Satdiver Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 (edited) So the wife and I are now grandparents one boy and one girl, they will both be 1 in October. So now we are looking at getting a new vehicle that can safely have both car seats in the back. We are leaning toward a 2011-12 Kia Sorrento 6 cylinder. Neither of us cares for minivans so those are out. We also like the Jeep Wrangler with 3 piece hard top, Toyota FJ Cruiser, and the Nissan Pathfinder. If anyone has one of the vehicles listed, what do like dislike about it? Any other vehicles you think would be worth looking into? Any and all comments, recommendations, do's and don'ts, etc. are gratefully appreciated. Thanks for the help. Edited July 26, 2011 by Satdiver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I have had the FJ Cruiser and now have used LX470 (100 series Land Cruiser)....my father has the Jeep Unlimited Rubicon (4 door with hard top) and my oldest daughter has Jeep Cherokee Limited which is similar to Pathfinder. 1.FJ Cruiser, well built and great vehicle...more utilitarian than others as it is made for offroading and does it quite well. The rear doors are clamshell and swing opposite like old suicide doors. Easy for entry but if not tall are a bit of a challenge for car seats. We carried nephews and granddaughter in ours with no problems and I figured the vehicle was mine....she only rode in it once every couple weeks at most...and soon would be out of car seat and I would still have vehicle. I sold it but not because of rear seat. I loved the vehicle it just did not hold enough stuff in cargo area for my camping, off-roading, canoeing and hunting trips. Good vehicle though with lots of interior room. Two car seats will fit fine in rear.... 2. Used 100 Series Land Cruiser (LX470 or Land Cruiser)- mine is 2000 and was $13,000...huge interior, comfortable, and built solid as hell. I have 33" mud terrain tires, steel custom bumpers front and rear, 12000lb winch, 2 inch suspension lift for clearance, rock sliders and under armor. LOL Rides very nice...and I take it in mountains off-roading and climbing shit you would not believe. That being said you cant find a better and safer SUV that will last forever and the 4.7L motor is one of the best gas motors out there for reliability and smoothness....it was first used in Lexus but used in all of them now....but if not buying used they are expensive as hell. Can put three car seats in rear or two with an adult. 3. Jeep Unlimited Rubicon- comparable to FJC in overall size....has four conventional doors and you can take parts of the hard top off to get that open air feel. Capable and well made...he loves his. I am Land Cruiser guy but he loves his Jeep and it has a good bit of room for two people with occasional passengers. Cant remember if it has the floor tie downs for car seats or not. Two car seats only in rear especially if ones with cup holders... 4. Cherokee or Pathfinder....good compromise of size, capability, comfort, and performance.....becoming more like a car than an off-road SUV....but most people never take them off-road anyhow. If you are only going to carry the kids with you every month or two.....and would like some offroad capability for camping or fishing or etc....then I would go with FJCruiser. If you dont want to mess with the clamshell rear doors with car seats for two years even if minimal, and still want all of above then I would go Jeep Unlimited hard top. If you dont want any offroad capability...I would check out the Toyota Verenza or Highlander; Jeep Patriot, or Chevy Avalanche if you want full back seat along with use of truck bed. Good luck.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clan Chief Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Its probably a little smaller and more tame than the Jeep, Sorrento or other models you mentioned, but I have had excellent service from the Ford Escape. You might find this meets your needs, and is a good bit more affordable and cheaper to run. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinny Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 my wife has 209000 miles on a gmc envoy with no issues just tires and breaks great car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TitanChief Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I love my FJ Cruiser! I like the overall ride...brock is right, more utilitarian than the rest, but it is reliable and a serious off road vehicle...and I feel good aobut not supporting Bailout companies GM or chrysler. Oh, and toyota is giving 2 years of free scheduled maintenaince away...the new FJ's are running synthetic, so oil changes are every 10K...pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DienCaiDau Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Ford Escort V-6 Flex Fuel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 (edited) my 1984 FJ60 Land Cruiser around Charleston. my FJ Cruiser on Engineer Pass in Colorado My UZJ100 (white LX470), My LX470 climbing a rock ledge...LOL Edited July 26, 2011 by Brock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satdiver Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 The Brits use the Land Rovers here in Afghanistan, they look like the Defender 90 only with machine gun mounts. I will have to look into the Land Rovers as I have not thought about that option. Thanks everyone for the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hasbin Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 DO NOT GET A POS LAND ROVER, I have a few friends that have had nothing but problems with them, One friend bought 2 on the same day one hasbin in the shop more than in the garage, The other is not far behind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satdiver Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 DO NOT GET A POS LAND ROVER, I have a few friends that have had nothing but problems with them, One friend bought 2 on the same day one hasbin in the shop more than in the garage, The other is not far behind Damn, They must have been built at the IMC factory in Gilroy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Land Rovers have a very high cost of ownership........if paying that money then get the Land Cruiser. Most trusted and reliable offroad vehicle in every shitty third world country or worse is the Toyota Land Cruiser. Rover if you just want to impress someone but Land Cruiser if you want it to last 300,000 miles on a gas engine and bring you home every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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