OT: Arizona Coyotes Lounge XIV - Life, The Universe and “Marvel Studios kicks DC Comics’ ass.”

[moosemeister]

In the market for a three row SUV.

Ruled out the Outlander. Anyone on here have any recommendations?

I don’t want anything luxury either.

Click to read more...

 

[Ebb]

VW Atlas? Don't know much about them (and I don't consider most VWs "luxury") but was looking at some car websites (since I'll be purchasing in about 7 months) earlier and was curious what VW offered in that category.

 

[XX]

In the market for a three row SUV.

Ruled out the Outlander. Anyone on here have any recommendations?

I don’t want anything luxury either.

The Mazda CX-9 has been considered the best three row for quite awhile now. I'd also look at the Subaru Ascent. The Pilot/Highlander will also never do you wrong.

VW Atlas? Don't know much about them (and I don't consider most VWs "luxury") but was looking at some car websites (since I'll be purchasing in about 7 months) earlier and was curious what VW offered in that category.

Own a VW product out of warranty at your own (great) risk.

 

[MIGs Dog]

In the market for a three row SUV.

Ruled out the Outlander. Anyone on here have any recommendations?

I don’t want anything luxury either.

Love my Honda Pilot (although it's a 2015 model and the Pilot was redesigned in 2016). Never been in the shop and great in the snow. Tons of room in back. Love how you can fold flat the 2nd and 3rd row. The new models get much better MPG. We have the EX-L model, which at the time was top of the line minus navigation. $2000 for nav! I use my $200 Garmin instead. Got mine $6k off sticker. Should be able to get a deal if you shop at the end of the year.

 

[doaner]

I’m selling my Honda Pilot touring here in the next week.

We’re buying a 15 passenger Chevrolet express van.

 

[RemoAZ]

In the market for a three row SUV.

Ruled out the Outlander. Anyone on here have any recommendations?

I don’t want anything luxury either.

Stick with Toyota and Honda if you want reliability and plan to keep it long term (after the warranty is up).

 

[Jakey53]

In the market for a three row SUV.

Ruled out the Outlander. Anyone on here have any recommendations?

I don’t want anything luxury either.

Mazda CX9. Good looking, dependable and great pricing for what you get.

 

[Fyreman]

I'm bored, so here is my experience. Not pushing ANY vehicle or Service contract-

Bought used 2012 Toyota Highlander with 10200 miles on it in 12/2012. Also bought a Service Contract through Toyota in May 2013, for $889.00. This was the Platinum level, 7yr / 100000 mile, NO Deductible. Here on the numbers- ALL covered under Factory or Service Contract:

3/2015 30500 miles- Repair w/ noise kit, noise from radio tuning knob, $347
7/2016 48100 mi, Replace HVAC Door Actuator & Expansion Valve, $660
7/2016 48100 mi, Replace LF Wheel Bearing Assy, $254
7/2017 60600 mi, Replace Motor Mount Bracket, $451
7/2018 75700 mi, Replace Transmission Side Cover, $1388

Wife's car, not driven hard as you can tell by the mileage- about 10000 miles p/year.

Just opinion and observation. Would I buy another Toyota? Yes, ALL vehicles have problems. Would I buy another Service Contract? Yes, definetly!

 

[Tom Polakis]

Love my Honda Pilot (although it's a 2015 model and the Pilot was redesigned in 2016). Never been in the shop and great in the snow. Tons of room in back. Love how you can fold flat the 2nd and 3rd row. The new models get much better MPG. We have the EX-L model, which at the time was top of the line minus navigation. $2000 for nav! I use my $200 Garmin instead. Got mine $6k off sticker. Should be able to get a deal if you shop at the end of the year.

Another Pilot owner here. We've had a 2009 for five years, and it has been very reliable. It's the older, boxier style that MIG mentioned, which we needed for its space. Agreed about the poor MPG, but the configuration is great, and it tows our 15-foot camper up any mountain road. If you like the extra room, it might not be a bad idea to shop for a pre-2016 model. My last three vehicles were all bought with 15,000 to 30,000 miles already on them, and I've saved a ton of money doing it this way.

 

[doaner]

Another Pilot owner here. We've had a 2009 for five years, and it has been very reliable. It's the older, boxier style that MIG mentioned, which we needed for its space. Agreed about the poor MPG, but the configuration is great, and it tows our 15-foot camper up any mountain road. If you like the extra room, it might not be a bad idea to shop for a pre-2016 model. My last three vehicles were all bought with 15,000 to 30,000 miles already on them, and I've saved a ton of money doing it this way.

We’re selling our 2011 pilot touring here in the next week. Need more space for our 6 kids. Great vehicles.

 

[TheLegend]

Wife and I have his and hers Chevy Trailblazers.

Mine is a 2006 that actually was her old one we bought in ‘07 as a certified pre-owned with 16k miles on it. Has 204k on the odometer now. A year or so ago while it was getting serviced we spotted a 2003 LTZ model that had just been traded in. Only 44k miles, one owner and dealer cared for. We moved fast on it because several of the dealer mechanics were interested in it plus another private party was ready to grab it.

Paint on it is oxidized pretty bad but other than the ABS system crapping out it’s been a great vehicle. The LTZ model had all the bells and whistles in it. Seat position memory for two drivers that’s ignition key controlled. Auto A/C, leather interior. Poor man’s Escalade.

Heard rumors recently that Chevy might bring new variation of the TB back. Most of the sales people we talked to said they should have never dropped it but it was a victim of CAFE regulations.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

I own a CX-9 with all the bells and whistles. It's the best handling and driving SUV save the BMW. I haven't been in the Porsche offering. My Mazda's electronics suite is second to none. The seats are very comfortable. The only option that I wish was offered are ventillated seats. The top of the line Honda has them, and a 2nd row video, but it drives like a boat, and no matter how I cut it, most of the time it's just me in the car, and I don't like boats.

