Looking at a used 3rd row SUV. GX460 or Tahoe like.

[edyvw]

GX470 is off-road enthusiast vehicle!
1. Suspension is not stron suit, especially ball joints. If neglected, they will try to kill you. Only OE work! In Europe (I have Prado diesel version, basically same vehicle, in Europe) have some quality options.
2. Brakes are undersized for that size. They will vibrate etc. need quality upgrade like EBC, but then $$$.
3. ABS module. Again, if neglected, will try to kill you. If you decide to change it, remanufactured ones are $800-1000, new $2,000+. If it did not go bad, IT WILL!
4. Poor headlight cover plastic quality.
5. Dashboard will crack.
6. Drivers seat will crack leather.
7. It is timing belt, change interval is 90,000 miles.
8. 14mpg at best, combined.

Get minivan unless you plan to off road.

 

[HyundaiAbuser]

The 5 speed pilots are pretty solid with maintenance but suffer from the stuffy third row. I second the notion of a full full sized suv like the suburban, sequoia, expedition, armada etc. or just a mini van.

 

[edyvw]

The 5 speed pilots are pretty solid with maintenance but suffer from the stuffy third row. I second the notion of a full full sized suv like the suburban, sequoia, expedition, armada etc. or just a mini van.

Pilot is pretty functional. But tall people driving it? We chose to do 2,800 miles road trip with Tiguan over Pilot. Tiguan is far more comfortable. I could live with Pilot commuting around town, but there isn’t bigger vehicle with less space for a driver on the market than 2nd generation Pilot.
Other issues, VCM, transmission could be problem if not maintained, oil pressure sensors, junky brakes, and mpg is not something, more in line with full size SUV.
IMO, if clearance is not an issue, minivan!

 

[HyundaiAbuser]

Pilot is pretty functional. But tall people driving it? We chose to do 2,800 miles road trip with Tiguan over Pilot. Tiguan is far more comfortable. I could live with Pilot commuting around town, but there isn’t bigger vehicle with less space for a driver on the market than 2nd generation Pilot.
Other issues, VCM, transmission could be problem if not maintained, oil pressure sensors, junky brakes, and mpg is not something, more in line with full size SUV.
IMO, if clearance is not an issue, minivan!

totally agree with space, my 6’9 friend was not a fan but he doesn’t fit in anything. If you find a maintained one it’s just an svcm and maybe an oil pressure sensor from being real solid. I average 21mpg in mine and with vcm disabled which I feel most full sized 3 row suvs would be hard pressed to match real world. At 5’11 it works great for me but if I had 3+ decently sized kids or another 4-5 inches in height I’d look elsewhere

Also, Minivan! Just do it

 

[redhat]

I am a little biased and do really enjoy the GMT800 platform. The Tahoe would be from 2000-2006. 2001-2006 could be had with the Z71 Off-Road package. Later years this was also available for 2WD trucks.

They are really good trucks, built well, plenty of aftermarket and still OE/OEM support. Large in part due to (A) so many of them were built, (B) so many other GM vehicles share similar parts and (C) so many future related GM vehicles use such similar parts, newer retrofits are possible.

One of the biggest problems with them now is that they are not getting any newer and you commonly find these trucks on their 3rd or 4th "tour of duty". 300k is not an unknown number. The 4L60E loves to be hated but in all reality, if they're serviced they can live long healthy lives. Plus, you get to a point where you need to understand, every item has a finite service life. Engines are easy and pretty cheap at the junkyard. So if you spit up a motor, easy enough to put one in.

It really boils down to, do you have the patience and ability to work through the thing from a breakdown and or reconditioning aspect. If so... the parts aren't overly expensive. Labor would be. Everyone and their brother makes just about every part for these trucks so options are plentiful.

You will have things that break on these trucks, but if you pick up one for a good price and give it a fair "going through", the chances of a mechanical breakdown leaving you stranded are low. Replace and or recondition what could leave you somewhere on the side of the highway. Fuel pump, brake hoses, water pump, etc, etc....

 

[dogememe]

If you’re going to use 3rd row you need a Suburban, not a Tahoe.

 

[redhat]

If you’re going to use 3rd row you need a Suburban, not a Tahoe.

I'd take that one step farther and say the wheelbase isn't the end all be all with ease of using a 3rd row on Suburban/Tahoe. You mainly will have less space behind the 3rd row on Tahoe.

The real definite is if you want the 3rd row to be user/people friendly, make sure the 2nd row is captains chairs and not a bench. Much easier to get through to the 3rd row. Our Suburban has a 2nd row bench and it is a lot easier getting to the 3rd row on the Tahoe with the captains chairs. The bench just doesn't fold or move up enough and the seats get a bit heavy to maneuver for smaller occupants.

