What car for my mom - $4.5k, reliable, with hauling

Ikay, I posted a topic about an X-Terra, but I really need some help on a wider scale. My Mom was hit last week and it totaled her 2000 Explorer. She's fine, but now she has to spend the insurance payoff in the next week before she loses her rental. She does a lot of in-town driving and some highway. She and a friend run a business that rents out indoor plants - some of which are sizable. The Explorer worked great - mileage as decent if not great, comfortable, reliable, and enough room to stack in plants and keep them air conditioned or heated when the outside weather sucked ( those damn things are picky.)

So since I'm bound to be the repair facility since Mom's always broke , what's the most reliable thing that fits the bill and is new enough to have creature comforts?

my thoughts:

2003-4ish Explorers are priced right but have notoriously bad transmissions. 2000-04 Honda odysseys - same issue 2003ish chrysler mini vans - ???? Nissan, toyota vans???

what are the best midsize SUVs for reliability? How about Mini vans? Wagons are probably out - not tall enough....

Mazda MPV is the first thing to jump to mind.

What about a late XJ Cherokee?

If the smaller SUVs would work go Pontiac vibe. Storage reliability 1500lbs towing and cheap

Tahoe/Suburban? Kinda big and gas mileage isn't great (but probably not far off the Explorer). But they are dead simple and reliable. And any car part ad you get in the paper where they state, "Blah parts starting at $99", the starting at price is usually for the GM Full size truck line.

$4500 would buy a really nice one.

-Rob

Yeah if she doesn't drive too much go for the bigass Tahoe/Suburban, she won't suffer too much from fuel costs. The things are practically worthless and quite simple.

Javelin wrote: Mazda MPV is the first thing to jump to mind. What about a late XJ Cherokee?

The only downside to the XJ is that the WJ Grand Cherokee exists. Same price(most of the time cheaper), nicer, more power.

WJ Grand Cherokee.

In reply to beans:

I was thinking reliability and ease of maintenance.

If she liked the 2000 Exploder why not get another one? They are great trucks and cheap.

How about a SF Forester? You could find a nice later one with maintenance records in your price range. Find one with the timing belt done and head gaskets replaced. Plenty of room and high 20s mpg.

I know the odyssee has the transmission issue, but we've had 2 in the bad year range, and I know 5 other couples who have had them and so far none of them have had an issue

Astro/Safari van

Buick version of the Aztec (forget what its called)

Honda element (not sure if they are that cheap yet but worth a look)

You can get a really nice full size van for that kind of money

nokincy wrote: How about a SF Forester? You could find a nice later one with maintenance records in your price range. Find one with the timing belt done and head gaskets replaced. Plenty of room and high 20s mpg.

This is good but definitely make sure the head gaskets have been replaced. I personally know 3 different subie 2.5s that have blown their head gaskets.

Maybe a scion xB?

Good thoughts. The Exploder that bit it was a rare case - under 100k miles. Most around here that age are ragged out, hence looking at the newer versions.

I think the Vibe is too small. WJ might be a possibility - is the v6 reliable? I know the 5.7s had issues.

Subie's scare me on maintenance costs, especially since she takes miserable care of a vehicle. Several Tahoes & FS vans around, they're already in discussion. They've done FSVs in the past and like them, but repair labor and gas are minuses. At least on the tahoe it's easier to work on (B/C I refuse to work on a conversion van for them again.)

xB is a thought, but I haven't seen any at that price point round here yet, and it might be too small. Maybe.

ultraclyde wrote: Good thoughts. The Exploder that bit it was a rare case - under 100k miles. Most around here that age are ragged out, hence looking at the newer versions. I think the Vibe is too small. WJ might be a possibility - is the v6 reliable? I know the 5.7s had issues. Subie's scare me on maintenance costs, especially since she takes miserable care of a vehicle. Several Tahoes & FS vans around, they're already in discussion. They've done FSVs in the past and like them, but repair labor and gas are minuses. At least on the tahoe it's easier to work on (B/C I refuse to work on a conversion van for them again.) xB is a thought, but I haven't seen any at that price point round here yet, and it might be too small. Maybe.

you're probably thinking of the WK(05+). The 4L is nearly unstoppable, but the secret is that the 4.7 gets better gas mileage almost everywhere with WAY more power. Both are very reliable with the proper maintenance, which people seem to be lacking. XJ's tend to develop a ton of rust, but they're pretty simple beasts, and 90% of them came with the 4L. The WJ's are probably the nicest Jeeps out there in Limited trim before the WK2's came out a couple years back. The interiors of the WK1 is just very... plastic-y. I don't really like the IFS, either. The Hemi's in the WK's are REALLY strong, but if you don't mod them, they're not really any benefit over the 4.7 WJ's. You can get a 4.7 in a WK, but WK's are a good bit heavier and the 4.7's didn't cope with the weight very well. I really don't like the 3.7's, they're just kinda... MEH. The 4L is a much better choice than the 3.7.

Javelin wrote: In reply to beans: I was thinking reliability and ease of maintenance.

WJ's are perfectly reliable, arguably more reliable, and not really any harder to work on. I walked away from an XJ becuase there was a WJ on the lot for the same price, and MUCH better equipped. 100% glad I did.

The only downside to the XJ is that the WJ Grand Cherokee exists

One of those almost never has to be worked on. Hint: It's the XJ. For the same money that you get a really nice XJ for, you get a grand cherokee that either needs a lot more work, or WILL need a lot more work. There are plenty of decent grand cherokees out there for 4.5K, but you dont need to spend that much to get a pretty much perfect late XJ. You can get a really good XJ for 2500 and a pretty much perfect one for 3. The wjs that are in the 2s have issues.

If OPs opinion as the mechanic carries a lot of weight, i would push for an XJ just so that you never have to work on it! Just buy a good one, do a thorough PM when you get it, and then hopefully you'll never have to do much to it.

arguably more reliable, and not really any harder to work on.

Not true... They're decent vehicles, but they have a LOT more common issues than XJs do.

suzuki XL7?

don't know anything about them, just saw one on the way home