New vehicle advise

[Chandler]

Hey All,
I'm in the market for a new vehicle (keeping the Frontier). Not sure if I'm gonna go new or used, but likley something 3 years old or newer. Wonderd if anyone had any experience/advise on the Murano, Rouge or (and yes I know it makes me a tratior) the CRV?
Any advise is greatly appericated.

[petespath]

Check the lemonaide guide for used vehicles.
I think the CRV got a very good rating.

[Simon]

Rogue and Murano are 2 very different animals, at very different price points. The Rogue and CRV would be comparable, and I know of a couple of CRV owners who looked at both, and only chose the CRV due to better financing options at the time.

If you're looking at the Murano, it's a beautiful crossover, for which Honda does not have an answer. But you're going to pay a premium for it.

[Bow_Tied]

I you focused on only those three? As Simon says, the Murano is a different animal and that may open up some other options we could advise you on.... Is this a commuter or a family vehicle or?

[JAS]

Our second vehicle is a CRV and we love it. I hate to say it but it blows the Nissan away in terms of maintenance. We have not had any issue unlike the Xterra - I would highly recommend it. Don't know anything about the two Nissans you are looking at.

[Chandler]

Thanks,
What ever the vehicle is will be replacing a 2001 civic which has been a dream (just a size issue now with kids). The Murano (used) is actually in the same range price wise as the CRV. I did check them out on lemonaid and the CRV had the best write up with the lowest manitenance and highest resale.
I hate buying cars!!

[studum]

I can't comment from personal experiences with any of them - but I've had more than a few cars in my 10 years of ownership (I'm on my 7th, 9th if you include the cars I've gotten my wife).

The only thing that I would suggest these days are test drive one of everything in your price range. These days you don't know what you will like, and what you will fall in love with.

FWIW in your situation I would be looking at 1-2 year old certified used vehicles. They will save you some coin, basically be new still and come with manufacturer warranty. Unless of course you make a decision and financing deals on new make it more worth it to buy new. I was helping my brother buy a car this year and that was exactly the case...

I'm the contrary, I love buying cars. Maybe a bit too much lol.

[SkinnyPedal]

If the Murano and Rogue are on your short list, be sure to check out the Juke while you're there: http://www.nissan.ca/vehicles/suv/juke/en/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looks better in person than is does in pics imo...apparently it moves along pretty well too.

[SkinnyPedal]

Jeez, I take it back, after watching the videos on the right hand side of that Juke page, my updated advice is to get a good used CRV!

[xrover]

Used. Let someone else take the 30% drop in price.

[HolidayNation]

How did you come up with your short list?

I don't know squat about the rogue, but know a couple of satisfied X-trail owners, more than a couple happy CRV owners, and a couple of very happy murano owners. I would be suspect of a murano in a similar price range as the CRV,Roque if you are comparing similar years,milage etc. There is always fear of the lemon no matter what you buy, so get it checked and aim for some sort of aftermarket warranty. I wouldn't cut your list too short either if you are searching for a family truckster. There are some good rides out there for this purpose. Personally, I think the new style CRVs are butt ugly and the rogue looks like a half pint version of the murano. I love the murano, and always have, I think it led the way for the new sporty crossover look, but not sure they are worth the coin(they are a dream to drive though). You should also probably take a look at the (and it pains me greatly to say), hyundai and mitsubishi, they also make decent reliable rides.

As for maintenance, you're going to have to deal with it, no matter what you buy. We have and love our honda odyssey, but alas it is on it's 3rd tranny(including factory)(120000miles) and the last one wasn't on their dime. So there is always a cross to bare, so it depends on what you want and need and what you want to pay for said comforts.

If mitsubishi ever brought the Delica to Canada, I know what my next ride would be.

good luck and enjoy, buying a new ride can be one of man's greatest pleasures

[xrover]

A friend of mine swears by Subarus. Loves them. And they are great deal compared to HonToys. A nice AWD for the wife never hurts.
Yea they look geeky but apparently dependable.

[studum]

Cough, cough...

I would absolutely not hesitate to recommend a Suby either. At one time I had 2 in my driveway. They're comfortable, safe and roomy. Lack a little in the power department on base models, but that may be because they're heavy due to the AWD - which by the way they do very, very well.

It would definitely be worth looking into a Forester, or even an Outback. They're very reliable and very easy to work on - they were my first cars that got me into doing my own work.

[Nd4SpdSe]

Mazda5? Cx-7?

There's no Mazda-lovin' in here, so figured I'd have to add some Btw, I sat in a passenger seat of a Cx7 at Dunneville Autodome (yes, a race track) and I totally forgot I was in a non-sports car. Wow what a ride!

Regardless, everyone had made great suggestions and I can't say anything bad about any on of them. Rav4 is another option, but being a Toyota, I can see them being pricey.

The only thing I can add is don't make a short list, make a list and test drive them all. You can read all the reviews you want and we can rant and rave about all of them, but in the end it's you that decide, and you can't chose until to get a real-life feel for them, than narrow down the list from there. Shopping for cars and taking them for test drives is fun! Go out there and enjoy your shopping experience.

Actually, here's a question no one had asked yet: What exactly are you looking for in this new vehicle?

[Adam]

Another one to look at is the Volkswagen Tiguan.

[superchargedx]

Ill put in another vote for the Subaru!!
we also have a 2009 Subaru Impreza Sport and it is one great car!!!
Safe, fun, sporty, and unreal AWD system.