Insight on Vehicle Choices...

Off Topic
1

Looking to pick up a vehicle this weekend, kayaks and mnt bikes to be a large part of what i’m hauling/putting in it.

thinking in no order

  1. jeep wrangler (always wanted a jeep)
  2. subaru outback (heard good things even though a wagon is kinda a bitch ride, cock melter)
  3. tacoma (love trucks, always own them, usually bigger f150 or rams…thinking gas prices might go up and i’d be better suited w/ a more economical vehicle)

fuckingA…hate that i want to get it this weekend but haven’t done enough homework. pre-owned 15-20k is what i want to spend.

thoughts on these vehicles, throw out others that seem like a good fit for my utility/purposes.

GOIN TO THE INTERWEBZ FOR ADVICES IS FOOLISH BUT ANYWAYS…I’M ASKING!

2

Being the son of a mechanic with a fairly successful 30 year old shop and owning many cars myself throughout my life.

My honest opinion is if your job doesn’t require it for the prestige etc… get your run of the mill POS and drive it into the ground for 5 years then get another. You save untold amounts of money especially if you know your way around under the hood. But I realize in America a car depicts a persons “social class” etc… or some shenanigans like that. So most people won’t go for that… personally I can care less.

I’m sorry I won’t be much more help then that… not going to pass judgement on your choices. I will say I have a great 1980 cj5 as my rock crawler… Love the shit out of it… and constantly dumping more money into it… But jeeps are pretty much shit… they’re fun but now a days they’re garbage compared to everything else.

edit: basically in my “professional” opinion… hit up craigslist and go to town.

3

I’m looking at a Nissan Navarra (the US model is the Frontier) with a 3 liter diesel motor. If you’re worried about gas prices, and you put in alot of mileage, a diesel could be for you. Gas is about 8 bucks a gallon here, and as I hit about 20000 miles a year the added costs of a diesel motor pays off at the pump after 62000 miles.

I too have had a old junker for the last 4 years and it’s getting ready to start costing me money, however I’ve put a little to the side every month (what I would have paid in financing) and can now pay cash, and demand a better price.

I too always wanted a Jeep, but it’s just too small for my needs.

4

[quote]Cuso wrote:
I’m looking at a Nissan Navarra (the US model is the Frontier) with a 3 liter diesel motor. If you’re worried about gas prices, and you put in alot of mileage, a diesel could be for you. Gas is about 8 bucks a gallon here, and as I hit about 20000 miles a year the added costs of a diesel motor pays off at the pump after 62000 miles.

I too have had a old junker for the last 4 years and it’s getting ready to start costing me money, however I’ve put a little to the side every month (what I would have paid in financing) and can now pay cash, and demand a better price.

I too always wanted a Jeep, but it’s just too small for my needs.[/quote]

Diesel in america is a wash… it costs so much more than premium that in the end its no better then a gas car… only plus is you get more torque…

Honestly, everything your wanting to do (kayak and bike) can be done with a 400 dollar roof rack which mounts on anything from a smart car (ive seen a smart around town with a 9 foot kayak thats longer then the car) to a hybrid or electric or a truck…

The thing to keep in mind is what your doing with it 90% of the time… When I started looking for a new car i thought about a truck, but 98% of the time its just me or me and GF so i couldnt justify a truck… I drove everything with over 35mpg claimed and settled on a Honday insight, but after the tsunami took out japan i test drove a chevy volt and loved it… but thats mean and I like Tech…

Basically, figure out if you want new or used, and find a good high milleage small car and put a Thule rack on it (I like the thule better than yakima)…

We have a Thule rack that i swap between my volt and my GF’s Camry (same size just a dif hook to the doors)… We routinly have either 2 - 4 bikes or 2 paddle boards (11.5 feet by 36 inches) on the roof and have never had a problem… Plus, during the week i never use gas so im averaging 1k mpg on this tank with 360 mpg lifetime over 10k miles driven…