 

[moosemeister]

I’ve had a lot of people say the CX 9

Going to go check one out.

 

[RemoAZ]

I manage an auto repair/tire shop. Before I started here 6 years ago I was all American, mostly Ford and a couple Dodge trucks. If I never started working here I'd be driving a new F150. Love the way they look and the mileage. But now I drive Tacoma. Pisses me off that the Foreign vehicles with double the mileage are consistently in such better condition when they come in. My first clue was so many tenured employees driving Toyotas. Then after observing vehicles myself for a couple years I made the switch.

if you're going to buy the extended warranty and routinely trade them in though, the only thing that really matters is trade in value and that is easily researched. If you're watching maintenance costs, 19" tires look nice but are super expensive if you want something decent. 20" and 18" are also expensive but are more common now so not as bad as the 19". 16" and 17" are still relatively cheap. Just an Fyi that most people don't think about when looking at the different option packages.

 

[Lilhoody]

Toyota 4 Runner

 

[Jakey53]

I own a CX-9 with all the bells and whistles. It's the best handling and driving SUV save the BMW. I haven't been in the Porsche offering. My Mazda's electronics suite is second to none. The seats are very comfortable. The only option that I wish was offered are ventillated seats. The top of the line Honda has them, and a 2nd row video, but it drives like a boat, and no matter how I cut it, most of the time it's just me in the car, and I don't like boats.

The ventilated seats are available in the 2019 models.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

The ventilated seats are available in the 2019 models.

Figures.

 

[YotesFan47]

My gf and I are looking extremely heavily at the Chevy Equinox, not sure if they come with 3 rows but so far I'm seeing a lot of positives about that SUV.

We are also high on the Pilot and I drive an '04 Tacoma that I love and is basically a 4runner. Toyotas and Hondas are a pretty safe bet for reliability as long as you don't end up with a lemon.

As far as the CX9, I have zero experience but I have heard a lot of good things too. I think you could probably make a list of 5 or 6 SUVs and pick the one with the best price to quality ratio.

 

[TJinAZ]

I would go for a big fat NOPE on the Equinox. Just drove a rental to La Jolla and back. Overall finish is not very high quality as compared to my Tundra. Features are there but not well made. Also.... stupid loud whistling noise once you get above 75mph. Worst trip ever.

 

[moosemeister]

Spent the day running around and shopping.

My personal faves were (in order):

Highlander (my god, it was incredible)

Ford Explorer (was pleasantly surprised with this one) . Honestly thought this was the best looking of the three I fell in love with.

CX 9. Clean inside and out. Best tech inside as well.

I felt like the Pilot was too much "Mini van" for me. lol. Anyone got experience with the Explorer (2018 or so)? My Asian gut tells me to stick Japanese, but I really loved how that new Explorer looked. lol

To please everyone on the board, a Kachina logo head will go on the back window.

 

[XX]

Spent the day running around and shopping.

My personal faves were (in order):

Highlander (my god, it was incredible)

Ford Explorer (was pleasantly surprised with this one) . Honestly thought this was the best looking of the three I fell in love with.

CX 9. Clean inside and out. Best tech inside as well.

I felt like the Pilot was too much "Mini van" for me. lol. Anyone got experience with the Explorer (2018 or so)? My Asian gut tells me to stick Japanese, but I really loved how that new Explorer looked. lol

To please everyone on the board, a Kachina logo head will go on the back window.

Unless they are putting a ton of cash on the hood of the Explorer, stick with the Japanese. I'm talking an equal trim difference of 5k or more to tilt it in favor of the Explorer.

 

[Ebb]

Highlander (my god, it was incredible)

And you could continually say "there can be only one" as you are driving

So, test drive both (Highlander and CX9) and negotiate them against each other if they test drive about the same

 

[The Feckless Puck]

In the market for a three row SUV.

Ruled out the Outlander. Anyone on here have any recommendations?

I don’t want anything luxury either.

Mazda CX-9.

I've owned and/or driven almost all of them at one time or another, but I just recently purchased a Mazda and it's the best driving experience I've had in a consumer-level car.

 

[Sinurgy]

I was in a similar situation, researched the hell out of 3 row SUV's (except luxury ones) and literally test drove them all. Ended up going with a Durango RT and have no complaints. It's been over 5 years and no problems thus far. The reason I chose it was all about the bang for buck, I got waaaaay more car for the money. The RT is essentially a fully loaded model and I paid less for it than most others mid level trims. Right now is the perfect time too as they are clearing out 2018 stock in preparation for the 2019's.

I will say I'm not a brand loyalist, I go where I think the value is and as a result I've owned Dodge, Infiniti, Pontiac, Ford, Hyundai, Honda and Nissan and had good experiences with all of them. To be clear that doesn't mean I endorse all those brands, it means I'd endorse specific vehicles within their lineups. I put emphasis on model/trims and less on the make of the vehicle.

 

[Jakey53]

Spent the day running around and shopping.

My personal faves were (in order):

Highlander (my god, it was incredible)

Ford Explorer (was pleasantly surprised with this one) . Honestly thought this was the best looking of the three I fell in love with.

CX 9. Clean inside and out. Best tech inside as well.

I felt like the Pilot was too much "Mini van" for me. lol. Anyone got experience with the Explorer (2018 or so)? My Asian gut tells me to stick Japanese, but I really loved how that new Explorer looked. lol

To please everyone on the board, a Kachina logo head will go on the back window.

I think when you compare all closely, you will get way more band for your buck with the CX9, and in my eyes the best looking. and probably the least expensive.