WELCOME TO RIVER DAVES PLACE

UPDATE: Need Advice On a Small Used AWD SUV

RogerThat99

Parker Is Now OPEN
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11,973
Reaction score
7,962
I need input / advice on relibility of used Small AWD SUVs: Ford Escape, Toyota Rav4, Honda CR-V. I have zero experience with this class of car.

Soon, I will need need to buy an older, small AWD SUV for my Daughter. Whatever I buy, will most likely have 80,000 to 105,000 miles.

I was looking at a 2010 Ford Escape. I kind of feel like Toyota and Honda would do better as a high mile vehicle.

Anyone have experience with any of these vehicles as an owner or mechanic? Anything I should be wary of? Does the older Escape have Fords fake automatic tranny (a computer controlled manual disguised as an automatic)?

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

Sent From Tapatalk
 

RogerThat99

Parker Is Now OPEN
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11,973
Reaction score
7,962
Subaru outback....
I have considered a Subaru. My wife wanted a Forester for her current car (as a trail runner, everyone has Subarus). When I drove one, it was gutless and much more expensive than other cars in its class. I believe it is just the New Forester that is underpowered. The rest of the Subaru line was fine.

Sent From Tapatalk
 

RCDave

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2011
Messages
9,953
Reaction score
15,825
I have a 2013 outback with 100k miles. It's been flawless. I little underpowered but it's a well built car. They also have really good crash ratings
 

RogerThat99

Parker Is Now OPEN
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11,973
Reaction score
7,962
I have a buddy that is constantly flipping Subarus. He buys them with a blown engine or tranny, swaps out the engine or tranny with a used one, and sells them. He sells them pretty cheap after they are running.

Sent From Tapatalk
 

JUSTWANNARACE

I will not let them take me🤣🤣
Joined
Aug 28, 2018
Messages
8,762
Reaction score
24,192
Toyota 4 runner with the 4cyl (2.4l I belive) not the 6cyl!!

We have a jeep grand Cherokee 2011 that has been a great rig but it's a 5.7 Hemi


I also know several people with rav4's from new to old and they seem to be great rigs also.
 

badgas

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2020
Messages
1,656
Reaction score
3,283
The RAV4 and CRV are going to be your best bet for reliabilty. If it will see snow and ice and icey roads often the Subaru AWD platform is better than all of them. My Son has an imprezza hatch and handles the slippery stuff well.

I just went to the dealer last weekend to help my daughter haggle on an 4 year old AWD Rav4 for what it's worth they were getting rid of an escape.

We have 3 toyotas in our house. 2012 Camry 115K miles , 2011 FJ cruiser 95K miles and an a 2014 AWD Highlander 85K miles. No mechanical issues or repairs, just the basic maintenance. They are solid cars and can be confidently purchased with 100K miles.

My Son's Subaru is a 2015 with 85K miles and no issues.

Just look for one that was not a rental and also has a good service history on the carfax.
 
Last edited:

TimeBandit

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2019
Messages
1,847
Reaction score
4,257
CRV or RAV4 would be my top picks.

Our daughters 2016 Subaru Crosstrek had major engine oil leaks at 30,000 miles... from what I'm hearing, that's typical.
 

RogerThat99

Parker Is Now OPEN
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11,973
Reaction score
7,962
The RAV4 and CRV are going to be your best bet for reliabilty. If it will see snow and ice and icey roads often the Subaru AWD platform is better than all of them. My Son has an imprezza hatch and handles the slippery stuff well.

I just went to the dealer last weekend to help my daughter haggle on an 4 year old AWD Rav4 for what it's worth they were getting rid of an escape.

We have 3 toyotas in our house. 2012 Camry 115K miles , 2011 FJ cruiser 95K miles and an a 2014 AWD Highlander 85K miles. No mechanical issues or repairs, just the basic maintenance. They are solid cars and can be confidently purchased with 100K miles.

My Son's Subaru is a 2015 with 85K miles and no issues.

Just look for one that was not a rental and also has a good service history on the carfax.
Great information. She will be driving in snow and ice periodically, not every day.
Hyundai Santa fe we have an old one and a new one.
Interesting. I will look into it.
CRV or RAV4 would be my top picks.

Our daughters 2016 Subaru Crosstrek had major engine oil leaks at 30,000 miles... from what I'm hearing, that's typical.
Old Honda's run great. Just change the timing belt before 100k miles, and occasionally a CV Joint.

I bought a 100k mile Civic when I got out of college, when my Z wouldn't pass smog due to a leaking injector. I drove the Civic to almost 200k miles.

