I did a lot of serious research when I was looking to purchase a used vehicle the end of last year and the beginning of this year. As someone here on BITOG posted, the only companies that make CVT that I would consider purchasing are Honda, and Toyota. They said that because those are the only ones that hold up for long use. And even then you have to change the CVT fluid when recommended, or even before that if it is in severe use. A lot of stop and go traffic, and or a lot of hills, and or loading the vehicle with a lot of weight to carry, and or towing are severe use for a CVT. If you do any of those you should change the CVT fluid at the severe use change recommendation.
Years ago the Nissan Murano CVT transmission was so bad that so many of them were replaced under warranty that Nissan had to stop using CVT's for some years, then after a few years they switched back to again using CVT's
I was looking at Nissan, Honda, and Toyota and stopped by a local very big transmission repair shop (they have 10 bays all with lifts) and I have used them to change the fluid and filter on our 2001 Impala a couple of times over the years so I know the owner. I asked him if Nissan has now got there CVT design fixed to be reliable, and he said "No, they still break as often as they use to, and when they do you are looking at over $5000 for a new one (they are not rebuild-able) and more than $600 labor to replace it." So I ruled out Nissan, and only looked at Honda, and Toyota.
I looked on the Toyota Forums and Honda Forums and learned that there are some complaints about the recent Toyota vehicles, so I learned more about Honda. On Wikipedia you can research any vehicle and see the years each generation spans. When they redesign a vehicle it is called a new generation, and in general they stay with that design for several years (that makes up a generation). The Honda CR-V fourth generation spans from 2012 to 2016, however in 2015 they went to a CVT and there was a technical service bulletin for a problem with the 2015 year because at certain speeds the back end of the vehicle would vibrate (you can look it up on YouTube). And one of the post here on BITOG said that one of the best years in general to buy any used vehicle is the last year of a generation (that is because by then the manufacturer has got most of the bugs in the design of that generation fixed). That would be 2016 for the 4th generation of the Honda CR-V. Honda was supposed to have the vibration problem fixed by then. The 2017 is the beginning of a new generation of design, they switched from the 2.4 L normally aspirated direct injection 4 cylinder engine that they had made for years to a 1.5 L direct injected turbo-charged 4 cylinder engine, and it did have some problems with fuel getting past the pistons and into the oil, and something in the vehicle discharging the battery by having some of the components of the vehicle stay on when the vehicle was not being used for a few days, and there are complaints by owners in northern climates that say the 1.5 L engine takes way too long before it produces enough heat for defrosting the windows and heating the cabin in the winter. Look it up on YouTube. While the 5th generation of the Honda CR-V (2017 and later models) with the 1.5 L engine produce a little more HP and get about 1 MPG more than the 4th generation, the lack of heat in the winter, and other problems ruled out the 2017 and 2018, and 2019 model years for me. So I decided to look for a good used 2016 CR-V with a good Car-Fax report and also Car-Fax reports of having the oil changed when it should have. The last thing I want to buy in a used vehicle is something that someone did not change the oil on often enough. Car-Fax used vehicles list vehicles and their Car-Fax reports, and I found one and bought it. If you want something larger than the CR-V (it has seating room for 5, 2 in front, 3 in back) then look at the Honda Pilot ( it has a third row of seats ).
BTW, the Honda CR-V 2016 models year is a very reliable vehicle and I am much more than happy with the one I have, but there are still a few minor design problems that could be better. The engine sometimes has a slight vibration at idle, and the back end can still vibrate. But not anywhere near as bad as the 2015 year. I Have 600 miles on mine and the engine has vibrated at idle once, and the back end has vibrated once, both times it was minor and only for a short amount of time compared to the YouTube videos that some owners of 2015 CR-V have posted. Considering the bullet-proof reliability of Honda in general and the Honda CR-V in particular I am glad I chose a Honda 2016 CR-V used vehicle. If you chose a CR-V and anyone who will be using it and they also will be loading stuff such as groceries into the trunk space, then look for a "touring model" with the fully automatic power open and power close back gate. Or you can retro-fit the auto-power lift and close. There are companies that sell the parts for about $500, and if you want the kick to open switch that is available on the aftermarket designs for about $65.
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There are YouTube videos of reviews of different vehicles, and even some comparing different manufactures of similar size models.
Do your research both with mechanics, transmission shops, and the internet, including YouTube.
Good luck.
