What's your recommendation on a reliable 5-10k awd used SUV for a college student?

I've worked on enough vehicles myself so I have many biases. Being aware of my bias, I wanted to see everyone else's opinions and input. If I'm wrong, I'd love to hear it.

Recently a sibling is having trouble with a 2012 Ford Focus that has the notorious transmission issues. We got it pretty cheap originally due to small amounts of body damage, but as a result it had a rebuild title. Even though Ford had a huge recall on the transmission and replaced many of them, they're refusing to do it in this vehicle because of the rebuild title, which is bs if you ask me because it was only a door, bumper, and a fender that got dinged up. Nothing structural or mechanical.

Anyways... so some of the options on the table are a Toyota Rav4, Honda CRV, Subaru, or an Audi. I said f that with the Subaru or the Audi. Subarus seem like fan boy cars that blow up and have reliability issues, that everyone mechanically inclined I know hates except a few fanatics. And I've seen enough headaches when trying to fix things on Audis that I don't think it even needs an explanation.

I wish I could recommend a Tacoma. Mine has been running strong for 250k miles now basically. But they need an SUV.

What would you recommend? What would you avoid like the plague? (Like this Focus, wish I knew about the transmissions in them long ago). Lol I don't think anyone has to even mention the Escape? I've heard enough jokes about the name and issues with the car that it's probably not one of the options.

And yes, I didn't mention a year range. Obviously not some 70s-80s badass offroading project, but nothing completely brand new due to price either. You get the point .

 

Hard to go wrong with a decently maintained CRV. Have an '18 and a '99 w/220k-plus.

 

Nice! Have you had any transmission issues? Have you had the fluid changed often? I got a bad taste with their Odyssey/Pilot v6 engines reliability and transmission problems but haven't heard any complaints with CRVs though.

 

Just regular maintenance. Timing belt is the biggie on the first gen's.

 

That's not bad. Might have to look into CRVs more. Wish Hondas weren't upsold so much because of the name though when it comes to buying used vehicles.

 

I LOVE Subarus.....keep up on the head gaskets and timing chain and they run forever....

Can't speak as to the reliability of the auto trans models....never had one.....

Around my part of the catbox rust usually takes any vehicle before the drivetrain gives out

 

Which year ranges though? I had one auto 06 or so? Forrester I had to do trans fluid on. It seemed like a new filter and fluid cured most of the problems at first then it took a shit anyways a few months later lol. And that's a good point about the rust. You guys make good states for donor engines/trannies.

 

I have had 1998 1999 2001 all 5 speed foresters all 200+thousand miles

 

Might be a little too old, especially to find one without really high mileage. But if it were me, I'd def go for one. They are great vehicles.

Damn, now that makes me wonder when they lost their reliability and why. I just remember trying to even find a place to hook a tow strap on a 14 Crosstrek and that thing was literally like a tin can. Not one solid or structrucal piece of metal beneath the entire car that seemed worthy of attaching a tow strap to... I was baffled. That and they had engine recalls for several years due to so many failures at 40-50k.

 

At first you said unibody and I was going to argue against that because I've had countless unibody vehicles with something sturdy to hook something to. Subframes, etc. But yeah you're right everything being made in 2010s seems like trash. I definitely wouldn't get anything too recent. As far as mileage, I bought my truck with 193,000 and was completely fine with it. But kind of hard to pitch that to a family member that's 1000 miles away that I can't go help all the time either when minor things happen.

 

Yep. But I was literally blown away by like taking 10 minutes to study the bottom of the Crosstrek and finding nothing.... sturdy... at all! lol. I'm sure someone can come in here and correct me and say the manual says so and so and I did it wrong but at first glance, what a cheap hunk of shit that thing was! Fuji Heavy Industries def bean counted on that one, as almost everyone else in the past decade.

 

Yep unibody construction sucks.....especially when it starts to rust

 

Around here anything unibody doesn't live longer than about 12 years....

 

I thought the message counter was for PM's?

 

Lol so about them vehicles though....

 

I do like the fuel mileage and other merits of unibody construction just wish rust didn't eat them up...

 

I never said I was smart....

 

I won't, believe me, I won't LOL

 

Off-Topic doesn't count towards your posts for some reason

 

That's a good point. Price is a major factor. Lol that's what I'm trying to help them decide. I'm not against Hondas, I just hate their transmission issues. But they seem to be more with the larger vehicles vs lighter ones like the CRV. That and there's also the Honda name tax. But that's to be expected with a Toyota as well.

If it were up to me, I'd choose some 200k totalled hunk of shit and fix it up lol.