my sister wants to buy a new car since her stratus has 55000 miles on it and it's a 99 (and its a stratus). also she wants to take advantage of the no interest deals they have. she wants a mid-size suv (explorer, liberty,etc...). isn't concerned w/ power, just safety. my question to all is: what would you recommend she gets. i'm trying to gather all of the opinions i can to give her. thanks.

whats her budget like?

The new 2002 Chevy Trailblazers are nice. So are the Toyota Highlander's.

Originally posted by Nismoboy1
whats her budget like? .

obviously the cheaper the better, but i think around 25-30K

What are her requirments for the SUV? Towing capacity, cargo, off-road capability? For the price these boats sell for she can get a nice car. Try and steer her in the right direction. ;)

Unless of course she is needs to tow a boat or like off-roading and REAL camping. :)

Oh, hey what the hell is this doing in the G20 forum? :confused:

Moved

Originally posted by G-Forces
What are her requirments for the SUV? Towing capacity, cargo, off-road capability? For the price these boats sell for she can get a nice car. Try and steer her in the right direction. ;)

Unless of course she is needs to tow a boat or like off-roading and REAL camping. :)

ha. she's not towing anything except her make-up bag. she will never tow anything. as far as cargo-she doesn't need a lot. similar space to a trunk would be okay. she'll probably never take the car off road-i otoh will probably take it through some shrubbery. she basically wants the 4wd capability for the snow here in denver. she wants the safety of the suv in the winter time (minus the tip-over factor).

Originally posted by G-Forces
Oh, hey what the hell is this doing in the G20 forum? :confused:

Moved

i had to try

Originally posted by G-Forces
Oh, hey what the hell is this doing in the G20 forum? :confused:

Moved

Because he has a G20 and he wanted to ask us G20 owners what we thought. Right?:confused:

Hehe, nice try. :)

Anyway the safety factor on SUVs is really misleading. Try and get her looking at a Subaru or the Passat 4-motion. An AWD car would be much better on snowy roads and safer to boot.

Honestly I think most people use the 4WD thing as an excuse to buy a status symbol. That's all SUV's are to the majority of people who by them. We get a lot of snow here in Toronto too. But the traffic slow to a crawl and there really is no need for AWD. You just get going faster but FWD, RWD, AWD cars all stop the same. Lighter would actually be better. :)

Try that argument on her. :p

Well...you could ask if she's tested a late model QX4. I'm sure the red carpet treatment at the local dealership will leave a lasting impression.

:coolguy: :coolguy:

Or just get a WRX Wagon :D Those are pretty nice. AWD, turbo, ultimate sleeper. I wish they sold a Primera Wagon (WP10 or WP11?) and dropped in a DET :eek: oh yeah, make it AWD too. (WHP10 or WHP11?) I think those model codes are correct? (for G20 content haha)

HELLOOOOOOOOO RETARD! G-Forces is completly right. SUVs are not safe, by any stretch of the imagination. Get a AWD car, and you'll be better off in any situation on roads. Lower center of gravity, lighter (less momentum, easier to stop and turn) smaller fuel bills, better performance year round, I could go on forever. Society has to get it through their heads that SUVs are not safe.

Originally posted by verboom
HELLOOOOOOOOO RETARD! G-Forces is completly right. SUVs are not safe, by any stretch of the imagination. Get a AWD car, and you'll be better off in any situation on roads. Lower center of gravity, lighter (less momentum, easier to stop and turn) smaller fuel bills, better performance year round, I could go on forever. Society has to get it through their heads that SUVs are not safe.

the car is not for me. had you read the thread you would've known that. i'm just getting opinions for my sister. she said she wanted a mid-size suv-so i'm checking out opinions.

i'm now trying to get her into a a4 quattro or a 325xi (awd).

i don't know about suvs not being safe. true they have their downfalls and 90% of people who own them will never take them off road. but if i'm driving in a snow storm up rabbit ears pass (by steamboat springs, colorado) i sure as hell would take my dads dakota (4wd) over any awd car

Originally posted by verboom
HELLOOOOOOOOO RETARD!Completely inappropriate. :mad: Do not disrespect other AF members!

Originally posted by greekman
but if i'm driving in a snow storm up rabbit ears pass (by steamboat springs, colorado) i sure as hell would take my dads dakota (4wd) over any awd car
If it's a dirt trail I would have to agree with ya, but on a paved road I'll take the AWD car. The quattos and AWD cars usually have about an extra 1/2" ride height. Anyway it's all just opinion.

A Chevy Blazer might be what shes looking for. They look reasonablly good, have decent power and aren't too expensive.

Originally posted by YogsVR4
A Chevy Blazer might be what shes looking for. They look reasonablly good, have decent power and aren't too expensive.

Make that a Trailblazer. Blazers suck.

Originally posted by Mrcoilover


Make that a Trailblazer. Blazers suck.

Sounds ok by me.

Look, don't tell me not to disrespect other members. There is a few people I really respect here, and they have earned my respect. Others, who preach about how good SUV's are, do not deserve my respect. The fact remains that to be the safest in a snowstorm, get something with the minimum amount of ground clearance you can, and this is more than likely going to be an AWD car, if you stay on the road.

Originally posted by verboom
Look, don't tell me not to disrespect other members. There is a few people I really respect here, and they have earned my respect. Others, who preach about how good SUV's are, do not deserve my respect. Disagreement is fine. Disrespect is not.
From AF Guidelines (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/guidelines.html)
DON'T ATTACK EACH OTHER
Don't attack others. Personal attacks on others will not be tolerated. Challenge others' points of view and opinions, but do so respectfully and thoughtfully ... without insult and personal attack.

