I am looking for a car for my 19 year old niece. She came to live with us and wants to go on to college. I have not made any promises yet, but I want to get her small "cute ute" for getting back and forth to school. I am thinking something around 2002. The prices seem pretty bottomed out on those years while still being in decent shape.
I am mostly thinking of the RAV4 and CR-V
what does the hive say?
Does the xterra count as a cute ute or is it a normal one?
Pontiac Vibe is the same a Toyota Matrix which is generally a Corolla wagon. This gets you 90% of what an SUV offers at a nicely discounted price.
Offered in years 2003-2009. All years are good.
Grizz said:Does the xterra count as a cute ute or is it a normal one?
I say it’s not a cute Ute.
Avoid the Saturn Vue. Lots of trans trouble in automatics.
Avoid the Mazda CX7 with 2.3L turbo engine. In '10+ the CX7 offered a 2.5L NA engine that is good
The RAV4 changed a little in 2001 to the 2nd generation, AKA "4.2". I have a 2000, or "4.1". There was a 4.2, I think, with a V6 that was the fastest car Toyota sold that year. Anyway, the RAV4's are great. Practically indestructible. The 4.1's get about 23 MPG if 4WD and manual. The 2WD ones get better mileage. rav4world.com is the place to look up stuff on them.
This thread is relevant to my interests. Avoid the Ford Escape. Granted I have the most E36 M3boxiest one ever, but it is still just bad vehicle.
V8 4 Runner all day.
ttps://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/d/brick-runner-limited/6911003475.html
https://reading.craigslist.org/cto/d/reading-toyota-4runner-limited-4x4/6907220857.html
LX470 is a decent choice as well
https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/d/blakeslee-lexus-lx470/6914947932.html
https://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/d/kendall-park-lexus-lx470-black-very/6918763267.html
GX470 is a tall 4 Runner with a nicer interior and usually better maintained.
https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ctd/d/wilmington-2004-lexus-gx470-super-clean/6915411221.html
Tip for Toyota and Lexus - you can register online and run the VIN and check service history on any Toyota and Lexus for fuh ree.
Cute utes are great and all, but as I recall fare pretty horrible in crash tests and don't get significantly better MPGs compared to a mid-size ute to justify the compromise
John Welsh said:Pontiac Vibe is the same a Toyota Matrix which is generally a Corolla wagon. This gets you 90% of what an SUV offers at a nicely discounted price.
Offered in years 2003-2009. All years are good.
+50
They are both super reliable. By 02 I think they had both moved to timing chains.
I have seen quite a few a/c compressor failures on the CRVs, but that's about it,these things are like roaches
There is hardly anything bad that you can say about any year CRV or Rav4. When the people you work with come to you and ask your recommendation of what car to buy, the easiest answer is either a Rav4 or a CRV. There is really nothing about them that a non-sporting, non-car-personal would dislike. For most people, these are the Goldilocks car...just right.
This also means that these vehicles don't depreciate much and command a premium on the typical used car market. They are pleasant, reliable vehicles which may be worth paying extra for. No one will ever consider you to be foolish for having bought either.
Nothing bad I can say about the RAV4 and CRV aside from they are kinda ugly.
Subaru Foresters fall into this category. Provided you educate yourself on head gaskets they are good cars...because they are cars pretending to be SUVs which makes the driving experience better, IMO.
Now there will be a lot of poo-poing reaction to this suggestion but I've actually lived with one vs many of the naysayers out there. We had a Jeep Patriot that was every bit as good as the Forester but without the HG concerns nor the 'Subaru tax'. You can buy them for pennies compared to the Japanese equivalents. The 2.4 engine is pretty much indestructible. We had a five speed; most have a CVT and to be honest they can be hit/miss. I hated the CVT model I had as a company car for the first few months but came to love it. The next one was an automatic and it was...average. Had no problem with either. They come in both two and four wheel drive versions and I'll be truthful, if I were to do it again I wouldn't buy the 4x4 because we never used it. The 4x2 had such good traction in the snow we never bothered flipping the switch. The only thing you need to know is AVOID THE SUNROOF MODELS. They ALL leak.
The Compass is the same vehicle as the Patriot, just smaller and IMO uglier.
We sold the Jeep at around 180k mostly because we were both just tired of it and wanted to go back to a car.
Another easy recommendation for a 'kid car' is a Kia Soul. Offered from 2010 to current.
You might find a Soul that is newer yet priced cheaper than an older Rav4/CRV
I love CR-Vs but they are not without issues and if someone had no real preference i'd recommend the Rav4 as being more reliable. The compressor thing alone on the 2nd gen could cost you 50% again on what a cheap CR-V goes for if you wanted a shop to do it 'right' with a warranty. Chain issues on high miles ones. Older ones have timing belts. I have an older 5spd/4wd CR-V sitting in my yard with a broken timing belt right now waiting for customer money (again about 50% of what it was worth when it ran).
I do think the Rav/matrix/vibe are a better idea for someone who doesn't care about any of the things that make the CR-V unique (like manual, awd, B and K series power mods, etc).
We have had a 2002 crv for many many years. We bought it at 70k miles and now it has over 200k. Yes, the ac is broke. The issue everyone is talking about is that the compressor fails, and when it does it pumps its guts through the whole system. You have to replace everything. Diy cost is around $600, so a shop is probably $1500-2000. As far as i know they never changed anything so if i fixed it it would most likely fail again in a few years. Aside from that its been great. But if your niece cant live without the ac i wouldnt buy one.
For whatever reason, I was never a fan of the side-hinge swingout door of the first generations of RAV4. I guess that’s because I grew up with hatches/vanagons, and not station wagons.
In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :
The swing door is rather handy for short females who have neither a high enough reach overhead to pull down the liftgate nor a long enough forward reach to pull things over a tailgate.
I would look hard at xBs. They're cheap, as reliable as dirt, timing chain instead of belt, super easy to maintain. Deceivingly large inside.
I had an 05 and put 200k on it completely trouble free. Tires, brakes, oil, muffler. Only reason it's not on the road is because the ex wife kept it and rear-ended someone.
what's an xB ?
iceracer said:what's an xB ?
One of these ugly things (Scion xB)
Hyundai Tucson or Santa Fe should be considered too. Neither have the Toyota or Honda tax attached
In reply to Wayslow :
Some of the newer CRVs have heater core problems.
What about a Fit?
There is only one cute Ute that is actually a capable off-roader, and that’s the Suzuki Grand Vitara. Bulletproof, cheap, genuine transfer case, awesome.
Finding Suzuki parts is generally a problem for the average Joe.
Early xBs are crazy slow but also crazy reliable..I think the only actual repair I've done to one was a rear bearing, most of them are missing the lower half of the rear bumper.
2nd gen xB got the 2.4, is pretty much as reliable, but much nicer to drive, the added power makes a big difference and the interior is a little nicer, plus they are slightly less box and slightly more funky looking.
I wouldn't let the AC stop you from getting a CRV I think it's probably the best option {RAV4 close second, just my personal preference), just know it might have to be fixed. They aren't super failure prone, just it's become a little more common at the age and mileage of these cars, but if you do it right when you fix it, it will probably work for another 150k miles. If you pay someone expect 1500 to 2000 as stated. If your mechanically inclined AC is much more DIYable than people believe and can save you a lot on this job, 6-8 hours book time IIRC
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