My thoughts:
I have no reason to ever own an SUV (I like small cars and can't afford to put gas in an SUV) but I do have some advice for buying one:
Go to your local public library and borrow a copy of the April 2003 Consumer Reports, NOT Consumer Guide or Consumer Digest. CR does not take advertising and is published by a not-for-profit organization that does nothing but test products all day. Look at reliability, problems, features, etc. Copy the pages and narrow your search down to 3 or 4 cars. Then go test drive those cars and see which one you like best. Then get the Consumer Reports Wholesale price on the car you plan to buy, so you can be an educated bargainer. CR also includes articles on selling your used car, should you choose to do so (don't ever expect to get Kelley Blue Book Value on a trade-in). Reading CR helped me buy a nice used car (a 1995 Saturn SC2) and was instrumental in helping me choose the car I'm going to buy this winter (a VW Cabrio
)
Also, take a look at
Car Buying Tips on the Web, a site done by consumers.
Good luck and enjoy your new car!