My current 4 wheeled contraption is getting to the point where I think it would make sense to replace it this summer. I am getting sick of fixing it all the time.
My ideal vehicle would have:
4x4 with limited slip/locking differentials (or at least AWD)
Hold 4 adults comfortably with equipment/luggage
Have at least 6’ of flat cargo room in the back with seats folded/removed
Hold a 36" unicycle in the back with the wheel vertical
Rated to tow moderate loads (16" boat, trailer with two snowmobiles, etc)
Comfortable for driver (and hopefully the passengers too) on long rides
Decent fuel economy
Tough enough that I can drive on northern “roads” without it falling apart.
start well in the cold
Not cost an arm and a leg
Anyone know any vehicles that fit that description?
I currently have a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport. I bought it in New Brunswick in Dec 2008 with 112000km on it.
It is now over 300000km, the tailpipe fell off last year (but the cat/muffler are still there so I am not worrying about it, thought the muffler is starting to go) The back end is sagged out (I lifted the back 1.5" and it is still lower than it is supposed to be) I put new struts in in 2009 but they are gone as well. It has lingering vibration and alignment issues. I spent $1800 on a full alignment with new cams etc before my last road-trip and it is starting to pull again. The transmission wines in 4th, and leaks fluid. It will randomly stall when stopped. The driver seat is pretty much collapsed and sometimes falls backwards if I put my weight back or hit a bump hard… and a bunch of other little things.
You can tow a 16 inch boat with your unicycle. Karen and I had a brown car once. It was the best one we ever owned. Our red cars haven’t been too good.
Check out the 4 door Chevy s10 blazer / GMC Jimmy. They are cheap and have that 4.3L vortech v6 that is incredibly reliable. They also have 4wd with positraction. They stopped making them in 2004 I think, but there was a ton of the made, so parts are easy and cheap to find.
I am thinking of getting something new/newish. I have always bought my vehicles outright but thinking of financing this one. I figure I could comfortably afford something in the $20-30,000 range. Depending how the summer goes I might be able to go a bit higher.
I just punched some numbers and it is ridiculous how much money goes into keeping a vehicle going. looks like in the last 3 years I spent something like $53,000 keeping my current vehicle going (including gas, oil, maintenance, insurance). That is a lot of money to spend on something I never really liked in the first place.
Knox: I had a 97 Limited Edition 4Runner for a while and loved it. If it didn’t go off a little cliff in Quebec all those years ago I might not have started this thread. It had over 400,000km and rock solid. If I could afford a new one I would be very tempted to get another.
Harper: good point, and I have carried a unicycle on a snowmobile in the past…
I had a white truck once, it pretty fun. I have had good results with green. My current vehicle is red. Maybe I will go for a brown one this time.
Blue: I guess I should have added: under 8’6" width to my preferences, but I didn’t think it was going to be an issue.
Skilewis: a 36er fit upright in a 97 4Runner and my current 01 Explorer but I had to angle it in a 93 Jeep Grand Caravan.
Eriksonj: I wish there were more of that style SUV made today with a more efficient engines and lower price tags. I like the idea of a SUV body on a 1/4 ton frame.
If you do decide on a used vehicle, you might want to check out a late model (General Motors) Astro or Safari van with all wheel drive.
It should meet almost all of your requested needs. Milage isn’t the greatest though (20 to 24 mpg) They are really roomy with or withoiut the seats in place & will allow the 36er wheel to stand upright. I have a 98 Safari that I love but I think they quite making this particular van in 2003 or 2004 so trying to hunt up one with lower milage might be a challenge.
As far as new stuff is concerned unless you go with a van or (truck) you won’t likely get the wheel to store in the upright position.
The wife purchased an AWD Honda CRV last spring & its a great vehicle as well but certainly would not supply 6’ of flat cargo space,towing capacity is limited & likely not enough height for the 36.
Any small to mid size SUV would likely fit into the same catagory as the CRV. although most of the new mid size ones are using V6’s which should help with the towing issue.
