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Post by ohiodreamer on May 20, 2015 16:47:11 GMT
I don't even know where to start! I have a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee that is NOT my friend. It's acts up but my mechanic can't find a reason.....long story short we think it's time to replace it. We usually keep our vehicals till they die. When we buy we buy used.
I have no idea what I want, or what I need it to do. Currently we live in town, but we are actively watching for a place to move to (2-5 ac in size). 2 kids, oldest is 6'3" and still growing.....so no "little" car will work. It needs reasonable gas mileage as my folks and FIL live in an hour or so away (in opposite directions). I want to be able to haul a bit, small trailer and inside cargo room (at least for a few feed sacks).
So what do you have that you like? What do you have or had that you didn't like? I'm NOT opposed to a truck, just leery of the gas mileage.....we've always had one before but currently have 2 SUV's (with horrible gas mileage!)
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2015 16:58:59 GMT
We have a 2001 suburban, and I love the old girl! I haul 300lbs of feed,drop off 2 kids to 2 different colleges. My husband wants something smaller, I will not give her up. A tank of gas lasts about 2 week . Hope this helps, wishing you all the best in your search!
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Post by bluejeans on May 20, 2015 17:41:14 GMT
My son and DIL love their Dodge Durango !! It gets very decent mpg...and is versatile. It has 3 rows of seats for ferrying kids and their friends...the back seats fold for a lot of cargo-space. DIL uses the back space for her 2 huge mastiffs...behind her 2 kids in car seats. It's 4x4 [not full-time] for bad weather...has good towing capacity. It's a dream handling.
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Post by Maura on May 20, 2015 18:42:48 GMT
I have a Pontiac Vibe. It is larger than an Escort wagon and designed for the tall. In fact, I had a welder drop the driver’s seat lower for me. I have hauled bales of hay in it, sheep, as well as furniture. They don’t make them anymore, but I understand the Tracker is the same car. I get 34 mpg.
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Post by vickilynn on May 20, 2015 19:29:04 GMT
I have a Pontiac Vibe. It is larger than an Escort wagon and designed for the tall. In fact, I had a welder drop the driver’s seat lower for me. I have hauled bales of hay in it, sheep, as well as furniture. They don’t make them anymore, but I understand the Tracker is the same car. I get 34 mpg. The Toyota Matrix is the same car as the Vibe. We had a 2007 Matrix and sold it to our son; gave him a really good deal. I really liked the Matrix. We are still pondering what to buy next. Test drove the new Honda HRV this last weekend, just 'cause I was nosy about what it was like. For the time being, we have my truck, a 2006 Tacoma. I'm not sure how many kiddos can ride in the Vibe/Matrix, 2 or 3? My 6'4" son could ride in the backseat OK. |
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Post by susannah on May 20, 2015 19:31:43 GMT
We've always had a car AND a truck. My truck is 24 years old - a 1991 Chevy S-10. That thing has been phenomenal - no repairs besides routine maintenance in the 24 years we've owned it. It didn't get the greatest gas mileage to begin with, and the mileage has gotten worse in its old age. Which is why we keep a car, too - right now, it's a 2012 Chevy Cruze - we have this thing for Chevys, apparently.  While I don't love the car, it does get fantastic mileage - we often get well over 40 mpg, which is more than we were told we'd get. We buy new and keep forever - or close to it - so we'll have the Cruze for many years yet. No way we could get by without a truck - we do so much remodeling and construction work, and the Cruze is just too tiny for that. We have decided to retire the S-10 next year, when it turns 25. Despite it not having caused us any trouble, we know there are many things just waiting to happen, it doesn't have 4 wheel drive (which is going to be a necessity if we ever want to use our new boat on a different lake) and we hesitate to take it more than 50 miles away. We've pretty much decided on a Chevy Colorado crew cab for the next truck. Told you we have a thing for Chevy's. It will be new - the older Colorados had the 5 cylinder engine that we've heard weren't the best, while the new ones we can get a V6. We keep playing around with designing our new truck, but again, it will wait until next year - we've spent enough money this year on a big remodel cost, and need to rebuild the funds a bit. If we hadn't settled on a truck to replace the truck, we were thinking of either a Toyota Rav 4 or a Honda CRV. We know people who have both and love their vehicles. What tipped us toward a truck was the towing capacity - the smaller SUV's aren't rated for what we need to tow a boat. If we had smaller towing needs, we would have gone smaller SUV instead, I think. |
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Post by wally on May 20, 2015 22:24:58 GMT
I have to agree that I see a 1/2 ton 4x4 suburban or a tahoe as our next ride. It has plenty of room for 3 grandchildren or just us for a road trip. We dont really need towing with it. Here at the farm I have a F350 for towing.
