Hey guys I was just wondering if any of you carbuffs had any suggestions for me. Im looking for a car that I can do extended roadtrips in. Im a rockclimber and want to do a road trip in a vehicle that me and my 50lb dog can live out of the back of comfortably. I need one with 4 wheeled drive to get to the more remote climbing areas but one that isnt going to rob me in gas money. I looked into subarus which I love, but I’m not sure I would be able to sit up comfortabley in the back which would be annoying if I was going to live out of it for an extended period of time.
Thanks for your suggestions guys!!!
Look at the Honda Element. Huge space in the rear, with high headroom, and rubberized floor that you can just hose out after an expedition. Dog owners love 'em.
The Element is a good idea, just don’t hose it out, there’s electronics under that rubber floor!
And get one while you can, 2010 was the last year for the Element.
I have thought about the element as well, but it might be out of my budget at the moment, any other suggestions?
Honda CRV
Toyota Rav 4
Hyundai Santa Fe or Tuscon
Take your dog and all your stuff and go for test drives. Buy the one your dog likes the best.
Twotone
What’s your budget? If you’re truely strapped for $$, you can find used Jeep Cherokees (not Grand Cherokees) cheap. I’ve winter camped inside one for short periods, survived, just take out the bottom of the rear seat and leave it at home.
1970’s Jeep Wagoneer (or perhaps an latter model). I had one with the 2bbl Buick 350 and mileage was OK and it was a true “off-roader”. With all the posts about Subarus lately I am really down on those cars.
I think you were the target customer when they designed the Nissan Xterra.
A/4WD and fuel economy aren’t usually used in the same sentence.
You might consider checking out the full sized vans or maybe even a mini-van for this particular situation. If you get a van that has the seats that fold into the floor, you should even be able to fit a good sized mattress in the back of it.
Kinda sounds like you might want a 4cylinder pickup. Add nissan frontier and toyota tacoma to your list of vehicles to check out. I think a ford ranger would be easy to find but I am not sure those came with a 4cylinder in the extra cab. You may not need 4wd if you have a higher riding small truck. Both nissan and toyota offered 2wd trucks on the raised 4wd suspension. Better mileage and more ground clearance.
You can get a 4WD 2006 Toyota Tacoma (regular cab) for about $11,000 and add a cap to it. Is that in your price range?