 

[edyvw]

totally agree with space, my 6’9 friend was not a fan but he doesn’t fit in anything. If you find a maintained one it’s just an svcm and maybe an oil pressure sensor from being real solid. I average 21mpg in mine and with vcm disabled which I feel most full sized 3 row suvs would be hard pressed to match real world. At 5’11 it works great for me but if I had 3+ decently sized kids or another 4-5 inches in height I’d look elsewhere

Also, Minivan! Just do it

Another thing with Pilot is the mountains. Gearing is bad! It is real dog going over mountain passes. Of all the vehicles I drove, that one screams the necessity for sixth gear and shorter ratios in the first five.

 

[4WD]

I'd take that one step farther and say the wheelbase isn't the end all be all with ease of using a 3rd row on Suburban/Tahoe. You mainly will have less space behind the 3rd row on Tahoe.

The real definite is if you want the 3rd row to be user/people friendly, make sure the 2nd row is captains chairs and not a bench. Much easier to get through to the 3rd row. Our Suburban has a 2nd row bench and it is a lot easier getting to the 3rd row on the Tahoe with the captains chairs. The bench just doesn't fold or move up enough and the seats get a bit heavy to maneuver for smaller occupants.

We always get the captain’s seats …

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

I’ve only ever driven the third gen Pilot and it seemed very comfortable. I’m 6’1” and easily drove 1,000 mi in a day. Ymmv

 

[RAVL]

Am i crazy for considering paying $10k a 250k 2003 Lexus GX460 from a rust-free state? That has a lot of records, rear air suspension swapped for normal shocks. 3 timing belts and few suspension items replaced.


I'm on the hunt for 3rd row SUV mainly for family hauling. Our tiguan is only a 4 seater ( 2 baby seats in the rear) and we often need room for 5-6 people. Looking in the used market of around $10-13k. We live in the rust belt so I'll probably travel down south for something that's not a complete rust bucket.

We also kicked around a minivan but not sure if we are there yet. We don't do towing or anything. But would like to spend less time working on cars and more time driving them. I understand that $10-13k market will have a list of repairs. But as long as they are simple fixes that any shop can do we are happy.

I really like the 2003-2009 GX 470 and the 2000ish Tahoe (GMT800), GMT900 are fine too but i like the older round look.

Histroiclly, I've always bought vehicles with under 60k and drive them up to about 125-150k until the rust takes over the underside or repairs> cost of replacement. But this is new to me to consider something 150k plus and driving until it blows up.

You are not crazy but it is still a 250k mile vehicle and you are at risk for significant repairs. Friend with the same truck had a serious oil leak at the rear main at 300k that required removing the trans to access. Very expensive. Many people on this forum, with all respect, are not realistic about the lifespan of a vehicle, 250-300k is about it typically, at most, even for a Toyota SUV.

What is your budget?

If you are still in car seat mode, a minivan will work best. The Toyotas are the best in terms of reliability but you will pay for it. Honda vans are very good but the styling is less appealing (admittedly subjective) and there are significant risks with VCM out of warranty (they can be addressed if they have not yet had an oil control ring issue with a VCM disabling device). You should also consider a Pacifica if it checks out and has a full service history - more caution is warranted because reliability is not as strong but it will be less expensive and the difference in price could be banked as a repair fund.

kIA has a very large van as well - I see them but am not familiar with them. Maybe head over to carmax to be ab,e to better cross shop brands,

Good luck.

 

[Nukeman7]

I'm on the hunt for 3rd row SUV mainly for family hauling. Our tiguan is only a 4 seater ( 2 baby seats in the rear) and we often need room for 5-6 people. Looking in the used market of around $10-13k. We live in the rust belt so I'll probably travel down south for something that's not a complete rust bucket.

I have a popular car buying service called 48 Hours And A Used Car on Facebook.

My recommendation? An 8 to 10 year old Nissan Armada with the 5.6 Liter V8.

https://www.dashboard-light.com/vehicles/Nissan_Armada.html

Excellent long-term reliability. They can seat eight with a bench or seven with captain's chairs.

One caveat. I would look for the best maintained one in an area with smooth roads. Tennessee, non-coastal Georgia, inland South Carolina. You can get a good one with 100,000 miles on it.

Here is a rust-free southern example that mostly fits the bill. The all black combination is probably not an issue in Chicagoland and the Platinum model is fully loaded with all options.

2011 Nissan Armada Platinum Edition

 

[bowlofturtle]

Here is a rust-free southern example that mostly fits the bill. The all black combination is probably not an issue in Chicagoland and the Platinum model is fully loaded with all options.

