw in the red bow and we brought it home to a very elated granddaughter.
Unfortunately the elation was short lived and soon turned to tears.
I had checked the oil at the dealership and looked under the vehicle for leaks but hadn't checked the coolant as it was hot after a road test and I assumed his mechanics had done that. Later that evening as I was using a flashlight to further check things I noticed a dark coloration in the bottom inch of the coolant reservoir so I pulled the radiator cap and found the radiator to be so FULL of oil that there was no coolant visible. This was late Saturday night so I took a sample vial of the oil to an independent Subaru repair shop first thing Monday a.m.
I explained the return warranty that I was offered and he said repairs would start at 3100$ and could run to 4500$ or higher so his strong recommendation was to return it and get our money back.
The silver lining to this was that the dealer was a very cooperative stand up guy and returned our full payment. I'm sure he had no idea and also sure that he wasn't at all happy with the shop guys.

Another week passed with lots of dead ends and then my wife spotted a one owner 2012 Rav 4 in Peck, ID. (Just up the road, or I should say mountain,) from Poppy's shop.
Since they bought it new from the Toyota dealer in Lewiston it was a win win as my son regularly works with the dealership and found that all of the service for the life of the car was done there. The owner also had complete service records and every receipt since it was purchased.
It even came with WeatherTec mats and an extra set of tires mounted on factory aluminum wheels.

When we started this venture I had no idea that it would be so difficult to find a well maintained vehicle.
Finally a big sigh of relief and our grandaughter is back to smiles.

 

[RCF]

Most know people the current seller sells used cars for existing problems or future ones. It is a crap shoot for sure. We sell our cars when they are approaching 150k miles. They are well maintained with no known issues.

KUDOs to you for your persistence, research and follow thru for the entire process. You have confirmed it pays off. You have delivered a message to just that! I hope it serves as an example for others to do the same...

We have owned or currently own CRV's, RAV-4s, Ridgeline and Subaru's. All are/have been great. All have been bought as low mileage used cars. So far we have gotten lucky.

 

[Buzzy]

Update
It's been a long road but finally!!!
Going back a bit, we thought we had found a really nice 2011 CR-V and were close to making an offer. It had spent it's life in Lynwood and appeared to have had most of it's service work done at the dealership there. As a last step my son who runs a bodyshop in Lewiston called one of the dealerships that he buys a lot of parts from and had them run the Vin. Turned out that it had recently been at the dealership every couple of months with excessive oil consumption complaints. The dealership had even gone so far as giving a quote on engine replacement.
So back to the drawing board.

After looking at 1000's of vehicles on Craigslist, FB Marketplace, and a number of local dealerships we found an immaculate 2013 Subaru Outback with 159,000 miles that had spent it's life in Auburn. I had more or less decided against Subarus but this one was just too nice to pass up plus the dealer even offered a one week all money back guarantee if we weren't satisfied for any reason. He also said he had his mechanics go through it and everything checked out great! We came home and pulled a Carfax report on it and found that it was sent to auction by the Subaru dealer in Auburn with the last Carfax entry from them saying it checked out good.
The dealer even threw in the red bow and we brought it home to a very elated granddaughter.View attachment 104091View attachment 104092
Unfortunately the elation was short lived and soon turned to tears.
I had checked the oil at the dealership and looked under the vehicle for leaks but hadn't checked the coolant as it was hot after a road test and I assumed his mechanics had done that. Later that evening as I was using a flashlight to further check things I noticed a dark coloration in the bottom inch of the coolant reservoir so I pulled the radiator cap and found the radiator to be so FULL of oil that there was no coolant visible. This was late Saturday night so I took a sample vial of the oil to an independent Subaru repair shop first thing Monday a.m.
I explained the return warranty that I was offered and he said repairs would start at 3100$ and could run to 4500$ or higher so his strong recommendation was to return it and get our money back.
The silver lining to this was that the dealer was a very cooperative stand up guy and returned our full payment. I'm sure he had no idea and also sure that he wasn't at all happy with the shop guys.

Another week passed with lots of dead ends and then my wife spotted a one owner 2012 Rav 4 in Peck, ID. (Just up the road, or I should say mountain,) from Poppy's shop.
Since they bought it new from the Toyota dealer in Lewiston it was a win win as my son regularly works with the dealership and found that all of the service for the life of the car was done there. The owner also had complete service records and every receipt since it was purchased.
It even came with WeatherTec mats and an extra set of tires mounted on factory aluminum wheels.

When we started this venture I had no idea that it would be so difficult to find a well maintained vehicle.
Finally a big sigh of relief and our grandaughter is back to smiles.

View attachment 104107

Well done grandma and grandpa!! Her smile does say it all!

 

[Bruce Baker]

That was some process! I am glad everything worked out and you've got a happy granddaughter @Old406Kid

 

[Robert Engleheart]

That V6 engine is a gem, mine has 260K and no leaks, run Mobil 1 5W-30 with 7500 mile changes; uses < 1 qt in that period. Don’t exceed that as they do have a tendency to build sludge with longer intervals. I know of several with over 400K miles with no issues.