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SW Iowa | First gen Toyota Highlanders seem to have come down quite a bit in price the past year or two. I went from a 2000 Blazer to a 2006 Highlander V6 AWD about 5 years ago, and while the HL does have its idiosyncrasies it's about three times the vehicle the Blazer ever was as far as build quality, reliability, and comfort. I'd look for an 04-07 with a 3.3 V6, change the timing belt/water pump if it's due, and drive the wheels off it. If you don't *need* AWD, I think the FWD gets a little better mileage and eliminates the possibility of a couple semi-common problems while also generally being cheaper to buy. The bodies are not very prone to rust (pretty sure my Blazer had holes through the rear fenders by 150k) and they're wider than a Blazer so more space to fit 3 wide in the second row. Many were also equipped with third row seats, which although certainly not the pinnacle of comfort means you have the seatbelts to haul 7 if the need arises. A lot of the underpinnings were based on the Camry so they ride nice, although probably wouldn't be a great choice if you want to tow much.
I have also known some people with first gen Ford Escapes who put a boatload of miles on them without many problems, though I think some were prone to transmission problems. | |
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Late 90's/Early 2000 SUV's
