Wife & Kids Safe Vehicle List:

2023 Pilot Trailsport
Pros: spacious, safe, low miles
Cons: not depreciated yet, tech

2019 GX 460
Pros: V8, extra gear
Cons: suspension replacement maybe



2019 4Runner Limited
Pros: 4Runner
Cons: only Limited model has AWD

2019 Forester Premium Manual
Pros: 6 speed, great in snow
Cons: smallest option

2015 Honda Pilot
Pros: no dumb tech, least expensive
Cons: oldest/have to find a well kept one

Selling the 2006 4Runner this year, replacing with whichever of these comes up first and we feel “heck yes” about driving rather than “good enough”

New baby on the way, want the wife and kids in something a little more spacious and safer than her current rust bucket.

Any experiences and insights with multiple welcome.

Thanks

 

I suspect the answer is "whichever one you can find in decent shape for the right price with a good maintenance history and reasonable mileage".

We're happy with our 2022 Pilot so far but, if we only had 2 kids, I wouldn't have picked it over something with 5 seats/2 rows instead.

 

Honestly I have feelers out for the first white used ‘23 Trailsport that pop up in the area haha the rest are considerations but more 80/20 than 50/50 between the Trailsport and any others. I usually hate new vehicle and tech but the old school engine and transmission are the last of their kind just about in a unibody that’s spacious.

 

That Forester will leak oil. Not a matter of if, but when. Had an Outback with the same engine and it had to be pulled out an resealed. It was in the 60K+ miles range. Luckily we bought it as a Certified used and was covered under warranty. However shortly after getting it back the CVT went wonky. IIRC the Forester was not offered with a manual after 2018, unless you're in Canada and they offered different options?

 

Either ‘18 or ‘19 you’re correct, somewhere in there.

I know about the oil haha older model but I did an entire engine swap in my brother 2001 Forester back in the day because it went dry on a trip from the Midwest to the west coast and back and he didn’t catch it. He made it three and a half hours away from home when it blew up on him so I had to go trailer it home ha. Funny enough my parents neighbor a couple blocks down still daily drives it to this day so those extra bolts must not have needed to go anywhere…

 

Ironically ours was a 2019 as well. They usually just seep oil, but my garage floor that still has a stain that told a different story. Checked the oil one day and it was a half quart low and found the cam carriers wet with oil. Thing was literally dropped a drip of oil on the lift at the dealer. They were a little perplexed. Left in a loaner pretty quickly.

It was a tank in the snow, but reliability issues made me dump it. The DCM was bad an caused a parasitic drain that took out two batteries before we figured it out. Of course the part was on national backorder. Never did get that part...