Ive had 2 diesels by VW. You should be very concerned about the timing belts around 100k and I believe it was the dpf and adblue heaters. I sold mine back to VW at 115k. Made a decent chunk.
So my wife got a big bonus and she wants a new SUV ??
- Thread starter BobbyBReloaded1975
- Start date
Lexus is hard to beat. But I would definitely check out the new Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride.
Both dominated best SUV reviews in 2020 By far the most bang for your buck if you want new in the 35-45 price range.
Both dominated best SUV reviews in 2020 By far the most bang for your buck if you want new in the 35-45 price range.
G
agree, the stigma of kia and Hyundai should be long gone by now...they are great cars and you get the most bang for your buck. It rides nice also.
Take your woman to Charlotte. That’s the closest Tesla dealer unless you’re closer to Atlanta. They do encourage appointments but it’ll be well worth it. Plus you can look at any other car in the area and get some really great food and make a date night out of it.
The biggest plus is if you’re ever in a wreck you’d be hard pressed to find a safer car than a Tesla. I’ve owned it a year and my only regret was not getting it sooner. In that year I’ve spent probably $300 on the car and that’s because I went to Nebraska and back in it. SuperchargIng is much less than gas and only needed if you’re driving a 200 miles or more without going home. Usually going to cost about $5 and 20 minutes of your time at most.
Was yours part of the dirty diesel buy back program. I lucked out on that. Put about 80,000 on a used one and then got full market price back. It was too good a deal from the government to pass up.
Gert a PORSCHE. The AUDI above is the direction you want to go but MAKE SURE you buy a Certified Pre-owned from a Dealer. I've owned about every make/model mentioned on here and I'm also a Mechanical engineer that loves cars so I follow the trends closely.
Don't brush this off, you need to seriously consider getting one of the VW Group's Diesel SUV's , which the Audi Q7 above is as well as the Porsche Cayenne.
I would highly recommend getting a 2015 or 2016 Porsche Cayenne Diesel. I did three years ago when the EPA released them for sale again and it is AMAZING!!!
My 2015 Cayenne had an original sticker of over $90k and I paid a little over $50k for it with only 17k miles, never titled, still owned by Porsche when I bought it like brand new. And it has an unlimited mileage warranty to July of 2023.
The VW Group designed these diesels to be their go to most popular vehicle and spent billions developing them and then afoul of the EPA and had to let them sit for 2 years and stop making them to appease the Environmental Idiots.
My Cayenne also gets 33 MPG going 80+ on the Hwy. It gets 30 MPG horsing it around town and it will FLY.
It has a 7700# towing capacity, can drive over 700 miles between fuel stops (~29 gallon fuel tank), is whisper quite on the road, accelerates like a drag car, handles like a sports car, has the most comfortable seats you will ever sit in, has leather over every surface in the car (full dash covering, doors, handles, everything), and has a stereo that will split your ear drums with concert quality sound.
It is a JOY to drive. I look forward to going anywhere in it because it is so much fun to drive.
And no, the maintenance is not that expensive. The only place I let touch is a certified Porsche dealership and they do a full maintenance on it about twice a year and it costs about $250 bucks and they give us another Porsche to drive until the next day. I commonly ask for a 718 Cayman 2-door sports car and just go have fun for an afternoon in it. it's like renting a dream car twice a year.
Best car/experience I've ever owned. BE WARNED, If you go test drive one, your wife will want to buy it. BUT ONLY GET THE DIESEL, DON'T GET THE GASOLINE VERSION. Porsche put all their eggs in developing the diesel version and it is much quieter and rides much better than the gas version. We've had the 2020 Cayenne as a loaner, and I wouldn't trade her 2015 Diesel for a 2020 gas version.
Now, if you don't want to look forward to driving somewhere in the car you get, GET THE HIGHLANDER as suggested many times above. They are THE BEST utilitarian vehicle made.
