Sister Looking For New Reliable Suv Under 30,000

[Brons2]

My Kia dealer has jacked up their labor rates quite a bit - when I got my first Kia in 2006, the 30K checkups were very reasonable. Now they're like $450 so I just DIY.

The vehicles aren't that reasonable anymore either, when Kia and Hyundai were less popular, the prices seemed more competitive to me. I usually visit the dealer occasionally to buy Kia OEM fluids like ATF and anti-freeze and I see Sorentos (cousin of the Santa Fe) optioned up around $40K and I shake my head.

I've had two Kias and I would consider another Kia or Hyundai but I would certainly shop my business around.

The Equinox would be a strong competitor in this class of vehicles for me - I am 6'7" and the 'Nox is very roomy. The fuel dilution of the DI would be a concern but I would watch it obsessively like any BITOG'er.

I would not consider another Rav4 or CR-V, the front legroom is not enough for me. I told me wife that if I knew her when she bought the Rav4 that I would have steered her to a Highlander if she had insisted on a Toyota.

The prior gen Subarus had good legroom in the front but I don't know if that has changed with the new ones, and the HG issues make me wonder.

 

[Brons2]

The arguments about what is "upscale" in this thread amuse me. I was raised in a family that usually has nice houses but utilitarian vehicles.

I have a female relative that works for an oil company that could probably afford a very expensive luxury car if she wanted it, but she got the lowest model 4 door Golf TDI that she could get when she got back stateside last year, complete with 6 speed manual transmission even.

That being said I do not enjoy visiting her house because it is very upscale and she walks around wiping down her various granite surfaces with microfiber cloths and yelling at me if I don't do the same

lol...

 

[roadrunner1]

Not much mentioned here about the Ford Ecsape, we bought one about 15 months ago for my wife. Haven't done anything but change oil and rotate tires in approx 22,000 mi. It goes through snow like a snowmobile and its well within your price range.

 

[crazyoildude]

5 years 60,000 on most things 10 year 100,000 on drivetrain and if anything goes wrong that is not covered we are in the business so im not worried and if they want to play warranty games lemon law is really to the point here in nj.
We were there today and she is having second thoughts... All was good until they pulled the destination charges card and she laughed at the sales manager handed him her number and said call when you are ready to sell a car without games.. I know he called but now she wants to go somewhere else.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
5 years 60,000 on most things 10 year 100,000 on drivetrain and if anything goes wrong that is not covered we are in the business so im not worried and if they want to play warranty games lemon law is really to the point here in nj.
We were there today and she is having second thoughts... All was good until they pulled the destination charges card and she laughed at the sales manager handed him her number and said call when you are ready to sell a car without games.. I know he called but now she wants to go somewhere else.


Good! Now she's thinking.

 

[crazyoildude]

the escape is much to small now the older ones were great

 

[wallyuwl]

No way would I buy a $40k Hyundai...

I know someone who is a mechanic at a Kia dealer. They would never buy a Kia - parts are expensive to buy and time consuming to replace, and parts are often tough to get even for the dealer. And of course Hyundai is the same company.

We have a 2013 Elantra and are going to dump it. The engine is running rough already, the brakes are making awful noises, and the two local dealers (one of which we got the car from) have been awful to work with regarding honoring their warranty on things. A warranty is useless if the company won't honor it.

I just rode in a newer Sorento yesterday (Santa Fe's brother vehicle). It is only a year or two old and it is a rattlebox already. Isn't smooth. Just generally feels cheap.

Hyundai has nice styling but from what I've seen don't age very well at all.

 

[chrisri]

Originally Posted By: wallyuwl
No way would I buy a $40k Hyundai...

I know someone who is a mechanic at a Kia dealer. They would never buy a Kia - parts are expensive to buy and time consuming to replace, and parts are often tough to get even for the dealer. And of course Hyundai is the same company.

