SUV recommendations wanted please

[3LOU5]

I've got a friend who is an RN. She wants to be a contract worker (i.e. "travel nurse"), and is need of a reliable SUV. Here are her requirements:

1) Must be good in snow - she wants to travel to the northern states like Montana and Wyoming, so AWD or 4WD is a must.

2) She wants to tow a small U-haul trailer - I'm not exactly sure how much those things weigh including her stuff. I'm guessing towing capacity should be in the vicinity of 5,000 pounds (?).

3) I can't stress RELIABILITY enough. She's enamored with the West (she's from West Virginia), so she'll be traveling through some incredibly vast and remote regions of the country.

She emailed me a pic of a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, so that should give you guys a pretty good starting point. She is currently leasing an Acura TLX with AWD, but she's not exactly too happy with it. Her lease payments are about $600/mo, so I'm suggesting she should check out a CPO Acura MDX. So here's a couple of questions about leasing:

1) What kind of penalties will she encounter should she terminate her current car lease ??

2) Can she somehow make a deal wherein buying a CPO will offset her lease penalties ??

(I've never leased a vehicle, so that's why I'm asking such (basic bordering on idiotic) questions).

I've also suggested a Honda Pilot to her, since I know many who absolutely love that vehicle. Not too long ago, we helped my g/f's son purchase a Mazda CX-5 and were impressed with it. So another suggestion I'm going to propose to her is a Mazda CX-9.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Looking forward to some of your suggestions.

Thanks in advance....

[Nick M3]

I mean, the answer is Mazda, Toyota, Honda. And holy shit, no, she should not get a Jeep.

Leases have a payoff. If she's paying $600/month for a TLX, sounds like a shitty lease. You can trade them in and pay them off, but leases tend to have a bigger gap between balance owed than a traditional sale. She needs to find out what the payoff amount would be and compare that with the trade in value of the car.

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by 3LOU5

I've got a friend who is an RN. She wants to be a contract worker (i.e. "travel nurse"), and is need of a reliable SUV. Here are her requirements:

1) Must be good in snow - she wants to travel to the northern states like Montana and Wyoming, so AWD or 4WD is a must.

2) She wants to tow a small U-haul trailer - I'm not exactly sure how much those things weigh including her stuff. I'm guessing towing capacity should be in the vicinity of 5,000 pounds (?).

3) I can't stress RELIABILITY enough. She's enamored with the West (she's from West Virginia), so she'll be traveling through some incredibly vast and remote regions of the country.

She emailed me a pic of a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, so that should give you guys a pretty good starting point. She is currently leasing an Acura TLX with AWD, but she's not exactly too happy with it. Her lease payments are about $600/mo, so I'm suggesting she should check out a CPO Acura MDX. So here's a couple of questions about leasing:

1) What kind of penalties will she encounter should she terminate her current car lease ??

2) Can she somehow make a deal wherein buying a CPO will offset her lease penalties ??

(I've never leased a vehicle, so that's why I'm asking such (basic bordering on idiotic) questions).

I've also suggested a Honda Pilot to her, since I know many who absolutely love that vehicle. Not too long ago, we helped my g/f's son purchase a Mazda CX-5 and were impressed with it. So another suggestion I'm going to propose to her is a Mazda CX-9.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Looking forward to some of your suggestions.

Thanks in advance....

I can't help you out re: most of your questions, but I do know that Mazda's towing capabilities are very limited (about 2,000 lbs--so really more for bike racks and the like). I don't know for sure, but think I remember reading that both the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 are rated substantially higher for towing.

Seems like a Honda Pilot might be just the thing, if she doesn't mind a full-sized vehicle. Or a 4runner. I trust Hondas and Toyotas before I would anything made by Jeep.

Ford Explorer would be another option.

If she sticks with Acura/Honda, maybe she can swing an early out on her lease.

[Nick M3]

Originally Posted by wdc330i

I can't help you out re: most of your questions, but I do know that Mazda's towing capabilities are very limited (about 2,000 lbs--so really more for bike racks and the like). I don't know for sure, but think I remember reading that both the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 are rated substantially higher for towing.

Seems like a Honda Pilot might be just the thing, if she doesn't mind a full-sized vehicle. Or a 4runner. I trust Hondas and Toyotas before I would anything made by Jeep.

Ford Explorer would be another option.

If she sticks with Acura/Honda, maybe she can swing an early out on her lease.

Everything I hear about Ford build quality lately falls into the category of "avoid like the plague."

[3LOU5]

Originally Posted by Nick M3

I mean, the answer is Mazda, Toyota, Honda. And holy shit, no, she should not get a Jeep.

Leases have a payoff. If she's paying $600/month for a TLX, sounds like a shitty lease. You can trade them in and pay them off, but leases tend to have a bigger gap between balance owed than a traditional sale. She needs to find out what the payoff amount would be and compare that with the trade in value of the car.

Thanks Nick.

I kinda figured that she should stay with the Japanese brands.

[3LOU5]

Originally Posted by wdc330i

I can't help you out re: most of your questions, but I do know that Mazda's towing capabilities are very limited (about 2,000 lbs--so really more for bike racks and the like). I don't know for sure, but think I remember reading that both the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 are rated substantially higher for towing.

Seems like a Honda Pilot might be just the thing, if she doesn't mind a full-sized vehicle. Or a 4runner. I trust Hondas and Toyotas before I would anything made by Jeep.

Ford Explorer would be another option.

If she sticks with Acura/Honda, maybe she can swing an early out on her lease.

A quick research on the CX-9, and those things only come in 2.5L I-4 motors.

Really ??

That ain't gonna tow jack, LOL.

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by 3LOU5

A quick research on the CX-9, and those things only come in 2.5L I-4 motors.

Really ??

That ain't gonna tow jack, LOL.

Yep. It has the same engine as the CX-5. Now you understand why I stayed with that size.

Quick research says 3,500 lbs tow rating for the 9 and 2,000 for the 5. Same engine.

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by Nick M3

Everything I hear about Ford build quality lately falls into the category of "avoid like the plague."

Not surprising.

[Nick M3]

Originally Posted by 3LOU5

A quick research on the CX-9, and those things only come in 2.5L I-4 motors.

Really ??

That ain't gonna tow jack, LOL.

I'm just going to point out that today's 2.5L I-4 motors frequently have more power than you could get in a 1 ton dually pickup truck 25 years ago.

[jpgurl]

Originally Posted by Nick M3

Everything I hear about Ford build quality lately falls into the category of "avoid like the plague."

This does not qualify for the 4WD criteria but our Ford Flex, approaching 5 years old, 50K miles, zero issues. And it tows 5,000lbs.

Edit: some models come with AWD, but she'd have to buy a used one as they are discontinuing the Flex.