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My poor old 2009 Buick is once again sitting in the driveway, battery dead as cold fried chicken, and it's very likely that car will never run again.  It has major electrical issues and always has.  I'm going to try to get it to the garage one more time (I have AAA and the garage doesn't have a tow truck), and if I can't sell it to the garage guys for parts or as a mechanic's challenge, it will probably end up being donated to Goodwill or a similar charity.  They will come and get your car, even if it doesn't run.  Sic transit gloria mundi.

Anyway... I know I have asked in this space before about the best, affordable, most reliable late-model sedans, and the Toyota Camry seems to be coming up time and again.  They are so reliable --- just keep them serviced and they'll last forever --- that they are even the car of choice for ISIS and similar terrorists.  (I doubt Toyota will ever use that as a selling point )

But what about SUVs?  The way my son and I travel, go on road trips, go exploring, and haul stuff --- he likes to set himself up a little traveling cabin in the back seat --- I'm wondering if I might want to go for a little more spaciousness, than any sedan can afford.  Right now I'm driving my father's used Cadillac, I'm not a "boat car" fan, but for what it is, it's very driveable and comfortable, hideous gas mileage (11 mpg) but still good, reliable transportation.  But I don't want this to be our only car, moreover, my son has said that this is HIS car --- his grandfather has, indeed, "gifted" it to him, though he retains title for now, so I am flanked by two generations --- and I need something for my own, sooner rather than later.  I have told my son that no teenagers drive Cadillacs, but he doesn't care, he wants to learn to drive on that car.  It's got 100K miles on it, so if he gets it out and tears it up, not that much lost, take the insurance and buy a beater.

I'd also like something that would be spacious enough for "car camping", let down the back seats (or even remove them entirely) and put in a large air mattress.  We have a campground just minutes from our home, and we've discussed "vacationing" out there for a couple of days, being close enough to home, that I could return to care for my father as needed, then go back to camp.   I'd be looking into us taking our tent and sleeping bags, and parking the SUV next to the tent.  I know they even make canopies for such arrangements, but we're not that fancy.  Just a grill, a couple of camp chairs, a cooler, a pot to make coffee with our 12-volt power inverter, and possibly to boil water for Mountain House meals or MREs, that's about it.  Sadly, the campground has no range facilities nearby, and they don't allow airguns.  They're no fun at all.  (It is a state-owned facility, so they don't allow packing heat, but they've got the occasional coyote and bobcat out in those woods, so that's just going to have to be a purely penal law.  I'll tell any judge in the land why I had to turn that critter into mulch to save my son and me, and possibly other campers as well.  I always pack when we go hiking in the woods.  We live in 2A-friendly country, so I'm sure I'm not the only one.)

If anyone can offer some suggestions, or guide me either towards or away from various SUVs, I'd be much obliged.  I have heard good things about the Toyota 4Runner and the various Jeep models.  I can't afford a Land Rover.

Thanks in advance.

First, a tale of 2 car opinions …
 
In 2017 I needed to get a second vehicle that had better fuel economy than my Dodge crew cab short box ½ ton pickup (15-17 mpg).  I immediately thought of a Subaru SUV because I know a lot of people who have them and they love them.  When I went shopping I noticed that there weren’t a lot of used Subaru’s available and most on the market had 80k or more miles on them (owners seem to hold onto their Subaru’s), and even with the high mileage they were priced higher than my budget (they seem to hold their value).  Looking at what was on a particular lot there was a 2013 Ford Focus and a Mini Cooper, both around 50 k odometer miles and in the $10-12 k price range.  I called a friend who is a mechanical engineer by training but operates his own auto garage specializing in older European vehicles (he especially enjoys the challenge of working on cars one can no longer get off the shelf new parts for).  His advice: “Subaru’s are always great but are going to be more expensive, the Focus would be good, used Toyota Prius’ are starting to show up at reasonable prices, Ford Explorers are always good, AVOID THE MINI COOPER ALWAYS”.  A college mate who is a veterinarian and also an accomplished mechanic and mechanist says the same thing about the Mini, based on personal experience with one of his wife’s cars, so two strikes against that car.
 
  I bought the Focus, love it, now at 129 k miles and planning to go to at least 200 k I hope, I get 35 – 40 MPG.  At a family gathering that summer people were looking at my “new to me” ride.  A cousin, who now drives a Honda (maybe a Pilot) had a Subaru for many years, but interestingly considered it among the worst cars she’s ever owned.  Her cousin standing there with us had a Mini Cooper which he loved and said it had been trouble free as his daily commuter drive.
 
The story illustrates that opinions and experiences are useful and informative but can also widely vary.
 
Now onto my opinion.  I had a 2003 or 2004 Chev Trailblazer that I drove (and pulled a cargo trailer with) for about 5 years, and it was a great rig.  I traded it in on the Dodge pickup because I wanted a heavier weight rig to keep the trailer in line.  Everyone I know (many) who has or has ever had a Ford Explorer has always been happy with them, and the same opinion seems true for Suburban’s, which would give you some great space in the back.  I remember a time, especially in the 1980’s it seems, when Toyota 4-Runners were very popular but I don’t see them around much.  A lot of the 4-Runner owners I knew switched to the Explorer when Ford introduced it 1990.  While I’ve always thought they were cool, for a while after Jeep was acquired by Chrysler from AMC in 1987 it didn’t seem to have the best reputation.  That may have certainly changed by now.

I third the opinion against Mini Coopers. My sister was foolish enough to get one and has had nothing but high maintenance costs on the stupid thing since then. And now she's looking at buying another Mini, this time a Countryman  

I forgot about Subarus. They're pretty good too, I have a coworker that swears by them if you live in a place that gets a lot of snow (they're very popular here in WI). And they don't really break the bank used (at least from what I see in my area). Ford Explorers are still very good, as well as the Escapes, I just barely missed an opportunity to get a 2010 Escape for $9k with only 25,000 miles back in March! I can't speak to everything being good from Ford, I know F150s across the board are some of the best trucks outside of Toyota Tundras right now, but I'm very skeptical about their turbo-charged eco-boost engines and longevity (longevity being the main selling point for a cheap-o like me). My wife had a 2013 Ford C-Max Energi and it was a rolling piece of garbage.

GM is generally crap nowadays. So if you look at something like a Blazer or TrailBlazer, go for one from the early 00's or earlier. I just ended a Lease on a 2018 Silverado that left a bad taste in my mouth after the starter went out after only 36k miles.