Hello,
I'm writing because me and wife wife need to buy a car soon. Unfortunately at a terrible time just as everyone knows everything is expensive right now. But hey and I have to go visit her mom and it's over 16hrs away. Plus we are going to a few cities to look for a new home. So we have been looking at a few choices and need help. Cars we've been looking at, need to have 3rd row. And possibly rear DVD entertainment. So our choices we've been looking at are:
Mazda CX9
GMC Arcadia
Cadillac SRX
Buick Enclave
Honda Pilot(thinking one of the best choices)
Ford Explorer
I think that has been about the choices we've been looking at. So if I could get a suggestion on the best cars to stick to. It would help a lot!
Thank you, Michael
Clarification: How many years and miles do you need it to last you? Also new or used?(and if used how far back?)
The Honda is really the only good choice on here. Mazda would be ok. Surprised you have no Toyota Models listed. A Sequoia would be good as well. Maybe look at some older Lexus LX460’s , Toyota Land Cruisers. Those are good dependable cars. Even if you find one 200k miles they run forever. Many people getting 400k +
The GM products are junk. The Ford Explorer is somewhat ok. They have tranny and rear diff issues after 125-150k miles.
I don’t know about the rest of the country. But dealers jacked up prices here on used cars last year when stimulus’s packages started hitting. Came down a bit in October. But when the 1400 ones were announced to be in congress. End of January or so prices were jacked way up above book again. Car lots around here past 2-3 months look anemic. Parking cars sideways to make the lot look fuller. Dealers certainly are not hurting. Buy private party if you can.
If you want a family hauler, consider Sienna as well.
Of those 6 choices, in terms of reliability and best chance for fewer issues over the ownership period, I would focus on the Honda Pilot and Mazda CX-9. However, I would also like to throw into the mix the Toyota Highlander (my top choice).
Regarding the Honda Pilot, some things to be mindful of. Stick to a used one, 2020 model year or earlier with the Honda 6-speed automatic transmission. For 2021 model year and newer, the 9-speed ZF automatic transmission became standard and the jury is out on the long term durability/reliability of that transmission. Personally, I would take a 6 speed AT (less complexity) over a 9 speed if I was going to keep the vehicle for as long as possible with high mileage. Another elephant in the room is the vehicle comes with one engine a 3.5L V6 which, unfortunately, has cylinder deactivation (what Honda calls Variable Cylinder Management or VCM) which can potentially wear out/even damage the engine over time. To mitigate this it’s best to disable it (via the aftermarket) but if you need to file a powertrain warranty claim with Honda they may deny it. The Mazda CX-9 which only comes with the 2.5L Skyactive Turbocharged I4 does NOT have cylinder deactivation but it is a turbocharged GDI engine which can wear out over a naturally aspirated engine. Now the CX-9 transmission is a Mazda 6-speed AT which has been fairly good so far. Mazda reliability has been catching up to Honda’s over the years so I wouldn’t discount the CX-9. Also, both are GDI engines and overtime can be susceptible to carbon buildup on the back of the intake valves without mitigation measures (like catch can - which can also void a powertrain warranty claim, or cleaning backs of valves periodically.)
You didn’t say how long you plan to keep the vehicle with how many miles, and they are both good vehicles, but if you wanted a vehicle to last as long as possible I would go with a Toyota Highlander which has none of the shortcomings above (it has a naturally aspirated engine; has both port and direct injection so not susceptible to carbon buildup; jury is out, however, on the durability/reliability of the 8-speed AT but you can get a 6-speed AT with the 3.5L V6 (but have to go with 2016 model year or earlier).
We bought the 2019 Buick Enclave new. The torque converter was bad and replaced at several thousand miles. The car still shifts poorly at initial pick up speed. We were going to get the Highlander but the third seat was very tight. The third seat in the Enclave is tight but useable. We got the Enclave because it had been sitting in their showroom for a year as their showcase Premier model. It only had like 50 miles on it. The fact that it was discounted $11,000 dollars off MSRP and we did not pay processing fees helped us pick it. The Highlander I am sure is a better made vehicle. Toyota, Mazda and Honda would be your better picks.