The wife bought a new 2019 Toyota Highlander. I wanted her to get the 4 Runner, but it's a great car. She had a Hyundai before it so this was a big step up. No issues whatsoever yet. But it's still pretty new with maybe 15K miles.
I was pleasantly surprised at the cost of a 4 Runner 4WD, but they looked outdated inside. And the salesman said there was no update coming for a couple years. Still, I would have bought one before a crossover SUV.
Haha. Well it seems like you both are happy. Good luck with the car search!
I paid 12,500 for mine and drove it for over a year and put 60k miles on it. Got almost 18k. I tried to buy more but people beat me to them. One dude bought like 15 of them. Netted over 100k.
These new diesels have a lot of pitfalls with the emissions. I mean I loved my jetta and passat but just be prepared. The mpg is insane though. I went to the Vanderbilt game in the passat with my buddy and we got around 45 mph rolling at 85-90 the entire way. I miss it but these emissions on these things are rolling timebombs.
As for the Highlander I drove a 19 and absolutely hated it. It just didn't compare to the ride in the Ascent at all. It looked better but that was about it to me. To each their own I guess.
A Jetta with a Diesel engine will get up and go but you’re right about the emissions. There’s a reason the government made them buy them all back. I enjoyed that car. Wish I would’ve bought ten when they were buying them back too.
The gov made VWG buy them back or fix them by turning on the emissions features. The ones they bought back they fixed and re-sold to distributors. (Guy I work with has a 2014 SEL Passat TDI and loves it).
My wife had a TDI Jetta that got incredible MPG. She was a Floater Nurse and put almost 200k on it before VW gave her $12,500. Hers was a 2009. I understand the 4 cylinder TDI's dropped about 9 MPG after the fix and the V6 TDI's dropped about 7 MPG afterward.
Both of our TDI Q7's have massive extended factory warranties for the power-trains, per the settlement. Hers is up in 2023, mine in 2025. At that point they will get the DEF deletes as the pump and reburn chamber is where all the issues with reliability come from.
Of course they will get the re-tune to get the lost power and MPG back where it was before the Govstapo mandated fix.
Another very happy Tesla owner here. We sold our Audi Q5 3.0 liter to get the P3. The Audi was great, 2016 model with slightly stale tech. Tesla tech evolves. A couple of friends from work have Model S and riding in them was a great experience. At 6' 4", I actually fit in the P3 better, more leg room. Driving this car is so fun, easy, intuitive. I strongly encourage a test drive. I would also look closely at the Model Y, though I haven't been in one.
Well guys the search ended this weekend . She bought a brand new Kia Sorento and loves . Can’t believe how nice it is . I definitely had a Kia stigma but after test driving a VW Atlas , a Grand Cherokee , Highlander and Honda Pilot the Sorento won hands down . 200,000 free power train to boot . Thanks for all the suggestions . It was definitely a major major help .
First thing to do when you find a car you like is “does it pass the door test”. Open and close the door from inside and out side and listen for that thang. When you hear the thang, walk away as it tells you the door is hollow and cheap...the new 4 runners do not pass this test...other cars as well.....so my wife got a VW Atlas (2019)and it a nice riding car with most bells and whistles.
DAMN, you should work for Porsche, but they’re butt ugly for a Porsche!
Last edited:
Not really . He had a price and an interest rate we were willing to pay going in and told them make it happen or no dice . They were great . Our salesman was phenomenal. He said he moved here from Nigeria Four years ago and barely spoke English and now he’s one of the top guys . Super good . No pressure , no haggling . Anything we asked for they delivered. I was pretty shocked . We did go to one dealer and had one guy who just fit the description of a “slimy salesman” jumped on us and we just left . Haha . I think times are way different now .
Haha the Atlas was definitely her second choice . We test drove one but it was $4000 more and didn’t really impress us anymore than the Sorento . It was very nice . We heard that the VW’s have issues with the sunroofs leaking . Not sure if there’s any truth to that .
I say Highlander too, I have a 2018 and it's flawless.
