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Car/SUV Recommendations

922 views 29 replies 13 participants last post by  Vcook 
#1 ·
Incase I haven't posted up enough questions, this should make it simpler. I'm looking for a new used car/SUV. Basically the constraints are that I want something that's less than 5 years old, pref. under 50K miles or so, and ~$16K or less. I don't want a boring car, and if it's an SUV I'd prefer something mid-sized. Right now I'm eyeballing an 04 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited.

I was just wondering what you guys would target or get with that in mind. Thanks for the suggestions.
 
#5 ·
That's a pretty broad range of vehicles. I suggest going to autotrader.com and carmax.com and start looking for something. Then read the reviews on the vehicles you think you like.

Don't forget to take into account what the reviewer is looking for in a car. I recently read a review on a 2007 Civic Coupe. The guy gave the car poor marks and said "it doesn't have enough power, but I also have a Mustang. I guess the civic is good for gas mileage, but it needs more power." I wish I could reach through my monitor and slap the guy in the forehead.
 
#7 ·
Buy my Focus SVT. Seriously.

3 years old
31k miles
$12000

It's an excellent mixture of performance and practicality. Gets 23-25mpg under normal driving and hits 30mpg on freeway trips. It's fun as hell to drive, it's like a go-kart that has 80% of torque by 2k rpm, so you don't have to rev the piss out of it, and it seats 4 adults and the hatch is quite big.

You can come over an check it out whenever, I'm probably 5 minutes from you.

http://www.chicagolandsportbikes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52890
 
#8 ·
Yeah I've driven one before, it was pretty entertaining -- Mini Cooper like. But I don't think I could drive a hatchback like that. I honestly am just having a hard time making sure that I actually am getting the best deal buying an 04 Limited Grand Cherokee -- but I'm having a hard time finding another vehicle that can parallel it with Cost/Options/Mileage (NOT mpg). I've tried to look at Toyota's vehicles, but there SUV's exceed my price range based on age, and I'm not really a fan of any of their sedans. I like the Tundra, but unless you get a new one the mileage is worse than a Cherokee (according to stats...). I do kind of like the Xterra, and the newer models get pretty good mileage, but most of them are sold as if they were bottom line car rentals.

:wtf: TO DO
 
#9 · (Edited)
With Toyotas milage isn't eveything. I had a 1999 Cavalier with 75,000 miles on it and a 98 Toyota Camry replaced it and it has 139,000 miles on it and it runs 100 times better than the Cavalier it replaced. I will take a Toyota with 100,000 miles on it over a GM with 50,000 miles on it any day. I am a Dodge/Jeep person, but I rather have a Toyota.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...ors=&transmission=&max_price=16000&cardist=29

And here is a list of 01 4Runners

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searc...ault_sort=priceDESC&keywordsrep=&keywordsfyc=
 
#13 ·
With Toyotas milage isn't eveything. I had a 1999 Cavalier with 75,000 miles on it and a 98 Toyota Camry replaced it and it has 139,000 miles on it and it runs 100 times better than the Cavalier it replaced. I will take a Toyota with 100,000 miles on it over a GM with 50,000 miles on it any day. I am a Dodge/Jeep person, but I rather have a Toyota.
+1 for the Jap cars! Like the bikes they can't be beat. I had a 1993 Honda Accord with over 250000 miles on it and the only reason I got rid of it was because after 5 years I was bored of it. German cars are sexy and expensive. American cars and trucks USED TO BE good but we got lazy. Jap cars have great resale and reliability and easy to maintain. For what you're looking for there's alot out there!!! :2cents:
 
#10 ·
I was happy with my Jeep cherokee. It towed well. The powerplant is bullet proof, and the styling remains similar, so even older models can seem current. I found one in great shape a couple years back, with 35k miles on it, and it was well under your price ceiling and was well appointed. So a good value too. Too bad you missed it. I just sold it to HDTony and had it listed for 9k with 55k miles.

Good Luck!
 
#11 ·
when your looking at cars are you looking for sporty, luxury, economy? a mix of all three?

the acura CL and TL from the 03 range are resonably priced, can be had with decent mileage.

is300 is another option

if you are looking for something sportier then those, you could easily find a mustang / neon srt4 / wrx for that price range as well.

If you want economy, a corolla won't be hard in that range either
 
#14 ·
Yeah I have actually looked at the IS300 and TL online. Not a huge fan of the older TL model, the newest edition though is nice. I like the IS300 a lot, but it's tough to find one. I am looking something that's sporty but I definitely want leather seats etc if I were to get a car. I just figure if it's only going to be around $16K and I'm going used I might as well get something nice that's a few years old.
 
#17 ·
Wound up pulling the trigger on a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. Only thing it's missing is DVD & Navigation. The thing is absolutely loaded with 49K miles. Wound up at ~$15K after taxes and everything. Big improvement over my last car, I'm lovin it.
 
#24 ·
Dont expect 18mpg with the v8, your math is wonky or your doing sedate highway driving. Check the computer just in front of the sunroof for lifetime mpg averages.

as for the factory nav, you can add the factory ipod adapter to it which I have done. It allows control of your ipod from the head unit, or steering wheel controls, and maintains the stock look. I'll attach some photos. This isnt the cheapest route, but it maintains that stock feel which I like. Also, not all limiteds are v8's, so dont get confused there.
 
#25 ·
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've noticed that going down significantly. The number was more of a guess as I was monitoring it on the highway when I was driving back to school, once I fill up I'll get an exact number. I'd never seen a Limited that wasn't a V8, so that's news to me.

The factory navigation is pretty nice though. Have you seen the one they're putting in 05+'s? I think they offer a bit of a larger screen. With the factory nav does the 10 disc changer continue to function? Not a huge deal since the iPod is available, but just curious. If you don't mind me asking, how much did that run?
 
#29 ·
Vcook you got any Jeep parts websites you order from? I googled up some stuff, and found a couple decent ones, nothing great. I'm thinking of blacking out the tail lights to start -- something cheap to make it a little different. I think in the end, in terms of exterior mods, I'd like to get a nice Chrome Brush/Grille Guard, maybe throw a Borla/Magnaflow Exhaust on (or at least a chrome tip to follow the black/chrome theme), and I'm definitely going to get some K&N Air Intake (Filter + Cold Air Intake system) stuff to see how much it helps MPG. But that's about $2K of fun, so I gotta start somewhere.
 
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