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Post by whisperwindkat on May 21, 2015 1:24:18 GMT
We love our Nissan Pathfinder. Our mechanic's family has had 4 and he says they have driven 3 of theirs over 300,000 miles with minimum repair work.
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Post by jassytoo on May 21, 2015 5:12:31 GMT
WE have a Ford F150 truck which we love. Also have a Trailblazer XL a 2004. We like that a lot too. It's comfortable and holds all the grandsons. Has 3 rows of seats that can fold flat. Has darn near the same length as the truck bed and we can haul plenty.
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Post by bergere on May 21, 2015 11:04:22 GMT
Love my 2008 Honda Pilot (they call it a 2008, but it was sold in 2007, bought it used). I haul hay, sheep, turkeys.... what ever in it. LOL
Can only tow 4,500lbs.. but its enough.
Knock on wood, no issues yet,, has nearly 100,000 miles on it so far.
We also have a manual 2000 Toyota Echo... DH got about 40mpg with it, DS who is a smoother driver, gets between 43 to 45mpg... and it has over 250,000
DH had to buy a new car last year, ended up with an Eco- Toyota Corolla. It gets about 39/40mpg. DH is getting older and wanted cruise control.
First thing I go for in a car, is reliability. Any Commuting car, must have good gas mileage, too. My Pilot doesn't have good gas mileage, but I needed it to be my "farm" truck.
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Post by fordy on May 21, 2015 11:39:06 GMT
I don't even know where to start! I have a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee that is NOT my friend. It's acts up but my mechanic can't find a reason.....long story short we think it's time to replace it. We usually keep our vehicals till they die. When we buy we buy used. I have no idea what I want, or what I need it to do. Currently we live in town, but we are actively watching for a place to move to (2-5 ac in size). 2 kids, oldest is 6'3" and still growing.....so no "little" car will work. It needs reasonable gas mileage as my folks and FIL live in an hour or so away (in opposite directions). I want to be able to haul a bit, small trailer and inside cargo room (at least for a few feed sacks). So what do you have that you like? What do you have or had that you didn't like? I'm NOT opposed to a truck, just leery of the gas mileage.....we've always had one before but currently have 2 SUV's (with horrible gas mileage!) 2011 or later F150 crew cab , long bed(8 foot) with the 5.0 , 302 cu. inch engine . Try and find a model with a 373:1 axle ratio and posi traction rear end ! This engine pulls really strong and the 6 speed trany is very dependable. Gas milage is 16 to 21 depending on driver and conditions . , fordy |
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Post by siletz on May 21, 2015 14:28:56 GMT
We bought a 2002 Ford Expedition 9 months ago and have had nothing but problems with it. It literally blows spark plugs out of the engine because of a faulty design. It is now a paperweight in my driveway. Never again.
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Post by ohiodreamer on May 21, 2015 14:59:17 GMT
Sicker shock!! Oh My Goodness, since when do cars need to be half the price of a house!!!! I have found some very reasonable priced used trucks.....then I notice that these 2 or 3 yr old trucks have 100,000+ miles on them!! Oh the joys of living in oil fracking land....
Keep your suggestions coming....I'm running down the specs on everything you suggest. My last 2 vehicles have been "bad" buys.....so I'm really relying on suggestions this time. Both have had undefined engine "issues".....IE: engine light comes on but not problems can be found.