I also have three stratocasters(2 are G&L) I'm not using I should probably turn into cash. But I won't. Maybe one day I'll feel like letting them loose again.
You probably can't go wrong with a Toyota. We have a 09 Highlander. 167k miles and she still runs like a champ, not one problem. Pay it off and drive it forever.
Really love this thread because I love SUV's and guitars, here's a great article on Joe Henry on some of the old and new acoustic guitars he used on his Thrum CD, love the sound of those old big hole Gibson's!
acousticguitar.com
Guitar Talk: Joe Henry’s ‘Thrum’ Album Called for Serious Spontaneity
Henry chats about 'Thrum,' the guitars he used on it, and what he plays as a live performer.
acousticguitar.com
I bought a high end CRV in October of 2019. New. I was less than $30K, but not much. Once I learned how to use all the bells and whistles I've really enjoyed it. It has all the power I need for the Interstate. And it's a great garnet color. I don't even need to put a sticker on it!
Honda Element-carries all your crap and then you just open all the doors, tailgate and hatch and hose down everything. Best 5K i ever spent and will run forever.
I find this very hard to believe. I haven't tried one but my 05 with 300k on it would absolutely pass your test. Can't see why they would have changed since then. Also, and I'm not trying to argue here, everybody has their own opinion about cars. But back in 2013 we rented a Passat to drive to Miami to pick up an Altima I had bought for my daughter, and it was absolutely the most uncomfortable car I've ever driven. The Altima was far more comfortable. To each his own I guess but if someone gave me a new VW I'd sell it without even driving it and buy a newer 4Runner.
After years of driving upscale cars, my wife started talking up Subaru for safety. Long story, short we ended up buying the Subaru Cross Trek. This is a surprisingly luxurious crossover SUV. It's got all the bells and whistles plus it's highly ranked on safety.
Last edited:
I like just about the entire Toyota Line up of SUVs. I even like the new Hyundai SUVs. My next car will probably be one those.
But for the time being a Jeep Wrangler for me...... probably not built as good as Toyota, maybe not as reliable down the road, made of cheaper parts, etc. More prone to an oil leak here and there or interior flooding from the rain due to crappy designing of the seals. But I still like them.
But for the time being a Jeep Wrangler for me...... probably not built as good as Toyota, maybe not as reliable down the road, made of cheaper parts, etc. More prone to an oil leak here and there or interior flooding from the rain due to crappy designing of the seals. But I still like them.
i understand, but the new 4 runner is a tin can in my opinion. The car is simply very cheaply made. I had rented one for 5 days while my F-150 was gettting a new ass attached after a clemonite tried to push me to Myrtle Beach from Chas. i agree with the older model as several of friends had them and they were a lot more solidly built...again, just my opinion and by no means absolute fact.
I’m glad she found what she wanted and likes. My daughter is about to graduate college and is looking for another car. She likes the Mazda6 sedan and the Honda Accord.
Those are what she has chosen. She’s driven a Pontiac Grand Prix since her sophomore year of high school.Wow, she gets to choose? Or are those the choices
Toyota Highlander or Lexus RX350. Have had 2 Highlanders both in excess of 270k miles and wife is driving Lexus RX350 with 152k miles at the moment. Would also consider Toyota 4 Runner Limited 4WD
Just get a 2021 Hyundai Kona Limited
Just get a 2021 Hyundai Kona Limited and She'll be happy
Just get a 2021 Hyundai Kona Limited and She'll be happy
You are 100% correct . The Subaru’s are incredible . My buddy purchased one for his wife and he said it is literally impossible to get stuck . Sand , Mud , Red Clay etc etc . Anything . When they test drove it they had a big sandlot behind the dealer and the salesman told my buddy he would knock $2000 off if he could get it stuck . Couldn’t do it . They are outstanding vehicles
BMW = Bring Money Widya. They're nice, and powerful and really sharp looking.... for a POS.
Similar threads
