if new is out of the question because of price, you'll likely be disappointed if you limit your search to 2000 and 2001 model years.  they can be just as pricey as a new car.

as for suggestions, might i offer the chevy/gmc suburban.  aside from the ford excursion (or was that the expedition, i can't remember, which ever is the biggest one), there isn't a larger vehicle out there.  seats eight, plenty of room in the back for cargo (even with third seat in, i packed a 29 gallon fish tank and a 30 gallon cage for my anole from phoenix to indy with lots of room left over for the rest of the animal gear).

i just got a '96 and absolutely love it.  won't be buying anything else again.

i've heard the dodges can be problematic, but never had any experience with them personally.  have only heard anecdotal evidence.

not partial to the ford SUVs at all so i don't know a thing about them.  however, i know a guy who is looking to upgrade for space reasons from his explorer.  so depending on the number of children and gear that usually accompanies them (and don't forget to think of the future when they'll likely have more) and yours and your wife's gear, the explorer might not be a best choice for the long run.

Take a look at a Jeep Cherokee Sport or Limited (different from the Grand).  Great 4x4 suspension, strong I6 engine that will run forever if properly maintained, and very reasonably priced.

Ditto Jeep Cherokee.

I would be inclined to check the prices of a used '99 or '00.

Jeep Cherokee Classic line is a good deal.

If you want a little bigger, try to find a '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited.  I have one, they are awesome!

I owned the Explorer for 7 years and bought the Grand Cherokee a year and half ago.

Many SUVs are built on the truck version in the line. (ie. Ranger = Explorer) Many of the Ford products and other SUVs follow this formula. Though I have noticed with the new Explorer they kinda stepped away with some of it.

I drove and looked into 9 SUVs before getting the Jeep.

The Grand Cherokee is superior in every aspect to my x-Explorer. It is not built on a truck chasis, gets 26 mpg at 70 to 75 miles per hour, has disc brakes all the way around with independent suspension. It also a better vehicle for the off road as well as tracks better on road.

The sticker on mine was at 30k but you can expect to pay at 5k to 8k off that when you deal.

Depending on what you want on the inside, I’d recommend the Suburban too.  A 2001 base model:  am/fm radio, 9 vinyl seats, rubber floors, mid sized V8, 4 wheel ABS breaks, front and side air bags 4WD, $26K.  You can take a lot off the price if you give up the swanky interior.  Its all about choices.  

I've got a 2001 2-door Chevy Blazer I bought new in Sept. 2000.

Love it to death. Almost 30,000 miles and no problems.

Av.

I was looking about 4 months ago for the same reason.I bought a ford explorer.Several people I talked to had trans. problems with their Jeep.The Durango had several problems ranging from motor to the paint.Personaly I like my explorer but,I also like the tahou.The money was better on the explorer so thats what I went with.I have had no problem with the kids having room(they are 2 and 7)and I can put ALOT of stuff in the back.Any suggestions on how to keep the wife from driving it would help!

My wife drives a '97 Eddie Bauer Explorer with the 5.0 engine. We have almost 110 k miles on it and it runs like a top. The only problem we've had was the EGR valve going out (roughly 100 bucks if you replace it yourself). We have been happy with it, and I would recommend it, although we will probably buy an Expedition when we get rid of it for size-reasons.

Get a Nissan Frontier & make 'em all sit in the bed. [:D] Maybe the new GMC Hummer 2 will fill the bill.

Depending upon your specific needs, you might want to consider a pickup which usually involves less money.

Alert!  Warning!  For the love of God do not get a Jeep Grand Cherokee.  We took a beating when we sold ours.  We bought it new in 99 and kept it 30 months and took about a $10,000 loss.  It was a heap and we had lots of trouble with it.  The steering column kept going out and was replaced 2 times and was making noise again.  Also, the fuel pump went out.  All of these problems with less than 43,000 miles.  We were lucky to get rig of it at any price. Also, this was the new body style like they have now.
DONT GET THE GRAND CHEROKEE.

I have a '99 Tahoe.  It will haul all my gear to the range with room for a cooler full of "post shooting" entertainment.  Put it in low-lock and it will pull a house.  Set the crusie at 80 on the interstate and it gets some kind of gas mileage; never checked, not interested.  

Eddie

buy GM products.  Do the routine maintenance and they will last in excess of 200000 miles easily.  ...two of our vehicles had over 250k in about 9 years before we got rid of em-still looked decent too.

Stay away from a used Ford Exploder.

