i need some vehicle suggestions

[Nina51]

i'm seriously thinking about ditching (well, not literally) my mini van. i don't NEED a 7-passenger van. when we got this van, we got it with the intention of loading up the lollipop kids and doing some traveling. unfortunately, two months after we got it, gary was diagnosed so the only traveling we did was back and forth to chemo treatments.

i wanna go smaller but i don't want a car. i don't want a big SUV, i just want something big enough to haul a few bags of horse feed or sunflower seed. it doesn't have to be fancy. i don't do fancy. i need something with front wheel drive. my truck is helpless in snow and on ice. it's parked out in the alfalfa field away from any potential damage from falling tree limbs, blah blah blah. i won't be using it much till spring.

any suggestions?

[crzy4reefs]

my old science teacher (who i'm still friends with ) has a subaru (ok i know i'm horrible at spelling). They are great in the snow and you can haul stuff with them, she lives in foster RI which in our state gets the most snow (and it's country so you don't always get your roads plowed in a timely manner)

[iCam]

I'm seeing a lipstick red sports car.

[Nina51]

Originally posted by iCam
I'm seeing a lipstick red sports car.

been there, done that. i'm way past the age of mooning construction workers from a lipstick red sports car convertible.

next suggestion?

[drauka99]

Jeep Liberty?

as said a small to mid-size suv with awd is likly your best bet. I know you've said if the snow or whatever is deep enough to need 4x4 you stay in but with an suv all wheel drive is handy all the time.

[Jamesurq]

Second the Subaru. An outback or a impreza wagon would fit the bill nicely. GREAT in the snow, reliable, good on gas and the only compact car to pass the insurance institute's highway safety crashes. (ie: safe)

[crzy4reefs]

Bonnie my friend I mentioned earlier is all that she drives and it hasn't let her down yet, i think she has the outback......i would defiantly look into nina i think you'll like it.

[dkh0331]

You'd you darn snappy driving around town in this









But if the Porsche doesn't work for you - another vote for a Subaru.

[Andrew]

What about a Honda Pilot.... or something like a Dodge Durango?

[Jeffrey Porter]

[beerguy]

Check out the Hyundai Sante Fe.

[Q-ball]

Nina, I'll second the Sante Fe. Hyundai's building a good car nowadays...they run forever, and from recent experience I can tell you they hold up well in the event of an accident. We had a wreck a few weeks ago where one pulled out on the highway & got t-boned at highway speeds by an Acura TSX...I was really impressed with how well the Hyundai took the impact. They've got a good amount of room in them for what you're describing and you'll still get relatively good mileage.

[Sk8r]

I drive a Subaru Forester---about an inch smaller than the Outback, but looks smaller than that. What convinced us [and we're devoted Forester customers] is the field of view: the seats are more upright than the Outback, the windows are large, and you can see things approaching from the sides and odd points.

Features: all-wheel drive. In the winter or in mud, we are always the one car still moving. On more than one occasion it's been us moving, and the Highway Patrol, and the wreckers, and everybody else in a ditch, and I credit our surefooted little car. ABS braking, drive that passes power to the wheels that have traction v. those that don't.
Decent gas mileage: on highway it's around 25.
Heated and comfy seats. Hey, we figure-skate. You get off the rink, your rear is refrigerated, and oh, it feels good. It also feels good faster than any heater will come on.
Cargo. Back seat flattens: you pull a pin, and it folds, bench [2 sections], and I have transported 10 bags of mulch without having to flatten but one seat.
They're not the least expensive SUV on the road, but you figure they'll go 120,000 miles, no trouble, so if you can find one that's right at 40,000 and well-cared-for, it's got plenty of life in it.
They do start to get a little loosey-goosey in the drive train after about 90,000 miles, but it never seems to hurt performance: it's just something Subarus do. Mine's at 93,000 and it actually hasn't done that. And there are quite a few running up here in Spokane that date from at least the 1980's if not earlier.
It also has a high enough stance to get down a country road without bottoming out, and you can get a brush-guard installed on the sensitive spot on the underbelly that will let you run down small trees...if you have an interest in going cross-country. There is also a bumper brush guard available, of some use in deer country, but not enough, of course, to completely save you from a fast-moving buck. I've driven in ice, snow, sleet, mud, southwest desert rain, city ice and mountain passes in heavy snow, and I've never been stuck in this car or failed to get up a hill.
Note: they cannot wear chains. An AWD car just can't, because of the wheel clearance. They have to be taken onto a flatbed, not towed, should you have to. And they need a double roller emissions tester---can't use a single, because, of course, the drive comes from all 4 wheels.

