I have been involved into a crash and need to buy a new vehicle. I am
looking for a car I would resale within 1 to 2 years. I drive an
average of 800 miles per month and would like to minimize my loss. I
am located in Texas and am planning to do 50% highway/50% city
driving. Gas mileage is not a factor in my decision. I am currently
looking at the Mazda Tribute, the Toyota Rav4
and the Honda CRV. The Tribute seems to be better priced but it seems
like a "cloned" Ford more than a real japanese car. Which cars should
I look at ? Where can I can get the best deal for it ?

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Clarification of Question by hebert_mario-ga on 18 Nov 2002 07:02 PST

What I am looking for is more factual information about resale value,
reliability, etc. I am also interested to have data about unit solds
since this will give me a better indication of how easy the car it is
going to resale the vehicle. I would definately like some inputs on
how important is 4WD and V6 important when comes time to resale the
vehicle. I would like to know what is the sales distribution between
models. Finally, I'd like to know what would be the best way to get a
good deal if I can't decide between two and just want to get the best
deal out of it. Your comment about the Tribute is interesting, ny
research indicates that it was elected the best SUV in its category by
Edmunds for a few years in a row.

I was recently also looking to buy an SUV in the same class you are
looking at.  I selected the Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 4WD V6 which I would
recommend. I did not like the RAV4 because it is quite small compared
to the others in the class and it only comes with a 4 cylinder engine.
 The Tribute and Escape are the same vehicle with minor cosmetic
differences.  They have had a very bad reliability record based on
Consumer Reports and several other sources. The Santa Fe comes loaded
with all the features you could want and the price is around the
starting price for the similar model RAV4 with no options. The Santa
Fe comes with a 5 year full, 10 year limited warrantry and has been
rated the highest reliability rating in its class by Consumer Reports
this year.

The Honda CR-V is your best bet. A CR-V owner myself, I have compared
exactly the models you have looked at. The Mazda is a copy of the Ford
Escape, and has a very cheap looking interior. The RAV4 is VERY
underpowered, and is quite pricey for what it is. A CR-V EX has a 6-CD
Changer and Honda's reliability reputation to boot. The 2002 CR-V was
redesigned for this year, and if you go to a Honda dealer you will see
that the only CR-V's on the lot will be those which are there for oil
changes and tire rotations.

Good luck!

a great place to find out more about the CR-V is a forum that I belong
to. You can see some articles posted by myself and the whole
International CR-V community.

http://www.hondasuv.com/
http://www.gocrvclub.org/