I would buy a car, a 4wd car if necessary. Otherwise, Grand Cherokee (with out the up country package.) Or a Trail Blazer/ GMC Envoy.

i'm still trying to get her into a car. i agree w/ most of you guys in that suvs are over-rated. she wanted one initially so i proposed the question. if she was to get a suv-i'm recommending the trailblazer or 4runner. the 4runner is way underpowered though.

i'd rather see her get a car. right now i've recommended-
audi a4 quattro: new body style, probably get the 2.0 engine
bmw 325xi: i don't know too much about this model, just the bmw reputation
subaru wrx: she doesn't know about these, but i'd like to see her get one b/c of the subaru awd reputation. also these have nice power.

of the 3- she would probably get the audi. i would probably recommend the audi of the 3 anyway. the only hold-up is the wrx is about $5k less than the other 2 so that might steer her decision.

Originally posted by verboom
Look, don't tell me not to disrespect other members. There is a few people I really respect here, and they have earned my respect. Others, who preach about how good SUV's are, do not deserve my respect. The fact remains that to be the safest in a snowstorm, get something with the minimum amount of ground clearance you can, and this is more than likely going to be an AWD car, if you stay on the road.

i don't mind the opinion and like i wrote earlier-i agree with you that suvs are way over-rated in all aspects. i never preached about suv greatness, i just posed the question. i'd rather she get a car anyway. jay was just doing his job so don't get mad at him. i'm not going to act like some internet toughguy, but i do agree that calling me a retard was inappropriate. i don't mind disagreement, but name calling is just childish. bottom line-i'm cool with you, i don't have any qualms against you, i just felt the name calling was inappropriate.

SUV's suck, trust me, i have one. They ARE a stauts symbol, but a waste of gas. WTF does one need a 4 liter v6 or larger engine to transport 1 kid and his soccer ball around? The 4wd models suck up so much gas, it Isnt even funny, and stopping those monsters is a bitch and a hlaf, especially in the snow. I would take the advice of going with an AWD car.

i have a 93 pathfinder btw, and these beasts are just hard to control on normal days, when the weather gets bad, i dont even notice when i spin the tires anymore in the rain. It's horrid. Get a car, in all seriousness. Its kinda funny that right when the time that all the experts warn us that we're aobut to run out of gas, people start buying up gas guzzling SUV's. It's dumb really.

I hate SUV's prob more than any1 i know but the questioned asked was not which is better awd cars or SUV's but what we think are good SUV's so let's try to help out. I have never owned an SUV but I have driven 5 types and i think they cover a broad range. 96' Explorer,Isuzu Rodeo, 99' Jeep Grand Cherokee, 99' Isuzu Rodeo.

Prob the one's I liked the least were the 2 Isuzu's mostly because I hate the tippy feeling SUV's have and the 2 felt the most scary when taking any type of turn. But they were good in the snow but when u got on the highway they felt like they didn't have enough power to get out of thier own way.
The Explorer was very nice inside didn't have much of that tippy feeling as far as SUV's go and had enough power for the size of the car but in the snow the Explorer's 4-wheel drive is very sketchy.
The Jeep I feel is the best SUV i have driven it had a 5.2 liter engine that makes this massive car do a 15 sec 1/4 mile plenty of power for gettin onto those jammed highways. Also this is those most sure footed thing in the snow you will ever drive. You can floor it up a steep as hill covered in snow and it will go completely straight no problems. Also for a big vehicle and has barely any of that SUV tippy feeling.

I have been in AWD cars in the snow and the are fine but if I lived in Colorado those AWD cars cannot handle what the Jeep will. Also AWD have higher clearance than regular cars but in a place that it can snow a foot in a 1/2 hour you gonna wish you had that SUV that sits a 11/2' of ground clearance.

I hate SUV's prob more than any1 i know but the questioned asked was not which is better awd cars or SUV's but what we think are good SUV's so let's try to help out. I have never owned an SUV but I have driven 5 types and i think they cover a broad range. 96' Explorer,Isuzu Rodeo, 99' Jeep Grand Cherokee, 99' Isuzu Rodeo.

Prob the one's I liked the least were the 2 Isuzu's mostly because I hate the tippy feeling SUV's have and the 2 felt the most scary when taking any type of turn. But they were good in the snow but when u got on the highway they felt like they didn't have enough power to get out of thier own way.
The Explorer was very nice inside didn't have much of that tippy feeling as far as SUV's go and had enough power for the size of the car but in the snow the Explorer's 4-wheel drive is very sketchy.
The Jeep I feel is the best SUV i have driven it had a 5.2 liter engine that makes this massive car do a 15 sec 1/4 mile plenty of power for gettin onto those jammed highways. Also this is those most sure footed thing in the snow you will ever drive. You can floor it up a steep as hill covered in snow and it will go completely straight no problems. Also for a big vehicle and has barely any of that SUV tippy feeling.

I have been in AWD cars in the snow and the are fine but if I lived in Colorado those AWD cars cannot handle what the Jeep will. Also AWD have higher clearance than regular cars but in a place that it can snow a foot in a 1/2 hour you gonna wish you had that SUV that sits a 11/2' of ground clearance. Also some of you guys who cry bout SUV's gas guzzling are the same guys like me who drive Supercharged 12sec 1/4 mile cars on the street, aren't we just as bad?

Originally posted by verboom
HELLOOOOOOOOO RETARD! G-Forces is completly right. SUVs are not safe, by any stretch of the imagination. Get a AWD car, and you'll be better off in any situation on roads. Lower center of gravity, lighter (less momentum, easier to stop and turn) smaller fuel bills, better performance year round, I could go on forever. Society has to get it through their heads that SUVs are not safe. m sorry to say but my girl owns a 98 Isuzu Amigo and That thing has a better turning radius than my car does........and it also gets better gas mileage than my car as well......