Time for a new SUV!

Parent Cafe
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My 2011 Acura MDX while still running great, is having a few issues that together will get costly to repair. I have had the same mechanic for 30+ years, and I trust him and value his opinion. The only time he has not had my cars is when they were new and under warranty. I did keep the MDX at the dealer for an extra year or two as I had a great service advisor, and he would make repair fall under warranty longer than they should. When he left I stayed a while as the dealership always had coupons, and my service would be cheaper than our mechanic. At that time, my husband’s car still went to the mechanic for all service.

Of the issues with my car, one is an small oil leak that is going to have to be addressed. My drivers seat if moved by another driver, a fuse blows and needs to be replaced. Currently I try to remind then at service or car wash not to move the seat, which is usually a problem as I am short and like my seat close! I now keep fuses and a fuse puller in my glove box in the event the seat needs to go back. :rofl: When I need heat in the car, it comes out of the top vents, not the floor; currently, the AC works correctly. My handsfree button on the steering wheel to answer calls doesn’t always work so I have to answer on my phone and then switch back to BT, all the while holding my phone. I don’t need a ticket for holding my phone while driving. Tires are good, so no need to replace for a good while. Other than the leaking oil, I can live with the other problems, but since the car is 13 years old, I think I might just bite the bullet and get something new. After the last year with my husband’s illness and death, maybe I should treat myself; he wanted me to get a new car a few years ago, but I like my car and didn’t want to spend the money and have a car payment.

So…in talking to my mechanic, he suggest I avoid Hyundai, BMW, Subaru, Infiniti, Volvo, and Audi to name a few I have on my long list. He insist the repairs in the long run make these brands more costly; he is happy to take my money and repair whatever I own, but he would suggest avoiding the above. Some he mentioned have engine trouble, and other generally money pits.

If I listen only to my mechanic, others on the long list of SUVs would be Toyota, Lexus, Mazda, and Acura that he approves of. I forgot to ask about Lincoln, but think he would approve since it is a Ford; I had a Lincoln Navigator for 16 years that he cared for. I know each and every brand and model will have those that say their car has been perfect and lasted forever, and those that state their car is a lemon and they would never purchase this brand again.

I also would consider a hybrid, but not full electric at this time. Of course, again my mechanic said with my driving, he doesn’t think a hybrid is cost efficient for me.

Tell me about your newish SUV and what you love and hate about it and what you found in your research.

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Hyundai, Kia, & Volvo have had some serious issues.

Fords & Lincolns are junk. I had decades of loyalty to Ford, but Ford’s recent offerings are not good.

Toyota, Lexus, Mazda, & BMW are excellent options.

The Subaru Ascent is under-powered.

The BMW-X3 might be of interest. Volvo XC-60 (the nightmare engine oil problems are not present in newer Volvo models).

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What kind of driving do you do, and do you want something big or small (or how many people and how much stuff do you want to carry)?

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My coworker bought a Chevy Trailblazer last year and loves it (her first “American” brand) says it’s peppy, easy to get around in, easy to find parking and great on mileage. In the year since she’s had it she’s only put 8k miles.

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We have a 2017 Toyota Highlander hybrid and absolutely love it. It drives comfortably and reliably (as all Toyotas seem to do). We haven’t had a single issue with it, love the interior space, easy maneuverability, and reasonable gas mileage (28-30 mpg). We’ve done three round trips between AZ and ME with it and don’t have a negative thing to say. We left this one in ME last year and bought a Camry hybrid for AZ now that we’re flying back and forth. Love our Toyotas, miss my old 200,000 mile+ Corolla that we donated to an ASU student. We’ll switch to an electric car in AZ when Toyota comes out with that 700 mile battery they’re teasing about.

I’m a fan of Honda, too.

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I have never met someone with a Honda CRV who didn’t like it.

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Loving my new Mazda CX90 PHEV. It’s a plug in hybrid, three row SUV. I think Mazda also has a smaller SUV which is also newly available as a hybrid also. I had a lot of issues with my Ford Explorer and didn’t consider a Lincoln because of it.

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I am on my 3rd one :slight_smile:

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Not on your mechanic approved list, but we love our 2021 Subaru Forester! (#2 brand in the CR article linked above.) We have always been a Toyota family, have owned several Camry’s and a RAV4, and our S&DIL currently have a Highlander. All have given us years of reliability and a long life! We chose the Forester for our latest car because we are now driving from PA to NC 5-6 times/year to see our GD (and her parents!). We were looking for safety and comfort for those long trips, and this model Forester had very high ratings from CR for both. We test drove the comparable RAV4 and it was not as impressive as the Forester. We just bought out our lease because this car has been great for us. Lots of other good choices too, but just wanted to come here to say to anyone looking for an SUV, to not write off the Subaru Forester.

