Edmunds says that a Highlander Limited with 90,000 miles and every option will run you $22,000 at a dealer. If you buy the Tribeca, you will have another $3000 in your pocket. Consider it a rainy day fund for repairs. But Subaru was just named one of the 3 most reliable brands on the road. Toyota is not in the top 3. So you can use the money for something other than repairs! Used Toyotas are just so overpriced.
The Tribeca has never been popular and there is really nothing wrong with it except that. It’s roomy, comfortable and nicely equipped. Alas, when it was first introduced it had a spectacularly ugly front end with a weird grille that was intended to be a new Subaru signature, supposedly representing a frontal view of an airplane. It was so poorly received it was redesigned in a year or so, but the Tribeca never recovered. Stupid name, too. Why would outdoorsy Subaru name a family SUV after a Manhattan neighborhood of trendy loft dwellers? Probably the head of their ad agency lived there. I’m surprised they didn’t rename it when they fixed the front so they could relaunch it. I guess they’re waiting until a complete redesign, but I suspect they’ll never bother with a Tribeca II. Maybe just sell a slightly stretched Outback with a third row, instead.
The Subie sounds like a bargain, and probably would be if you plan on keeping it until it dies. Otherwise you’ll have to factor in its poor resale value for whenever you sell it. Subarus are not quite as cheap to maintain as Highlanders, but that’s mostly just keeping it well maintained, which you should anyways. Toyotas deal with neglect better than most cars and Subarus don’t.
90k Service - What car DOESN’T. While it may not be EXACTLY at 90k miles…there is service that needs to be done besides oil changes. Spark plugs, transmission fluid, differential fluid, brake fluid…ALL vehicles need this done. I don’t find the service price on Toyota’s any more then any other vehicle.
Whats the word on BMW x5? I saw a 2006 model with 94K miles. Great condition asking for 15K. I am leary of a german car and cost of maintenance after 94K. How does it compare to a highlander at 94K - poorly I would imagine.
BMWs cost a lot to maintain. Much more that Tribeca or Highlander. Edmunds has a feature called True Cost to Own. The oldest BMW X5 they cost this way is 2008, so I’ll give you 5 year maintenance and repair (M&R) estimates for a 2008 X5, Tribeca, and Highlander. Expect to pay $10,000 each for M&R on the X5. The 2008 Tribeca is $5500 and $3600 for M&R, respectively. And the 2008 Higlander is $6300 and $2900 for M&R.
It is not so much that the BMW is unreliable, but that it is really expensive for parts and labor. Remember that this isn’t an entirely accurate picture. You asked about a 2006 and I quoted costs for a 2008. But you can expect the M&R to be higher on a 2 year older car.
I’d still go for the Tribeca if it is in excellent condition. It costs thousands less to buy than the Highlander and has comparable M&R totals.