I moved to upstate NY and am afraid of how my accord will handle in the heavy snow. I'm being precautious and buying a used SUV. Right now I've been mainly looking at the Nissan Pathfinder & Xterra, but I was wondering what Accord owners have for SUV's and how they compare.
Anyone own an SUV?
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For household errands/tasks/etc' - I have a '97 Isuzu Rodeo LS 4WD (it's actually from my college days purchased brand-new in mid 1997) & it's been bullet-proof in ~13 years / 105k miles of ownership. I used to reside in the northeast & I wasn't afraid to go offroading in the past. Other than basic maint'/service (fluids, filters, wear-&-tear consumables), I haven't had to do any other major repairs.
My sis' has a 1st gen' Honda Pilot EX-L AWD ('03 model purchased in late 2002) also w/ 105k miles. The fit-&-finish, build-quality, and overall feel of it is excellent. It feels much more solid & well-built than latter models (IMVHO). Other than basic scheduled maint'/service, the only unanticipated repair was a replacement transmission ~5k miles ago (Honda comp'd a good bit of the repair cost & offered a 3-yr/36k-mile warranty). Early Pilot/MDX models seem to have sporadic transmission issues, which seems to be truly random. Otherwise, they are exceptional vehicles for their respective price-points.
My cousin had an early '00s Nissan Xterra, and a local-area friend had a mid '00s Xterra. Personally speaking, they felt a bit cheap & shabby to me. They looked rather cool & appeared to be very versatile in terms of lifestyle w/ equipment/accessories, but I found them to be very unrefined & uncomfortable.
With all this/that said, I don't think you can go wrong w/ a Nissan Pathfinder or Toyota 4Runner. And obviously Honda Pilot & Acura MDX are also very competent offerings to consider.
FWIW, if I didn't need the utility capabilities of an SUV, I'd consider an AWD sport-wagon/sport-sedan such as something from Subaru. . .
My sis' has a 1st gen' Honda Pilot EX-L AWD ('03 model purchased in late 2002) also w/ 105k miles. The fit-&-finish, build-quality, and overall feel of it is excellent. It feels much more solid & well-built than latter models (IMVHO). Other than basic scheduled maint'/service, the only unanticipated repair was a replacement transmission ~5k miles ago (Honda comp'd a good bit of the repair cost & offered a 3-yr/36k-mile warranty). Early Pilot/MDX models seem to have sporadic transmission issues, which seems to be truly random. Otherwise, they are exceptional vehicles for their respective price-points.
My cousin had an early '00s Nissan Xterra, and a local-area friend had a mid '00s Xterra. Personally speaking, they felt a bit cheap & shabby to me. They looked rather cool & appeared to be very versatile in terms of lifestyle w/ equipment/accessories, but I found them to be very unrefined & uncomfortable.
With all this/that said, I don't think you can go wrong w/ a Nissan Pathfinder or Toyota 4Runner. And obviously Honda Pilot & Acura MDX are also very competent offerings to consider.
FWIW, if I didn't need the utility capabilities of an SUV, I'd consider an AWD sport-wagon/sport-sedan such as something from Subaru. . .
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With a decent set of winter tires I drove a Honda Civic through PA winters, and some pretty deep snow. I think an Accord would do fine.
But to answer your question: I had an 87 Pathfinder that rocked in the snow. We also had a 2003 Pathfinder that should have been better. I think that it was limited by the Dueler HT tires.
But to answer your question: I had an 87 Pathfinder that rocked in the snow. We also had a 2003 Pathfinder that should have been better. I think that it was limited by the Dueler HT tires.
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Owned a Frontier before my Accord. Essentially a pathfinder with a truck bed. Handled great in Snowy condition when I would take it up north.
Engine in the Frontiers/Pathfinders/Xterras is bulletproof. Replace the Timing belt at 100,000 miles and do the routine regular maintenence and those things can easily go over 200,000 miles with no problems. Not the most comfortable ride in the years before 2005, but you get used to it. They do their job and do it without giving you trouble. So they are great reliable work horses.
I'm all for Nissan trucks and suvs. You'll love it if you get one! :thmsup:
Engine in the Frontiers/Pathfinders/Xterras is bulletproof. Replace the Timing belt at 100,000 miles and do the routine regular maintenence and those things can easily go over 200,000 miles with no problems. Not the most comfortable ride in the years before 2005, but you get used to it. They do their job and do it without giving you trouble. So they are great reliable work horses.
I'm all for Nissan trucks and suvs. You'll love it if you get one! :thmsup:
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08' Highlander, love it!
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We have owned a 2003 Pathfinder LE (RWD, we live in Florida 
) since new and it now has 88,000 miles. Has never had a single problem, not a single rattle or squeak, and it looks, runs and idles like it did new. Our son now uses it at college, and other than new tires and a battery it only needs oil changes. The 3.5 V6 has a timing chain. So, if you're looking used, they are quite the SUV. Personally, the 2003-2008 4Runners are even better, but probably a lot more expensive used (they were as new).
We also have a 2009 Murano LE. It has AWD and is extremely capable in less than perfect weather. It's sorta like a big Maxima wagon (something we love). Been flawless so far. It's a lease and will be turned in next fall, so we are leaning towards replacing it with the 2011 Infiniti QX56. But that's so far off, that could certainly change.
Good Luck with that snow thing! :thmsup:
) since new and it now has 88,000 miles. Has never had a single problem, not a single rattle or squeak, and it looks, runs and idles like it did new. Our son now uses it at college, and other than new tires and a battery it only needs oil changes. The 3.5 V6 has a timing chain. So, if you're looking used, they are quite the SUV. Personally, the 2003-2008 4Runners are even better, but probably a lot more expensive used (they were as new).We also have a 2009 Murano LE. It has AWD and is extremely capable in less than perfect weather. It's sorta like a big Maxima wagon (something we love). Been flawless so far. It's a lease and will be turned in next fall, so we are leaning towards replacing it with the 2011 Infiniti QX56. But that's so far off, that could certainly change.
Good Luck with that snow thing! :thmsup:
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We have two RAV4's but both are front wheel drive. I understand from many Canadian members of a RAV forum I participate in that the all wheel drive version is quite capable in snow, ice, etc. We certainly like ours so the AWD version might be worth considering.
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My parents have an 03' 4runner with 38k miles and it's great...exception it gets ~13 mpg..........but 100% city though.
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