Sorry I didn't see this yesterday my fellow Region Rat.
I've been in the used car industry my entire working career. Since you are a drive it till it dies guy, here it goes:
Ford Escape: Solid choice for what you are looking for. The last redesign is heads and shoulders above past models but who knows how the new platform will age. At least repairs will be cheap. I'd pass
Kia Sportage: This and the Hyundai Tucson are ok but there is no data to how they will perform long term as the Koreans have been getting better at a rapid pace. I wouldn't buy it in your position.
Toyota Rav4: The king of the drive it till it dies crowd. This would be my #1 choice.
Chevy Captiva: Forget you typed this. The Captiva is a rental only model. Regardless of how well it is made, there have been countless people driving each model who didn't care about the vehicle.
Nissan Rogue: Unless Nissan has replaced their CRAP CVT tranny, stay away from it or any Nissan product that has a CVT. They ALL go out and then you will send the guy at Aamco's kid to ND for a semester.
Jeep Patriot or Liberty: The supplier who makes the Nissan CVT apparently makes the entire Jeep Liberty. Everything breaks and it gets horrible fuel economy.
Additional vehicles...
Honda CRV: Finishes second to the RAV4 in the Drive it till it dies category.
Subaru Forrester: #3 on the drive it till it dies list. If you can find one used, always good to look at them. Low volume sales make it much more dificult to find vs the Rav and CRV.
Chevy Equinox: Surprisingly a good buy as long as you know the history. There are a lot of rental and fleet cars out there. Rates about the same as an Escape.
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport: Mitsu 4 cyl engines are very good. Edmunds and the ratings services hate them, Buy Here, Pay Here dealers love them. They run forever even if the interiors aren't up to the others in terms of refinement.
Mazda CX-5: The last model is the best looking model in this segment IMO. Mazda is an enigma in the used car industry. Everybody loves them, nobody buys them, some say they last forever, I've experienced the opposite. If I were leasing one for 2-3 years I'd do it. drive it till it's dead? No.
Of the group, for your intended purpose I'd recommend the Rav4 first, the Subaru second and the CRV third and skip the rest.
I've read some interesting studies for the Buy Here Pay Here industry (Drive Time and JD Byrider type dealers) That will carry over for your situation. Rav4's are well engineered and have owners that follow the rules of service so you get a quality used car. Subaru's are well engineered, not on the same level as Toyota but their owners are generally more involved with their vehicle, an emotional tie that lends them to treat the vehicle better, not like an appliance. Honda owners buy Hondas because they feel they are over engineered and therefore do not have to keep up with standard maintenance like they would other makes. You still get a quality used car.
It's no mistake that these are the 3 most expensive cars in this segment.
Oh... one last thing. Don't get too excited thinking you will find a 1-3 year old car on CL. People who are trying to sell cars that age on CL are doing so because they are upside down and didn't like the sound of the trade in estimate they received from the used car mgr at a dealership. CL or Autotrader are the ONLY place to buy vehicles that are 5 years + and older from private parties.
Lastly, depending on what value you place on the peace of mind buying from a certified program delivers, the extra $ you will lay for a certified vehicle may be worth it. Toyota and Honda have excellent programs.
.
Do they have pictures of the interior and at all angles? Maybe flood damage? I don't know. I see why you think something is up, but it is probably worth looking at.
