Getting new ride the Mtns.

Puck it · Oct 28, 2007

I am finally getting rid of my X5 .4i with 170k original miles. I ordered a fully loaded 08 FJ Cruiser. New X5's are ridiculuously priced 70k for a 4.8i. I am getting a Saturn Sky turbo with the savings and I will still be ahead. Looking for forward to driving to the mtns. in snow with the FJ. It is on a boat from Japan and should have it by the end of Nov.

volklskir · Oct 28, 2007

FJ Cruzr

Congrats!

I purchased an FJ last May '06 when they first came out, last winter was great, it's a super truck, we did contemplate buying a used X5 prior to getting the FJ, I do love the X5's but have to say the Cruiser is a lot of fun and definetly a different vehicle all around...enjoy!

:beer:

bobbutts · Oct 28, 2007

Forester XT is another much cheaper alternative to the X5

SKIQUATTRO · Oct 28, 2007

we were in a similar boat a few yrs back, looked at everything from the Range Rovers, Land Cruiers, Sequoias etc and ended up with a Nissan Armanda LE...you just can kill those japenese engines!! good look with the FJ, not just a great looking truck (which is all the X5 is) but a great performing truck, she'll be at home in the mtns

Puck it · Oct 28, 2007

The X5 did fine in the mtns without the 19" wheels. You can't beat the handling with the sport package. Loved it but not willing to spend 70k on a vehicle. I would rather put it into the house or a ski condo.

SKIQUATTRO · Oct 29, 2007

absolutly, people make the mistake and think a car is an 'investment'.....its a liability!! It'll never ever make you money!!!! want to be even smarter, buy a car coming off a lease when the majority of the depreciation has been sucked up.....

I didnt mean to say the X5 didnt handle well (I am a big Audi/BMW fan and have an Audi myself) it just wont handle as well as the FJ if you want to take it off road where the FJ will really shine!!

I love getting new cars......think i might go shopping!!

WJenness · Oct 29, 2007

SKIQUATTRO said:
absolutly, people make the mistake and think a car is an 'investment'.....its a liability!! It'll never ever make you money!!!! want to be even smarter, buy a car coming off a lease when the majority of the depreciation has been sucked up.....

I didnt mean to say the X5 didnt handle well (I am a big Audi/BMW fan and have an Audi myself) it just wont handle as well as the FJ if you want to take it off road where the FJ will really shine!!

I love getting new cars......think i might go shopping!!

I figured you were an Audi fan (based on the SKIQUATTRO username)... as am I... I bought an '04 A4 in May (got it coming off lease, certified).. my first Audi and my first all wheel drive car. I'm looking forward to driving to / from the slopes with my heated seats and all wheel drive... :snow:

-w

koreshot · Oct 29, 2007

Can't beat the X5 for handling? How about a Subaru Forester XT with an STI suspension transplated. Thats 28K for a car that will smoke the older X5 all day in the mountains in the dry, wet and snow. And it has a better AWD system.

Not hating on the BMW, I am a big enough fan to be in the local BMW club.

campgottagopee · Oct 29, 2007

All the cars mentioned here are great cars, however, I run a Nissan-Subaru dealership so yes I am a bit biased. Any of the Subaru's turbo powered cars are a STEAL as far as saftey, reliablilty, performance and build quality vs. the competition. Admittingly there are "fancier" cars out there for ALOT more money, but that's all your getting is fancy, and NOTHING as far as performance. If you don't believe me jusy go to edmunds and believe them.

deadheadskier · Oct 29, 2007

campgottagopee said:
All the cars mentioned here are great cars, however, I run a Nissan-Subaru dealership so yes I am a bit biased. Any of the Subaru's turbo powered cars are a STEAL as far as saftey, reliablilty, performance and build quality vs. the competition. Admittingly there are "fancier" cars out there for ALOT more money, but that's all your getting is fancy, and NOTHING as far as performance. If you don't believe me jusy go to edmunds and believe them.

