My beloved 1998 Windstar is ready to move on to her next owner, which means I am ready for my next vehicle.
My preferred options are down to a Ford Explorer or Toyota RAV4.
Both V6, front-wheel-drive, both have the same sort of features. Each has something we like about it.
So it comes down to price and cost over time.
We plan to buy slightly used. Can get a 2009 Escape with 25k or under miles on it for $3000 to $4000 less than a RAV4.
We plan to drive the vehicle til it’s done. We’ve had good luck with Fords. Three Fords have gone to close to 175000 until they needed major repair; including beloved Windstar.
Two repair-shop people, both trustworthy, have said that we will probably get way MORE miles out of a RAV4. Way, way more.
If that’s true, maybe it would be worth paying the few thousand more for the Toyota.
Please help. What do you all think?
Maybe some more miles, but the real factor is how well you maintain the vehicle. Escapes have been quite reliable as has the Rav 4. The Toyota may have less repairs down the road, but servicing the Escape is likely to be less expensive per occurance. I think that is a wash. The Toyota will have higher resale values. You kept the Windstar for close to 12 years. In 12 years the greater resale value of the Toyota won’t amount to all that much.
Maybe a new Escape which will come with incentives and a full warranty is the way to go.
I will try to find a very clean used Escape and negotiate the price down as much as I can.
True Rav4 will have better resale value, thats why if I was buying the Toyota I will just buy a new one, unless a real good deal came by.
Have you found the particular car that you are going to buy? Otherwise when buying used availability has been a major factor for me.
While i’m quite content to continue driving my 22 year old Ranger with 240,000 miles on it, my wife wont drive a car for more than 7 or 8 years.
Her 2002 Sonata only has 136,000 miles on it,but she is geting the new car itch again.
I just wasted 2 hours trying to find a car rental place that would rent me any/all of the 3 cars that my wife is interested in (Hyundai Tuscon, Ford Escape, or Rav-4). None of the rental places will narrow a rental down to more than a mid-size SUV.
Trying to rent/test drive a particular model isnt possible.
The Rav & the Escape (and any Hyundai that you might look at) are all XLNT/reliable choices.
Drive them all & buy the one you like the best.
If you are going to keep the vehicle 175,000 miles, either a RAV4 or an Escape will do. The Escape will be slightly less expensive to run, while the RAV4 will have some resale value left compared to zero for the Escape.But it’s a toss up.
However, Toyota and Honda owners tend to keep their cars really long, more like 300,000 miles, before really major stuff happens. My brother can afford almost any car, but still drives his very reliable 1987 Honda Accord.
If you chose to do that, it’s no contest. Toyotas have a longer DESIGN LIFE, with the right maintenance of course. They are what Maytag washing machines used to be; well designed and well built to last.
What you are basically deciding, do I buy one Toyota for a few thousand more, or do I buy 2 Escapes? The reason I say 2 Escapes (rather than 1.8) is that next Escape will cost you a lot more 11 years from now.
Having said all that, if you don’t object to driving a 20 year old vehicle than I would highly recomend a RAV 4 or a Honda CRV, both top rated small SUVs. I strongly recommend you also take a look at the CRV. My neighbor drove one for 10 years (without any breakdowns)and just traded it for an Accord, not because there was anything wrong with it, but her kids were grown up and she wanted a sedan.
In your post you mention both Explorer and Escape; the Explorer is a thirsty vehicle with a spotty repair record and will cost you many thousands more to keep running than a RAV4 or an Escape. I had one assigned to me as a job car last year and it gulped gas, had many nagging little problems and was way too big for just one person to drive around.
You probably should get the RAV4 unless you seriously don’t want a Toyota. The Toyota is a lot cheaper to maintain.
I’d buy the Escape. You will have $3000 to $4000 left over for repairs that may or may not crop up. I had a similar dilemma in 1998. the two cars were a Buick Regal and Honda Accord. I bought the Regal for $3000 less and still have not spent $3000 on repairs. I guess I made out on the deal. You probably will, too.
I would go with which one you like to drive better. Both will take you 10 or so years.
A lot depends how old you are. A friend of my wife has an"older" husband; he is 80, and just bought a Prius because Toyotas are long lived and the Prius is frugal. His widow will see the day when the Prius will pay for itself. Another friend of ours just retired, and they drive very little, take lots of vacations and are happy with their Dodge minivan, which they probably will not wear out.
You are comparing the best car GM makes with a good Japanese car. The Accord will likely come out ahead on gas mileage, and the Buick towards the end of its life will need more things replaced. But don’t compare a Buick with an inexpensive Ford.
My driving (in my own car) is down to 7000-8000 per year maximum, I could probably get by with almost any vehicle.