imkimmy

I too am considering an SUV. I looked at the Pilot, but it was just too big for me, so I think I have decided on the CRV (but only after model year 2002 seeing the crash results!). I am sold on Honda's/Acuras, my little civic has been a great car.

Good luck in your quest.

Kimberly

jeffreyhy

Debbie,

Get thyself to the library and search through Consumer Reports. They do good in-depth reviews, and for vehicle reliability evaluation they poll hundreds of vehicle owners for their experiences. You might also want to look through the auto magazines like Car and Driver for reviews.

Then create your own rankings based on the review's evaluations of the good and bad points. Your preferences and priorities may differ from those of the reviewers (kind of like is K1 better than K3).

Regards, JEff

KimJ

I agree with this - Consumer Reports is key! Years ago I was looking at a particular used car, and Consumer Reports rated it very poorly in the mechanical area, as well as many other areas. Of course, me being young at the time and having an 'I want what I want' attitude, I bought the car anyway. You guessed it, I shoulda done what Consumer Reports recommended...

dbark

Thanks all, I've got my work cut out researching this! Thanks to all who suggested stuff.

Debbie

paulgani

There's been a group for ML owners since it came out in '98:

http://lists.off-road.com/mailman/listinfo/m-class

I don't happen to know you there under some other name, do I?

Paulgani

edwords

I'm very pleased with my Ford Expedition. I've had it since '99 with only one major breakdown, and that was caused by a defective air filter sold to me by Jiffy Lube. Left me standed in the Mohave Desert!

lairdside

I don't think so

This is pretty much the only handle I use - except on Monochrome but I don't think that counts.

www.mono.org

Been using that since I was at Uni.

The only ML type "thingy" I'm signed up for is the annoying Mercedes newsletter that sends you emails.

I needed a car that could really handle snow and ice as I live at Tahoe. I DO use LTX Mud and Snows also.

So far the car has done well.

Btw, the Porsche salesman said that the Porsche Cayenne Turbo (not the S but the more powerful version) wheelspins in snow and ice. Apparently they had a lot of returns the first Winter after they were launched.

lairdside

Ouch your car is CLEAN

My car is supposedly silver but presently "tarnished" may be a more apt description.

Mud, salt etc make a wonderful combination..lol

I'll wash it properly once the snow melts.......

lairdside

I took my car to Jiffy Lube once when I couldn't get into the dealership.

They "checked" the level on my radiator coolant and didn't screw the top back on properly.

A short while later onmy way to Las Vegas in 110 degrees +......

Guess what happened???

Fortunately I was parked in a supermarket parking lot at the time so was able to buy coolant and distilled water and fix the cap back on properly.

I was relieved actually as I thought the radiator may have been leaking until I looked under the hood!

I haven't been back since........

lairdside

Speaking of differing priorities.

My husband has a CRV - he loves it... but he bought it before we moved to Tahoe.

I like the car but I dislike the AWD "on the fly". I wanted something with full time AWD as I feel that in for Winter driving conditions it copes somewhat better. Traction control and ESP or equivalent were also a prerequisite.

The list of cars suitable was substantially reduced..lol

My only real misgiving is that the car is not available in a manual transmission - I have gotten so LAZY!

excpomea

We bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee when we first arrived in the states.
Big mistake, build quality was crap, damn thing was always breaking down, drank fuel like it was no tomorrow. The final straw was when the ac leaked into the passenger side foot well and the stealership told us it was 1500.00 to fix.

We sold it after a year, would never buy one again.

Go for a VW Toureg, that would be my first choice.

It was SUV of the year in 2003

lairdside

I forgot about those. Didn't they only come out last year?

I've seen a couple about, they initially shared part of the design process with the Porsche Cayenne until they split off after a point. Hence the similarity in appearance.

Never driven one - how are they?

lairdside

A friend advises to check out the Volvo XC90. Never tried it myself but they think highly of it

lairdside

J.E.E.P. = Just Empty Every Pocket

Jan Alaska

I've been looking for a new car/ truck/ suv too as my poor ole dodge grand caravan is beginning to disintegrate.

A couple of suggestions for you .. subaru ... I test drove an outback today and i'm in lurve !! 22 mpg roung town and 28 freeway mpg. Also the Suzuki Grand Vitara and the new Rav4 are decent and spacy suvs too. Volvos are wonderful cars but sooo darn expensive over here

Hubby is a jeep enthusiast but after taking a look at the new liberty I gave up, so little room in the back for growing kids.

Jan

ohh for those folks who have deep deep pockets ... the Lincoln Navigator is still my No1 suv ... all those toys !! hehe