RF600 Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 My mom is going to be looking for a vehicle soon. She needs something that sits up higher than a car. Something like a crossover or suv. I don't have much experience with other Nissan vehicles besides my 95 Pathfinder. If you have a recommendation of a vehicle please give me some info on it. What to look out for, maintenance issues, or lack of. Does it have a timing belt or chain. If it has a belt I will have to do the work on it. I want to know what I'm getting into. Something with an automatic trans. Are all Nissan auto trans subject to the cooler failing and ruining the trans? Something with good mileage, at least 25+ mpg. I was thinking the Murano but not sure about the CVT trans. I'm going to guess and say less than 10k. Don't need 4x4. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 (edited) My mom's been really happy with her Honda CRV (2007). I don't like it much, but it hasn't caused much trouble, apart from going through rear tires a little quicker than you'd expect. I'm not sure about the motor except that it says VTEC on it and it's adequate for the vehicle's weight. I don't know what an '07 goes for these days, but I know other family members have had older CRVs and been pretty happy with them, too. I've read that the newer ones have the occasional electric throttle glitch that opens the throttle when you're sitting at a light, but I didn't look into it further than that. Edited February 8, 2015 by Slartibartfast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushnut Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 nissan Xtrail.....Honda CRV...Toyota Rav 4....and "Gasp" Ford Escape...there are thousands of all of these tooling around, I haven't driven any of them but parts shouldn't be hard to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Escapes and the like are poopy cars. Would definitely stay away from those! CRVs are simple and reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialWarr Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Nissan Rogue is a fine 'mobile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xterra Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 +1 on the Rogue, if you want to stay in the Nissan family. A friend had one, and they're surprisingly roomy with plenty of pep out of the 2.5L i4 (QR25DE) engine, which uses a timing chain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Escapes and the like are poopy cars. Would definitely stay away from those! CRVs are simple and reliable. Sadly local here I'd go the exact opposite (year dependent). Opinion wise, current generation/design I hate the CRV. Not comfortable and very blind-spotty once I find a manageable seating (and that front end does absolutely nothing for me). Escape (now every one I've driven for any amount of time was a Platnum package), better seating, easier to see out of (I like the mirror setup better), styling is still 'meh' but don't have that overbite. Older generations? Most of them are rotted too unfairly for comparison here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Other than the gas mileage requirement, I'd recommend a 2wd VG33 R50 (SE or LE). Ultra reliable, comfy, safe and well appointed. You already know the mechanics of it and you should be able to find a beauty for about $5k. Set a few grand aside to suppliment the more frequent fillups and she should be pleased... Math: Aprox 20mpg VS 25mpg=5 gallons VS 4 gallons per 100 miles. Assume 20k miles per year=200 gallons difference in gas used. Assume $4/gallon for gas @ 200 gallons difference=$800 more per year. Assume $3k set aside for gas from purchase price savings=4 years of driving before reaching $8k. I've been surprised by people who disregard a difference in purchase price over gas mileage savings. Unless the difference is drastic, it takes a long time to realize any savings... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RF600 Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 She had a Ford Escape and sold it. It was giving her issues the dealer couldn't figure out. I have looked at a few small suv types. CRV seems to be the best of the bunch. I would prefer something I am familiar with. I can save her some money by doing the work myself. That's why I was asking about other Nissan vehicles. B I will look into the r50. Thanks for the help all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Sadly local here I'd go the exact opposite (year dependent). Opinion wise, current generation/design I hate the CRV. Not comfortable and very blind-spotty once I find a manageable seating (and that front end does absolutely nothing for me). Escape (now every one I've driven for any amount of time was a Platnum package), better seating, easier to see out of (I like the mirror setup better), styling is still 'meh' but don't have that overbite. Older generations? Most of them are rotted too unfairly for comparison here Unfortunately we've had quite a few Escapes and Mariners in with bad transmissions or motors, and every one I've driven had some seriously obnoxious rattles from the dash and ear hatch. They are in frequently for othet annoying problems as well. Maintenance stuff on the older CRVs is a lot easier than the same generation Escapes from brakes to oil changes. I haven't driven the newer ones so I can't comment on those, just the older ones that would be in the $10k price range. The newer CRVs are definitely hard to see out of though. I would honestly put the interior quality the same between the two makes just one doesn't rattle as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RF600 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 I drove a friend's sion. The box looking car. It had some get up and go to it, but not impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinnwn Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I'd stay away from the CVTs still unless you trade away before warranty goes out. Nissan reduced the part cost by a token amount, but I still see too many people complain about problems. My wife loves her new CRV. My Mom has a 4 year old CX9 she also really likes. I'd buy any of the CX5 or CX7. We looked at the Rogue and Murano as well. At the time the Murano was over $10,000 more than a comparable CX9, and the interior was nice but felt like a grandpa car. If they had gone smaller the Rogue was still in the mix, but a little more than the CX7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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