When there are no vehicles you want to buy..

Mazda what?

We're not in a hurry and it makes sense to wait while the used market cools down or even tanks. I'm not set on old school body on frame or solid front axle 4x4, just nothing else in that $20k, 2013 up range seems like a fit. @Silverado12, we'll give the new Cherokee a look, I'm stuck on it's old rep.
Whatever fits your requirements and is fairly newer. If you want a midsize suv/cuv, you’re looking at a CX-5. You want full-size, CX-9.
 
That's why I keep fixing my 03 and 04 Pontiac Vibe GTs. I like to think that both cars still have a lot of life in them but I have no idea what I'd settle for if one of them is in an accident. No new cars interest me. And the thought of having to beg a dealer to not price-gouge is sickening.

There's zero chance we'll see this ever again: Fun, sporty, dependable 2WD hatchback/wagon with manual transmission for under $20K new that will last 300K miles, get 30 mpg and rev to 8,600 RPM.
 
The regular Cherokee is very good once you get 2017+. My wife has a 2018 that's only had one issue and it was covered under warranty (service shifter light was on). These are very good cars but the first couple years hurt their reputation. Also, it's the most American made car obtainable if that matters to anyone.
Rear knuckles are the weak spot on Cherokees. Tend to go bad anywhere from 40,000 miles and up. Guaranteed to have to replace them at 80,000 miles.
$1500 with labor per side, and they are an OEM part only. Continuously on back order status.
Front struts are problems as well.
 
My issue is that I really hate the looks of many newer vehicles. They are uninspiring in shape, and often very polarizing otherwise which does not usually age very well. The current (outgoing?) Cherokee is one of those vehicles. The Grand Cherokee WK2 looks a bit better IMO.

My father owns a 2020 5.7L Grand Cherokee, and it has been good so far, he also owned a 2013 GC trailhawk and took it to 200k miles before the engine (5.7L hemi) started having issues. Besides that it was a fairly trouble-free vehicle, considering he tows a dump trailer every other weekend that weighs 2500 lbs empty, was in three accidents with it that came close to totaling it (two were his fault), and has a bit of a lead foot.

The other vehicles I would consider are a Mazda CX-5, as I have family and friends in my circle that seem to love theirs, and they do drive well, or a Rav4 hybrid.

I wouldn't consider any CUVs from GM, Ford, Hyundai, or Kia.
 
Rear knuckles are the weak spot on Cherokees. Tend to go bad anywhere from 40,000 miles and up. Guaranteed to have to replace them at 80,000 miles.
$1500 with labor per side, and they are an OEM part only. Continuously on back order status.
Front struts are problems as well.
Solid gold from someone on the inside. Appreciate it. (y)
 
There is always the fear that today's stuff won't last. We thought the same things 10 and 20 years ago. What actually happened is that vehicles (except Hyundai/Kia) became ever more reliable.

Although I completely agree with the OP, many of today's offerings are uninteresting, almost to the point of being repulsive. Every once in a while, something stands out.
I can't believe you said that about H/K. The herds of their followers will soon show up to chastise you...
 
Whatever fits your requirements and is fairly newer. If you want a midsize suv/cuv, you’re looking at a CX-5. You want full-size, CX-9.
I'll second the recommendation for the CX-9. My wife and I have had one for almost 3 years now (a 2017 model) and we absolutely love it...
 
I can't believe you said that about H/K. The herds of their followers will soon show up to chastise you...
I hear my in-law's older Tucson and it has a real sewing machine clatter to it, makes me wonder. I attribute that mostly to the DI but who knows!
 
I'll second the recommendation for the CX-9. My wife and I have had one for almost 3 years now (a 2017 model) and we absolutely love it...

Whilst I do like the room of a minivan, I still wish we’d have gotten a CX-9 like we were looking at before buying our van. Qqqqq
 
Whilst I do like the room of a minivan, I still wish we’d have gotten a CX-9 like we were looking at before buying our van. Qqqqq
Looked at many a CX-9 before settling on something smaller. We only have 2 kids though so it's not a huge loss.
 
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Sounds about like the minefield that my wife is tromping through.

I'm a J-Series Honda guy, but she wants a 2014+ Pilot... VCM Ruined that motor to a certain extent.

Or a Wrangler, we already have one Stellantis vehicle in the family, and it is a pile, plus Wranglers are overpriced in this area and as much as she wants one, she's never driven one and I don't think she'll like it. We'll probably rent one at some point.

Ideally, she'd like a new Bronco, but we're not spending that kind of money on a car. Not even if they come back down to earth unless the market well and truly craters and I can pick up a super base model and throw my spare set of alloy Ranger wheels on it. I'm comfortable with the 2.3L and to a slightly lesser extent, the 10R60, I think I can make those last a long time.

In reality, I'm going to keep the 2003 Accord going for her until the wheels fall off and we're forced to make a decision on something. Even then it won't be an emergency as she'll just drive the Ranger and I'll daily the TL for a bit.
The six cylinder engines in the Honda Pilot have a timing belt instead of a timing chain and that needs to be replaced at every hundred thousand miles. That's a little bit more than $2,000 to have that done by a mechanic. There's a lot of stuff that has to get removed and put back to do that job. It's a shame they didn't put a timing chain in there or even a double timing chain. Timing chains can be chosen to be strong enough to last for north of 250000 miles and it's not that big a deal to do it. It might make a little more noise but if you're someone who keeps a vehicle for a long time dropping $2,000 every hundred thousand miles is not something to look forward to. So keep that in mind if you're looking at a high mileage pilot.
 
