Automobile Advice

[Que]

My wife owned a Chevy Equinox before upsizing to the Trailblazer. She has been hinting around that she desires an Equinox again. Since her birthday is coming up, I decided to surprise her with one. I found a 2015 with ~15,000 miles and I've arranged for it to be delivered tomorrow for her to drive for a couple of days.

The Equinox we previously owned was a good vehicle, but I know there are others that we can possibly consider. Before signing the papers, I would like to know if some of you have had good experiences with other manufacturers?

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I've never driven one and I'm sure you'll be regailed with all sorts of good and bad experiences. But if that's what she wants, that's what she wants. And when momma's happy, everybody's happy.

 

[churchmouse]

SIL has an Equinox and swears by it....just saying.

 

[KJQ6945]

Wife drove the Equinox, but didn't care for the little engine. Wanted more power and third row seating, got the Traverse.

 

[BugI02]

FWIW Que, a quick consult of consumer reports data (which is polled from the membership) has the '15 Equinox receiving their highest rating for reliability in all areas

 

[Swom]

How's the history on it look? Was it a rental unit? Priced right? I don't own one but have driven several of the chevy and gmc versions and liked them. I have a friend that has 2 of them, one is his work vehicle and he liked it so much he bought his wife a decked out gmc version. As long as the price is good and the history is clean, go for it.

 

[halfmileharry]

For what it's worth a buddy of mine just had a major wreck in one. Every airbag went off in the thing. I think he said like 11 airbags iirc but even at 45mph and T-boning another car no one was hurt.
I saw the Equinox and it was flat to the windshield but with no one getting hurt it's worth noting.

 

[yepthatsme]

If the wife wants it, happy wife, happy life.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Like our friends at Nike said: Just do it!

 

[Que]

Thanks for the input. I guess I will see what happens. We have become a Chevy family and I'm not sure how that happened, but it has. I'm getting a good deal on this one and I was concerned about the size of the engine, but it's a V6, which will provide adequate power up the mountains. The AWD will give her comfort in the show, too. Another benefit is I'll take the Trailblazer and although I still won't have a truck, it will be better than loading my gear into the trunk of a car. And gun stickers look much cooler on a truck or SUV than on an Impala.

 

[PaulF]

You asked about other manufacturers.

So, for what that vehicle offers, and at the price it can be had...the real competition is the Jeep Cherokee, or maybe the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport of the same model year, or a Mazda CX5 or Honda CR-V a couple of model years older.

The Jeep looks like a decent vehicle, but...I always worry about the long-term quality of Chrysler products, I haven't had great personal experience there. Their products always look great for the first few years, but don't seem to wear well over the long term. The possible exception is the Wrangler. That thing, and the people that [strike]buy[/strike] worship it is an experience unto its own...

The Mazda is nice, but boring. It's quiet, quick, handles like a car. The interior is somewhat lacking, in my opinion...to "swooshy" and plastic. I like the Chevy better, honestly. I drive a Chevy, though.

The Honda CR-V would be a nice drive for her. It is pretty much the industry standard for that segment. They hold their resale value to a ridiculous degree. They are also the most expensive to buy used. It's a Civic that sits higher.

 

[mbills2223]

+1 on the CR-V...wish I had one instead of my POS Trailblazer

 

[jgressley2003]

My wife had a 2011 Equinox with the 2.4. She had to have the inline fuel pump replaced 1 or 2 times because it kept pushing fuel into the cylinder after the vehicle was shut off so it acted like it wanted to keep running. She was worried about the reliability down the road after the warranty ran out so she traded it towards a 2014 F150.

 

[woowoo2]

The Honda CR-V would be a nice drive for her. It is pretty much the industry standard for that segment. They hold their resale value to a ridiculous degree. They are also the most expensive to buy used.

The Honda, or the RAV 4

 

[Spike_351]

Beware of the AWD , my cousin bought a 2016 that stated it was AWD...even stating it on the title...upon inspection it turns out to be a FWD....so look it over carefully, other than that my current gf owns a 2013 with no issues to date. Good luck.

 

[Que]

I have her the Equinox today and she will likely keep it.

How is do I confirm that it's AWD and not FWD? That would really tick me off if they sold me a FWD.

 

[lovemachine]

You asked about other manufacturers.

So, for what that vehicle offers, and at the price it can be had...the real competition is the Jeep Cherokee, or maybe the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport of the same model year, or a Mazda CX5 or Honda CR-V a couple of model years older.

The Jeep looks like a decent vehicle, but...I always worry about the long-term quality of Chrysler products, I haven't had great personal experience there. Their products always look great for the first few years, but don't seem to wear well over the long term. The possible exception is the Wrangler. That thing, and the people that [strike]buy[/strike] worship it is an experience unto its own...

The Mazda is nice, but boring. It's quiet, quick, handles like a car. The interior is somewhat lacking, in my opinion...to "swooshy" and plastic. I like the Chevy better, honestly. I drive a Chevy, though.

The Honda CR-V would be a nice drive for her. It is pretty much the industry standard for that segment. They hold their resale value to a ridiculous degree. They are also the most expensive to buy used. It's a Civic that sits higher.

Jeep Wranglers are over rated.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I have her the Equinox today and she will likely keep it.

How is do I confirm that it's AWD and not FWD? That would really tick me off if they sold me a FWD.

You should be able to see a drive shaft from the front transaxle to the rear.

 

[Bennettjh]

You should be able to see a drive shaft from the front transaxle to the rear.

Can't go wrong with a GM, IMHO.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I was concerned about the size of the engine, but it's a V6, which will provide adequate power up the mountains.

IIRC, at the time it was introduced, the first series of that engine (3.6L V-6) that GM started putting in the cadillacs in the late 90's and early 2000's was the highest HP production V-6 made in the US up to that point. Having owned 2 vehicles with that engine (the 1st series in a 2004 Cadillac CTS and the 3rd series in a 2009 Buick Enclave) the engine is no problem. It's direct injected, VVT, and well proven at this point. The thing you should be more worried about is the transmission that connects it to the roadway. CAFE standards have driven auto's to smaller, more efficient transmissions. Smaller means less torque handling capability of the components, which means the ECM/TCM is chock-full of torque management. At the slightest incline or increase in throttle position it will down-shift because the transmission can't handle the torque that the engine can put out at lower rpms once it's given some throttle. More shifting of the transmission means more wear of the components, especially the valve-body. My 2009 enclave, with only 120k miles is already starting to experience shifting problems, whereas my 2000 Buick Lesabre made it to 225k before experiencing any transmission problems, and even then it was a minor problem.