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Buckeyeduffer

Buckeyeduffer

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I'm getting ready to trade in my 2006 Explorer Limited. She's been a good ride, but it's getting to be about time. I'm torn between a crew cab pick-up 4x4and an all wheel drive sedan and a few smaller SUV's. We also own a newer Expedition so I don't need the truck but I like them and sitting higher. I plan on purchasing used, preferable 2012 or newer with low mileage and I typically drive them for 8 yrs or so depending on how it is going.

My target budget is around $30k. The current models on my watch list are:

Ram 1500 Crew w/hemi
F150 Crew ecoboost or v8
Cadillac ATS
Ford Fusion
Dodge Charger
Audi A4 - outside possibility. I love the car, but reliability and maintenance cost are an issue outside of warranty.
Jeep Charokee
Cadillac SRX

If you drive a vehicle on this list I'd like to know your experience with it. Tell my why you like it or why you won't by it again, but try to leave brand loyalty out of it as this is a diverse list. If you feel there is a vehicle that I should consider on my list feel free to offer that too, but it must offer AWD or 4x4 and seating for 4.

Go:
 
We had a Ford Explorer but traded it in for a Kia Sorrento. With the third row seating option this vehicle is roomy, can hold a lot of people for short trips when necessary, and gets good gas mileage. When it's time, we're going to buy another one.
 
My wife and I had a new model Explorer (2012) in AWD that we really liked. It had PLEANTY of room for the four of us, and with the 3rd row that lays flat you can get a TON of stuff in the back if needed. You can get a Used one, in XLT with leather for around $30K and possibly a Limited version with your trade.
 
Buckeyeduffer said:
I'm getting ready to trade in my 2006 Explorer Limited. She's been a good ride, but it's getting to be about time. I'm torn between a crew cab pick-up 4x4and an all wheel drive sedan and a few smaller SUV's. We also own a newer Expedition so I don't need the truck but I like them and sitting higher. I plan on purchasing used, preferable 2012 or newer with low mileage and I typically drive them for 8 yrs or so depending on how it is going.

My target budget is around $30k. The current models on my watch list are:

Ram 1500 Crew w/hemi
F150 Crew ecoboost or v8
Cadillac ATS
Ford Fusion
Dodge Charger
Audi A4 - outside possibility. I love the car, but reliability and maintenance cost are an issue outside of warranty.
Jeep Charokee
Cadillac SRX

If you drive a vehicle on this list I'd like to know your experience with it. Tell my why you like it or why you won't by it again, but try to leave brand loyalty out of it as this is a diverse list. If you feel there is a vehicle that I should consider on my list feel free to offer that too, but it must offer AWD or 4x4 and seating for 4.

Go:
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My wife and I just got a new Pathfinder and absolutely love it! Never owned a Nissan before but some family has and they have all loved them and lasted a long time. I think my sisters have almost 200K on it. I know it's not on your list but you can get a lot for your $$ with them. Worth a look.
 
My wife and I have a 2012 Acadia and we've been pleased with it so far. Averaging between 19 and 20 mpg most weeks with a mix of highway and city driving, which is slightly better than what we got in our 2005 Honday Odyssey.

I also have friends with a couple of newer Dodge Durango's that they use for work. Both of them have approx. 100,000 miles and they haven't had any problems with them.
 
I have an AWD Buick Lacrosse... put about 40,000 miles on it and love it so far. I think it's a pretty sharp looking car, and would fit inside your budget...

Only two negatives that i can see in the car.

1. V6 AWD only gets 27ish MPG highway
2. Trunk is small width wise... can barely fit one decent sized bag in width-wise. You CAN drop down the back seat and fit 3 or 4 bags in length wise... but then you'd only be able to seat 2 people.

Other than that, it's a smooth ride with a great sound system. If you like the looks give it a look.
 
Man that is a huge range of vehicles with many differences. You've got everything from a truck to an SUV to a car. One thing I've learned as I've seen some happy and unhappy people a few months after they buy their car is that they really didn't think about what their needs were. Do you need a truck? Or is a car going to be more practical? Maybe an SUV or crossover is a good compromise. Just trying to save you some headache down the road if it doesn't fit your needs.

That being said, I bought my wife a 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium and she loves it. Very good ride and the options we got compared to other makes at the same price was better.

