What to buy? SUV/Crossover suggestions, please.

[Shakespeare]

most of which revolved around the electrical system....I swear there were ghosts in those machines

Any Lucas components? The Prince of Darkness returns?

[zinfit]

Import a used 1996 or earlier Toyota Landcruiser from Japan. They are in class by themselves. The 4.2 diesel would be my preference . You can probably buy one through an importer for 16k with less then a 100 thousand kilometers. These machines are good for a 500 k without a worry. Only downside is the righthand drive. The vehicles are in impeccable condition. The speed limit in most urban areas is 25 kilometers and highway speeds are 80 kilometers. Secondly were are you going to go in Japan? There are numerous sites and forums you can go to get informed and figure out the process. The big obstacle is you can't import vehicles which are less then 15 years in age.

[Yukon Maiden]

Importing something from Japan is more then I am willing to take on. I wouldn't take on something that old or uncommon anyways. I think the parts would be too hard to come by up here.

[twa2w]

The FJ looks pretty big on the outside -but it seems like it is mostly sheet metal as it is very small inside- back seats are very cramped and virtually no trunk space - if that is important at all. I don't believe it got very good ratings from consumer reports. It does sit nice and high though.

You could consider a Hummer - GM sells and services them - very rugged and made for off road.. Only problem is they are diesel so starting could be a problem.

Good luck

[AltaRed]

Importing something from Japan is more then I am willing to take on. I wouldn't take on something that old or uncommon anyways. I think the parts would be too hard to come by up here.

Agreed. I suspect the Toyota FJ Cruiser is pretty scarce there too. I've been up north enough to know you don't need to gamble with anything other than what is common to your area.

[Yukon Maiden]

Okay, I sat in the 4runner, and I can live with the size. Not too scary. I found the positioning of various controls awkward, though. Like it was built for a tall man. The FJ didn't have proper full size backseat doors, which I think would frustrate me.

[Yukon Maiden]

HardWorker, what tricks did your wife learn that made her comfortable driving a big vehicle?

[knotley]

How about a 4 cylinder Toyota Tacoma 4x4.
I believe the engine is an industrial/heavy duty engine. Available in an extended cab. Not too big, not too small. Simple to operate, simple to fix.

[Nemo2]

HardWorker, what tricks did your wife learn that made her comfortable driving a big vehicle?

My late wife was 5'2" and we had an F250 extended cab stick shift diesel.......most people will give you leeway.

[HardWorker]

HardWorker, what tricks did your wife learn that made her comfortable driving a big vehicle?

I took her out a few times, and told her to pretend she was pulling a trailer with some weight on it. That made it easier for her to remember she needed more distance to stop, taking corners a little wider, and swerving was a big no no. To get in and out of parking spots, she learned to back into spots instead of driving into them (this is a biggie). When she gets in the truck, she raises the seat up, and tilts it forward a little, to see over the hood better. Because she backs into parking spots, she doesn't have to worry about whats behind her when leaving a parking spot, but if she has to reverse, she'll force herself to walk past the rear and see whats back there. And because of the size of the truck, she feels a lot more comfortable because people don't tailgate her (we sometimes leave the hitch on purpose ). Some bigger trucks don't drive like their size, and might surprise you, so take them for a good test drive, or rent as you suggested. Once you get used to them, you're gonna hate the small feel of a car, and the feeling your dragging your butt on the ground.

Neither my wife or I feel comfortable just yet with her towing this beast on the highway, but shes slowly getting more seat time around town and parking lots. Like I said, she enjoys driving the truck more than the car now. She loves the height and how you can see over cars, and the ground clearance in the snow, but I have to remind her to drive slower to save on fuel. These winter days the heated leather seats are so nice

[HardWorker]

Right after that I'd say the Chevy Tahoe, its been around for ages, well built, and cheaper to own, but the fuel mileage is a sour spot.

Don't! The fuel consumption is pretty darned good for a V8, at least the Tahoe I had would easily averaging over 20 mpg. The problem that I had was repair costs were atrocious, most of which revolved around the electrical system. I take our vehicles to an independent garage owner and he had 5 customers get rid of their Tahoes over the course of a year or two (ours included) due to maintenance costs. Once you start repairing the same system over again, it's time to move on. I swear there were ghosts in those machines.

What years? Were they all built on a Friday afternoon

Those Tahoes/Yukons have many miles on them, and have been relatively reliable. The OPP around here use them as highway patrols around here. The parts are shared with the pickups, and most are plentiful and reasonably priced, plus they enjoy huge after market support. The drive train in the heavier duty GMs are very solid. Electrical, its possible certain years or models should be avoided, or have the problem fixed. Our diesel Suburban is mechanically solid, but one ugly electrical issue was a computer module needed to be badly relocated form a hot spot to make sure it lived. It was an easy fix for me, but I agree not everyone wants to get that involved and fix something. Thats why researching that specific model and year is so important, and as mentioned Consumer Reports.

Yukon Maiden is getting a good crash course in trucks and cross overs

[kws6000]

Newer Toyotas have slipped big time in quality....expect soft paint which is very prone to rock chips....noisy heater blower motors in the cold once you get past warranty....liftgate struts which dont last ....radios that fail....and various squeeks and rattles as well as little things breaking....

My first Toyota will be my last....

The only reason Toyota is surviving are the die hards who would rather cut off their arm than buy anything else....I would be looking at Ford...


Looking at enthusiast forums for the models you are looking at would give you the inside dirt...