Sent From Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

SBMech

Fixes Broken Stuff
Joined
Jul 25, 2012
Messages
11,627
Reaction score
20,783
RAV4 or CRV, trust your gut...no ferd.

As far as slippery surface handling, Toyota and Honda are easily matched for capability, Subaru does provide somewhat more performance in that category, but she's not racing, just needs to get somewhere, so the "lesser" Toyota and Honda are fine.

Try to buy the newest, with the least mileage of course. Carfax and the like are nothing but a rip off. Do not use their information and take it without an inspection if you are not qualified to inspect it yourself.
 

jetboatperformance

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2008
Messages
7,403
Reaction score
14,813
We have had a few, Currently a 18' Mazda CX9 , sexy little thing , gobs of bells and whistles , Bose sound, leather , Coming off lease with under 20K miles waiting for its 2021 Brother AWESOME car
 

monkeyswrench

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
26,078
Reaction score
71,749
I don't know what type of area your daughter will be in. Will she be small town or big city, close to you or "far side of the world"... Small towns, Subaru dealership may not be an option, and independents may not be the easiest to find either (well, a lot will try, and learn there are a million variations.) I think the cars are great, when they are working. Parts availability here means everything comes out of Phoenix...our dealer doesn't stock heavy at all. This means down time. Honda CRV's seem to be plentiful, both in cars for sale, and parts availability. The ones I have been working on up here tend to be in the 200k range, and beaten down dirt roads. Trannys seem to last forever. Done one rear diff, handfuls of hub bearings, and valve cover leaks. They seem to have a issue with the canister purge solenoid popping a check engine light about 200 also, but the newer ones may have changed that system.
The RAV4's I haven't seen many of out here. The Toyota crew out here goes for the Fourunner or Tacoma crew.
The CRV crowd seems to be a lot like the Subi crowd. They sell their old one, or give it to their kids, when they buy a new one. That tells me a lot.
 

DC-88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2012
Messages
1,798
Reaction score
4,649
Our 17' CRV AWD had a couple little recalls including the shift lever which did break into pieces on ours, and a glitch with the home screen, but the wife loved it as a commuter. It had about 79,000 miles at the end of the tax year and I called the dealer up and they brought over a new 20' model to the house, same color, and took the 17' away for $12,800. The 17' mid level trim AWD was 29,850 otd in Jan of 17' .This type of little crossover vehicle seems to be the last class of versatile yet affordable transportation. There are so many of them around you blend in with the crowd which is a good thing for wives/daughters imo . I just couldn't have a subaru outback or forester , purely because there's way too many Biden voters rolling in them .
 
Last edited:

JDKRXW

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
2,790
Reaction score
3,587
RAV4 or CRV.
The resale for CRV's is so good here (Sask) that you can get a very decent Pilot for close to the same price
 

HALLETT BOY

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2007
Messages
6,751
Reaction score
9,908
Stay far away from the Ford , Honda and Toyota are good , but I’m considering a Mazda CX 5 , 2.5L engine and a real shifting transmission .
 

RogerThat99

Parker Is Now OPEN
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11,973
Reaction score
7,962
I don't know what type of area your daughter will be in. Will she be small town or big city, close to you or "far side of the world"... Small towns, Subaru dealership may not be an option, and independents may not be the easiest to find either (well, a lot will try, and learn there are a million variations.) I think the cars are great, when they are working. Parts availability here means everything comes out of Phoenix...our dealer doesn't stock heavy at all. This means down time. Honda CRV's seem to be plentiful, both in cars for sale, and parts availability. The ones I have been working on up here tend to be in the 200k range, and beaten down dirt roads. Trannys seem to last forever. Done one rear diff, handfuls of hub bearings, and valve cover leaks. They seem to have a issue with the canister purge solenoid popping a check engine light about 200 also, but the newer ones may have changed that system.
The RAV4's I haven't seen many of out here. The Toyota crew out here goes for the Fourunner or Tacoma crew.
The CRV crowd seems to be a lot like the Subi crowd. They sell their old one, or give it to their kids, when they buy a new one. That tells me a lot.
Great info. There is a Subaru dealership where she is looking. I think I will scratch the Escape from the list.

Sent From Tapatalk
 

RogerThat99

Parker Is Now OPEN
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11,973
Reaction score
7,962
Don't buy a high mileage escape...you will regret it. CRV, RAV4, and similar are the best bet.


I had that feeling.


