03/04/05 Mazda Tribute vs. Nissan Xterra - any thoughts?

[Flaxbee]

My car was totaled a few weeks ago, and I need to buy a new (used) car; don't want to finance and the 03-05 models of the Mazda Tribute and the Nissan Xterra (in the 60-80,000 mile range) are priced in my current comfort zone.

I know the Xterra's fuel efficiency is lower than the Tribute's, but I work from home and I usually only make one trip a week (if that) into the two nearest cities to me, which are 60 or 120 miles away. So while fuel efficiency is important to me, I don't drive that much, and just want to get some input before I go car shopping this Monday or Tuesday.

So - anyone who has had experience with either car, I'd be interested in your opinions!

Thanks! :hi:

[Parche]

1. Hey Flaxee

NO SUV's I despise SUV's!!!!!!

:hi: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

[Flaxbee]

2. I know, I know...

If I can find a Nissan Altima, I'll take it. Or a good Accord or Camry - but they tend to be more $$, and I refuse to buy anything w/o airbags. And there are better deals on SUVs right now -- our car was absolutely totaled, but it was an older Hyundai & we didn't get much for it. Don't want to finance -- and the accident was so bad I'd like a car that feels a bit sturdier - not a behemoth, but a little more of a body to it than our previous car. Also, my husband at 6'4" doesn't fit comfortably into too many smaller cars that we can afford right now.

Sigh. At least it's a used car - some recycling effort going into it.

[carlyhippy]

5. my husband fits in my Xterra and he's 6'5"

not as comfortably as he does in his Ram pickup, but alot of leg room in the xterra in the front for those tall fellas.

[flvegan]

3. I've driven both, and I'm a Mazda fan. BUT...

if I were to buy one, it would be the XTerra. It's a true sport-ute. I loved it from the first time I saw it. I wanted one for the longest. The Tribute is a Ford Escape, and it's a different class. That's just my opinion.

PLUS...the XTerra...you can rescue a couple hundred chickens in it, travel a hundred miles, unload and Simple Green the remnants out in the morning. No harm no...fowl. The inside is in-damn-destructable.

[Flaxbee]

6. that's good to know -- thanks, flvegan!

We have 7 cats, one reason for a bit more interior room (aside from the head-space issue for my husband). And he's a terrible, terrible hamfest addict, so quite often we come back from an event with all kinds of amateur radio stuff in the car - again, the need for more space.

I capture feral cats, too, and take 'em to the vets to get spayed or neutered - the pissed off males sometimes spray, so the ability to Simple Green - out the interior is very appealing!


edited for a few spelling errors...

[jmowreader]

13. No harm no fowl?

LeftyMom, would you SLAP flvegan next time you see him? He needs it.

[carlyhippy]

4. I just bought a new Xterra

I am getting around 18-20 mpg on highway and in city. I don't know about the older models of Xterra or the Tribute in general, but so far I have really liked my vehicle. The Xterra is pretty roomy inside, and feels very hardy, which was a selling point when I was looking for an SUV to buy, if I am going to make payments for the next few years, this vehicle needs to last at least that long and for years afterward, the Xterra just seems better built than the other SUV's I looked at.

[Flaxbee]

8. thank you, carlyhippy -- I appreciate the input!

It seems like the Xterras are pretty sturdy, and last a while. We live in the Smoky Mountains, and while most of our roads are paved, there are a fair number of gravel roads / washboard roads around here, too, so a vehicle that can handle all manner of paved/unpaved territory would be a plus.

[madinmaryland]

7. You OK????

What happened?

:scared:

[Flaxbee]

9. someone ran a red light going 60mph and hit us as we were

going through the green... it was so weird, because there were some bigger cars that blocked any view of the driver I could have had as I entered the intersection so I had NO IDEA someone was speeding toward us. It was like getting hit out of the blue sky. I was driving, and the other person hit the passenger side, spun us a bit, and our poor car was kaput - engine dropped, fluids everywhere, frame warped, etc. If I'd been going any faster through the intersection, she probably would have killed my husband, who was the passenger - would have t-boned right into him. As it was, she hit right around the front tire ... :scared:

It was horrible. I've never been in an accident as a driver before, and luckily the airbags deployed, seatbelts did their job, and we were both released from the hospital that night. But my head still feels kind of scrambled, and I keep having bad 'impact' dreams that wake me up, and my poor husband can't sleep very well b/c every time he actually falls asleep, he rolls over onto the side that was hurt and wakes up in pain.

Nothing broken, though, thankfully. And the other driver was OK. I have no idea why she was driving with her head up her ass, but :shrug: These things happen. Everyone is alive, so that's what matters.


How are you and the family and the furkids? :hi:

[madinmaryland]

10. Wow. I'm glad the you all are ok. The worst thing about accidents

is the crashing sound. As someone who live thru 9/11 (i'm not rudy G), the sound of metal crashing against metal still wigs me out.

OTOH, Sonia and her two brothers are doing fine. We refer to them as the fur-felons as they are normally up to no good!

:hi:

[Flaxbee]

11. anyone else with Saturday morning opinions?

kick..

[Mr. Blonde]

12. I can't speak to those two options

but I would suggest looking at Subarus as well.

They are very reliable and very safe.

[Chan790]

14. and the local dealers here are running all sorts of deals...

just to get stock down...they're getting hammered in the market because they're all AWD and heavier than their competition. That means worse fuel economy than a comparable car of a similar type.

[Flaxbee]

15. I've noticed that, too -- no one wants AWD with sky high fuel prices...

I guess it would come down to how comfortable my husband is in a Subaru vs. Xterra vs. Tribute. Head room and leg room are key -- we looked at a Hyundai Santa Fe, but we practically had to use a shoehorn to get my husband in and out of it - very, very tiny. Which was completely weird, b/c our other car had plenty of space for him.

[Bunny]

16. I have an 05 Tribute. I bought it used about a year and a half ago.

I don't know my exact mpg, I think it's in the low 20's.

I'm satisfied with it. It's comfortable, goes good in the snow, no major problems or anything. It's definitely not an off-road car, though.