I don’t love any of the cars in my budget. How to choose?

[Anonymous]

What are you looking at, OP? I was in the same boat and looked at the Ascent, Pilot, CX9, Highlander, and went with a high trim Highlander. I was blah on the choice but two years in I LOVE it.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you need to tell us what you’ve considered. And, do you really need AWD? Because ther options without it are a lot cheaper.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Do not need AWD and would gladly save the upcharge. Have considered so far: (but have only seen some in person so far)

Highlander
Pilot
Ascent
Cx9
MDX (would have to get base base trim)
Atlas

I love the XC90 but it’s too much money and I’m afraid to buy that one used due to maintenance costs. I really didn’t like the Palisade interior and don’t like the exterior of the Telluride.

If I HAD to pick a front runner I’d probably say Highlander but I just can’t get excited about any.

[Anonymous]

We are also suv shopping w/ the same budget and I feel you! I care mostly about seat comfort and getting something as lux as possible. What about a used MDX? I’ve been looking at 2019s w/22k ish miles for 42k, or 2018 with 44k miles for $32kish (Acura in Ellicott city and laurel btw)

We also keep our cars for 8+ years and in the past when we’ve tried to buy cheap (looking at you Nissan Pathfinder) we’ve regretted it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Do not need AWD and would gladly save the upcharge. Have considered so far: (but have only seen some in person so far)

Highlander
Pilot
Ascent
Cx9
MDX (would have to get base base trim)
Atlas

I love the XC90 but it’s too much money and I’m afraid to buy that one used due to maintenance costs. I really didn’t like the Palisade interior and don’t like the exterior of the Telluride.

If I HAD to pick a front runner I’d probably say Highlander but I just can’t get excited about any.

Get the Pilot. They’re super reliable

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Do not need AWD and would gladly save the upcharge. Have considered so far: (but have only seen some in person so far)

Highlander
Pilot
Ascent
Cx9
MDX (would have to get base base trim)
Atlas

I love the XC90 but it’s too much money and I’m afraid to buy that one used due to maintenance costs. I really didn’t like the Palisade interior and don’t like the exterior of the Telluride.

If I HAD to pick a front runner I’d probably say Highlander but I just can’t get excited about any.

Get the Pilot. They’re super reliable

OP here. Yeah. I looked at it but the interior is soooooo similar to my 10 year old Odyssey. Also I think it’s being redesigned.

[Anonymous]

My older highlander was recalled maybe 10 times for this or that. Not a big fan of toyota.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are also suv shopping w/ the same budget and I feel you! I care mostly about seat comfort and getting something as lux as possible. What about a used MDX? I’ve been looking at 2019s w/22k ish miles for 42k, or 2018 with 44k miles for $32kish (Acura in Ellicott city and laurel btw)

We also keep our cars for 8+ years and in the past when we’ve tried to buy cheap (looking at you Nissan Pathfinder) we’ve regretted it.

OP here. Yes this is something we have considered too.

[Anonymous]

I have one of the cars on your list op (a pilot) and felt the same you do about all of the choices - just meh. In the end, I made a scoring system and the pilot came out with the most points even though it didn’t score the highest in any one category. But, I wanted a 3 row suv (and am super glad to have it) so I did need to choose from the choices available to me within my budget.

Just decide what features are most important to you and make a choice based on what has the best combination and value.

[Anonymous]

I had a Ford Explorer that had three rows, and I think you can get a nice trim level for less than $45k. I would still have it but it was too big and I wanted something sleeker. The interior of the Explorer is nice and it drives super smooth.

[Anonymous]

Just get an American SUV. I know people bash American vs Japanese but for instance my daughter has a 2017 base model Chevy Cruze bought brand new for $14,300. Last weekend I drove with her to college with her to end her lease and stuff.

850 Mile round trip in 90 degree heat. The week before I did same crap trip to other college in my 2011 Cadillac. I was going almost 90mph at one point almost 4 hours in a ten year old car.

My sister in law bought a 2021 Chevy Traverse a few weeks ago and she is normally a foreign car person. But if you want brand new 3 row SUV with some option one with a budget under 40k hard to do Japanese SUVs

[Anonymous]

Bronco is nice too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Do not need AWD and would gladly save the upcharge. Have considered so far: (but have only seen some in person so far)

Highlander
Pilot
Ascent
Cx9
MDX (would have to get base base trim)
Atlas

I love the XC90 but it’s too much money and I’m afraid to buy that one used due to maintenance costs. I really didn’t like the Palisade interior and don’t like the exterior of the Telluride.

If I HAD to pick a front runner I’d probably say Highlander but I just can’t get excited about any.

Definitely test drive some American cars. We are on our second Acadia so I’m biased but the Explorer is worth a look, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bronco is nice too!

I saw the new Bronco up close this past weekend and it doesn’t look big enough to compete with what OP is looking for? I may be wrong, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bronco is nice too!

Where’s the third row?