We have a 2013 Elantra and are going to dump it. The engine is running rough already, the brakes are making awful noises, and the two local dealers (one of which we got the car from) have been awful to work with regarding honoring their warranty on things. A warranty is useless if the company won't honor it.

I just rode in a newer Sorento yesterday (Santa Fe's brother vehicle). It is only a year or two old and it is a rattlebox already. Isn't smooth. Just generally feels cheap.

Hyundai has nice styling but from what I've seen don't age very well at all.


Company I worked for handled overnight intercity deliveries for various car manufacturers, Hyundai among them. I've never seen a metal tank on a new car since early 90s. Hyundai used them few years back. Some of them leaked on a brand new cars. Other thing that caught my eye was stamped steel wishbones (control arms). This is very basic and cheap solution (all Euro cars use either ductile iron or aluminium alloy), and it tells me driving dynamics are not high on their list. They are simply not built to a same standards as a Euro cars.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: roadrunner1
Not much mentioned here about the Ford Ecsape, we bought one about 15 months ago for my wife. Haven't done anything but change oil and rotate tires in approx 22,000 mi. It goes through snow like a snowmobile and its well within your price range.


My parents bought a 2013 Escape. It was under $30K even with the 2.0L, AWD and My Ford Touch. It goes well in the snow (but they have snow tires).

Only issue they had was the clips popped out of the back hatch trim panel. Fixed in 3 minutes by the dealer.

 

[crazyoildude]

Hyundai really makes a good car and their warranty is the best, period that is why i like them even know i own my own shop it takes time when we have to fix my own cars. But to each his own

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: wallyuwl
No way would I buy a $40k Hyundai...

I know someone who is a mechanic at a Kia dealer. They would never buy a Kia - parts are expensive to buy and time consuming to replace, and parts are often tough to get even for the dealer. And of course Hyundai is the same company.

We have a 2013 Elantra and are going to dump it. The engine is running rough already, the brakes are making awful noises, and the two local dealers (one of which we got the car from) have been awful to work with regarding honoring their warranty on things. A warranty is useless if the company won't honor it.

I just rode in a newer Sorento yesterday (Santa Fe's brother vehicle). It is only a year or two old and it is a rattlebox already. Isn't smooth. Just generally feels cheap.

Hyundai has nice styling but from what I've seen don't age very well at all.


That's what I continually like about Mercedes, every time I drive it I'm still impressed by how smooth and quiet it is. Paid under $20k for a used one last year. When slamming the doors closed, the sound it makes is the very definition of what a solid sounding slam should be.

 

[surfstar]

Has she test drove a Subaru?

The Outback could be fitted with all of its safety features and the 3.6 for under $40k. Does a Hyundai come with "eyesight" technology?

Those subies are strong contenders. Outback is 2" wider and 8" longer than the Forester (2" shorter), so that should fit the 'large/mid' size range she's looking for. Or buy the Forester XT for some fun

 

[crazyoildude]

Been there done that last Mercedes is the s500 63,000 miles which she still has and although a nice car the left headlight went out and it cost $1500,00 when she was on vacation in Florida at her condo ,the left headlight is out again... The fan motor for the a/c went out last year and a slew of other little things keep popping up. Nice car but come on.

We are going to look at the Traverse ( I think that is the one she likes) Saturday because the Hyundai dealer turned her off with his scamming. The engine on the traverse has chain issues and a few other things but she likes the car and G.M. cars in the past were good to her so lets see. Its getting old already i just want her to get a vehicle already. She thinks all the dealers are crooks and has a bad attitude towards them.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
Been there done that last Mercedes is the s500 63,000 miles which she still has and although a nice car the left headlight went out and it cost $1500,00 when she was on vacation in Florida at her condo ,the left headlight is out again... The fan motor for the a/c went out last year and a slew of other little things keep popping up. Nice car but come on.

We are going to look at the Traverse ( I think that is the one she likes) Saturday because the Hyundai dealer turned her off with his scamming. The engine on the traverse has chain issues and a few other things but she likes the car and G.M. cars in the past were good to her so lets see. Its getting old already i just want her to get a vehicle already. She thinks all the dealers are crooks and has a bad attitude towards them.


