Advice on purchasing my first vehicle (SUV)

[MaxPower]

Also OP,

Stay away from any vehicles owned by any Tubs.....the seats are usually destroyed, arm rest areas are usually muck stained and sunken in and a stench comes with it.

[Rovin]

agreed with what honk kong & 007 said , too much smartmen & dutty men out here wanna get rid of their abused cars , very rare to get a non-abused ride


that why for me i rather chance a foreign use that still fairly original with honest non-dialed back mileage ...

[nervewrecker]

subaru forester

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Imagine op get all this useful info and buy something nobody recommended....

[sweeks]

forget that prado and lexus

In a few months ... when the flooding starts, that prado might come in handy ...

[sweeks]

that why for me i rather chance a foreign use that still fairly original with honest non-dialed back mileage ...

Is that available anymore?? Aren't the RoRo / Foreign mileage tampered with??

[Joshie23]

OP, $75k for any used vehicle has its risks. SUVs/Crossovers are experiencing better resale value than cars now so with a $75k max budget, you won’t be getting an exceptional vehicle. Sellers today are also very unethical and the truth is, not all of them are migrating or already upgraded. They are passing a headache onto you and they might have been somewhat successful in hiding some problems to make you feel all is well but no longer than a month into ownership, you visiting mechanic to fix blown gaskets and worn transmissions etc.

That said, of all the vehicles you highlighted, I would say go for the:

00-05 XA20 RAV4 with the 1AZ-FE engine
05-12 XA30 RAV4 with the 1AZ-FE engine
01-06 RD4 CRV with the K20A4 engine
02-13 T30 X-Trail with the QR20DE engine

Stay far from from a 13-19 XA40 RAV4 because if ever you see one selling for under $100k, tell yourself it’s a wrecked vehicle and the seller failed to mention that it’s a half-cut they advertising.

Stay far from the 06-11 RE CRV with the R20A engine. Consider one with the K24 motor (yes there are a few out there) but good luck finding one under $100k. If you do find a K24 3rd gen for sale at your asking price, refer to XA40 RAV4 comments above or they selling the vehicle minus the transmission.

Stay away from T31 and T32 Xtrails period regardless of the asking price unless you like headache. In terms of the T30s, there are actually some QR25DE units around with additional features. If you do manage to get one of these well taken care of at your asking price then take it ASAP.

Try to stick with local used, not foreign abused with single or multiple local owners. Also, don’t even think about buying a used Forester that is more than a decade old. That vehicle will make you broke and if it’s chaos you like, a used 1st gen Kia Sorento 2.5 diesel will seal the deal for you. Utter rubbish.

Well written piece as usual, Double O. Does anyone know what the fuel economy is like for the T30 X-Trails, both the QR20 and the SR20 VET model?

[Joshie23]

OP have you considered a Grand Vitara. You may be able to get the 2006-2010 model for around your budget.

I have considered the grand vitara but i was told parts are expensive and hard to find and they aren't as reliable as the others listed.

Thanks for the advice from everyone else, i will narrow my search with the advice given.

I was looking at one of these with a damaged engine, as a business opportunity. I changed my mind when I was quoted $45,000 for a F/U engine and transmission.

[RedVEVO]

^^

Do not buy a hybrid .

They are disposable like a bic razor.

[hustla_ambition101]

OP, $75k for any used vehicle has its risks. SUVs/Crossovers are experiencing better resale value than cars now so with a $75k max budget, you won’t be getting an exceptional vehicle. Sellers today are also very unethical and the truth is, not all of them are migrating or already upgraded. They are passing a headache onto you and they might have been somewhat successful in hiding some problems to make you feel all is well but no longer than a month into ownership, you visiting mechanic to fix blown gaskets and worn transmissions etc.

That said, of all the vehicles you highlighted, I would say go for the:

00-05 XA20 RAV4 with the 1AZ-FE engine
05-12 XA30 RAV4 with the 1AZ-FE engine
01-06 RD4 CRV with the K20A4 engine
02-13 T30 X-Trail with the QR20DE engine

Stay far from from a 13-19 XA40 RAV4 because if ever you see one selling for under $100k, tell yourself it’s a wrecked vehicle and the seller failed to mention that it’s a half-cut they advertising.

Stay far from the 06-11 RE CRV with the R20A engine. Consider one with the K24 motor (yes there are a few out there) but good luck finding one under $100k. If you do find a K24 3rd gen for sale at your asking price, refer to XA40 RAV4 comments above or they selling the vehicle minus the transmission.

Stay away from T31 and T32 Xtrails period regardless of the asking price unless you like headache. In terms of the T30s, there are actually some QR25DE units around with additional features. If you do manage to get one of these well taken care of at your asking price then take it ASAP.

