oceansbreeze
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- May 9, 2005
- Messages
- 276
Had no intention of buying a new vehicle until later this fall - except some woman chatty on her phone, didn't pay attention to her driving, and caused a frotn end collision to my 2000 Caravan. Insurance wrote it off...
I'm hoping to upgrade by 2-4 years. Insurance gave me $4800 to replace my van. I'm planning to toss in another $3-$4k.
Tow Vessel is a 18 foot Princecraft, on a single axle. Trailer is rated for 1800#. I imagine the whole package deal is 2000#. I don't plan to upgrade this for a few years...
I don't want to simply get another van. I own my own business, the van works great with it, as I need the space in the back for stuff, but a truck is definitely out. too much wasted space in the box area that I could use...
In the last 9 days, I've looked at several dozen vehicles. I still can't find something I like, and I had to return the rental truck already.... (my parents were kind enough to lend me their extra wheels)
The drive to the launch is 3 miles. I go 2-3 times a week. Once in the sumemr, she'll get tower 120 miles (150kms) and back again.
95% of my driving is in the city.
I need to be able to put stuff in it (boxes of paper and office equipment I deliver) - wanting to stay away from Vans, and keep my manhood! lol I'm divorced, no kids, I never have passengers in the vehicle (rare) which is why I'm thinking SUV.
That being said, I've looked at Grand Cherokee (v8), Trailblazer (4.2L V6), Liberty (v6) , Jimmy(4.2L) Envoy (4.2L) and Ford Escapes and MAzda Tribute... I'm sure I missed one or two..
Not a fan of foreign cars..
I did a lot of research, the older Escapes are horrible on fuel, and with the short wheel base, not recommended as a tow vehicle..... although it would be perfect for my small boat.... I can't find a single person who says anything nice of the 2003/2003 models.
The Grand Cherokees.... seem to only come in V8 (although I test drove one with the straight six) and ask any number of people, I can't find any opinions that are consistent... "good fuel economy" "bad fuel economy" "tranny problems" ...argh
Love the Envoys and all the GM line.... but then reading about the poor fuel economy in general.... am just having a difficult time committing to one of the other..
Am I missing any other options here??? Is there any other vehicle I should consider? (I've looked at a Subaru Forester also, really not for me)
I keep mentioning fuel economy.... I'd like to be somewhere in the 17-20mpg range.... but flexible.. Also, I don't do a ton of driving, 9,000 miles a year maybe (12-14,000kms)
Really would lov some feedback or ANY advice here to help sway me.
I'm hoping to upgrade by 2-4 years. Insurance gave me $4800 to replace my van. I'm planning to toss in another $3-$4k.
Tow Vessel is a 18 foot Princecraft, on a single axle. Trailer is rated for 1800#. I imagine the whole package deal is 2000#. I don't plan to upgrade this for a few years...
I don't want to simply get another van. I own my own business, the van works great with it, as I need the space in the back for stuff, but a truck is definitely out. too much wasted space in the box area that I could use...
In the last 9 days, I've looked at several dozen vehicles. I still can't find something I like, and I had to return the rental truck already.... (my parents were kind enough to lend me their extra wheels)
The drive to the launch is 3 miles. I go 2-3 times a week. Once in the sumemr, she'll get tower 120 miles (150kms) and back again.
95% of my driving is in the city.
I need to be able to put stuff in it (boxes of paper and office equipment I deliver) - wanting to stay away from Vans, and keep my manhood! lol I'm divorced, no kids, I never have passengers in the vehicle (rare) which is why I'm thinking SUV.
That being said, I've looked at Grand Cherokee (v8), Trailblazer (4.2L V6), Liberty (v6) , Jimmy(4.2L) Envoy (4.2L) and Ford Escapes and MAzda Tribute... I'm sure I missed one or two..
Not a fan of foreign cars..
I did a lot of research, the older Escapes are horrible on fuel, and with the short wheel base, not recommended as a tow vehicle..... although it would be perfect for my small boat.... I can't find a single person who says anything nice of the 2003/2003 models.
The Grand Cherokees.... seem to only come in V8 (although I test drove one with the straight six) and ask any number of people, I can't find any opinions that are consistent... "good fuel economy" "bad fuel economy" "tranny problems" ...argh
Love the Envoys and all the GM line.... but then reading about the poor fuel economy in general.... am just having a difficult time committing to one of the other..
Am I missing any other options here??? Is there any other vehicle I should consider? (I've looked at a Subaru Forester also, really not for me)
I keep mentioning fuel economy.... I'd like to be somewhere in the 17-20mpg range.... but flexible.. Also, I don't do a ton of driving, 9,000 miles a year maybe (12-14,000kms)
Really would lov some feedback or ANY advice here to help sway me.