[laxing22]

toyota fj cruiser - http://www.toyota.com/fjcruiser/
Toyota quality with Hummer ability and a nice small size that you can actually park

[Nina51]

you guys are giving me way too many choices!!!!

but hey, thanks for the info. i will check them all out. i had been leaning toward the jeep liberty only because i have friends who have had one for quite a while and love it.

[drauka99]

haha I said the one she was thinking about :P

Nina seriously also look at the Subarus but I know a guy who has a Liberty and likes it alot as well.

[crab0000]

We have 2 2001 Ford Escapes. 1 has 100,000 miles and the other has 185,000 miles and we've had no real problems with them (I did have to replace the torque converter in mine, but I also towed some heavy loads with it). They have been very reliable.

[TheBimbo]

Nina- If your not wanting a car, then I'd go with the Santa Fe or the Jeep- I've been in a minivan forever and I am not comfy sitting on the ground... I've gotten so used to sitting up a bit higher and I feel like I'm on the ground in my son's car.


I'd bet a buck that you'll love either the Santa Fe or the Jeep


Ohhh, and are you the one that mooned my hubby a few years back???



Christy

[fkdenton]

One possible choice that is not a suv is a dodge caliber. It sets up high like one and comes in all wheel drive. And you can get one for 15k new

[beerguy]

FWIW - we're on our 2nd Sante Fe (which was our 4th Hyundai over all). Other than tires, oil changes and 1 battery I've never had anything go wrong with any of them. The only reason why we replaced the 1st Sante Fe was I wanted my S2000 and had to buy her a new car ease the process.

[dwd5813]

i vote for either one of the subaru wagons or the liberty. my mom got a liberty a couple years ago and i have spent a good amount of time driving it in all types of weather and conditions. i had to test the off road capabilities, being "trail rated" and all that it performed well, i was impressed. she got it to haul stuff to the dump, carry groceries, etc. she didn't want a truck, and the liberty drives a lot like a car compared to many trucks i've driven so that fit the bill. ive only ever driven a subaru wagon once, but the handling was excellent and it seemed to have plenty of space. anyone i know who owns one is very happy with it.

[Sk8r]

One thing I forgot to mention, outside of a really sharp turning radius---is that I can park my Forester in a Compact Car space at the mall, and an Explorer will just have to pass it by.
Seats 4 on a crosscountry trip with no crowding. Five if you want to get friendly. Two corgis and a couple of minis, probably, if they can use a litterpan.

[Nina51]

Originally posted by TheBimbo
Nina- If your not wanting a car, then I'd go with the Santa Fe or the Jeep- I've been in a minivan forever and I am not comfy sitting on the ground... I've gotten so used to sitting up a bit higher and I feel like I'm on the ground in my son's car.


I'd bet a buck that you'll love either the Santa Fe or the Jeep


Ohhh, and are you the one that mooned my hubby a few years back???



Christy

if your hubby was mooned 37 years ago then yeah, that was me.

the problem with a lot of the suggestions here is that the only dealers are a minimum of 2 hours away in any direction. it didn't occur to me to mention that when i started this thread.

so even though, beerguy, you have had no problems with your hyundai vehicles, i don't think it would be feasible for me to consider something like that since if i DID have problems or even for regular servicing, i would have to travel a significant distance plus it would involve an entire day just for an oil change. i dunno....hmmmm....

i'm not looking at anything new. i can happily settle for pre-owned and in fact, it's pretty much all i've ever had except for my big, loaded, 4wd, extended cab, towing package truck i had 10 years ago. all i need is something to get me from point A to point B and back, safely. i see no big road trips in my future, that's what God made airplanes and amtrack for.

there's a jeep dealer in the next county, 25 minutes from my home so i may take a jaunt over there in the next few days just to see what's available. i still do like that liberty.

sk8r, how do you train a mini to use a litterpan??

[beerguy]

You actually don't have to go a dealer for regular maintenance; that's just a myth that they'd like you to believe.

[Nina51]

Originally posted by beerguy
You actually don't have to go a dealer for regular maintenance; that's just a myth that they'd like you to believe.

get OUT!! is that just something they tell WOMEN??