Try to stick with local used, not foreign abused with single or multiple local owners. Also, don’t even think about buying a used Forester that is more than a decade old. That vehicle will make you broke and if it’s chaos you like, a used 1st gen Kia Sorento 2.5 diesel will seal the deal for you. Utter rubbish.

Well written piece as usual, Double O. Does anyone know what the fuel economy is like for the T30 X-Trails, both the QR20 and the SR20 VET model?

sr20 engines are guzzlers, T30 with qr is very fuel efficient. The abused ones used by the ttps do not burn much gas so imagine one that is serviced timely

[Joshie23]

sr20 engines are guzzlers, T30 with qr is very fuel efficient. The abused ones used by the ttps do not burn much gas so imagine one that is serviced timely

Thanks for the reply, but do you any numbers? Like mileage per tank and what not?

[hustla_ambition101]

sr20 engines are guzzlers, T30 with qr is very fuel efficient. The abused ones used by the ttps do not burn much gas so imagine one that is serviced timely

Thanks for the reply, but do you any numbers? Like mileage per tank and what not?

unfortunately nope.

[agent007]

Those QR20DE's are much improved in terms of fuel economy of say a P11 Primera with a SR20DE. SR20VET GT XTrails (T30) are very rare and are not very efficient in gas mileage. I would say, stay far from those roro T30 GT's.

Our local T31 with the QR25DE engine could have easily managed 500kms per tank. Impressive thanks to EPS, intake CVTC and Jatco Xtronic CVT.

NB. All T30's have belt-driven power assist steering. Anyone who wants to talk Xtrails in further detail, pm me.

[Ted_v2]

forester
xtrail
in that order.

between the surf and the prado u could roll a dice, 1kz in both i think. Suspension on the prado have plenty room to modify. surf too.

[yvan300]

Stay far from the 06-11 RE CRV with the R20A engine. Consider one with the K24 motor (yes there are a few out there) but good luck finding one under $100k. If you do find a K24 3rd gen for sale at your asking price, refer to XA40 RAV4 comments above or they selling the vehicle minus the transmission.

Whats wrong with the RE Crv with the R20A engine? Actually considering this purchase.

[snatman]

The wife's Rav 4 uses more gas than my Forester...

[SNIPER 3000]

[quote="agent007"]OP, $75k for any used vehicle has its risks. SUVs/Crossovers are experiencing better resale value than cars now so with a $75k max budget, you won’t be getting an exceptional vehicle. Sellers today are also very unethical and the truth is, not all of them are migrating or already upgraded. They are passing a headache onto you and they might have been somewhat successful in hiding some problems to make you feel all is well but no longer than a month into ownership, you visiting mechanic to fix blown gaskets and worn transmissions etc.

That said, of all the vehicles you highlighted, I would say go for the:

00-05 XA20 RAV4 with the 1AZ-FE engine
05-12 XA30 RAV4 with the 1AZ-FE engine
01-06 RD4 CRV with the K20A4 engine
02-13 T30 X-Trail with the QR20DE engine

Stay far from from a 13-19 XA40 RAV4 because if ever you see one selling for under $100k, tell yourself it’s a wrecked vehicle and the seller failed to mention that it’s a half-cut they advertising.

Stay far from the 06-11 RE CRV with the R20A engine. Consider one with the K24 motor (yes there are a few out there) but good luck finding one under $100k. If you do find a K24 3rd gen for sale at your asking price, refer to XA40 RAV4 comments above or they selling the vehicle minus the transmission.

Stay away from T31 and T32 Xtrails period regardless of the asking price unless you like headache. In terms of the T30s, there are actually some QR25DE units around with additional features. If you do manage to get one of these well taken care of at your asking price then take it ASAP.

Try to stick with local used, not foreign abused with single or multiple local owners. Also, don’t even think about buying a used Forester that is more than a decade old. That vehicle will make you broke and if it’s chaos you like, a used 1st gen Kia Sorento 2.5 diesel will seal the deal for you. Utter rubbish.[/quote

So agent you did not say which is your preferred option? Is the 2009 rav4 a good buy? Compare to the t30?

[Picasso]

Long daily commute Rav 4 all day. We own a RD5 CRV and it is a tad bit heavier on the gas but very very reliable

[agent007]

SNIPER, I'll take the XA30 2.0 or 2.4 over the T30 because of better online support. On the flipside, bamboo support is better for the T30.

Yvan, nothing substantial. The R20A is actually a good engine. It's just that the Honda fanboys swear on the K-series over the R-series.

[casper]

so what did the OP end up buying?

[gastly369]

Ah hot wheels 1:64

so what did the OP end up buying?

[QM]

rav 4