2011 Nissan Armada Platinum Edition

THis one looks good to me. Black on black is no issues. I'm not sure if i care for the loaded one or not. Lots of options to break.

I'm familiar with the VQ motors as I've own a 98 maxima and 05 G35. Nissans are not new to me at all. But what i started to find out with the G35 was the first gen AWD models were not thought out very well and did not have much aftermarket support when it came to the AWD system. If it wasn't AWD specific, i had no issues because they made millions of RWD 350z and G35.

I do worry because its not a huge production car finding stuff is harder. I did look at a few Titans a few years back.

Nissan is quirky, I didn't like that square pathfinder as I've driven those a few times and replaced a few radiators on them. I need to find an Armada and drive one.

 

[I<3oil]

I’ve only ever driven the third gen Pilot and it seemed very comfortable. I’m 6’1” and easily drove 1,000 mi in a day. Ymmv

Did you ever sit in the back? I’m 6’1-6’2 and my knees were jammed into the front seats. I wouldn’t have wanted to sit for an hour. Driver-wise, it’s a midsize CUV, it shouldn’t have any issues with the driver.

 

[I<3oil]

THis one looks good to me. Black on black is no issues. I'm not sure if i care for the loaded one or not. Lots of options to break.

I'm familiar with the VQ motors as I've own a 98 maxima and 05 G35. Nissans are not new to me at all. But what i started to find out with the G35 was the first gen AWD models were not thought out very well and did not have much aftermarket support when it came to the AWD system. If it wasn't AWD specific, i had no issues because they made millions of RWD 350z and G35.

I do worry because its not a huge production car finding stuff is harder. I did look at a few Titans a few years back.

Nissan is quirky, I didn't like that square pathfinder as I've driven those a few times and replaced a few radiators on them. I need to find an Armada and drive one.

The only issue is that it’s a Nissan

 

[slacktide_bitog]

THis one looks good to me. Black on black is no issues. I'm not sure if i care for the loaded one or not. Lots of options to break.

I'm familiar with the VQ motors as I've own a 98 maxima and 05 G35. Nissans are not new to me at all. But what i started to find out with the G35 was the first gen AWD models were not thought out very well and did not have much aftermarket support when it came to the AWD system. If it wasn't AWD specific, i had no issues because they made millions of RWD 350z and G35.

I do worry because its not a huge production car finding stuff is harder. I did look at a few Titans a few years back.

Nissan is quirky, I didn't like that square pathfinder as I've driven those a few times and replaced a few radiators on them. I need to find an Armada and drive one.

If you like Nissan, get a Quest. The 2011-16 Quest is actually nice inside at a reasonable price. It has the VQ you know and love, though the CVT everyone loves to hate. However, changing the fluid regularly goes a long way

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

Did you ever sit in the back? I’m 6’1-6’2 and my knees were jammed into the front seats. I wouldn’t have wanted to sit for an hour. Driver-wise, it’s a midsize CUV, it shouldn’t have any issues with the driver.

The third row was cramped for me, but suitable for a short in-town trip. The middle row was very spacious. Mine was a 2019.

 

[M1Accord]

Another vote for Toyota Sequoia. City fuel economy is horrible but it gets 17+ mpg on highway so if you have 3+ people, you are saving on fuel as compared to people in small cars solo.

I personally could have used such vehicle on my recent 600+ miles trip to Canada and benefited from comfort of thicker wall tires, better suspension, and roominess instead of my Fit carrying 5 people with gears that filled up all the back area and under the rear magic seats. Of course, the Fit got 40 mpg on flat surface and averaged 35 mpg first leg consisting of 300 miles of mountain roads and then a a overall average of 33.5 mpg for 2000 miles total, which consisted of 600+ miles there, 600+ miles back, and roughly 800 miles of city driving in Ontario’s horrible city roads. Factory rating is 33 mph for highway so I did very good. The Sequoia would have averaged under 15 mpg for the same trip.

An ideal vehicle would have been Prius V for great fuel economy and much greater range as there were no gas ststion for some stretch 100+ miles long. A second choice would have been Mazda 5 with extend roof rack carrier system and a tow hitch to carry at least half the gears so I can use at least 1 seat from the third row and keep a redreshment cooler on the other seat as well as being able to carry a full spare and my jump starter with a air pump. The one time I left an air pump at home, I ended up with a very bad flat and the donut actually leaked air because the jump cable alligator clip somehow pressed the valve steem.

 

[I<3oil]

The third row was cramped for me, but suitable for a short in-town trip. The middle row was very spacious. Mine was a 2019.

We must have vastly different definitions of spacious. My sister has owned 2 pilots and I’ve had one as a rental. Yikes.

 

[KrisZ]

Minivanophobia is real.