I'm very happy with my 2016 Honda CRV EX with the CVT. Changing the tranny fluid isn't much harder than doing an oil change. There is a filter but it's a cartridge like an oil filter and from what I've read on the Honda CRV Owners Club forum and a few YouTube videos you shouldn't think about replacing that filter until about 85,000 miles. But the CVT fluid in them needs to be changed often and it's really smart to only use the Honda fluid to do it. But you can buy that at some of the Honda online parts and fluid stores for a lot less than what they sell it at the dealer. And it's the same stuff. The rear end fluid in the all-wheel drive version of the CRV needs to be changed fairly often also. And again on this one you can really only use the correct Honda fluid for it. But it only takes about a quart and a half to do it. And it's not that hard of a job to do it yourself. The first rear end fluid change should be done somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 miles on the Honda CRV all-wheel drive. After that it doesn't need to be changed as often. But it's still something you have to do on a fairly regular basis like maybe every 25,000. All in all Honda makes very reliable vehicles. One of the sayings is that Honda is an engine manufacturing company that happens to make vehicles. In other words a big part of what Honda does right is their engines. If you have an opportunity to test drive a 2015 or a 2016 Honda CRV be sure to try the trany in the S (sport) mode. When you put it in sport mode it continuously keeps the CVT at a different ratio than it would normally so that the engine will rev a little bit higher and you can get more horsepower out of it quicker. It also changes the throttle response so that when you press down on the accelerator pedal it really accelerates. It really is enjoyable to drive up a long winding Hill in the S Mode. The only problem you have is you have to take a little bit easier on the throttle because you have plenty enough power to roll that dang thing over if you keep into it on the throttle. If a Honda CRV is big enough for what you need I wouldn't discount it for having a CVT. It's a fun vehicle to drive they could decent gas mileage for its size. Beside changing the fluid on the CVT in the rear end once in awhile the only other serious upgrade I would suggest is that it's probably a good idea to put the 24f battery in it instead of the little 51r that comes with it. And you can buy the 24f battery in the 3-year Walmar guarantee MAXX version of that for a decent price anytime at Walmart. And if you look at the online sales sometimes you can catch it on rollback for a very low price. I pay $88 for a brand new one last September. It weighs 11 lb more than the 51r but has a lot more cold cranking amps and a lot more Reserve capacity. Stay away from White colored Honda vehicles because Honda still hasn't figured out how to get white paint to stay on the primer. I think it has something to do with their environmentally friendly paints that they try to use nowadays.
 
The six cylinder engines in the Honda Pilot have a timing belt instead of a timing chain and that needs to be replaced at every hundred thousand miles. That's a little bit more than $2,000 to have that done by a mechanic. There's a lot of stuff that has to get removed and put back to do that job. It's a shame they didn't put a timing chain in there or even a double timing chain. Timing chains can be chosen to be strong enough to last for north of 250000 miles and it's not that big a deal to do it. It might make a little more noise but if you're someone who keeps a vehicle for a long time dropping $2,000 every hundred thousand miles is not something to look forward to. So keep that in mind if you're looking at a high mileage pilot.
J series Timing belts are a non-issue for me. I already own 2 of those engines and think the system is just fine. I keep my vehicles a LONG time and a timing belt that is designed to be replaced, is better than a timing chain that is not in my book because I will keep a vehicle long enough that the chain will need replaced.

And, there's not "a lot of stuff has to be removed" to do the job. Generally, it is the covers, and an engine mount it's not a big deal.
 
The 2015 CRV did have a problem with a engine vibration at idle and Honda figured out that they had to change the way the radiator is mounted by adding some vibration dampers to it. But the way they wrote it up as a technical service bulletin was not something that they will do for free like a recall. But if you buy a certified Honda from a Honda dealer they're supposed to do all the technical service bulletins to it before it can be technically certified. The 2016 models already have that added to it.

Honda does have a system where it tries to go into a very low RPM idle if there is no significant load on the alternator. And in that very low idle mode it does not charge the battery very much and also sometimes you can feel a slight vibration from the motor. If you don't want it to do that all you have to do is either turn on the headlights or the air conditioner. If it's has either of those on it will consider it to be too high of a load to drop it down into the extra low RPM mode. Since I always drive with the headlights on anyhow for safety it's something I never have a problem with. By the way Honda has a system on the CRVs that if you leave the headlights on after a minute or so it will automatically shut them off so you don't drain the battery even if you still have the headlight switch on the side of the steering wheel column selecting the headlights to be on. That's kind of a nice feature to have because if you ever walking away from the vehicle and you're thinking that I remember to turn them off, then you realize so what if I didn't the vehicle would shut them off anyhow.
 
In 2017 the Honda CRV in the United States went to the 1.5 L turbocharged except for the lowest trim level. And for the first several years quite a few owners complained that there was too much gasoline getting past the Pistons and into the oil. This apparently is more of a problem in northern states where the engine runs cold longer during startup and also can be aggravated if it has a lot of short tripping with the engine not running too long. Honda did a software update to try to stop this problem but my understanding is that the software update gives low priority to heating the cabin of the vehicle and makes it tougher to get the inside of the vehicle warm enough to be comfortable. So I would stay away from the 1.5 L unless you live in a Southern state.
 
I really think the 2016 Honda CRVs with the naturally aspirated 2.4 l and a CVT is a really nice combination that gets good reliability and good gas mileage.
 
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