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Post by jassytoo on May 21, 2015 17:28:05 GMT
BIG sticker shock. When we bought the Trailblazer we got a "good buy". It was 2 years old and cost us 18,000. Came to 20,000 all told. That was what we paid for our first house! I guess it cost about 40,000 new. Told DH for that price it should have come with at least 2 bedrooms and an acre of land.
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2015 17:44:39 GMT
I have a pickup and a hatchback, and I 99% of the time use the hatchback. I can put a few hundred pounds of feed in the back, it gets great gas mileage compared to the truck, and being enclosed it keeps things dry. But I can't imagine moving sheep without the truck. An enclosed cap would make that easier, but we use a 54" dog crate. I can fit three immature cotswolds inside easily. Three mature Cotswolds happened once, but they looked mighty uncomfortable, and the ram was an undersized half=breed. We also use the truck to buy hay. Our hay seller showed us how to stack 50 bales, well enough to make the trip 2 miles up the road between our farms, 50 bales on our truck, 50 bales on his truck, and we can get our 100 bale minimum order in one trip.
Our hatchback is a Subaru Imprezza. The all wheel drive sacrifices a little gas milage, but is invaluable in our winters.
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Post by Maura on May 21, 2015 18:29:40 GMT
The vibe will seat three in the back, but not 3 child seats. We could get 2 car seats plus one child. That shouldn’t be a concern for you. At 6’ they no longer need car seats.
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Post by ohiodreamer on May 21, 2015 19:26:15 GMT
Yes, my 6'-er has been out of a car seat for almost 6 yrs now. He was VERY shocked when we moved to Europe and he had to get back into a car seat!! Although, with how long we keep cars, could be we need to consider car seats.....for grand kids!
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Post by hermitjohn on May 21, 2015 21:19:18 GMT
I couldnt recommend anything even half way new. Unless its under factory warranty, no major repair is economical. Modern cars are nearly all automagic tranny and engines with multiple cams per bank of cylinders and things like variable valve timing and who knows what. These are what used to be high dollar sports car engines or race car engines. They are still high dollar.
At this point, if you want repairable, you either gut a modern vehicle and repower it with durable carburetor engine and manual transmission. or if your state doesnt allow that and uses emissions inspections to enforce their wishes, then you are forced to buy something new and low mile enough to have significant factory warranty. Or a restored antique.
Or you can just buy the cheapest thing that runs, when it stops running, take out your screwdriver, remove license plate and put your thumb out to hitch a ride to civilization where you buy yet another barely running wonder.
Yea seems around 2008 when domestic car companies were in serious hurt and two of them went into bankruptcy, they decided no more low profit, lower priced, stripped vehicles, that they were only going to sell vehicles with every electronic gadget known to mankind. And they were going to sell them at high profit price.
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Post by PNP Katahdins on May 22, 2015 20:33:19 GMT
And then they wonder why low-budget buyers that want basic vehicles buy used or foreign. We'd like another Ford Ranger to replace the 1998 one and they're not made for the US market any more. Also, when we got the 2005 F-150 pickup a few years ago for pulling the stock trailer, manual transmissions were scare and in high demand, presumably by smart buyers like us. Bummer that we had to settle for an automatic. Ford dealer says no one wants a small pickup now. Translation: they can't make enough profit on them. For the driver that wants an easy-to-park pickup for work, that sucks. I love my 2005 Dodge mini van, but it's not good for everything. Peg |
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Post by Callie on May 22, 2015 21:14:06 GMT
Ford Escape. Especially if you live in an area with a real winter.
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Post by ohiodreamer on May 23, 2015 17:57:11 GMT
PNP - I hear you!! I'm a "headliners are extra" kind of gal. I do appreciate that the bumper is included, now.......never did understand why that wasn't the case back in the day, lol. But I REALLY want vinyl floor and seats in a truck!! I'm even very happy to roll the window down myself! A/C is the one thing I do need....and a CD player is a well enjoyed luxury, but I can live without it. I bet I couldn't even spec out a new truck to get what I want.....I'm sure my "low end" options don't even exist anymore. I'd have to find an "old" salesman or they would think I was crazy, lol. I doubt any of the guys selling today remember headliners being extra.
