IGX

As many of you know we had a kid last year. I have been driving a 2004 crew cab Colorado with about 160K miles on it. It has had some issues in terms of electrical and some cylinder misfires but all in all its been a great truck but we are feeling the pinch in terms of size constraints when we do any sort of traveling. This is especially true if we bring even one of our 3 dogs. The wife has a 08 Scion xD that is still under the 150k mark and is great for an around the town car. Both are paid off and I am dreading the idea of a car note but we are seriously debating on new suv or truck for my daily driver and travel.

Currently looking at a range of models:
Tahoe
Suburban
Forester
Sorento

I would like to get a truck but we would still run into the same issue unless I put a camper shell on it, something I've thought about doing to my current one and saying fuck the car note. Any thoughts on the models listed? Any other suggestions?

Fuck I hate car shopping.

my truck wouldn't pass inspection--cracked frame.

for what i could afford to pay, any used truck would have been whooped, so i got a used forrester--2008 or thereabouts. it's ok, but it's just a small station wagon. perhaps newer models are more like an suv, but thinking an suv is like a truck is the same as thinking using kettlebells is lifting weights.

Bought a used 03 Forester with 140k myself last month and like it. They have towing capacity for a light trailer. Why not get a gas can on wheels as a commuter? You can usually get an old Escort (or something similar) for cheap off of Craigslist.

Dunn wrote:As many of you know we had a kid last year.

Yeah, suddenly rear-set room makes a difference. Kids have short legs but car seats are yuge.

Tahoe
Suburban

How many miles a year do you drive? I knew a guy who had a V-8 gigantic SUV for his commuter, and I thought he was nuts. Turns out his commute is 1 mile. Doesn't really matter what you drive at that point.

Forester

I came around on Subarus a while ago. Great cars. They also have no "brand creep" and keeping them a long time is normal.

Sorento

Kia's killing it, but they still get hurt on resale, so I would buy one only if you plan on keeping it a while.

If you aren't really passionate about cars, I would maybe review some of the car-related articles on mrmoneymustache.com for inspiration. This is an area where you can waste an absolute shitload of money that could be better directed elsewhere.

Turdacious wrote:Bought a used 03 Forester with 140k myself last month and like it. They have towing capacity for a light trailer. Why not get a gas can on wheels as a commuter? You can usually get an old Escort (or something similar) for cheap off of Craigslist.

I have thought about doing just that but don't really enjoy the idea of having three vehicles, along with upkeep. My commute is less than 20 miles round trip so gas isn't a huge deal but I can definitely see the value of having a daily beater. In fall and spring I just ride the motorcycle.

Forester is a ridiculously competent vehicle. Still prefer driving my janky old Ramcharger but a car that's safe decent quick, handles great in snow and slop and gets over 30MPG on the highway is hard to turn down....and that Subby flat 4 is one of the greatest all time reliable motors.

Grandpa's Spells wrote:

Dunn wrote:As many of you know we had a kid last year.

Yeah, suddenly rear-set room makes a difference. Kids have short legs but car seats are yuge.

Tahoe
Suburban

How many miles a year do you drive? I knew a guy who had a V-8 gigantic SUV for his commuter, and I thought he was nuts. Turns out his commute is 1 mile. Doesn't really matter what you drive at that point.

Forester

I came around on Subarus a while ago. Great cars. They also have no "brand creep" and keeping them a long time is normal.

Sorento

Kia's killing it, but they still get hurt on resale, so I would buy one only if you plan on keeping it a while.

If you aren't really passionate about cars, I would maybe review some of the car-related articles on mrmoneymustache.com for inspiration. This is an area where you can waste an absolute shitload of money that could be better directed elsewhere.

Definitely. The backseat has certainly gotten smaller with the car seat sitting back there. I typically have less than a 20 mile commute round-trip and that is only 3 to 4 days a week so mileage is not too big of an issue for me. I'm not a huge deer head so I'm looking more into the utility side of it more than anything else. I will check out the website that you mentioned. Thanks.

