Ford Escape
We have had this Escape for three years now. We bought it used and really haven't had many problems with it. We have a hitch on it and have only towed a wood chipper to date. Handles fairly well for an SUV. Gas mileage is what you expect from a truck. I am on the shorter side (5'3") and my husband is tall (6'3") and only issues I have seen that are on long trips we have to adjust the seat a little more to make it comfortable for each of us. Car seats work well because it is a bench seat. My husband drove to work for 2 years, now I drive it on a daily basis for grocery runs and various activities and on my husband's days off.
When we bought the truck we had to replace the transmission, brakes (you can replace the front fairly easy, but the back brakes have to be professionally done if you don't have the right tools), flushed all fluids and other general maintenance that you would do for any vehicle.