The more I look the more I'm leaning towards NOT doing anything. I think I'd rather keep on keeping on with my nasty Jeep then have an extra mortgage payment for a vehicle! Not sure DH is too happy with that, but it's my call. If we end up moving, then things might change. May use some of the cash from the sale to do something.
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Post by hermitjohn on May 23, 2015 19:24:25 GMT
PNP - I hear you!! I'm a "headliners are extra" kind of gal. I do appreciate that the bumper is included, now.......never did understand why that wasn't the case back in the day, lol. But I REALLY want vinyl floor and seats in a truck!! I'm even very happy to roll the window down myself! A/C is the one thing I do need....and a CD player is a well enjoyed luxury, but I can live without it. I bet I couldn't even spec out a new truck to get what I want.....I'm sure my "low end" options don't even exist anymore. I'd have to find an "old" salesman or they would think I was crazy, lol. I doubt any of the guys selling today remember headliners being extra. The more I look the more I'm leaning towards NOT doing anything. I think I'd rather keep on keeping on with my nasty Jeep then have an extra mortgage payment for a vehicle! Not sure DH is too happy with that, but it's my call. If we end up moving, then things might change. May use some of the cash from the sale to do something. There are no more manual tranny pickups. Toyota says they offer one in their "compact" truck but if they do its a special order I think. And even their compact trucks are not cheap. Even base utility jeep now $24k. Supposedly they offer 6spd manual transmission. Not that I can imagine why one needs 6 speeds along with a two speed transfer case, but whatever. However I did the online search and there wasnt a new manual transmission jeep on dealers lot in my state or any surrounding state. Finally tracked one down in Brooklyn, NY, just to see if such a critter actually could be bought. Yeppers, New York City, probably last place one would really want a manual transmission. But they are available if you care to fly half way across country, then drive it back. What I would need is a time machine if I wanted to buy a new truck. Or just completely restore an antique. Still be cheaper than any new one, and lot simpler to work on. You can still put a $30 aftermarket radio in any car. Most no longer have cd player in them, you now have choice of usb for flash drive/walkman type thing, or slot for some sort of flash memory thing like you use in camera. Lets see my F250 I bought used many years ago, didnt have any radio, still doesnt. My Ranger came with non-functional non-descript radio that didnt work, and two huge speakers behind bench seat. Speakers gone to give me some dry storage space, and radio still doesnt work far as I know. My Festiva came with some weird aftermarket radio with digital display that flashes to the music, so to speak. Turns itself on and off when I hit a bump or changes channels or changes volume at will. Does have cd player but wont play cd with mp3 audio books. Too old to have usb slot. Useless to me. I really dont like background noise when I drive anyway, though on long trip, audio book be nice. |
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Post by hermitjohn on May 23, 2015 19:39:36 GMT
Oh I say all that about manual transmission, but seriously just try to find a full size single cab pickup. They are ALL either extended cab or 4door. I think single cab is six month special order. Special orders do upset them and they wont give discount on such. They still make them for fleet customers, but no dealer stocks them regularly.
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Post by farmer on May 24, 2015 2:42:13 GMT
I just got a 2005 Honda Pilot, and I'm very happy with it. I really need all/four wheel drive (live in Northern New England), and we had to do a major reshuffling of vehicles. I passed my Honda Accord down to my youngest DD to use, but that left me with our full-sized van which is only RWD, so I just listed that on Craigslist. It was a hard decision because I really liked having the van as an option, but the Pilot has been great. I get around 19 miles to the gallon, have the optional third-row seating, and it is really roomy inside. I also haul feed, garden tools (for work), occasional small animals, etc. |
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While I don't love the car, it does get fantastic mileage - we often get well over 40 mpg, which is more than we were told we'd get. We buy new and keep forever - or close to it - so we'll have the Cruze for many years yet. No way we could get by without a truck - we do so much remodeling and construction work, and the Cruze is just too tiny for that.
