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Need a new vehicle


Debt Setter

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Time to get the wife a new car, she wants a small to mid sized suv. We do not need it to tow, but would be an extra bonus if I could run down the road a tow the boat home in a pinch (about 20 miles). So far looking at the Lexus RX, Audi Q5, Acura MDX, Infiniti JX. Any other ideas or suggestions? Want it fully loaded with all the bells and whisles, budget of approx 50k. I am open to buying a new used vehicle with low miles so that may open the door to something I may not have thought of? :werule:

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The new Ford Explorer is now going to come with a 3.5L Eco-Boost. It was just announced yesterday. It will have 350Hp. It's going to be in the "Sport":

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Honda Pilot Touring, like the Acura MDX and the same powertrain, but looks better. Tows the Response very well for a V6 AWD. Sorry a little bias wife drives one and would only trade it for another.

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Lexus RX, Audi Q5, Acura MDX, Infiniti JX,

out of these go Acura, however they wont tow the boat well and the trans will fail due to it, maybe towing one or two times would be ok but i would not recomend it at all, for this i would check into the chevy tahoe, or even a toyota runner both are great trucks for exploder is just that they dont hold resale at all either good luck in the end the wife will deside anyways :notworthy::surfing:

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I see a lot of BAD choices in this thread if you are considering this a secondary tow vehicle.

Acura/Honda - V6 max row rating 5k, I believe.

4Runner - No longer available with V8. Max tow rating 5k.

Explorer - ditto from above

Honestly, the new Grand Cherokee is just about the only mid size SUV still available with a V8 and the other tow goodies you want (tranny cooler, air suspension, tow/haul mode, etc.). Rating is 7700 lbs, I believe. And its not so huge like a full size SUV making it easy to use as a daily driver.

As far as luxury, go check it out. It will surprise you. I honestly think they are nicer inside than Range Rovers.

If this were your primary tow rig, I'd say Tahoe or Denali all day. But for a backup the Jeep is perfect. The V6 candidates are not up to even local towing, IMHO (unless your boat is very light).

Jeep-1.jpg

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Go for a new toureg tdi v6 can tow 7700 pounds and get great mpg pm me I work for a Vw dealer if you want a killer deal!!

I second this!! Test drove one the other week and was really impressed. Ottomatic, how can I get the killer deal??

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Time to get the wife a new car, she wants a small to mid sized suv. We do not need it to tow, but would be an extra bonus if I could run down the road a tow the boat home in a pinch (about 20 miles). So far looking at the Lexus RX, Audi Q5, Acura MDX, Infiniti JX. Any other ideas or suggestions?

out of the ones you listed.... Lexus and Acura by a long shot, do your research on longevity and quality... its all about quality, which vehicle can you buy and not even think about a repair on ANYTHING till 150k miles.. it comical to me to see folks reccomending vehicles that everyone knows you are going to be in for check engine lights, burnt out power window motors and all sorts of quality failures. Yes everything looks great new on the lot, but how many issues at 60, 120,180k miles??

YES i can go buy any vehicle out there and if I have enough tools, an engine and tranny hoist in my garage, be an ASE certified mechanic and have a 198,867 piece tool set I can keep it running for 40 years and 500k miles no doubt. Pay the little more for those vehicles that are KNOWN for quality and problem free ownership.

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out of the ones you listed.... Lexus and Acura by a long shot, do your research on longevity and quality... its all about quality, which vehicle can you buy and not even think about a repair on ANYTHING till 150k miles.. it comical to me to see folks reccomending vehicles that everyone knows you are going to be in for check engine lights, burnt out power window motors and all sorts of quality failures. Yes everything looks great new on the lot, but how many issues at 60, 120,180k miles??

YES i can go buy any vehicle out there and if I have enough tools, an engine and tranny hoist in my garage, be an ASE certified mechanic and have a 198,867 piece tool set I can keep it running for 40 years and 500k miles no doubt. Pay the little more for those vehicles that are KNOWN for quality and problem free ownership.

