GMC Terrain that bad?
- Thread starter sirgerman
- Start date
Many moons ago, there was a used car dealer in West Jordan, UT (of all places) who always had the lowest priced low-mileage AMGs and M5s. Don't remember the name, dunno if it's still there. IIRC, Utah has/had more generous rules about salvage titles, and that dealer had a lot of salvaged high-end cars (that looked great on the outside in internet photos).
IMO, going for the lowest price just wastes your own time.
Looks like OP has to get a SUV (eventually).... I say, try to spend a couple more thousand for CX-5. Good luck to OP.
Reminds me of years ago a body/mech friend was doing a service on a volvo and said to me- come over here....the customer had taken their car to another shop for bodywork- nice shiny new plastic bumper......and carnage underneath. He did jobs properly.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Nobody has mentioned one of the rules of a happy marriage. LET WIFE PICK CAR. Talk her into something she doesn't want to save some money is the bad idea that keeps on giving. Help her find the best AWD SUV in your the price range that she likes. You said you're cheap so it isn't about the money. Sometimes we get a chance to be a hero.
Married 45 years and learned the car rule many years ago.
Married 45 years and learned the car rule many years ago.
FWIW my wife had a 2012 Equinox 2.4 and it didn't use oil or have any issues at all. It was very reliable and got decent fuel mileage in the high 20s. Those cars need maintenance. From new, I changed the oil every 3,000 miles with Rotella 10w30 (not the recommended 5W-30) because those are direct injection motors and supposedly the soot or blowby or whatever is hard on timing components. I also changed the transmission fluid every 30,000 miles. Do your antifreeze too while you're at it. I would avoid a Kia; GM products are better. Take the Terrain for a long test drive and let your mechanic look it over unless you know and/or trust the person selling.
They can get you the Carfax while you're there. I would make sure the mileage is accurate as that's really low mileage for that year.
That's the big thing, neither engine offered tolerates abuse well. 3-5k OCIs and they're fine. 8-10k and never checking the oil between OCIs is when you get issues.
It was before 100K miles
Thanks guys for all the help
She wants a car for the snow , but don’t get that much snow anymore , maybe 2 weeks during winter.
We live in Utah county
She wants a car for the snow , but don’t get that much snow anymore , maybe 2 weeks during winter.
We live in Utah county
I am going to keep you guys posted, I saw a few more deals
2018 Ford Edge SEL $14,500 Mileage: 64,863
2015 Dodge Durango Special Service, $15,925
Mileage: 60,800
2011 Jeep Liberty Limited
$7,999
Mileage: 30,000
2018 Ford Edge SEL $14,500 Mileage: 64,863
2015 Dodge Durango Special Service, $15,925
Mileage: 60,800
2011 Jeep Liberty Limited
$7,999
Mileage: 30,000
^^^ I don’t know why the Equinox shows to have better reliability than the Terrain since they’re essentially the same vehicle. But sirgerman, you are listing more vehicles that have some of the worst track records in terms of reliability, poor quality parts and high failure rate for those parts. Especially Jeep!
Best of luck to you,
CB
Best of luck to you,
CB
Well open to new ideas
Wife drives a 2014 Terrain with a 2.5 4 cyl. She doesn’t drive much. Maybe 3 thousand a year. She loves it. We purchased it used back in 2017. I think it has about 55k on it now. It is on its third set of VVT sensors. First 2 sets were covered under the emission warranty. I had to pay for last set. I think the last set has been in for about 2 years now. Everything else has been fine with it.
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Thats good news
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FWIW my brother had a 2008 Jeep Liberty (3.7 4X4) and other than a water pump and brake calipers it had basic maintenance and went 150,000+ miles of harsh, mountainous West Virginia driving (if you know, you know). It was starting to rust out at the rocker panels and he wanted a new car but zero major issues. The cars you're posting have low miles. My biggest concern is verifying mileage through Carfax, service and inspection receipts, etc. Make sure you look underneath for crash damage and rust.
I think those were 2.4L motors. My wife had a 2012 FWD Equinox and that's what it had anyways. I can't emphasize maintenance enough. GM and other mfgs. set their servicing at too long of an interval for who knows what reason.
Silverado12, you are correct. It is the 2.4. I checked our service records. First time the check engine light came on I replaced both of them with autozone sensors. About a year later the dealer replaced just one under the emission warranty when the check engine light came on. About a year later the light came on again and the dealer replaced just one again. It’s been fine since. I only have the oil changed once a year at Inspection time because of the low amount of miles she drives a year.
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
BiL has had one for 10 years - it’s been fine.
He drives like and gets PM’s done like a grown up …
He drives like and gets PM’s done like a grown up …
I like the Equinox best for driving dynamics but I think the Terrain looks better and I do think they’re the best of the domestics. And I like them a lot however they have such a spotty track record.