Our 17' CRV AWD had a couple little recalls including the shift lever which did break into pieces on ours, and a glitch with the home screen, but the wife loved it as a commuter. It had about 79,000 miles at the end of the tax year and I called the dealer up and they brought over a new 20' model to the house, same color, and took the 17' away for $12,800. The 17' mid level trim AWD was 29,850 otd in Jan of 17' .This type of little crossover vehicle seems to be the last class of versatile yet affordable transportation. There are so many of them around you blend in with the crowd which is a good thing for wives/daughters imo . I just couldn't have a subaru outback or forester , purely because there's way too many Biden voters rolling in them .

I agree. When my wife wanted a Subaru, I told her I would never drive it, I would never ride in it, and she would have to park it around the corner from the house. [emoji3][emoji3] Luckily once she test drove one (2020 Forester back in 2019), she decided she didn't want one.

Sent From Tapatalk
 

RogerThat99

Parker Is Now OPEN
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11,973
Reaction score
7,962
Around here it seams Subaru is the official car of lesbians? Don’t know what it is but almost everyone that’s not wrx has got a rainbow flag.
Same where I live. Except there are a lot of Subarus in her running community.

Wife will say: So and so has one, and her husband loves it, and drives it all the time.

My response: So! He also wears running tights and a puffy jacket (and probably has a man bun hidden under that Patagonia hat). No thanks.

Sent From Tapatalk
 

monkeyswrench

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
26,078
Reaction score
71,749
Had to laugh at the "Lesburu" comments...checkout Flagstaff. It's the official car of lesbian tree huggers trying to F' with the Elk hunters.

That said, damn Subi will get places you'd never expect them...also means they'll hinder a hunt there too!
 

white tortilla

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 10, 2010
Messages
1,517
Reaction score
3,267
I had one of the first gen Ford escapes for a while. I think was close to 200k on it when I got rid of it/ never a problem, easy to park in the city. Could pull the boat believe it or not to get gas or launch (19’ river boat) and actually had pretty good acceleration cause it was small and light.
 

HB2Havasu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2015
Messages
4,433
Reaction score
9,631
If my daughter was going away for college in an area where it snows a lot I would be looking at CPO 4Runners or Grand Cherokees.
 

monkeyswrench

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
26,078
Reaction score
71,749
If my daughter was going away for college in an area where it snows a lot I would be looking at CPO 4Runners or Grand Cherokees.
The Cherokees with the 8cyl haul ass, and are fun. The weak link I have seen lately is the exhaust manifolds and front axle seals. Axle seals aren't bad labor cost wise. The manifolds must be an issue though, Dorman makes replacements. The parts aren't bad, but labor on the manifolds will hurt. I think years 16-18, but could be mistaken.
 

RogerThat99

Parker Is Now OPEN
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11,973
Reaction score
7,962
If my daughter was going away for college in an area where it snows a lot I would be looking at CPO 4Runners or Grand Cherokees.
It doesn't snow that often where she will live, but had to go over a mountain pass to come home.

Sent From Tapatalk
 

HydroSkreamin

StressEliminator
Joined
Jan 12, 2014
Messages
2,105
Reaction score
5,654
I have a buddy that is constantly flipping Subarus. He buys them with a blown engine or tranny, swaps out the engine or tranny with a used one, and sells them. He sells them pretty cheap after they are running.

Sent From Tapatalk

My eldest has a Subi she bought just out of college with 100k miles for $10k out the door, and took it from WI to NM for her archaeology job.

She’s put 34,000 miles on it, and it uses a quart of oil to 700 miles. It’s in the shop for engine work currently. The borrowed grandparents vehicle: CR-V with 110k miles that’s been trouble free. After my wife’s Accord hit 275K with minimal issues before it got totaled.

The thing I’ve noticed shopping for cars with my wife and 3 daughters is that they really care about driving position, and only one of the 4 liked the Subi.

Good luck, I’ve done what you’re doing 3 times, but with a smaller budget. You’re looking at it properly in my opinion.
 

LargeOrangeFont

We aren't happy until you aren't happy
Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
49,690
Reaction score
76,151
The Cherokees with the 8cyl haul ass, and are fun. The weak link I have seen lately is the exhaust manifolds and front axle seals. Axle seals aren't bad labor cost wise. The manifolds must be an issue though, Dorman makes replacements. The parts aren't bad, but labor on the manifolds will hurt. I think years 16-18, but could be mistaken.

The exhaust manifolds cracking is a problem on quite a few late model hemi powered Fiats.
 