I'd probably go with a Subaru myself if I was in the market for an all wheel drive vehicle. They certainly seem to be the best value out there. My only gripe with Japanese cars is the warranties aren't all that great. I think Toyota and Honda certainly have the reputation to get away with it, but Subaru and Nissan aren't quite there yet, and by yet, I mean only a year or two more of solid performance. Both companies have come a long way since the late 90's.

campgottagopee · Oct 29, 2007

deadheadskier said:
I'd probably go with a Subaru myself if I was in the market for an all wheel drive vehicle. They certainly seem to be the best value out there. My only gripe with Japanese cars is the warranties aren't all that great. I think Toyota and Honda certainly have the reputation to get away with it, but Subaru and Nissan aren't quite there yet, and by yet, I mean only a year or two more of solid performance. Both companies have come a long way since the late 90's.

2 things come to mind....#1 The reason the domestics have gone to such a long powetrain warranty is, well, you're gonna need it. #2 Better do some research on Subaru's warranty because it's one of the best in the biz. For 3 yrs or 36,000 miles Subaru will cover EVERYTHING on your car. Lightbulbs, windshield wipers, brake PADS (yes I said pads), license plate bulbs, interior light bulbs etc. Other than the highlines you wont find that kind of coverage unless you purchase an extended warranty. And obviously both Nissan and Subaru have a 5yr 60K powertrain warranty as well.

hammer · Oct 29, 2007

deadheadskier said:
I'd probably go with a Subaru myself if I was in the market for an all wheel drive vehicle. They certainly seem to be the best value out there. My only gripe with Japanese cars is the warranties aren't all that great. I think Toyota and Honda certainly have the reputation to get away with it, but Subaru and Nissan aren't quite there yet, and by yet, I mean only a year or two more of solid performance. Both companies have come a long way since the late 90's.

I think that all auto manufacturers should be able to warranty the major powertrain components for 100K miles. Nowadays any car should be able to last to over 100K as long as it isn't completely neglected or abused.

Even with the problems that I had with my Outback this past year, I'd agree that Subaru cars are the best value AWD vehicle that one can get.

campgottagopee · Oct 29, 2007

hammer said:
I think that all auto manufacturers should be able to warranty the major powertrain components for 100K miles. Nowadays any car should be able to last to over 100K as long as it isn't completely neglected or abused.

Even with the problems that I had with my Outback this past year, I'd agree that Subaru cars are the best value AWD vehicle that one can get.

We're not that far away from seeing that. Most consumers get out of a car every 3-4 years so it really isn't that big of a deal for the manufactor to do that. The exception to that rule is the average Subaru owner. You can't believe how many Subies come in this place that you could throw a cat thru the quarter panel. Damn things run too good for too long.

hammer · Oct 29, 2007

campgottagopee said:
We're not that far away from seeing that. Most consumers get out of a car every 3-4 years so it really isn't that big of a deal for the manufactor to do that. The exception to that rule is the average Subaru owner. You can't believe how many Subies come in this place that you could throw a cat thru the quarter panel. Damn things run too good for too long.

I've had mine almost 9 years (145K miles) and I hope it keeps going...I didn't like having to replace the head gaskets this past winter but otherwise I can't complain.

campgottagopee · Oct 29, 2007

hammer said:
I've had mine almost 9 years (145K miles) and I hope it keeps going...I didn't like having to replace the head gaskets this past winter but otherwise I can't complain.

Headgaskets are a very common problem w/ that year car w/ those miles. After 2004 Subaru started making the cylinder walls thicker to prevent that from happening in the future. Time will tell for sure, but as of late I haven't seen as many issues w/ that at all. It will keep running for sure.

deadheadskier · Oct 29, 2007

campgottagopee said:
2 things come to mind....#1 The reason the domestics have gone to such a long powetrain warranty is, well, you're gonna need it. #2 Better do some research on Subaru's warranty because it's one of the best in the biz. For 3 yrs or 36,000 miles Subaru will cover EVERYTHING on your car. Lightbulbs, windshield wipers, brake PADS (yes I said pads), license plate bulbs, interior light bulbs etc. Other than the highlines you wont find that kind of coverage unless you purchase an extended warranty. And obviously both Nissan and Subaru have a 5yr 60K powertrain warranty as well.

That does sound quite good in that it covers everything. BMW offers the same, though obviously, you pay serveral thousands more for a comparable BMW to a Subaru.

The girlfriend and I plan on purchasing a Subaru for her next car, so that we have an all wheel drive option, but I do wish they offered as good of a warranty as I got on my Hyundai - 10yr 100K bumber to bumber. Thought that warranty amittedly doesn't cover bulbs, pads, etc.