Look at a Honda Pilot.

TomFurman wrote:Look at a Honda Pilot.

Don't be such a faggot.

baffled wrote:

TomFurman wrote:Look at a Honda Pilot.

Don't be such a faggot.

Fore real...I'm a lifelong fan of Soichiro Honda's work, son of a mechanic with 40+ years working on their motorcycles and cars... The Pilot, like all honda SUV's (save that spunky 90's AWD civic and the ever craptastic but unkillable CRV) are shite. If only we'd get the damn Accord wagon back over here, preferably minus vtec and with AWD.

I have an old Accord Wagon. I f-ing love it. If it wasn't rusting, I'd say it would last another 20+ years. If it had AWD, it'd be perfect, but as it is it handles better in the snow than any other car I've ever driven. I wish they'd bring it back.

Tahoes and Suburbans... I can't see around or through them at intersections and it pisses me off. I guess if you have a kid on the way, it's excusable so you'll be able see around and above all the other assholes on the road.

My next car will most likely be a Subaru.

I have a Subaru Outback that's got 150K on it and is running very well. Have driven the Forester in a blizzard and liked it as much or more. My future daughter in law got rear ended while in an Outback about 6 weeks ago. She's got bad whiplash and other physical problems. The Outback needed a rear bumper and a couple of other parts and is running fine.

I don't really like the look of Subaru's but they're growing on me.

DrDonkeyLove wrote:I don't really like the look of Subaru's but they're growing on me.

Tell me about it.....felt like a cut out part of my soul buying that damn car...but it's so damn solid. Made myself feel better by getting a woods rig.

Forester. Here in Montana, every second person has one. Good in snow. Can handle a rough dirt road to the trailhead. Plenty of room for gear. Fantastic handling AWD. 8.7 inches of clearance. Hold their value very well. I've had several. And if you recall the double rollover that I had on black ice on I-15: that was an Outback and two of us walked away from that accident.

So you have a problem buying an American car from an American car company is what im hearing. Why not look at the new Buick that's made in China?

Oops.

Ex-girlfriend had a 2013 or 2014 Crosstrek XV - I didn't like the long raked windshield (same issue with recent Honda Civics) and the CVT feels pretty odd the first time you drive it, but it has pretty decent power for a I4/CVT combo and is very comfortable. The Forester looks like it would be even better in terms of power and less rake.

tough old man wrote:So you have a problem buying an American car from an American car company is what im hearing. Why not look at the new Buick that's made in China?

Don't know if it's meant towards me, but not at all. I actually like the look of the Surbabans but for the same price the Subaru will have a decent bit less mileage, at least in my area.

For those of you who had a chance to compare the two did you feel the outback or the forester had more cargo room?

The Forester is the number one selling car for lesbians (car industry stats)
Ford Flex AWD kicks their ass tho.

Dunn wrote:For those of you who had a chance to compare the two did you feel the outback or the forester had more cargo room?

The Forester for me. Numerically the outback says it does but the Forester has more practical room it felt like with the vertical space.


and TOM is correct, one pass through any west coast city will tell you, Forester is The Dyke Car hands down. In fact, used Foresters in Seattle typically come with a pair of unused kayaks and a 9 year old rescue pitbull that wears a bandana and bites children.

I'm in the market for a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, myself. I just can't handle the idea of a van.

If I wanted something more "trucky" though, I'd go with a Suburban.

Fuck me. I'm probably gonna end up with a van.

If Kenny X *does* end up getting a van though, I'm getting one of these-



Blaid, amirite or amirite!

Kenny X wrote:If Kenny X *does* end up getting a van though, I'm getting one of these-



Blaid, amirite or amirite!

#FkYass

Kenny X wrote:If Kenny X *does* end up getting a van though, I'm getting one of these-



Blaid, amirite or amirite!

Throw some aluminum running boards and skinny venetian blinds on that, and you're good to go.