Need a new vehicle

[joekarels]

Hello everybody!
I had the misfortune to meet a very nice lady. The front of my Aerostar with her Pontiac. Being 13 years old with 150k in miles, my insurance co. decided for me that a replacement was in order.
So, what have people found that works comfortably for hauling gear and generally getting to & fro. I was used to 20mpg, and to do like to go on the camp & dives. Any thoughts?
Joe

[freedivernd]

well, most know that I think the honda fit is the best there is.. but I also realize it's not for everyone.  I'm on my second one.. and here's a bit of advice.. look at what edmunds.com or u.s. news shows as rated #1, whether in compact suv's or compact cars or mini-vans or whatever.. because the re-sale or trade-in on these vehicles in the future make life easy, and the depreciation is much lower on vehicles that are in demand.. and more and more people use these ratings to make their decisions.. as I have.

My wife recently purchased a loaded up Honda CR-V.. rated #1 in compact SUVs, back and forth with the toyota rav-4,  it's all wheel drive, great in snow (it's been tested now several times), fuel mileage best of compact Awd suv's (she got rid of a loaded up '05 tahoe).  It's not the tahoe.. and it's not the Fit either (well, that goes without being said).

Here's a link to vehicle ratings at edmunds.


Good luck.. I'd say honda or toyota.. can't go wrong.. but check out edmunds.com says.

[arcFlash]

I've had 2 dodge caravans but the 2008 has some issues. My 2000 went trouble free for 140k. The 09 is probably better or a 07. I get 25 to 27 highway. room for camping/scuba and dog gear. They can also be had on the cheap these days. I saw a loaded for 18k.

With stow-n-go you can also carry 4 adults and gear or 6 people and a box or two.

I'd like to see all-wheel drive but it's not an option.

[flyboy65]

I'll vouch for the caravan...my buddy Paul has loaded his caravan to the hilt with gear.  He'll throw more than a dozen tanks in, along with gear for 8 students or so, and away he goes.  The tires may be bulging a bit, but it has always made it.  He took his Caravan down to Florida with two sets of gear, six tanks, and enough luggage for a three week stint for he and his wife.  No problem.  It amazes me!

[DetectorGuy]

I think you couldn't go wrong with a good old American made pickup. I have a 3/4 ton Chevy Duramax diesel and I love it. My wife bought me the Diablo computer chip and it is now pushing 810 ft/lbs of torque (tires are very expensive to replace when you roast the tires often). Even with this much torque, it still gets 20 MPG all the time whether you are pulling a boat, horse trailer, or a skidsteer. The Allison transmission uses the engine as a brake while decelerating (kinda like an automatic "jake-brake"). The four door seats 4 people comfortably or six if you have to. The topper makes for lockable storage for the gear. Did I mention its four wheel drive so when the road quits you don't have to? If you do get in a fender bender, there is a strong chance that you will be in better shape than the other guy in a recycled pop can econo-vehicle. As far as durability... the Duramax/Allison is the combo used in the military H1 Humvee's. If the military thought they could get the same reliability, dependability, and stamina from an aluminum 4 cylinder, the Humvee's would probably have one of these teeny little motors.

But then again, Honda makes one helluva nice motor. Their generators, motorcycles, four wheelers, and small cars are probably #1 in each of those classes. I am biased when it comes to a foreign car company trying to make a full-sized vehicle (truck) and squeezing out American Iron. Even if apples to apples the foreign car was half the price of a domestic vehicle I would not sell out values to save a nickle....

You do get what you pay for.  

If I offended anyone, I apologize as this rough economy has made me want to buy American as much as I can.

[DiverQueen]

If I hadn't just bought the 2008 Dodge Caliber (30 miles to the gallon, but not much room for gear!) I really like the looks of the Honda Ridgeline.  That in-bed lockable trunk would be good for securing gear during the daytime!

Hubby says "Nothing can beat the Dodge Ram Hemi!" 

[freedivernd]

Hey detectorguy,
You know, it used to be that way for me up until about 20 years ago.. or maybe closer to 30 years ago.. Until then, it was easy to buy american but now, when you buy something like a honda accord it might just be saving a job in marysville, ohio where a lot of honda are built, and that, of course, is just one example.  And when you buy a ford or chevy, so many parts come from outside the u.s. it's crazy.  I remember back in my biking days (yup, 30 years ago I built choppers outta my garage.. coulda been another west coast choppers by now) and remember the grief I used to get from the harley guys for customizing and riding the rice burners (as the kawas and hondas of the day were called, maybe they still are, I don't know).. They'd be talking and let me tell you 30 years ago, the bikers sometimes did a lot more than talking.. harley riders.. buy american .. and all this &$%#, never bothered me but it sure bothered them when I would look their bike over and ask them where the heck does a keihin carburetor come from, guess where (japan).  And of course, they'd all be at the shop wondering where they could get a mikuni carb... and gees, guess where that comes from?  ahhhh the good old days....

You didn't offend me.. I'm just talking.. but right now, I couldn't bring myself to buy a Ford and my wife won't buy another Chevy.  It's just too bad that all my u.s. vehicles have been a dissapointment (no wait, I did like the old trans am and the olds toronado, do they still build them like that?).  Shoot, it almost sounds like I'm all for this global economy.. I never would have thought that, but I maybe have to accept it.. shoot, goes against most of what I believe too.

Hey, I was going to mention to sharkbait (Joe) that if he was looking for used that the edmunds website has a ton of information and reviews/ratings on used vehicles too.  you know, I think Chevy has a few new and used vehicles rated right up there too 

[DetectorGuy]

No worries Freediver, I also am looking for a vehicle for a dive gear transporter. Right now my wife drives the Duramax mostly and on weekends when I want to go diving, she wants to take the horses across the state and go riding with her friends. My other truck is a "company vehicle" and (especially in this economy) I think people would call my company and complain if they saw it at the lake or pulling a boat. Now that I joined the sheriffs department dive team, I did speak to my company and they would be fine with me using it for "official dives" ("Stewardship" is one of the five main company values). Where do I draw the line between "called out dives" and "training dives"?

I am thinking a used CJ7 Jeep or better yet an older CJ5 Jeep with a hard top. The CJ5 is just something I have had my eye on for a while and they are getting more and more rare. Two people and their dive gear would max out this little vehicle for a dive transport but the thing would still pull a small boat too. There is a sweet CJ5 on craigslist that I just don't have time to go look at.

In my opinion, and if money were not an issue, the ultimate dive transport vehicle would be one of the 4,000 Land Rovers that were made especially for the "Camel Trophy" races. It is hard to find the actual Land Rovers that were prepped by the factory for these grueling races and harder to find one that has been restored to mint condition. Talk about a "go anywhere" truck... The terrain that these things can traverse is mind blowing. There are a lot of replicas that were a grocery getter and then "cosmetically altered" to look like the real deal. Some of the biggest advancements in vehicles (and everything for that matter) have come from: Military, Racing, or Space technology. I try to look past the consumer reports a bit, and get down to brass tacks and see where the vehicle evolved from and what assets I think are important.

I know a very active diver who uses a full sized van for a dive transport and it works out VERY well. It will carry everything you would ever need for a day of ice diving/vehicle recovery. A rolling dive locker if you will.

[AandA]

;D

Golly-Gee.  Now I jus wonder who da guy is who would use a full size van  : .

[joekarels]

Well actually that is what I am using right now. Plus it is also a company truck. I would like to increase the mpg over what the work truck gets. Has anybody checked out Toyota's FJ's, or on a lighter truck Dogde's Nitro?