RogerThat99

Parker Is Now OPEN
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11,973
Reaction score
7,962
My eldest has a Subi she bought just out of college with 100k miles for $10k out the door, and took it from WI to NM for her archaeology job.

She’s put 34,000 miles on it, and it uses a quart of oil to 700 miles. It’s in the shop for engine work currently. The borrowed grandparents vehicle: CR-V with 110k miles that’s been trouble free. After my wife’s Accord hit 275K with minimal issues before it got totaled.

The thing I’ve noticed shopping for cars with my wife and 3 daughters is that they really care about driving position, and only one of the 4 liked the Subi.

Good luck, I’ve done what you’re doing 3 times, but with a smaller budget. You’re looking at it properly in my opinion.
I feel your pain. This is my second go round. My older kid I bought a 2 year old CPO car with 10,000 miles on it. It was way too much money for a HS car. The car got incidental damage in the HS parking lot. Not intentional stuff...just accidental stuff. But it got her through HS and college.

The younger one I said F that, and let her drive my old GMC 2500HD truck. Now I need to get her a car (suv).

Sent From Tapatalk
 

jetboatperformance

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2008
Messages
7,403
Reaction score
14,813
Had to laugh at the "Lesburu" comments...checkout Flagstaff. It's the official car of lesbian tree huggers trying to F' with the Elk hunters.

That said, damn Subi will get places you'd never expect them...also means they'll hinder a hunt there too!
I have litterally owned over 100 cars and trucks , One of my favorites was a Little red Mazda Miata rag top .................... Until My SIL convinced me that only Gay Man drove them
 

C-Ya

Int’l Maritime Captain
Joined
Oct 31, 2008
Messages
2,675
Reaction score
10,020
Rogerthat, I am not sure what city you are in?

In Phoenix, many of the parents from my daughters soccer team purchased a car from the link below. Best Western Motors purchases cars that have been in fender bender and both does the repair and the sale. They are a decent deal. I know one family that bought 5 total cars. I also bought a Honda Civic from them after my daughter crashed her Escape. She crashed the Honda too, but I had learned by then! Lol

Heres the link. Check the prices!

 

franky

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2008
Messages
1,760
Reaction score
1,334
Around here it seams Subaru is the official car of lesbians? Don’t know what it is but almost everyone that’s not wrx has got a rainbow flag.
That's because you cant get a Saab here anymore......
 

RogerThat99

Parker Is Now OPEN
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11,973
Reaction score
7,962
Rogerthat, I am not sure what city you are in?

In Phoenix, many of the parents from my daughters soccer team purchased a car from the link below. Best Western Motors purchases cars that have been in fender bender and both does the repair and the sale. They are a decent deal. I know one family that bought 5 total cars. I also bought a Honda Civic from them after my daughter crashed her Escape. She crashed the Honda too, but I had learned by then! Lol

Heres the link. Check the prices!

Thanks for the info. I am in NorCal though.

Sent From Tapatalk
 

RogerThat99

Parker Is Now OPEN
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11,973
Reaction score
7,962
Fast forward two years. My daughter decided not to go to school where she would need AWD, and could not have a car at school her freshman year anyways. Long story short, all of a sudden she needed a car about a year ago, so I bought her a 2020 Kia Optima. The Kia is a great car, but she really needs an AWD SUV/ hatchback for her lifestyle (camping, exploring, hiking, snow sports, etc) so she will not have to keep borrowing our cars. I found a 2011 Subaru Outback Limited 2.5L, that my buddy was selling. My buddy replaced the head gasket, timing belt (and tensioner), water pump, and flushed the tranny fluid. He also put new wheel bearings, brakes and rotors all the way around. He also replaced the control arms w/ball joints. She will be happy with it.

Also, the 2020 Kia Optima FE (see pic below) will be put up for sale in the next few weeks. It has 46,000 miles, and is located in Northern California.

20230305_182824.jpg
20230305_164818~2.jpg
20230305_164809~3.jpg
20230305_164738~3.jpg



2020 Kia Optima FE (LX)
20230306_073533.jpg
 
Last edited:

RogerThat99

Parker Is Now OPEN
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11,973
Reaction score
7,962
I got a wheel alignment done today on the Subaru (since the control arms were replaced). I also had it detailed yesterday. It had some water spots, so they acid washed it, and clay bared it. It came out great. The paint looks great, the leather looks great, and the carpets look great. My Daughter is super excited. I took her to AAA today to do the transfer, and put it in her name. Tomorrow will be the first day she drives it. Hopefully it is nice out, so she can open the sunroof. LOL.
 
Top