# Small SUV suggestions



## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

Hi everyone, 

I am starting to look for a vehicle of my own now that I have saved some money. I have looked at sedans and such and am not impressed. I'm paranoid I'm going to get run right over in them since they are low to the ground (not realistic but I'm not comfortable in them). I can't afford to put gas in a truck all the time or else I would be buying a truck. 

So I decided a small suv that gets around 25 mpg combined and that still has a little towing power. I like the ford escape but want to explore all options. 

Any suggestions? I want to be able to pull a small trailer, nothing big just enough for the goats. 

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## CAjerseychick (Sep 21, 2013)

Are you stuck on Fords (just wondering)-- we loved our RAV4 and it comes in a 2 door version but still plenty off the ground- you would have to get the tow hitch extra and make sure and order 4 wheel drive-- but we loved our RAV4 (had to trade it in for a 4wheel drive and ended up with a Suburu stationwagon which I cant stand-- the RAV4 was so nice and boxy-- I would fold down all the back seats and have like a miniVan set up but nicer... could transport a fair amount in that back...


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Buy something that has a factory installed tow package. You can tow very little with after market hitch. I have a friend who pulls a small utility trailer with their Escape.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

I'm not stuck on any thing right now. I just like the look of escapes and the price is about range for something newer and I have read good things. But I honestly haven't read on many others. 

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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

I have a kia sorento and I love it, it gets 30 mph but I can't imagine towing anything with it at all. it is only a 4 cylinder engine, they do make them in 6 but that makes gas mileage go way down. Also something to think about with suvs, they rollover a lot easier than a sedan car does, they catch the wind worse because they are taller. I do love mine but I am really afraid to drive it on the ice because of the rollover factor.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

I drive a dodge truck now and sometimes a Durango. I'm used to something big that can roll easy so I'm not too worried about it. I'll have to look into the sorento and rav4. Thanks! 

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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

I absolutely LOVED my S10 Blazer. Gas mileage was ok (not spectacular but better than most pickups) and it was easy to drive. Got over 300,000 miles on the sucker before it finally died. If I were looking for something small and able to pull a small goat trailer, I'd be looking for another just like it.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Blazer size would be good, but you probably won't get the gas mileage. What are you planning to pull with it? That really needs to be a factor because you don't want to stress your vehicle.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I have a Hyundai Santa Fe and have had it many years. Not a spot of trouble from it in that time. I can honestly recommend it.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

Something utility trailer size... smaller than a little two horse trailer. It's really not the top priority but would be an added bonus to have towing ability since I show so much. 

What about honda crv? 

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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

CRV is a good one for reliability but not towing.


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

I have city friends that love the honda, but they have no input on towing!


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## ciwheeles (Apr 5, 2013)

My grandparents have a 2007 Honda CRV. They use it for towing their boat, which is a Bass Tracker, and a small utility trailer. It gets the job done, but I don't know that I would recommend a CRV for towing.. It's prob better to just stick to a normal SUV for towing.

I do though like the CRV. We have the same model as them, and I love that it has enough room in the trunk area for me to haul the goats in.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

A minivan would be another option. Then you could put the goats in the van.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

Thanks... thats what i thought. My grandma has a crv and loves it. 

I'm in love with the gmc terrain. A little pricier than I wanted to go but it's so nice. Any input? 

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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

Have you considered a small truck and cap on the bed? I have a 1988 ford ranger that towed a landscape business for years. I figure you are probably looking for more seating or less "backwoods" than a 1988 ranger!


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

I have but the gas mileage isn't what I need. I'd love to keep driving a truck but it's just not what I can afford to drive right now. Being a college is student is awful. 

I don't mind the backwoods thing . The seating would be another issue

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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

GMC Yukon.....I will never own a different car. If this one craps I will buy another. I am mean to that thing and it keeps going. I have been rear ended 3 times and only had to replace my trailer light hook up. It say average mpg is 16.5 but I live in the mountains and the time I checked got 21. It pulls a trailer great. And GMC parts are not too expensive. Ford is bad and my parents are learning dodge is by far the worse. But if you decide to have kids one day you can have 6 of them  .....can you tell I LOVE my Yukon lol


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

My dad is a GMC man and grandaddy is ford man. I hear conflicting things. Our dodges are good except for front ends... they handle awful and get washed out easily. 