I remember when it seemed like every 3rd vehicle north of LA was a safari. They were neat looking vans. Now when I find myself up in Stanley Mission or Missinipi there doesn’t seem to be any left.
My Mom has a CRV. I think it might be long enough but it would be nice to have a bit more vertical room in the back.
Ideally when road tripping without a destination or planned stops I like to have a bed set up in the back while keeping a few unicycles in the back as well.
When I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee I had the unicycles on a hitch mount which freed up lots of space but I really prefer to have them in the vehicle.
I am starting to consider a new Ranger with a cap…
Yah I am thinking something new as in not used. It’s hard not to consider a low mile used vehicle as well but I always wonder why people are getting rid of it when barely broken in, and if they drove it hard in that time or not.
I am starting to really lean towards getting a 2011 Ranger but there are a few things I don’t like about it, including the fact that a new F150 actually gets better fuel economy according to Ford (if you compare 4x4 models)
But I certainly don’t need (or want) a full sized truck at this point. It’s just to bad Ford hasn’t put any real effort into the ranger in the last 10 years, It could easily be a better vehicle with todays technology (maybe with the current 3.7 L V6 from a F150 or a 2 L eco-boost) would be fun to have an extra 100 hp and better fuel economy.
Durable? Best bet is a vehicle with a frame, trucks are cool, but you can’t get into the back from the cab too easilly.
After seeing your loaded down Explorer, I’d suggest something a little longer and “newer”. If it were the late eighties to early ninties, I would have said a Chevy Suburban, so todays’s best bet would be a Ford Flex. It has the space, it has the Eco twin turbo, and they get good reviews.
Second to that, an AWD Toyota van would be a nice ride, plenty of power, reliable, mileage is so-so though better than a truck, it’ll handle your gear load, need to change out the run flats and put a spare in the back or on the roof.
Sounds like you have had a fun summer. I was car shopping last summer and explored every option from SUV’s to sedans. I had my heart set on a Toyota Tundra but I didn’t want to fork out a ton of cash at the gas pump. The vehicle I really liked was the Chevy HHR. It has a cool retro look. Gets good gas mileage and had plenty of room for my family of four. I could drop down the back seats and fit a longboard on the inside. I really wanted to buy one. I made the mistake of taking my wife with me to look at them and she ended up with a new mini van and I still have the same 11 year old Nissan Pathfinder thats pushing 200K miles. Oh well…check out the Chevy HHR they can be had for less than 10 grand
Just had a look at the HHR, looks like it would be a great roadtrip vehicle, but maybe not such a great “up north” vehicle. I also wouldn’t be able to tow anything.
Travelling right now in a F350, hauling 2000lbs of gear in a custom wide box and getting better fuel economy than I do with my little explorer. It seems crazy but it makes the fuel efficiency numbers for some full sized trucks more believable.
I still have a hard time believing 9.5 L/100km on a full sized truck with 4x4.
It should have enough height to handle the 36 but with the seats folded up you only get about 4.5’ of length. Which might make for tight sleeping quarters. Even with the rear seats removed you would be hard pressed to get 6’.
<off topic>
I wish we would measure fuel economy in gallons / 100 miles in the US. It would make comparing much easier. mpg makes no sense.
</off topic>
After seeing the load of stuff in Eric’s Explorer and hearing about how he likes to drive on heavilly rutted and potholed dirt roads, a lightweight SUV is not going to cut it. CRV is a nice car that has sorta all wheel drive. I have an Element, same running gear, not a bad little car for paved roads, but they are not off road compatible on the scale needed in the great white north
Eric, a truck or a full sized SUV would be your best bet, a good AWD van would be nice but they are scarce these days. I’m holding out for the new Ford van set to replace the Econoline:
Ecoboost, rear wheel drive, and possibility of TDI and AWD in the future
Wasn’t that one of the Bat-mobiles?