I find it comical that out of the 3 Fords and 2 Toyotas that I have owned, the Toyotas were in the shop and the Fords never had one problem. I had a 97 Tacoma where the manual transmission went out at 40K miles and a 2003 Tundra that had emmision problems and bad injector. My current truck is a 2008 6.4L Ford Powerstroke and if you read the forums on that truck it is a engineering disaster. Perhaps I just have dumb luck, but my only problem with it has been a burnt out light bulb in 5 years and 40K miles. (It has also has had a performace chip installed since new.) Not saying I would not buy another Toyota if they made a product that appealed to me, I just don't believe that their current level of quality is that much better than the domestics.

The automotive industry universally uses the same quality and manufacturing practices for their new products and the quality gap (both initial and long term) for all the major manufactures has become very narrow. Long story short, all the big auto manufactures make quality products. Of course there are specific models that have known issues which should be researched by the buyer. Not sure if any of the above vehicles reccomended might have issues, but I would buy the one that has the features you want and be less conserned about the quality aspect. If you like all the buttons and gagets, be prepared to have something break down the line.

I wish Malibu would do some benchmarking with the auto industries.

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out of the ones you listed.... Lexus and Acura by a long shot, do your research on longevity and quality... its all about quality, which vehicle can you buy and not even think about a repair on ANYTHING till 150k miles.. it comical to me to see folks reccomending vehicles that everyone knows you are going to be in for check engine lights, burnt out power window motors and all sorts of quality failures. Yes everything looks great new on the lot, but how many issues at 60, 120,180k miles??

Funny - I've been around a number of Honda's/Acuras that need constant work. They are rust buckets too. My mom traded in her Accord 2 years ago because its 3rd tranny was going out...at 60k miles. I've assisted in multiple motor swaps on Hondas for throwing rods through blocks on stock cars with under 200k miles. Or CV joints that can't last 100k. Quality stuff right there.

As for a suggestion not mentioned in this thread, how about:

BMW X6 M: Smaller, can tow 6000lbs+, 555HP = meets your needs overly well. You'll have to stretch your budget a bit to afford the M...the standard X6 can be found for under your budget.

I find it comical that out of the 3 Fords and 2 Toyotas that I have owned, the Toyotas were in the shop and the Fords never had one problem. I had a 97 Tacoma where the manual transmission went out at 40K miles

Oh, you mean the Tacomas that Toyota recalled (and by recall, I mean purchased back from owners) a couple years ago because of the severe frame rust through? Had a co-worker with one that had around 70k on it...you could push holes through the frame with your pinky - it was BAD, but they did buy it back from him.

Edited by Nitrousbird
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I've had the same scenario, every Honda I've owned or known to be owned by one of my friends has been terrible. Toyota's have been better, but significantly worse than Ford. I've had two dud GM's though. My German cars have pretty much never had problems.

Personally bang for the buck, I too like the Jeep. I am driving an ML63 which rides on pretty much exacly the same chassis, with nearly exactly the same layout and electronics suppliers on the inside and it has been stellar. Tows great too. In comparison, my brothers Lexus RX350 is a complete joke both from the fit and finish side, performance, and definitely towing. Compared to my buddies MDX though the RX is great.

There was a time when the whole buy Japanese thing made sense, but it is long gone. Even then their choices were boring, now they are boring and no longer more reliable so I don't understand the allure.

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Funny - I've been around a number of Honda's/Acuras that need constant work. They are rust buckets too. My mom traded in her Accord 2 years ago because its 3rd tranny was going out...at 60k miles. I've assisted in multiple motor swaps on Hondas for throwing rods through blocks on stock cars with under 200k miles. Or CV joints that can't last 100k. Quality stuff right there.

As for a suggestion not mentioned in this thread, how about:

BMW X6 M: Smaller, can tow 6000lbs+, 555HP = meets your needs overly well. You'll have to stretch your budget a bit to afford the M...the standard X6 can be found for under your budget.

