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We are either trying to talk ourselves into or out of some higher end SUVs, namely a 2003 Lincoln Navigator with 184,000 miles (2 owners) or a Chevy Suburban (1 owner) with 214,000 miles, I think it is 2007. We have ran Carfax on them. I have read about all the issues that both have and we usually buy older higher end vehicles but not with that much mileage. We tow a camper so need something along these lines. Our current tow vehicle has 140,000 miles on it and is a 1993 Ford Club Wagon so we are new to repairs needed. Since we don't put a lot of miles on a vehicle, we are tempted. In KS, personal property taxes and sales tax are very high as is vehicle insurance and on the older vehicles, we only need to carry liability insurance so the argument to just get something like that is tempting. We do have the dealership looking for something newer with less mileage. A lot of the reason we are debt-free has been taking a chance with older vehicles. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Gosh, the Lincoln Navigator is just so nice looking, but I know that shouldn't be the deciding factor.
Yes, we would have savings to cover major repairs if necessary.
I personally would not buy a vehicle with that many miles if I planned on using it as my daily driver.
Or to tow a camper on a road trip.
With that many miles, here is the future, transmission replacement, hub bearings, suspension bushing worn and noise... I wouldn't touch that Lincoln if giving to me.
If the suburban was well taken care, its not so bad.
The more electronic gadgets on a vehicle, the more repairs you will need.
When buying an older vehicle of any type, go for the lowest end model that has the fewest bells and whistles.
I purposefully avoid models with ABS due to issues as the system ages.
Thanks! I did look at the CarFax info and then searched on the internet for issues with the Navigator, came up with a service bulletin which confirmed my belief that there was a front-end vibration and that it looked to me that it the possibility of making it right was rare to not a possibility at all. There were no maintenance records in the vehicle which is always something worth its weight in gold.
I know that Suburbans have a list of possible wrongs.
The best option may be to go with a motor home that we can get lower mileage and just tow a small car.
Everything these days seem to be "luck of the draw". Do I feel lucky today?
Tell us what your budget is and we can recommend suitable SUVs that are actually high end with good reliability. From the sound of it, you only want a full size SUV, not a midsize or small SUV, correct?
Tell us what your budget is and we can recommend suitable SUVs that are actually high end with good reliability. From the sound of it, you only want a full size SUV, not a midsize or small SUV, correct?
We consider them "high end" since the average household income in KS is about $45,000 and most counties range in the lower to mid-30's per household. We also became debt-free by making the vehicle choices that we have. We both turned 60 this year and don't need something that will last for 20 years in this larger size.
Our budget is less than $20,000 since we are cash buyers. And, full-size as we don't drive many miles and like the space (3 adults, 2 large dogs and a guinea pig when we go camping).
We bought our 1993 Ford Club Wagin - 1 ton - in 1997 for $14,000 out the door and have not spent that much in repairs over the years and same as for our 1995 Lincoln Continental and the Ford Crown Vic before that. We are pretty dedicated to the Ford/Lincoln per our experiences.
How big is your camper? I ask because I bought a 129k mile Suburban 2500 w/8.1 liter, fully optioned, for $6000 last year and have been using it to tow our travel trailer all over.
Very comfortable when towing or not towing, and the 2500 with the big block gas engine has no problems moving the travel trailer easily. Yeah, fuel mileage isn't the best (14 unloaded and about 12 loaded and towing), but for doing real work, it's not bad. You're not going to get MUCH better from a 5.7 or 6.0 liter gasser in a 1500 Suburban or pickup, and the small block won't tow as well.
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