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I too have an older Acura MDX (but a 2014) and am thinking it is time to get a newer car, if only for the apple car play. I really like the hybrid Volvo XC60 (we can go smaller now since our youngest is off to college this year), but am hesitant about the repair costs too. Also, there are so few actual buttons in cars these days, everything is done via the touchscreen, which kind of annoys me. I don’t like the Acura RDX. The Audi \Q5e was nice to drive as well, but I preferred the Volvo seats. Haven’t looked at Toyotas yet but I think they’re next.

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Multiple people I know have and love their Subaru Foresters.

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Our BFs loved their Forester, too. Very reliable.

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The Honda CRV does indeed have a loyal following!

As far as my driving and what I am looking for: I love having a larger SUV as there always seems to be a need for the bigger trunk area. I rarely use my 3rd row, so it stays down all the time, which allows for the extra storage area. Usually it will be just me in the car, but I do take my mother for errands and her appointments, so will need to make sure she can get in and out without trouble; she is ok with my current MDX. I have a 4 year old GD in town, so I have her car seat in my car. When my son and family are in town, I need to be able to seat five, which I can do with the MDX, even with a car seat and booster seat. I don’t see myself taking car trips like we use to unless going with the kids. Since my daughter lives here, I guess if we went to the beach, we would go in one car, although their Outback wouldn’t be big enough, so would either rent if my car was not large enough.

Where I currently live, I might have a problem with a charger for a Hybrid. It is a townhome community, and others have mentioned having to change out their electric boxes as there isn’t enough voltage for chargers. I haven’t looked into it yet, so don’t know if it is all floorplans or just some, but will have to check. Neither my mother or D have chargers, but I guess with a Hybrid it wouldn’t matter.

My daughter lives 26 miles from my house and can take an hour during a good part of the day mostly highway; I am there at least once a week. My mother is 12 miles, also mostly highway. I am usually back and forth to mom’s 3 times a week, but also can be back and forth in her area and farther a couple of times a week.

My kids both have Subaru Outbacks and love them; my husband had a Subaru WRX as he would only drive manual cars! Our mechanic was not happy with my husband’s purchase. My DIL has the Acura RDX, which I looked at when I got the MDX, but didn’t like it as much. My son said all his friends are getting one of the Volvo and love them, but when I looked 13 years ago, the drivers seat was very uncomfortable to me; it hit my legs in a weird place.

@2labs I did not know the MDX did not have Apple Car Play; that is on my Need list! :cry: Although as I told my son, Car Play will probably be replaced with something else as soon as I get a new car!

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I’m on second Honda CRV - the first was 2000 and the second 2017. And the only reason the first needed to go was the undercarriage had spent too much time on wintery Midwest salted roads. Brake light was staying on and the mechanic said he wasn’t sure they could even take off the corroded parts needed to check it out, then couldn’t guarantee they’d be able to put them back.

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I also have had a Honda CRV for almost 10 years. Really love it - perfect size (not too big but has typical SUV benefits of height & rear space); super reliable, and (fingers crossed) no major repair issues.

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The newer versions of the MDX have car play Just not my old one :). It’s a technology dinosaur at this point.

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We recently looked at 2024 Honda CRV which was on our original replacement list. Unfortunately, no longer. The cargo area no longer folds flat, which is a major issue for our intended use. DANG.

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Are you buying new or slightly used? Mazda probably followed by Acura seem to be the biggest depreciators on your list, so if that aspect of the purchase matters to you, just thought I’d mention it.

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Ive had bmw x5 and x3 numerous times. I loved how they drove and services I got from BMW. Free maintenance for 3+ years.
I especially liked when I stepped in the gas pedal it just went, without a lot of hesitation.

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My son recently bought a Honda CRV hybrid. It’s not a plug in. It’s very nice. Does not have a 3rd row.

My daughter has a Subaru forester. I don’t think they offer it in a hybrid. It’s also very nice.

I think the CRV is bigger than the Forester.

I have a Subaru Outback that I don’t care for. It has so much road noise. It’s too noisy. I won’t buy another, it’s paid off so and I don’t want a car payment so I’ll keep it.

But we usually drive my husband’s VW Passat because of the noise issue.