BlueEyes

I am a big fan of the Audi Allroad. They came out in 01 i think, so there available used. The resale on them however is pretty high, you might have a tough time finding one at a decent price. Take a look, nice cars.

GT350C

Do you want good resale because you will buying new? Or do you want good value? Just because a vehicle does not have good resale does not mean it will not satisfy your requirements.

A good used value is the Infinity version of the pathfinder (2001+ for the bigger motor) very capable, stylish and had HID lights

A good new value is the Honda pilot

2ks2k

I will suggest what we used to own and that is the Lexus RX300. Excellent build quality, reliability, and gas mileage(22mpg). I recommend a 2001 or newer because they have a few better features than previous one's...the main one for me being a larger gas tank. The RX300 used to (and still might) account for 40% of all vehicles sold by Lexus...just so you know how many people liked it.

Gambit

Check out:

Honda Pilot,
Nissan Pathfinder/Murano/XTerra,
Toyota Highlander,
Dodge Druango (my friend had one with 120K miles on it so I think they hold up ok)
Jeep Cherokee

Riggs

35K range: 2004 Pathfinder LE is a great truck.
Traditional, rugged good looks. Exceptional build quality. Luxury-car levels of equipment and interior materials. Powerful, smooth, engine with "invisible" shifts. Drives like a big luxury car (but obviously not as good as some of the new car-based SUVs, X5, RX330, MDX etc). Good off-road ability. Legendary reliability - we are talking 200K plus on basic maintenance.
35K msrp going for 27K if you can still find them.
Much better than the new 2005 Pathfinder IMHO.

Mid-Range: I would have said Toureg, that is until the new LR3 came out. Best SUV in this class and nearly out-shines it's big brother!

Higher-range: Obviously Range Rover HSE. Best all-round SUV available IMHO but is nearly over-shadowed by its newer younger sibling. However, this will be rectified in the new update. Unsurpassed luxury, comfort, technology, on-road manners, prestige (if you care about that, I don't, wife does), build quality (it's basically a BMW). Legendary reputation and off-road capability.
LX470 comes in - a very distant - second but still a great SUV.
Cayenne Turbo if you are looking for something a little different from an SUV.

Taking everything into account, I would go 2004 Pathfinder, and that is why I rushed to get one.

Hope this helps a little.

Gord96BRG

I still don't see anything on that list that shouts "SUV"! There's quite a few wagons that would meet those requirements, and be a hell of a lot more fun and interesting to drive on a daily basis than some truck. Again, the wagons will have more rear seat room and cargo room than the mini-SUVs - you did say family and camping, right?

I can't argue with that recommendation, since I own an 02 allroad! Turbo V6 with 250 hp, big cargo area, AWD, huge back seat (relative to most SUVs), and a manual transmission. But - there's cool stuff like the Passat W8 wagon (available with a manual trans also), and the new Subaru Legacy GT wagon would be an excellent choice. Dodge Magnum (auto only, though), even the new Ford Freestyle...

Sorry for harping on wagons, but I'm not a minivan OR truck kind of person - I enjoy driving too much to give up the driving satisfaction available from the good dynamics of a car with a manual transmission and sporting suspension. Why drive a truck when a much more enjoyable to drive car with the same luggage capacity (ie wagon) and towing capability is available? There's NO trucks or SUVs that offer equivalent driving dynamics to the good wagons that are out there.

Life is too short to drive boring cars (or trucks) - unless you absolutely have to. It doesn't sound like you have to make that sacrifice yet!

Regards,
Gordon

shorty911

4 runners are prety solid cars, explorer sports arn't to shabby. Have you considered the lexus rx300 they are pretty nice as well. Also the new jeep cherokee's are supposed to be really nice.

Mazdax605

I say Subaru Forester XT.They are great cars,and fast too.My wife has an 05 Forester X model which is the cheapest forester,and it is non turbo,but it is a great car,a little smallish,but it gets the job done,and its great in the snow.I may even get a XT when the lease is up on my RX-8.I like the Subaru so much,I sorta wish I had gotten one of them instead.Oh well I love my rotaries too much.

Ike

I've been tossing around the idea of trading my WRX for an XT as well. Some supension mods, and a few engine mods and I would be perfectly happy.

GTRay

the hang up that i have with the wagons is potential towing capacity. i feel much more comfortable towing a medium sized boat with a 4Runner than i do anything made by subaru. the only wagon i would trust right now is the dodge magnum and it s out of my price range.

i think i've decided on the 4Runner

Ray

Ike

Without the Hemi the Magnum is pretty damn inexpensive. However the 4 runner isn't a bad choice, I didn't like what I'm assuming was an 02, but they certainly are durable/reliable.

BlueEyes

Thats understandable, if you're towing any more than 3500-4000 lbs I would go truck over wagon. Some wagons can tow that but they're breathing heavy at the end of it. Not something I like, especially if you're on and off of highways a lot.

JoePaterno

Get a Limited Grand Cherokee. It is a really nice truck. A little small compared to others, but a real nice compartment, luxury feel, cheap insurance, cheap parts, hold their value well, The 6 or the 8 are both great engines. That 4.0 jeep engine is extremely reliable.

RX8_Buckeye

My wife drives an '04 Mercury Mountaineer, which is basically a Ford Explorer. She absolutely loves it, and won't even consider going back to a car now. It's the first SUV that we've owned, but we really don't have any complaints. It is amazing in the snow and ice, provides a smooth and quiet ride, and gets slightly better fuel economy then my RX-8. We really made use of the cargo capacity while doing landscaping projects last spring, and the seven-passenger seating has come in handy more than I thought it would. It is one of the few body-on-frame SUVs that has IRS, so it actually handles quite well. It's not a "driver's" SUV, like a Porsche Cayenne or BMW X3/X5, but I really have no problems going from my RX-8 to the SUV. The SUV is meant to be driven like a truck, and the RX-8 can be driven like a sports car. It is what it is, and it does a great job.