My dad says I either buy a GMC or a toyota or he'll disown me. I think he's joking

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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Lol I don't know men take their truck types very seriously lol. But I do have to agree Toyota is good the seem to go for ever. I don't really have a favorite type I just like my Yukon. Explorers are crap IMO mine cost me so much money and I sold it for $500 just so I didn't have it any more lol. My moms suburban seems like a good car but its a boat lol but you could fit a lot of goats in there


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

More than likely I won't have much say on a car... My job is just to buy it, pay insurance, gas and keep up... Thats all!


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## springkids (Sep 12, 2013)

Dani-1995 said:


> My dad is a GMC man and grandaddy is ford man. I hear conflicting things. Our dodges are good except for front ends... they handle awful and get washed out easily.
> 
> My dad says I either buy a GMC or a toyota or he'll disown me. I think he's joking
> 
> Sent from my SCH-R970 using Goat Forum mobile app


I like your dad's way of thinking. LOL :ROFL::ROFL::ROFL:
Good luck in your car search.


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

I thought the gmc yukon and the chevy suburban where basically the same vehicle?


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

No the Yukon is much smaller but they actually have the same power. The tahoe is basically the same thing but I'm still stuck on mine even if they are the same......I am gonna have to see what the difference really is because even the inside looks the exact same.


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

okay well what is the gmc equivalent of the suburban then? do you know offhand. This is gonna bug me.


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## caprine crazy (Jun 12, 2012)

We have a Chrysler Pacifica. I think it's an '07? '07 or '05 not sure which. We really like and have had it for 5 years. It doesn't have a hitch so we've never pulled anything with it. You can get them with a towing package though. Gas mileage isn't too bad. It's dropped to 18.5mpg recently and we think it has something to do with the air vent not being clean or something like that. What about the Buick Rendezvous?


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

The buick rendezvous got horrible reviews and didn't hold its value well for resale. I know this only because a friend of mine just bought one at a car auction for 1400 and then had to turn around and take a loss on it because it was so messed up. So I researched it for her. If I was going to tow I would go with something like a dodge Durango, or a gmc Yukon, or something with a little more heft to it.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

We have a Durango now! My mom loves it. The only problem with it is the rear end housing went bad about 6 months after we bought but it hasn't a problem since. 

Towing isn't a huge factor just a bonus. If I really need to pull something really heavy then we have two trucks and my mom's durango. Towing is just one of those extras I like to have... I also want 4x4 or awd... but that's probably not practical either lol

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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

It is hard to get horsepower/towing capacity, 4 wheel drive, and gas mileage all in the same vehicle. I like that my kia sorento gets 30 mpg but it isn't 4 wheel drive and it is only a 4 cylinder, you can get 4 wheel drive 6 cylinder's in a sorento but your gas mileage goes way down and your sticker price goes way up. I have a ford f 250 that I share with dad that I use when I want to tow something.


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## DMSMBoers (Dec 23, 2013)

I just traded off my GMC Terrian. It was 2011 an I owned it for almost 3 years. Have to say I loved it but you wont get the gas mileage they say. I was getting about 21 miles to the gallon with a 4 cylinder. Never pulled anything with it so cant say. Hauled several goats in it, the seats lay down.


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## caprine crazy (Jun 12, 2012)

Our Pacifica is all wheel drive. I would never go any other way! Especailly if you get lots of snow in the winter. We are the only people on our road who can get up or down it in the winter. We go out and run the car down the road and driveway a couple of times to help pack the snow down before the plow gets there.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

DMSMBoers said:


> I just traded off my GMC Terrian. It was 2011 an I owned it for almost 3 years. Have to say I loved it but you wont get the gas mileage they say. I was getting about 21 miles to the gallon with a 4 cylinder. Never pulled anything with it so cant say. Hauled several goats in it, the seats lay down.


Thats what I have read. Seems the MPG varies by car and that is the biggest complaint along with engine noise and struggling up hill... which is ok because where I live is really flat.

We really don't have alot of snow or anything. Although the last two weeks have really been odd for North Carolina. We had 5 inches a couple weeks ago and it just snowed 4-5inches today and is supposed to snow through tomorrow morning. Very rare for us... we usually get 2 inches once a year if were lucky.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Dani-1995 said:


> Thats what I have read. Seems the MPG varies by car and that is the biggest complaint along with engine noise and struggling up hill... which is ok because where I live is really flat.


BUT...if you go anywhere there are hills you do want it to pull without struggling too much. And...I live in a flat area, but you will be amazed at how hilly it actually is when you start struggling to pull up a hill that you didn't even realize was a hill! You need to make sure whatever you buy has a tow package...if it isn't made to tow you can tear up your transmission even towing something fairly light.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

That's true. I guess I will need to test drive a few and let my dad test drive as well.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions!

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