okay, i saw a similar thread, but didn't want to hijack, so decided to post my own. Sometime this year, between August and December, I want to buy a SUV. i'm leaning towards a small to midsize SUV. I don't know anyone that really knows anything about cars. What are some of you alls personal favorites? I've done research on MSN auto, but I'm still a little confused. I love the style of the 2009 Murano. But, i've been also looking at the Honda CR-V. I just came accross an article about the Saturn VUE hybrid that gets 30+ mpg!! wow. I want it to be <$25k and preferably foreign with good gas mileage. I'm a little skeptical of some of the one's that I've seen that get good ratings, because I know their resale value sucks, ie Ford explorer Hyundai Santa Fe which i saw got some decent reviews. but, i know that if i ever want to sell it or trade it in, they tend to depreciate faster than some of the other brands. Also,since I'm not currently in a rush, should I wait until December or would anytime between october and december be good? Anyone have any ideas?? Thanks!!

Uh lets see some nice suvs....


Nissan Rogue
Honda CRV
Toyota Rav 4
Kia Sorento
Suzuki Grand Vitara
Kia Sportage/Hyundai Tuscon


chevy Equinox
Jeep Patriot
Jeep Compass
Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner/Mazda Tribute

Good Luck!

The 2009's are already out, so not sure what the benefit of waiting is. All dealers are trying to get rid of the larger cars - seems to be better incentives on those right now, while there is minimal available on the smaller cars.

We just bought a 2005 Hyundai Tuscon with only 20k miles on it (car fax shows only one owner and it being shuffled around in the dealership) for $14k. So far we are very happy with it (except the sound system really does stink). It is getting 18-20 in the city.

I think it depends on how much you want to pay NOW for a car. I think buying a car just because it has good resale value is not economical. With a new small SUV going for $20k+ - that is alot of money to drop up front just to get a few grand back when you trade it in. In Virginia we pay property tax, so a new car nails us with tax a bill of hundreds of dollars once a year. In these economic times, I am trying to make good financial decisions and dropping $600 a month for a car pmt was a total negative for me.

Enough of my little finance speech (CB is really making much more money conscience than I used to be) - lol. I do believe in Consumer Reports, and that is how I ended up with the Hyundai - good car for a fair price. Oh, and it is a nice color too

December 31st, 33 minutes before midnite. Wear something brown.

I'll offer the counterpoint on the Consumer Reports stuff...not all of their ratings are from a DRIVER's perspective. Rather, they almost seem bean-counter-ish in commentary. They've tried too often to give one-size-fits-all ranking systems for vehicles that have different purposes than the traditional four-door people mover.

I've also seen too many instances where people that were interviewed ranked a vehicle down because they took it in for service instead of doing their own work.

When I purchase, I usually expect that I will keep the vehicle for at least a decade, if not longer. Basic powertrain designs work better for me since I have better gauges as to reliability and longevity. Resale value is not something I am looking at since by the time I decide to sell something, it is often in a category where ANYTHING that runs and has records will fetch me at least $3-5K.

My problem with a lot of the newer SUV's is that it is damned near impossible to get any of them with a manual transmission...I would have bought an Explorer a few years back except that they discontinued the manual sometime around 2000 or so. A 4x4 without a manual transmission is utterly useless for my needs. Trying to find a RWD vehicle has become an exercise in futility, and RWD is another one of my almost-a-must-have criterion.

Narrow your choices down and go drive them to further narrow the selections down. Rankings don't mean a damned thing if you cannot stand the vehicle when you are behind the wheel...