My dad is thinking of buying an SUV...

[ScrimpAndSave]

I currently have a 2001 accord and he has a 1998 BMW both with 140,000 miles on them. We have been looking at cars a little bit to see if there are any good deals.

We don't drive anywhere out of a 20 min. radius of our house...and could really use the space of an SUV.

What do you think of this deal?:

Details of Used 2003 Acura MDX, Allentwn, PA - Yahoo! Autos

[gamecock43]

I just read an article that used SUVs are dirt cheap right now and a good buy compared to smaller cars for families that dont drive alot.

[Snave]

It is a great car. I have 2 friends that have them and my parents have on. It has a 3rd row if you ever need a few more people in it. Also, the rear space is pretty god even when you do not have the second row down. Consumer Reports has the 2003 rated pretty high for used cars.

[noppenbd]

Just have it checked by a mechanic that you trust before purchasing.

[ScrimpAndSave]

Woohoo! My dad bought the SUV...which means I inherit his BMW!

Double Woohoo!

[Bruce Wayne]

With petrol prices as they are is buying a gas guzzler a prudent move?

[ScrimpAndSave]

Bruce, since he only drives within a radius of 10-20 miles...it's an awesome buy.

[ScrimpAndSave]

and 26-30 miles to he gallon is NOT a guzzler.

[momof1in150]

We just got rid of our SUV because of many reasons. We had a VW Touareg and it required Super Unleaded. The oil changes were $75 a piece due to synthetic oil and the tires were about $600-800 for a set and it was going through tires every 25,000. There are a lot of consideration other then gas mileage. The maintenance of European cars is outrageous so you need to look at that as well as the gas mileage.

[antiver]

I would avoid SUVs for a long list of reasons, but regardless, see if you can take the car you want on a test drive.. take it to Car Max and have them inspect it (for free). They do a great job finding hidden issues, they're very reliable, and the price they give you should be a good reference point (note that it'll probably be lower than what you're going to pay for the car, since Car Max is obviously looking to make a profit).

[Bruce Wayne]

Originally Posted by ScrimpAndSave

Bruce, since he only drives within a radius of 10-20 miles...it's an awesome buy.

Guess it's a cultural thing. I live in London and don't know anyone that drives a car here let alone owns one. It's public transport, or in my case, cycling all the way. Free transport and you don't have to worry about gym fees as you get great exercise each day.