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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.
Five SUVs worth your consideration:
1. 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.
2. 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. Additionally, a new eight cylinder engine will
be available in the redesigned 4Runner (due to arrive in showrooms soon).
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.
3. 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.
4. The Ford Explorer is also a popular SUV. New Explorer
XLTs cost $19,000-$26,000.
You can buy (if you shop carefully) a 2000 Explorer with 25,000-30,000
miles for about $12,000-$13,500. This vehicle should also have at least
6 months remaining on the manufacturer's 3 year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper
warranty. This vehicle can provide many years of transportation service
at a reasonable price.
5. 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, the Pathfinder, or the Explorer. 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.
Article reprinted with permission.
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." His website: www.drivethebestbook.com accepts all transportation questions.
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