Sounds like she is all over the board now.

No offense...but maybe she should just pick which one she thinks is pretty.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
Been there done that last Mercedes is the s500 63,000 miles which she still has and although a nice car the left headlight went out and it cost $1500,00 when she was on vacation in Florida at her condo ,the left headlight is out again... The fan motor for the a/c went out last year and a slew of other little things keep popping up. Nice car but come on.

We are going to look at the Traverse ( I think that is the one she likes) Saturday because the Hyundai dealer turned her off with his scamming. The engine on the traverse has chain issues and a few other things but she likes the car and G.M. cars in the past were good to her so lets see. Its getting old already i just want her to get a vehicle already. She thinks all the dealers are crooks and has a bad attitude towards them.


I think the S500 is the older generation, I think they went to the S550 in 2007. S500 had a lot of the top of the line stuff which is why it was probably $1500 for a headlight, that was probably the Bixenon with the active body control. It's much better if you have an indy mechanic. At that age, you can go junkyard or order parts online, the dealer is never cheap no matter what the brand. And yes, that's why they're called stealers.

 

[147_Grain]

Originally Posted By: 147_Grain
Top 3 from Consumer Reports are: Subaru Forester [or Outback], Toyota RAV4, and the Honda CRV.

Time to keep things simple and not overthink things. Toyota and Subaru stand behind their products a lot better than Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Ford, Chrysler, or GM.

 

[whip]

I don't understand the love for Hyundai, Kia. Just 10 years ago, they were cheaply made entry vehicles. They made a few good looking cars, threw some hamsters on TV, and people think they're great. They improved their marketing, not the quality of cars.

 

[roadrunner1]

Automakers standing behind their products are just as dependent on their dealer network standing behind the customer.
There are good and bad dealers representing all auto makers, which is why when most people choose a car the dealer after the sale usually isn't something thats considered, and it should be.

As an example I have driven Ford vehicles for about 30 years, my local dealer is about 12 miles away and have never had a bad experience dealing with either purchasing or any warranty/service work.Replacement vehicle always available at time of service at no charge. I happen to be very good friends with the owner, but they treat everyone good.

On the flip side, our company had for many years used Dodge trucks. Closest dealer about 40 miles away. Never offered replacement truck to drive while truck was being repaired (which was quite often), and there was always a hassle to get warranty work covered.

The dealer experience is a huge part of the equation and you may have to filter through a few before finding one that suits your needs.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: roadrunner1
Automakers standing behind their products are just as dependent on their dealer network standing behind the customer.
There are good and bad dealers representing all auto makers, which is why when most people choose a car the dealer after the sale usually isn't something thats considered, and it should be.

As an example I have driven Ford vehicles for about 30 years, my local dealer is about 12 miles away and have never had a bad experience dealing with either purchasing or any warranty/service work.Replacement vehicle always available at time of service at no charge. I happen to be very good friends with the owner, but they treat everyone good.

On the flip side, our company had for many years used Dodge trucks. Closest dealer about 40 miles away. Never offered replacement truck to drive while truck was being repaired (which was quite often), and there was always a hassle to get warranty work covered.

The dealer experience is a huge part of the equation and you may have to filter through a few before finding one that suits your needs.


My Honda dealer has been exceptional at sales and service...contrary to what many of said about various Honda dealerships they have dealt with.

The local Ford dealer? They quite frankly STINK. Old school shysters. From the tacky teenage looking, gum chewing, short skirted, receptionist at the front door....to the lazy, tired, and disrespectful service reps and parts counter people. My last experience with my '09 Focus finally cured me of ever going to Ford again.

 

[crazyoildude]

How can you say one car company stands behind their products better than the others.. im just curious..The warranty is the warranty and if they are not careful the nj lemon law is very powerful and they know it.