 |
Kyle's Corner - Some Good
Used SUVs for Your Money
By Kyle Busch
It is nearing the time when many people look to buy
sport-utility vehicles. Who can blame them? Today's
SUVs are not only reliable and refined enough to
provide a slow paced fall drive but they also have
the ability to tackle winter weather at its worst.
The cost of new SUVs are expensive. However,
there are several used SUVs that you might want
to consider. The following vehicles all have good
ratings and they are available at substantial
savings.
Four SUVs worth your consideration:
- The Subaru Forester is a small SUV with
one of the best all-wheel drive systems in the
industry. New Forester Ls cost $20,000-$24,000.
You can buy (if you shop carefully) a used 2000 Forester
L with 25,000-30,000 miles for about $14,500-$15,500. I
consider this SUV to be an good value for this price. The
vehicle should still have at least 6 months remaining on
the manufacturer's 3 year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty
and 2.5 years remaining on the 5 year/60,000 mile power
train (engine and transmission) warranty. This SUV can be
driven for hundreds of thousands of miles.
- The Toyota 4Runner been around for a long time
and for good reason. It is one of America's most
popular SUVs. For 2002, the four cylinder engine
on the base model has been replaced with the six
cylinder engine. New 4Runners cost $25-000-$34,000.
You can buy (if you shop carefully) a 2000
4Runner with 25,000-30,000 miles for about
$19,000-$21,500. This vehicle should also have
at least 6 months remaining on the manufacturer's
3 year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty
and 2.5 years remaining on the 5 year/60,000
mile power train warranty. The 4Runner can be
driven for hundreds of thousands of miles.
- The Nissan Pathfinder has also been a reliable
SUV. New Pathfinders cost $24,000-$32,000.
Nissan does not quite have the name of the
Toyota. Therefore, you can buy (if you shop
carefully) a 2000 Pathfinder with 25,000-30,000
miles for about $17,000-$19,500. This vehicle
should also have at least 6 months remaining
on the manufacturer's 3 year/36,000 mile
bumper-to-bumper warranty and 2.5 years
remaining on the 5 year/60,000 mile power
train warranty.This vehicle will also provide
many years of dependable transportation.
- The Honda CRV is also represents a good
value in a small SUV. New CRVs cost
$21,000-25,000.
If you are on a transportation budget, you
can buy (if you shop carefully) a 1998 CRV with
50,000-60,000 miles for about $11,000-$12,000.
At this age and mileage, the vehicle will likely not
include any remaining manufacturer's warranty.
None the less, the CRV is quite reliable and
economical to drive. This small SUV can provide
years of good transportation service.
If you are in the market for a SUV, do your
homework. Consult Consumer Report's vehicle
issue (April). Also, be sure to read a couple of
archived new SUV road tests (review road tests
that were conducted at the time the vehicle was
new) on the used vehicle of interest in auto
magazines (many are archived at your local library)
or Internet sources such as Car and Driver, Motor
Trend, Road & Track, or MotorWeek. Information
from the road tests will allow you to zero in on
which of the SUVs discussed above will be the
best for you.
For example, if you prefer a SUV that can really
tackle off road conditions; consider the 4Runner
or the Pathfinder. However, if price is the major
consideration and you do not plan to go off road,
consider the Forester or the CRV. Last, but not
least, if you are going to buy a 2 to 3 year-old
SUV, try to get the 2000 model rather than the
199... model. Years down the road when you
sell the vehicle, the 2000 model will be worth
more than the "past century" vehicle.
How to Evaluate a Used Vehicle:
Kyle Busch is the author of Drive the Best for the
Price: How to Buy a Used Automobile, Sport-Utility
Vehicle, or Minivan and Save Money. 1 800 839-8640
or www.drivethebestbook.com. The web site accepts
all transportation questions.
|
|
