With the tight economy, more and more people are looking for information that can be applied in their daily life. This article does just that.

My name is Kyle Busch, and I am the author of Drive the Best for
the Price ...
 
I have been interviewed about the topic of transportation by Southeastern Public Radio and The Driving Force on Wheels (Detroit, MI). In addition to being featured in a Los Angeles Times
transportation article, I have been a guest on The Elaine Smitha Show (Olympia, WA). Additionally, Drive the Best for the Price ...
has been featured on  MotorWeek-Maryland Public Television. Consumers write to me to ask their transportation questions.

© 2003 by Kyle Busch, author of:
"Drive the Best for the Price  ..."           www.drivethebestbook.com 
 

It is nearing the time when many people look to buy sport-utility vehicles. Who can blame them? Today's SUVs are not only reliable and refined enough to provide a slow paced fall drive but they also have the ability to tackle winter weather at its worst. 
 
The cost of new SUVs are expensive. However,
there are several used SUVs that you might want
to consider. The following vehicles all have good
ratings and they are available at substantial
savings.
 
Four SUVs worth your consideration:
 
1. The Subaru Forester is a small SUV with
   one of the best all-wheel drive systems in the
   industry. New Forester Ls cost
   $20,000-$24,000.   
 
    You can buy (if you shop carefully) a used
    2001 Forester L with 25,000-30,000 miles for
    about $14,000-$14,500. I consider this SUV
    to be an good value for this price.
    The vehicle should still have at least
    6 months remaining
    on the manufacturer's 3 year/36,000 mile
    bumper-to-bumper warranty and 2.5 years
    remaining on the 5 year/60,000 mile power
    train (engine and transmission) warranty. This
    SUV can be driven for hundreds of thousands
    of miles.
 
2. The Toyota 4Runner been around for a long time
    and for good reason. It is one of America's
    most popular SUVs. For 2002, the four
    cylinder engine on the base model has been
    replaced with the six cylinder engine. New
    4Runners cost $25-000 - $34,000.
 
    You can buy (if you shop carefully) a 2001
    4Runner with 25,000-30,000 miles for about
    $17,500-$19,500. This vehicle should also have at least 6 months remaining on the manufacturer's 3 year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and 2.5 years remaining on the 5 year/60,000 mile power train warranty. The 4Runner can be driven for hundreds of thousands of miles.
 
3. The Nissan Pathfinder has also been a reliable
   SUV. New Pathfinders cost $24,000-$32,000.
 
    Nissan does not quite have the name of the
    Toyota. Therefore, you can buy (if you shop
    carefully) a 2001 Pathfinder with
    25,000-30,000
    miles for about $16,000-$18,000. This vehicle
    should also have at least 6 months remaining
    on the manufacturer's 3 year/36,000 mile
    bumper-to-bumper warranty and 2.5 years
    remaining on the 5 year/60,000 mile power
    train warranty. This vehicle will also provide
    many years of dependable transportation.
 
4.  The Honda CRV is also represents a good
     value in a small SUV. New CRVs cost
     $21,000-25,000.
 
      If you are on a transportation budget, you
      can buy (if you shop carefully) a 1999 CRV with
      50,000-60,000 miles for about $11,000-$12,000.
      At this age and mileage, the vehicle will likely not
      include any remaining manufacturer's warranty.
      None the less, the CRV is quite reliable and
      economical to drive. This small SUV can provide
      years of good transportation service.
 
If you are in the market for a SUV, do your
homework. Consult Consumer Report's vehicle
(April) issue. Also, be sure to read a couple of
archived new SUV road tests (review road tests
that were conducted at the time the vehicle was
new) on the used vehicle of interest in auto
magazines (many are archived at your local library)
or Internet sources such as Car and Driver, Motor
Trend, Road & Track, or MotorWeek. Information
from the road tests will allow you to zero in on
which of the SUVs discussed above will be the
best for you.
 
For example, if you prefer a SUV that can really
tackle off road conditions; consider the 4Runner
or the Pathfinder. However, if price is the major
consideration and you do not plan to go off road,
consider the Forester or the CRV. Last, but not
least, if you are going to buy a 3 to 4 year-old
SUV, try to get the 2000 model rather than the
199... model. Years down the road when you
sell the vehicle, the 2000 model will be worth
more than the "past century" vehicle.
 
Kyle Busch is the author of "Drive the Best for the Price:
How to Buy a Used Automobile, Sport-Utility Vehicle,
or Minivan and Save Money." Learn more about the book
and the author at: http://www.drivethebestbook.com/. The web site
accepts all transportation questions.