I'll throw a few cents in on some other vehicles because I work in finance at a new Ford and GM dealer and I work with the managers on appraising vehicles all the time:

If you get a Dodge...GET IT RUSTPROOFED AND UNDERCOATED. There is no other make out there that rusts out worse than a Dodge around the rear wheel wells and dealers take that in to account when they take them on trade, and we see many people try to trade some that are severely rusted.

On an F150 you're going to pay at least $1000 more for an ecoboost and get about 1mpg more, maybe 2-3mpg on the highway if you do a lot of traveling. Not worth it. Go with the V8.

We have sold quite a few used late model Cadillac SRX's and people really seem to like them. You mentioned the maintenance on the Audi, be prepared for some HIGH repair bills if you have any issues with electrical items or computer modules. Repair costs on domestic vehicles has increased 12% over the last 2 years because of the technology, that number is even higher on luxury cars.
 
It's older but I drive a four-door F-150 that I absolutely love. MPG obviously takes a hit but depending on what you're going to use it for you can probably mitigate that with the Ecoboost engine. Those things are no slouches from what I hear.

I do not work any sort of manual labor but I think I'll always drive or at least own a pickup truck of some sort. Just too handy to have around. Even with the shorter bed. I use it at least every other week. Keeps any nastiness out of the trunk/hatchback as well.
 
I just bought a F150 Crew Cab with EcoBoost the thing is a monster tons of power very very little Turbo lag and good milage i am getting 17mpg with mostly city driving rides great more power than the 5.0 V8
I test drove the Ram and the Chevy neither were as nice as the ford
 
Buckeyeduffer said:
I'm getting ready to trade in my 2006 Explorer Limited. She's been a good ride, but it's getting to be about time. I'm torn between a crew cab pick-up 4x4and an all wheel drive sedan and a few smaller SUV's. We also own a newer Expedition so I don't need the truck but I like them and sitting higher. I plan on purchasing used, preferable 2012 or newer with low mileage and I typically drive them for 8 yrs or so depending on how it is going.

My target budget is around $30k. The current models on my watch list are:

Ram 1500 Crew w/hemi
F150 Crew ecoboost or v8
Cadillac ATS
Ford Fusion
Dodge Charger
Audi A4 - outside possibility. I love the car, but reliability and maintenance cost are an issue outside of warranty.
Jeep Charokee
Cadillac SRX

If you drive a vehicle on this list I'd like to know your experience with it. Tell my why you like it or why you won't by it again, but try to leave brand loyalty out of it as this is a diverse list. If you feel there is a vehicle that I should consider on my list feel free to offer that too, but it must offer AWD or 4x4 and seating for 4.

Go:
Click to expand...

The Ram is terrific but suffers from the Dodge poor gas mileage habit.
The F150 is a nice ride.
The Cadillac feels a little cramped inside for my taste but is a nice car.
Surpisingly, the Fusion is quite the nice car. I had one for a rental and was shocked how well it drove and the gas mileage was terrific. It also has that Aston Martin thing going with the grill.
Love driving the Charger. It just rides and drives well.
Audi I haven't driven.
The Cherokee is not the roomiest vehicle of that class. It is a Jeep with all its pluses and minuses. Despite that, I still like it.
The SRX is a nice vehicle. Doesn't feel as cramped as the ATS or CTS.
I still get a nice ride out of my 2004 Escalade
 
INgolfer said:
If you get a Dodge...GET IT RUSTPROOFED AND UNDERCOATED. There is no other make out there that rusts out worse than a Dodge around the rear wheel wells and dealers take that in to account when they take them on trade, and we see many people try to trade some that are severely rusted.
Click to expand...

This was absolutely true for my dad's Dakota. I went with him to the dealer to help broker the deal on a trade. His 5 year old pick-up's wheel wells were a mess, front included on his along with rust in the engine compartment. It was the very first thing they looked for so of course I announced it as "the recall that never was" and promised to spread the word on the internet.

I doubt that made them nervous but we managed to get a pretty decent trade value as per Nada Guides. Dad wouldn't take my advice to steer clear of Dodge following this, or to invest in rust-proofing... he bought a Jeep Wrangler. 72 year old thinks he's 17, lol...

As for if I were buying today, I'd get an F-150 or an SUV. I like cars but I love the versatility of trucks and the higher view of the road. Over time, the novelty of the new ride will subside and you'll be left with a vehicle for a prescribed purpose. I try to define that purpose as well as I can ahead of time.
 
