7 SUVs Retirees Should Avoid Buying in November 2024

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Shopping for a new car doesn’t get any less stressful with age. Cars are big-ticket purchases, and with so many choices on the market, the last thing a retiree wants to deal with is undue pressure when buying a vehicle. It’s true that we’re in the middle of the “best time of the year to buy a car,” but an SUV may not be the ideal choice for a retiree, despite their popularity.

According to Progressive, SUVs tend to be better than cars for older drivers based on safety studies. And they’re usually easier to get in and out of, as they are higher off the ground. However, with SUVs continuing to grow in size, today’s typical SUV might be too much vehicle for a retiree and their budget — especially one looking for little more than a daily errand driver.

Drivers of all ages want a car that is affordable, dependable and comfortable. However, for American retirees, an SUV may not be the best fit due to high maintenance costs, fuel inefficiency or a lack of reliability.

Here are seven SUVs that suffer from these shortcomings and should be avoided by retirees during this incentive-heavy month.

Also see seven SUVs that mechanics say will cost the most money over time.

Chevrolet Suburban

As MotorTrend pointed out, the Suburban is unrivaled in space-to-price ratio. While a $60,000-plus base MSRP is reasonable for a full-size SUV, not many seniors need 355 horsepower, 145 cubic feet of cargo space, 225.7 inches of vehicle length or optional seating for up to nine people. If your budget is $60,000, use it wisely and get a reliable smaller car.

Volkswagen Taos

Price might be the only thing going for the Taos, with a starting price of $23,995. Ranking it last out of 11 subcompact SUVs, Consumer Reports also listed the Taos as the second least reliable car for 2024. The most common trouble spots for the Taos include brakes, transmission, engine, electric system and noises/leaks, per the site.

Jeep Grand Wagoneer L

The Grand Wagoneer L excels at some things (passenger seating, cargo space, towing capacity and off-road capability) but disappoints on others (comfort, tech and value for money), per Edmunds. With a price ranging from $91,945 to $114,190 for a 2024 model, the Grand Wagoneer L is too big, too expensive and too undependable for anyone relying on an income that stretches far less than it used to.

Ford Explorer

“The worst SUV to lease,” per CarsDirect, isn’t a great buy either, especially for seniors. Reviewing the 2024 Explorer, Car and Driver noted that a refresh is coming for 2025, but the 2024 model falls behind many of its competitors in refinement and third-row comfort — not ideal for retirees.

Land Rover Discovery

Chris Pyle, a virtual mechanic and expert at JustAnswer, had this to say about the Land Rover Discovery: “They are expensive to maintain doing just general maintenance, and when they fail, the parts and labor are high.”

Known for its versatility, spaciousness, off-road capabilities and luxury trimmings, Land Rover’s performance has been underwhelming of late. Consumer Reports gives the 2024 Discovery an overall score of 52 out of 100. The vehicle was ranked 30 out of 100 in predicted reliability and came in dead last out of 12 among luxury midsize three-row SUVs.  

Nissan Armada

Bigger, more powerful and with a higher towing capacity than the Nissan Pathfinder, the Armada is also a real gas-guzzler. According to estimates from the U.S. Department of Energy’s website, the 2024 two-wheel drive Armada gets a combined 16 mpg (14 city and 19 highway), while the four-wheel drive gets 15 mpg (13 city and 18 highway). This works out to an annual fuel cost of around $3,800 for the two-wheel drive and $4,100 for the four-wheel drive.

Lincoln Navigator

Another behemoth, the Navigator is a luxurious, spacious ride that can carry up to eight people. Propelled by a 440-horsepower turbocharged V6, this huge SUV has huge acceleration, which may prove to be too much muscle for the average retiree to handle. Consumer Reports questioned the Navigator’s safety features and scored it low in recent vehicle braking and emergency handling tests.

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