Small SUV around $15k, non-turbo what would you choose?

Thermo1223

Thermo1223

Joined
Apr 18, 2005
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Location
Easton, PA
Pretty much as it states, for my Dad. His CX-7 lasted way longer than I would ever think a car could running on 3 cylinders(broken or stuck rings).

I am shying away from Escapes, certain Hyundai & Kia, and anything else with a small displacement turbo'd engine unless I can find something with extremely low mileage, than I'd consider it. I am pretty much footing the bill which is not going to make my wife happy although my Dad did liquidate some of his stocks to help. I am also doing the maintenance so the easier the better.

I am not against CVT's as I know Subaru & Nissan favor those. Thanks Gents
 
Take a look at the 2014-2016 Honda CR-V's in the upper trim levels (Touring or EX-L). Those are the newest ones with the venerable K24 engines. Stay far away from the newer CR-Vs with the infamous 1.5 turbo engines known for fuel dilution. While the 2014-2016 CR-Vs have CVTs, they have proven to be reliable with routine fluid changes. Since this vehicle is for your Dad, I'd lean towards the Touring trim since it has the latest automatic safety features. A mid-mileage 2014-2016 CR-V should be in the $15,000 range of your budget.
 
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Not too much to report with our Outback. Only breaks so far and a rattley sway bar link. All the subaru's are nice because they have functional windows, even the small triangle window on the front doors, many of them have a huge mirror corner blob blocking the view especially for shorter drivers, and almost useless rear windows..
A base 2018/19 Outback doesn't rely on the touch screen any vehicle functions, but does have carplay or android auto if he navigates with his phone. 2017 and below in the Outback/Legacy have a overly complex screen IMO. My only real grip is the over sensitive gas pedals, my 99 yr old FIL has a bit of trouble modulating it in his 2017 Legacy.
Up to 2019 they have a port FI as well.
 
Nukeman7 said:
Take a look at the 2014-2016 Honda CR-V's in the upper trim levels (Touring or EX-L). Those are the newest ones with the venerable K24 engines. Stay far away from the newer CR-Vs with the infamous 1.5 turbo engines known for fuel dilution. While the 2014-2016 CR-Vs have CVTs, they have proven to be reliable with routine fluid changes. Since this vehicle is for your Dad, I'd lean towards the Touring trim since it has the latest automatic safety features. A mid-mileage 2014-2016 CR-V should be in the $15,000 range of your budget.
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Good idea about the automatic safety features... they are important for older drivers.
 
Not so small and not too big, a mid-size 2010-2012 Toyota 4Runner. Right on the money for $15K or less. It's got this timeless design. It's more comfortable than a small SUV. It's great for bringing his grandkids to baseball game or go fishing. A lot of space inside the vehicle
 
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2heeldrive said:
Good idea about the automatic safety features... they are important for older drivers.
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He needs all the help he can get. His reaction time is down because of his knees. Actually Outback/Forester were on my short list as well as a CR-V but with latter I didn't know the decent years.
 
If the Suzuki Jimmy were to come back to the US I'd get one. I had a lot of fun with those twenty years ago.
 
2016 Honda CRV EX, EX-L or Touring. The 2015 had a low rpm vibration that can be fixed it was a tsb but not a recall so if it was not done pass on it, 2014 did not have the cvt and the cvt gets better mpg and is nice to drive, and fun to drive in sport mode "S".

The cvt is very good in this Honda. Look for one with a carfax that shows the cvt fluid change every 30 K miles or sooner, and if it's awd the first rear end fluid change at 20 K miles or sooner, after that the rear end fluid at every 35 K miles or sooner, and regular oci. Basically one that the previous owner had the dealer keep up the maintance when required.

When they get to 100 K there's several routine maintance items that need to be done: valve adjustment, sparkplugs, serpentine belt and tensioner, antifreeze drain and fill, clean throttle body, map, maf, engine air filter, cabin air filter, pcv, check battery, cvt fluid and both filters, rear end fluid if it's awd.

Clean the fuel injectors by using 2 bottles of RedLin SI -1 at around 20 gallons to one bottle ratio for several tanks of fuel. And use another bottle every 20,000 miles to keep them clean.

There good for 200,000 to 300,000 miles, but you gots to do those maintance items when required.
 
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Given the non turbo preference, Mazda or Toyota although you'll have to get a substantially older Toyota given the prices they are currently bringing.
 
The Forester isn't bad, and still available with a non-turbo. Also, no DI before 2019, either. It has a double DIN radio, regular parking brake (not the EPB)

There's also the Mitsubishi Outlander.

For maximum fuel economy, there's the C-Max. Even the plugin C-Max can be had for under 15k.
 
As many folks know here at BITOG, I own a popular car buying service on Facebook. I usually focus on 2016 and newer vehicles with under 60k miles.

It just so happens that the two best picks for your dad have already been mentioned.

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
Ford C-Max Hybrid

If your dad does a lot of driving I would stick with the C-Max. If he does less than 7K a year, I would opt for the Outlander Sport instead. A lot of hybrids hate to sit in the sun and in the heat, and if your dad may be the type that will be in the hospital or unable to drive for a long period of time, that may impact the hybrid battery in the long run.

The Outlander Sport is based on tried and true mechanicals that are usually quite reliable. Much more so than the older Subarus and the Honda CR-V that would be in this price range. The former are overpriced and generally get CVT issues as time goes on because most of the owners never touch the CVT fluid.

The 2012 through 2016 CR-V engine requires shorter oci than what Honda recommends. I'm seeing a ton of them with issues at the wholesale level, which is why I only buy late model versions with low miles when it comes to the CR-V.

If you're interested in what's available at the wholesale level, feel free to PM me. All the best.
 
Escape08 said:
Not so small and not too big, a mid-size 2010-2012 Toyota 4Runner. Right on the money for $15K or less. It's got this timeless design. It's more comfortable than a small SUV. It's great for bringing his grandkids to baseball game or go fishing. A lot of space inside the vehicle
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He has problems getting in my truck so that's a no go.
 
Al said:
Not a fan of used...period.
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I know all the technicians wanted all our cars as a select two did all the services with overkill fluids. Always drained cvt fluid every 15k or sooner. Our mechanic for the Mercedes bought it back years later because he did the valve adjustments every 20k. If i see a one owner since new car with lots of miles, those are my favorite ones. Throwing a car away once it gets to 100-150k just says they cant take care of car and its apparently never been a peace of mind vehicle from the first mile.
 
So I have seen some Ford Edge's with a 3.5l I assume naturally aspirated and Jeep Cherokee's with the 3.2l Pentastar. I've had good luck with it's bigger brother the 3.6 and these can be had with some low mileage compared to other cars. Thoughts?
 
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