The warranty was a big reason why I purchased the Hyundai. I'm a traveling sales rep and put a good 30K+ on my vehicle each year. When purchasing a car, I was looking for something that got decent gas mileage and would last up to 150K miles and beyond. I tested the Accord, Camry, Altima and Sonata. There really were no appreciable differences between the performances of all 4 cars. I went with the Sonata because not only was it anywhere from 2K to 4K less for the same features I was looking for, but it also had the far superior warranty. With any of the others, I'd pretty much blow through the warranty in just over a year for the bumper to bumper and just over two years for the powertrain. The Sonata was my pick based purely on the peace of mind that the engine/tranny will be covered for close to four years. Had the other manufactures offered the same, I might have paid the extra 2 to 4K for one of them.

campgottagopee · Oct 29, 2007

deadheadskier said:
That does sound quite good in that it covers everything. BMW offers the same, though obviously, you pay serveral thousands more for a comparable BMW to a Subaru.

The girlfriend and I plan on purchasing a Subaru for her next car, so that we have an all wheel drive option, but I do wish they offered as good of a warranty as I got on my Hyundai - 10yr 100K bumber to bumber. Thought that warranty amittedly doesn't cover bulbs, pads, etc.

The warranty was a big reason why I purchased the Hyundai. I'm a traveling sales rep and put a good 30K+ on my vehicle each year. When purchasing a car, I was looking for something that got decent gas mileage and would last up to 150K miles and beyond. I tested the Accord, Camry, Altima and Sonata. There really were no appreciable differences between the performances of all 4 cars. I went with the Sonata because not only was it anywhere from 2K to 4K less for the same features I was looking for, but it also had the far superior warranty. With any of the others, I'd pretty much blow through the warranty in just over a year for the bumper to bumper and just over two years for the powertrain. The Sonata was my pick based purely on the peace of mind that the engine/tranny will be covered for close to four years. Had the other manufactures offered the same, I might have paid the extra 2 to 4K for one of them.

Again, as far as AWD cars you can't go wrong with a Subaru---great choice.

Hyundai has come A LONG way!!!! They had some serious quality issues when they first hit the states but they have corrected that. I would agree with you that you made a wise purchase in your situation w/ the milage you drive and the warranty. Sonota is a good car. The only thing I can say is that a Accord, Camry or Altima w/ 150k on it is worth at least 3k more than a Sonota so that's where you make up you "up front" savings, and the chances of one of those 3 afformentioned cars having a major issue past 100k isn't very likely. But w/ the Sonota you have the waranty so it does give peace of mind for sure. We have a Hyundai store as well, and they're doing much bigger volume now than in the past due to the quality of the car coming up. Soon they (Hyundai) will be a major player i the import market.

The Sneak · Oct 29, 2007

I'm thinking of getting an older Impreza Outback Sport wagon to replace my 210k 95 BMW 325is fairly soon...but probably not til I get to 250k with the bimmer first.

The 2.2l flat 4 is pretty much bulletproof, whereas older 2.5s like to eat head gaskets (not a big deal if you turn your own wrenches).

The 'other car' is a 37 year old 911, and it doesn't leave the garage if there's more than 1 cloud in the sky...to say nothing of the many other qualities that make it unsuitable for ski trips.

bvibert · Oct 29, 2007

The Sneak said:
The 'other car' is a 37 year old 911, and it doesn't leave the garage if there's more than 1 cloud in the sky...to say nothing of the many other qualities that make it unsuitable for ski trips.

Dude, slap some chains on the puppy and you're good to go!

Vortex · Oct 29, 2007

Puck it said:
I am finally getting rid of my X5 .4i with 170k original miles. I ordered a fully loaded 08 FJ Cruiser. New X5's are ridiculuously priced 70k for a 4.8i. I am getting a Saturn Sky turbo with the savings and I will still be ahead. Looking for forward to driving to the mtns. in snow with the FJ. It is on a boat from Japan and should have it by the end of Nov.

I need a new toy also. Nice

Getting new ride the Mtns.

Well-known member

New member

New member

New member

Well-known member

New member

Active member

New member

New member

Moderator

New member

Active member

New member

Active member

New member

Moderator

New member

Member

Moderator

Member

Similar threads