Oh, you mean the Tacomas that Toyota recalled (and by recall, I mean purchased back from owners) a couple years ago because of the severe frame rust through? Had a co-worker with one that had around 70k on it...you could push holes through the frame with your pinky - it was BAD, but they did buy it back from him.

I am not a Toyota basher, but for sure the quality of their products have slid while the domestics have come way up. They have to deal with many of the same suppliers that the big three do since they build their products here in the states.

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Definetely the new Grand Cherokee or the Toureg TDI, maybe try the new Durango with the V8. Essentially a stretched GC with a third row.

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I've had the same scenario, every Honda I've owned or known to be owned by one of my friends has been terrible. Toyota's have been better, but significantly worse than Ford. I've had two dud GM's though. My German cars have pretty much never had problems.

Personally bang for the buck, I too like the Jeep. I am driving an ML63 which rides on pretty much exacly the same chassis, with nearly exactly the same layout and electronics suppliers on the inside and it has been stellar. Tows great too. In comparison, my brothers Lexus RX350 is a complete joke both from the fit and finish side, performance, and definitely towing. Compared to my buddies MDX though the RX is great.

There was a time when the whole buy Japanese thing made sense, but it is long gone. Even then their choices were boring, now they are boring and no longer more reliable so I don't understand the allure.

I think the quality is still there, just everyone else has come up to the same level. Their product offerings make me want to take a nap and $50K for a new 4Runner?? Are you kidding???

I have been really impressed with the VW/Audi group. Improved quality, decent price, and the interior features / fit and finish do not have an equal. That Jeep is really nice as well and I think it's on a "best buy" list. You will get quite a bit for your money with that Jeep.

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The new Ford Explorer is now going to come with a 3.5L Eco-Boost. It was just announced yesterday. It will have 350Hp. It's going to be in the "Sport":

3.5 E.B. in a Explorer........ Nice. I have 2012 3.5 and it tows my Rxli fine but I don't tow much. I love the drive and power train 21 MPG over all since I bought it. The Sync fix just put out has fixed most of the problems with Sync. I do have one other small problem my SUV will be going back to the dealer for but that will be the first trip back to the dealer.

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I wouldn't buy an Audi to tow with, unless it was a TDI Q7. Cayenne S if you want a VAG product with a V8.

and holy crap I love your S/N. "Debt Setter" bwahahahahahaa....

Edited by rennis
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we have a saturn outlook which is a clone of the GMC Acadia /Buick Enclave/Chevy Traverse. It has been a nice vehicle for us and I have used it as you mention to tow short runs and launch with. I would not want to tow long distances with it, but 20 miles in a pinch would not concern me. The Buick is by far the nicest of the 3. Our seats 8 and is pretty roomy.

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Time to get the wife a new car, she wants a small to mid sized suv. We do not need it to tow, but would be an extra bonus if I could run down the road a tow the boat home in a pinch (about 20 miles). So far looking at the Lexus RX, Audi Q5, Acura MDX, Infiniti JX. Any other ideas or suggestions? Want it fully loaded with all the bells and whisles, budget of approx 50k. I am open to buying a new used vehicle with low miles so that may open the door to something I may not have thought of? :werule:

For $50k you're options are almost limitless. Get out and test drive a bunch of SUVs and see what you both like the most. I bought a 3 year old Cayenne Turbo with only 30,000 miles on it and CPO warranty to 100,000 miles for $48k a couple years ago. I think if I was looking new today and wanted the ability to tow, I'd look at the Grand Cherokee, they've really stepped things up with the current design. I'd also look hard at an ML350 diesel. I'd look for an air suspension in both. The new Touaregs are really nice too, but for me the air suspension is a must if you ever plan to tow with a midsize. Really just depends what you wanna spend and what you wanna spend on maintanence. Luxury cars are going to cost you more on oil, breaks, ect.

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If the new Explorer has the same 6 cyl Ecoboost motor as the F150 it would be a winner. But my perception is that it has the 4 cyl Ecoboost. Not good.

If its the 3.5 its the same as in the F-150. The 4 cyl only has like 260 HP .

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