SRX back window is very small. Lots of blind spots with that vehicle. We had the '07 SRX, which might have been the last year they did the larger back window. SRX also will probably get the worst mileage of all vehicles you have listed. The Caddy's are heavy. So, they will always have a nice smooth ride.

My Father-IL and 3 Bro-IL's all have the newer F150's, 4doors, and seem to be very happy with them.
 
Id replace the Fusion with an Accord/Camry. Theyre both better than a Fusion. You should also consider a Honda CR-V, Honda Pilot, Acura RDX and Acura MDX. All are great vehicles that would serve you well.
 
Badger_Golfer said:
Id replace the Fusion with an Accord/Camry. Theyre both better than a Fusion. You should also consider a Honda CR-V, Honda Pilot, Acura RDX and Acura MDX. All are great vehicles that would serve you well.
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I'd add those vehicles to consideration but I wouldn't necessarily replace his choices. It is definitely open to interpretation whether or not those vehicles are better than others but a lot of what makes one vehicle better than another is personal preference and reliability. I have liked both the Hondas and the Fords I've owned and not had any reliability issues with any. I personally am not a fan of the Accord and am lukewarm on the Camry, but still think they are generally good vehicles.
 
If you were to opt for a new truck, my choice would be the Toyota Tundra. The gas mileage could be an issue depending on how much you drive, but they are definitely solid trucks.
I work with quite a few foresters that put 50,000+ miles a year on their trucks with a large amount of those miles being on gravel company roads and around logging jobs. Most of them had Fords at one time but have been opting for Toyota and GMC trucks the past couple of years. This is mainly due to all of them driving 4-door pickups and having problems with the rear door locks on the Ford. From what I understand, it's a pretty common problem for those using the Ford trucks in dirty conditions. I would think that it shouldn't be much of a problem if your rarely ever stray from the pavement, but it has cost them several sales in this area.
 
Chickopher said:
I'd add those vehicles to consideration but I wouldn't necessarily replace his choices. It is definitely open to interpretation whether or not those vehicles are better than others but a lot of what makes one vehicle better than another is personal preference and reliability. I have liked both the Hondas and the Fords I've owned and not had any reliability issues with any. I personally am not a fan of the Accord and am lukewarm on the Camry, but still think they are generally good vehicles.
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That may be but when you look at J.D. Power ratings, fuel economy and recalls; Ford falls way behind. I personally dont see how anyone could do their research and think that a Fusion is their best option, unless they have some problem with buying a foreign car (although the Fusion is made in Mexico and the Camry/Afford are made in America). Theres a reason why Toyota and Honda are the leaders in that segment and why the Fusion has never been able to challenge them.
I actually come from a family of diehard Ford drivers, used to drive an F-150 and gave the Fusion a serious look but after I drove the Fusion and then drove an Accord and Camry, there was really no comparison. The Camry/Accord are on their own level and the Fusion/Malibu are a step behind them in all aspects.
 
Arkie_3_fan said:
If you were to opt for a new truck, my choice would be the Toyota Tundra. The gas mileage could be an issue depending on how much you drive, but they are definitely solid trucks.
I work with quite a few foresters that put 50,000+ miles a year on their trucks with a large amount of those miles being on gravel company roads and around logging jobs. Most of them had Fords at one time but have been opting for Toyota and GMC trucks the past couple of years. This is mainly due to all of them driving 4-door pickups and having problems with the rear door locks on the Ford. From what I understand, it's a pretty common problem for those using the Ford trucks in dirty conditions. I would think that it shouldn't be much of a problem if your rarely ever stray from the pavement, but it has cost them several sales in this area.
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Agree on that. The new Tundras are awesome.
 
My vehicle experience:

Have owned 2 Jeeps in my past - a 1999 Grand Cherokee Laredo w/V8 and a 2006 Jeep SRT8

The capabilities of a Jeep are great - roomy, comfortable, great when the weather gets bad - gas mileage left much to be desired.

However, my Jeep SRT8 was a flood victim of Hurricane Sandy - after looking at the 2013 Jeeps, they still didn't take care of the huge blind spot the A-Pillar created which was always my one issue with the Jeep - the interior is far better these days as well.

