SUV for under $15k

Buying/Selling
1

I live in the Middle East and thinking about ditching my '09 Jeep Cherokee (Liberty) for another SUV. Now it has to be an SUV as it has road presence and respect which are the only things dork drivers here notice when they infrequently use their mirrors. Also good for muscling in traffic lines which is the way here.

Here we have mainly US or Japanese cars. My budget means I have to go used. The options I have are:

09 Ford Explorer - 10k.
06-10 Chevvy Blazer - 6-8k (very common and not IMO an upgrade on the Jeep)
11 Chevy Traverse - 12k
11 Toyota Fortuner - 15k
08 Subaru Forester - 9k
13 Jeep Grand Cherokee - 16k
10 Toyota Rav 4 -14k
'16 Mazda CX 9 - 22k
'11 Honda CR-V 18k

All of them have 100/150,000 miles ++++

I value reliability and I know Toyota are the best, Honda, Subaru and Mazda aren’t bad also. The thing with Toyota is everyone has one and they are very bland in styling. Some of the models like Fortuner seem to be under powered. So I’m looking for something with decent reliability, a punchy engine, decent kit and looks good. I’m leaning towards the Mazda but it’s a bit out of my price range. Ideally I want a Lexus as they have everything I’m looking for but they go at a min of 25k and 10 year old +

Any tips or advice on what to look for? Anyone had any of the cars above?

2

In your other thread, you say "I have an '09 Jeep Cherokee Limited 3.7 V6. It’s done 70,000 miles. "
Paid $4000, spent $2500 on repairs, needs $1200 in repairs.

You have a low mileage car that will cost $1200 to fix.

But instead of fixing it, you want to spend 10k to 16k on high mileage car with unknown history instead ?

2 Likes
3

Just checking my options. I’d only go for something with documented history. I will probably get it fixed but the problems just mount up and its getting to the stage where it spends more time in the garage than on the road.

4

For the high mileage vehicles you are looking at, condition is more important than manufacturer for reliability. An SUV from a reliable brand can be ruined by poor maintenance. If you have to make a quick decision because of the condition of your Jeep, get the one in the best condition. If you have time, look for the SUV in the best condition that meets your drivability interests. That might take some time, though. BTW, that’s a long list. How many have you test driven?

1 Like
5

I would go with the Toyota even if you find the styling a bit bland.The reason is that there are so many of them on the road that you will not have problems finding parts.They tend to last a long long time.Just make sure the vehicule you are interested in has a good maintenance history.

6

I would stay from high mileage 4 cylinder Subarus because of the head gasket problems.

1 Like