Top Five SUVs Under $25,000

Ask any of my friends. Ask my wife. I'm one cheap dude.

Oh, I'm not thrifty, I'm not economical. I'm not smart with my money.

I'm cheap.

There are no two ways about it.

So, now that I'm thinking about possibly buying a new SUV, there's only one category that interests me -- one that I'm euphemistically calling "Top Five SUVs Under $25,000."

But don't be fooled -- what I really mean is "Cheap SUVs."

Unfortunately, I go back far enough in the car business to remember when $10,000 was considered a ridiculous amount to pay for a vehicle. I started out in 1980 selling Volkswagens. At the time, the priciest vehicle in the lineup was the Vanagon, which listed at about $8,000. We had a few, very special 1979 Beetle Cabriolets on the showroom floor, white paint with white interiors and white tops, cordoned off with velvet ropes. They were for sale, but only at the unreal price of $10,000 -- a figure that drew gasps from the curious. $10,000 for a Volkswagen? No one ever made an offer. When I left the dealership in 1981 to return to college, the white on white on white convertibles were still sitting on the floor, gathering dust.

Today, there are no $10,000 cars, vans or SUVs. There are few $15,000 ones, or even $20,000 vehicles. If I want to buy a new SUV that I'll be happy with for the next 7 - 10 years, I'm going to have to pony up $25,000 or more.

Maybe I'd better talk with my mechanic again, and see how much I'll have to spend to keep my old 4Runner on the road.

Photo © Jason Fogelson