At the end of the day, I am now leasing a 2013 Ford Edge Limited and absolutely love it - you really get a ton for your money with Ford - technology, interior, creature comforts, great gas mileage, etc. if you already enjoyed your previous Ford, definitely check out the Edge.

In addition, my parents just bought a 2013 Ford Explorer Sport and that thing is sweet! Even more tech goodies, more room, lots of go power.

Good luck in your search!
 
Buckeyeduffer said:
I'm getting ready to trade in my 2006 Explorer Limited. She's been a good ride, but it's getting to be about time. I'm torn between a crew cab pick-up 4x4and an all wheel drive sedan and a few smaller SUV's. We also own a newer Expedition so I don't need the truck but I like them and sitting higher. I plan on purchasing used, preferable 2012 or newer with low mileage and I typically drive them for 8 yrs or so depending on how it is going.

My target budget is around $30k. The current models on my watch list are:

Ram 1500 Crew w/hemi
F150 Crew ecoboost or v8
Cadillac ATS
Ford Fusion
Dodge Charger
Audi A4 - outside possibility. I love the car, but reliability and maintenance cost are an issue outside of warranty.
Jeep Charokee
Cadillac SRX

If you drive a vehicle on this list I'd like to know your experience with it. Tell my why you like it or why you won't by it again, but try to leave brand loyalty out of it as this is a diverse list. If you feel there is a vehicle that I should consider on my list feel free to offer that too, but it must offer AWD or 4x4 and seating for 4.

Go:
Click to expand...

Ram has terrible fuel mileage

Ford has a serious issues with spark plugs seizing to the heads at the moment- read as plugs are snapping off in the heads themselves.

Caddys are nice

Cherokee is a decent ride

Fusion is nice to drive and comfortable

The charger can be fun to drive

Rav4 for a small SUV has great ride and good/decent ride has a subura motor and drive train and is the same as the tribeca
 
Badger_Golfer said:
That may be but when you look at J.D. Power ratings, fuel economy and recalls; Ford falls way behind. I personally dont see how anyone could do their research and think that a Fusion is their best option, unless they have some problem with buying a foreign car (although the Fusion is made in Mexico and the Camry/Afford are made in America). Theres a reason why Toyota and Honda are the leaders in that segment and why the Fusion has never been able to challenge them.
I actually come from a family of diehard Ford drivers, used to drive an F-150 and gave the Fusion a serious look but after I drove the Fusion and then drove an Accord and Camry, there was really no comparison. The Camry/Accord are on their own level and the Fusion/Malibu are a step behind them in all aspects.
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Good points but:
- J.D. Power ratings are based on initial quality and the reliability in the first 12 months. The Hyundai gets high marks from The OP is looking at 8 year runs with his vehicles in which Accords and Camrys have good track records.
- The OP has vehicles with less than stellar gas mileage on his list so it is safe to assume that while gas mileage may be a consideration, it isn't a requirement to be on the list.
- No company is immune to recalls. Honda recalled over a half million Accords a couple years ago. Toyota recalled millions of cars of several models including the Camry and earlier this year had dealers stop selling it temporarily. Ford recalled thousands of Fusions.

I am not a diehard for any brand and have owned many different brands. I think the Camry and Accord are very good options to consider and in general, Honda and Toyota have proven reliability. However, things can change for brands over time. It happened to Chrysler for the better, GM for the worse and now Honda and Toyota have been taking some lumps. You liked it better than the Fusion, which is perfectly fine. If I am looking for another vehicle, all three in the same consideration tier. For the OP, it gives him two extra vehicles to consider and test drive.
 
I love my 2014 Fusion. Roomy, huge trunk, can get over 33 mpg pretty easily if I don't push it. And just ded sexy looking. Center console drink hollers a little annoying but besides that there's nothing I don't love after six months with it.
 
I bought a Fusion Hybrid last year as the mileage in my F150 was killing me.
44+ MPG, very roomy
With the hybrid, the battery is in the trunk but I can fit my bag, push cart, shoes & a little bit of other stuff in there. two bags ain't gonna fit in there though.


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Not on your list... But give the new Taurus' a look. I just bought a 2013 Limited and I much prefer it to the Chrysler 300 and Charger I have had in previous years.

Huge trunk, roomy, features galore, uber comfy.
 
I bought a new grand Cherokee a few months ago and love it. When I drove to lake Charles I averaged 26.9 mpg not bad for an SUV
 
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