I used to work in the Vehicle Durabilty department at Ford Headquarters in Dearborn, MI. I now work in the Vehicle Durabilty department at Nissan. There is a world of difference between a used "Domestic" SUV and a used "Japanese" SUV. Check out Consumer Reports April Auto Buying Guide for further proof.

You are buying a used vehicle. You money doesn't go to a wonderful "American" company, or an evil "Japanese" company. It goes 100% to the used car dealer. Check out the Nissan Pathfinder or Toyota Forerunner. Also, these guys are right, a 00 or 01 MY SUV will be selling very close to the new price anyway. Be sure to check CR from last month before you buy anything!

Just My Humble Opinion but I like my Dodge Durango.

I've had the full sized Jeep Wagoner, Chevy S-10 Blazer, Jeep Cherokee, and now the Dodge Durango.  My POV is a full size GMC 4X4 extended cab PU.

I'm buying the wife a Durango.

The old Jeep Wagoner was nice.  Had plenty of room but was a little stodgy on tight trails.

The S-10 was good with power and turning radius but it was not good off road.  The damn thing would get stuck in it's own shadow.  It needed 4 wheel drive just to get out of  the drive way.

The Jeep Cherokee was probably the best off road.  It was hard to get it to the point where you needed help but the little stuff that broke made it annoying.

The Durango has plenty of room, goes pretty good off road, with the V8 has get up and go plus the wife likes to drive it because she can park it in any place open at the mall.  Nothing has broke yet after 1 year.

Everyone has a different experience with Explorers - mine has not been good.  I've had too many things go wrong w/ mine to list here.  I've always like Fords, and live in a Ford town where they make Explorers (Louisville), but my next vehicle will be a Toyota.  Toyotas break like everything else, but they generally have a very good rep, and they seem to last forever.  JMO.

I got a 2002 Nissan Xterra in Feb.  I love it!!  You might want to check one out..there were some quite decent looking 2000 and 2001's that I looked into before  I got my new one....just another vehicle to consider.

Take care,

Steve

I had a 94 Explorer I bought new and loved it.  I put just over 100K on it with only routine maintence.

I traded for a new Jeep Cherokee, that I had a love/hate relationship with.  The Cherokee was far superior in terms of offroad capability, but it was noticibly smaller inside and I had nagging QC prolems like a rear tailgate installed with no gaskets, so it leaked in the rain.  The dealer had to order the color keyed gaskets, remove the tailgate and reinstall using the gaskets.  There were other BS little things like that, all taken care of under warranty, but who wants to deal with that kind of crap?  I did like the sporty look, feel, and performace of the Jeep.  It was nice vehicle but beware, crappy QC on the production line!
I ended up only keeping it just over a year since I moved to a rural area and became my on "garbage man".  It only took one or two trips to the dump with a weeks worth of trash steaming from the hot sun and reeking to high heaven INSIDE my SUV to convince me I now needed a Pick up.  Now I have a Ford again and it's been a great vehicle for the past 2 years.

Doesn't mean they are all crap.  Plus you always take a hit on new cars.  A friend bought a 96 last year and it has been great.  I'm looking at getting one if/when I sell my TJ.  

FWIW, I typically purchase cars about every 18 months----then they get "handed" down to the wife and from her to the kids, etc. I have had 6 SUV's, including the Explorer, Tahoe, Grand Cherokee and Pathfinder and it has been the Pathfinder which has proved to be the highest quality/most reliable.  Wish "American" cars, whether GM or Ford, were built as well.

I had a 2000 Exploder, I like it alot until the front end gave out.  Have also had Blazer and Grand Cherokee.  The Cherokee had a problem with stress cracks after driving on dirt roads for about six months and ended up trading on a Land Rover.  Right now I have a Land Rover and a 4Runner and love them both.  Durango, just didn't have enough back seat room for me

I have a 2000 Expedition. I bought it used one year ago, and it had 29,000 miles on it. I payed at least $14000 less than a new one.

It now has nearly 50,000 on it and it is running great. I did have to take it to the dealer to have the power stearing pump replaced under warranty because it was leaking fluid. Other than that, no problems. It is plenty big enough for my family, yet not too big like the Excursion or Suburban.

I have a friend that has a 2002 Tahoe, and it is very nice. I like the Expedition more though. It has more leg room in the middle and third seat, and also has more room behind the third seat (although neither has very much).

I was surprised at how well it does offroad when you consider the size. I was used to the size of my '86 Bronco, which I still use as a daily driver and hunting/camping vehicle. It still runs great, and shows no sign of that changing anytime soon.

Gary