[HardWorker]

BTW Yukon, buy a set of convex mirrors to add onto the regular mirrors. Very worthy $20 investment, and you'll love them for backing up and checking blind spots. You can find them just about anywhere.

[pmj]

Yukon Maiden is getting a good crash course in trucks and cross overs

A slightly unfortunate choice given the event that precipitated this thread

[HardWorker]

Ouch, shame on me. Sorry.

[Bylo Selhi]

Toyota recalls 1.7 million vehicles

Toyota is recalling nearly 1.7 million cars, the bulk of them in Japan, for various defects that may cause fuel leakage — the latest in quality control woes for the world's No. 1 automaker.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it was recalling a wide range of models, including the IS and GS Lexus luxury models in North America and the Avensis sedan and station wagon models in Europe.

The article doesn't say so explicitly, but it seems that these are all the "superior" Japanese-made vehicles.

[scomac]

What years? Were they all built on a Friday afternoon

Mine was a 2001. I have no idea if it was built on a Friday and I'm not privy to the model years of my mechanic's other customers vehicles.

Those Tahoes/Yukons have many miles on them, and have been relatively reliable. The OPP around here use them as highway patrols around here. The parts are shared with the pickups, and most are plentiful and reasonably priced, plus they enjoy huge after market support.

Your's and my definition of reasonably priced must by quite different. How about $850 for the steering column multi-function switch...only available through GM? How about ignition cylinders, coded keys and accessory other parts for a total of $1600 when including the half day plus worth of knuckle busting/scraping labour...twice in 2 years? And we won't even talk about the disc/drum rear brake failures or the extremely tempermental body computers. I could understand if it was just one, I got the lemon; but, 5! Oh and I almost forgot to mention; my guy has a service contract for Direct Energy service vans which are GM and he has run into the same sorts of issues with them as well. I wouldn't touch a GM truck with a 10' pole!

[Springbok]

Right after that I'd say the Chevy Tahoe, its been around for ages, well built, and cheaper to own, but the fuel mileage is a sour spot.

Don't! The fuel consumption is pretty darned good for a V8, at least the Tahoe I had would easily averaging over 20 mpg. The problem that I had was repair costs were atrocious, most of which revolved around the electrical system. I take our vehicles to an independent garage owner and he had 5 customers get rid of their Tahoes over the course of a year or two (ours included) due to maintenance costs. Once you start repairing the same system over again, it's time to move on. I swear there were ghosts in those machines.

Interesting how experiences can differ. We had a 95 Tahoe which we bought new and kept for about 11 years. Only ever had two repairs. One was a front wheel speed sensor replacement (Or something - I know they changed the whole hub even although just a tiny part had failed) and the other was the transmission! Our Like a Rock Tahoes' reverse gear disappeared. They changed out the whole transmission! We had car Krown treated from new and although used in the worst conditions, no rust ever developed.

But for warding off other vehicles, our earlier rusty Suburban was the best. Other vehicles noticably kept clear of our rusty fenders

[Yukon Maiden]

I am thankful for all the suggestions and information provided on this subject, thus far! I do know my last Camry had more issues then the one before. Blower motor twice, distributor cap wire, and that recall for the hose that popped off and dumped all your engine oil, happened to me BEFORE the recall. These things were covered under warranty, but still a hassle to get fixed.

[marty123]

We had a trail rated Jeep Liberty from a recent model year. It was the size of a RAV4 but built like a truck. It turned on a dime and parked as easily as a small car. High clearance, truck base, solid rear axle, a bit more noisy than many would like. We took it off-road quite a bit, and often took it along an unmaintained 1-mile road to a skating pond, often through 10-12" of snow. Got it stuck only once, one of the many times I was playing stupid in a field. It got stuck in a deep snow drift.

Perfect for what you're looking for, except that it required a lot of fluid changes and was otherwise a lemon. Electric windows were a problem, and the transmission was starting to slip by the time we sold it. I wouldn't personally buy another one, but if it was just for 1-2 years in a place where plows aren't always reliable, and there was enough warranty left, I'd consider an end of lease.

[Springbok]

Don't know why I did not think of it earlier, but this is the obvious choice for a Yukon Maiden.

http://www.autotrader.ca/Result/Result. ... g=%2c50000

[Yukon Maiden]

Would that be too cliche to drive? Lol. I remember being annoyed that GMC stole our name and image.

[zinfit]

The Yukon is really a Chevy truck with back end covered in. If you want a full sized truck I believe CRs give the Chevy their highest marks. If you need a real four wheel drive system stay away from the crossovers. You will find the real 4 wheel drives heavier and rougher machines not to mention poorer gas mileage. Nissan has a full line of four wheel suvs. The Armada is the big one, a lot like the Yukon. If you can find the money the Toyota Landcruiser is in a league by itself.

[Yukon Maiden]

No, I don't think I want full-sized anything. Just reading HardWorker's post on how to drive a big vehicle made me feel ill.

[Springbok]

No, I don't think I want full-sized anything. Just reading HardWorker's post on how to drive a big vehicle made me feel ill.

I wouldn't let that worry you. The Tahoe we had was really the same as the Yukon. Both my wife and I drove the Tahoe as one of our daily drivers. It handles well and being short wheelbase parks easily. It's a heavy vehicle and we had to get used to less than stellar braking as compared with our other cars.

If you can't envisage a full size SUV, then something like a Ford Escape wouldn't be a bad choice. They are, I think, really Mitsubishis. My Brother in law has one and has had no problems. It has good wheel clearance. He is thinking of trading it and even at 77k km I would buy it from him if I didn't already have too many vehicles