[rapf777]

Ok here we go again with my car. DH is sooo upset. My car has been giving us trouble for about 7 months now. I will never buy another another car from that company. My car has less than 42,000 and they will not stand behind their product. We need to find an affordable SUV. We were going to buy a new one next year with tax refund..but it looks like I need to do it now. We are averaging about 300-500 a month in repairs. So we want to spend less than 300 in monthly payments. I really need this like a hole in the head. What would you suggest we buy? I want a reliable and nice size one. Thanks for your help. We are going this weekend.

Rose

[keirasmom]

My friend has a Honda CRV and she loves it, says it is the best car she ever bought. She has had it 7 yrs with no major repairs. Her DH wants her to consider gettign a new car and she won't, so it must be really good.

I'm not really a SUV person, but I have to say that if I had to get one I would get a CRV.

[hesabanana]

I really like my Toyota Highlander. It has a small but functional for kids 3rd row seat that folds flat, the back seat moves forward and back to accommodate the 3rd row, it drives and rides like a car, decent gas mileage...we really love it!

[krafmatic]

have you researched the Lemon Law. I don't know the circumstances behind your vehicle, but the Lemon Law makes the company make restitution to you if you buy a lemon. I had a coworker (about 10 years ago) win a lemon law case against a car company (or dealership, I can't remember which). You might save yourself a bit of money by doing a quick internet search and/or contacting an attorney.
BTW - I am a die hard Honda fan...they run forever.

Best of Luck.

[rapf777]

My car does not fall under the lemon law (wish it did)..it always a different wire, different spark plug, alternator, batteries (3 in 4 months) and so on. Dealership wanted over 4000.00 for repairs.(some that did not even need repaired)..private mechanic 600.00. Mechanic told me that my type of car are one of the most repaired ones. He is very good at what he does. My father takes both mercedes there and only there. So I trust his suggestions. He told me to get rid of the car it is a money sucker. This is driving me crazy!!!! I loved my Honda and I regret EVER getting rid of it!! Any Ford SUV lovers out there? I just want to cry..we really can not afford this at this time but I can not also afford our monthly repair bills. DH said he will tap into 401K but I hate for him to do this. I do not mind going back to work but who is going to hire me for a temp position??? Maybe I should start selling my dresses online .

Please keep those suggestions coming....looks like Saturday will be the day!!

Rose

[DPline]

I love my Ford Expedition. We have also had an Explorer (a couple actually), an Escape, and a Mountaineer and loved them all. (My husband works for Ford so we get a new vehicle every year on a management lease.)

I PMed you.

[cmfayz]

I drove TrailBlazers for several years and loved them!! (I just switched because I wanted more seating capacity) It's a really smooth ride. They also have excellent lease rates.

[saranbr]

We have a 2000 Ford Explorer and it has been to the shop exactly once (~$250) for anything but routine maintenance. It fits three full size carseats in the back seat, but a little tight. There is quite a bit of cargo space behind the back seat and hence, the leg room isn't the best in the back if you have adults/large children back there. It's much more of a truck than the Honda CRV-- can haul a lot more, but rides like one as well. Our friends have the CRV and it is a more pleasant ride, but they can't put anything heavy in it (they borrow ours for hauling). I would certainly recommend the Explorer, just make sure it is big enough for your needs. They also have a couple larger models if you need more space, but I'm not sure of their reliability history.

Just my opinion, but I would stick with an SUV made by a manufacturer that puts a lot of their R&D $ into trucks if you want anything but the smaller models (like the CRV). The larger SUVs really are passenger trucks so it is nice to have someone making them that is really good at trucks.

[PackGirl]

We have had 6 Ford Explorers and we also have a Ford Freestyle right now.

If you decide to go with a ford, pm and I help with a discount.

HTH

[Hopingsoon]

I'm a big Toyota fan. I loved my Toyota 4Runner (DH has it now, and loves it too). It's a '99 with close to 100,000 miles, and has needed only very minor repairs. I liked it because it sat up so high. The new RAV4's are really nice, I almost bought one last summer when we were looking.

Every Ford & GM I owned, and there were many, were unreliable money traps, and I found in my many trips to their dealerships, they weren't very focused on customer service, or doing the repair right the first time. (I have a huge attitude about poor customer service).

Have you considered buying used? With some of them, you can get a lengthy full warranty on the certified vehicles without paying extra for it. You get a lot more bang for your buck that way. It's the only way I could afford my Lexus SUV. It came with a full manufacturers warranty for 3 years or up to 100,000 miles (the vehicle only had 30,000 on it when I bought it).

I had a Honda for 3 years, and it was also very reliable.

Good luck!

[hesabanana]

You SHOULD try selling your dresses online. People who sell stuff on ebay make a killing. Try listing a few and see what happens!

[AnaM-H]

Rose, look into the Vibe, Matrix or anything on that type body shape. My DH had a Vibe for a few years and we liked it. It was involved in an accident on I-75 and suffered very little damage. He should have never traded it in but that is another story :-)

Also look into a pre-owned premium car.

[DD Amasa]

Since you stated you are looking for a car payment under $300 a month, with a standard 5 year loan, with interest and taxes, you basically are looking at financing less than $15,000. In that price rage, both the Toyota Rav4 and the Honda CRV are dependable, low maintenance, nice sized vehicles. They go for around
$20K plus new so you'd need to come up with a few thousand to put down. Otherwise, both vehicles rate well used and a two or three year old vehicle might be a good option. The Toyota Highlander and 4Runner are both great vehicles but cost well over $30-35K so you'd be looking at more than double the monthly payment you're hoping. You can also consider leasing, which will keep the monthly payments lower than financing, although it costs more long term. Good luck.

[rapf777]

DH and I think we narrowed it to 4-5 cars

Toyota forerunner
Lexus (lowest model)
Ford escape
honda crv
or a minivan

[tommygirl61801]

I had a Saturn VUE and loved it to pieces!!!!!! Also had an expedition and felt like I drove a school bus! It was horrible....don't get me wrong it was a nice car and we had only minor spark plug coil problems with it, but after 9 months of driving it I couldn't handle it anymore. To bad you didn't post this last week, as we just traded it in last wednesday! But I would definatly recommend looking at the VUE, they are resonably priced and VERY safe!!

Now if you looking for convenience....buy the new BMW X5 or X3! You don't even have to take your keys out of your purse to open the doors or start the car! Talk about nice when you have your hands full with your baby! I think the X3's are prices resonable to the entry level Lexus. And the new X5's have a "small" third row of seating (it's there but realllllllllllllly small LOL) Good for kids not so good for adults :-)

Good luck on your car search!