If you do get a roof rack, do yourself a favor and get a roll of 3M door edge guard tape and put it on the door sill to protect the paint from the Thule / roof rack clamps, that way if you take it off you know where it goes and you dont have to wash it everytime you want to put it on to avoid scratching he paint…

Jeeps cost a lot to maintain but are fun, the suburu is IMHO very overpriced…

5

[quote]cyruseven75 wrote:
Looking to pick up a vehicle this weekend, kayaks and mnt bikes to be a large part of what i’m hauling/putting in it.

thinking in no order

  1. jeep wrangler (always wanted a jeep)
  2. subaru outback (heard good things even though a wagon is kinda a bitch ride, cock melter)
  3. tacoma (love trucks, always own them, usually bigger f150 or rams…thinking gas prices might go up and i’d be better suited w/ a more economical vehicle)

fuckingA…hate that i want to get it this weekend but haven’t done enough homework. pre-owned 15-20k is what i want to spend.

thoughts on these vehicles, throw out others that seem like a good fit for my utility/purposes.

GOIN TO THE INTERWEBZ FOR ADVICES IS FOOLISH BUT ANYWAYS…I’M ASKING! [/quote]

of the above list, if yoru tuck on a truck, the Tacoma is proly the way to go… more utility and room then a jeep, less complicated to fix then a subaru and will get better milleage then a full size truck… that said, your boardline on the price range for a newish tacoma since hey really hold value (but I havent checked in the last 7 months)…

6

[quote]Ratchet wrote:

Diesel in america is a wash… it costs so much more than premium that in the end its no better then a gas car… only plus is you get more torque…
[/quote]

Wow, diesel here cost 18-20% less than premium. Talk about highway robbery…

7

Of the ones you mentioned, I’d get the Tacoma. Subarus are some pretty great cars, but the Outback is the fat ugly chick of automobiles. Sounds like you need something with some cargo area so I won’t try to talk you into a WRX.

Additionally, my brother is a huge Jeep guy. He’s had 6 of them over the last 20 years or so. You couldn’t pay me to have one of those pieces of shit. 3 Wranglers and 3 Cherokees and every single one of them has started to fall apart around 70k miles. Literally fall apart, on one of his Wranglers the drivers seat just plain busted off for no reason as he was driving home. I was in one of the Cherokees he had when the front passenger wheel bolts just started to snap off as we were driving down the highway at about 45mph. Not to mention all of them have rusted out inside of about 5 years. I should also mention that my brother is basically an idiot that can’t even do the basics of car maintenance, yet thinks he can, which means he’s probably at some point filled the crank case with wiper fluid or some silly shit, which may in part play a role in his history of bad luck. At the same time though, my mom doesn’t know any better either and even she can make a car last 12 years but all she ever buys are GM h body.

8

The Honda Ridgeline is a good choice, but that may be because I got mine in November and love it. Decent gas mileage and lots of room.

9

Had a suzuki grand vitara which was about 8 years old when we got it, then we had it for another I dont know how many years and it went through so much shit, I cant believe its still in such a good way. I dont know if it has a big enough engine for americans but I’d highly recommend buying one.

10

Fuck all that just get a motorcycle

11

Don’t buy a Jap truck. This country is in a recession and the second most expensive purchase a person normally makes is a vehicle. Keep the money in the U.S. don’t send it overseas. The wrangler is great but its hard to haul kayaks with them. The 2013 Dodge ram is suposed to have 400 HP and 25 MPG I will be purchasing one as soon as they come out. Some of the smaller SUV’s could fit your purpose as well i.e. Jeep Compass Ford Escape.

12

Suburu is the flagship automobile for lesbians. Jeep is an okay choice. If you’re going to get a pickup, go American, Ford, Chevy or Dodge.

13

[quote]nmj1199 wrote:
Don’t buy a Jap truck. This country is in a recession and the second most expensive purchase a person normally makes is a vehicle. Keep the money in the U.S. don’t send it overseas. The wrangler is great but its hard to haul kayaks with them. The 2013 Dodge ram is suposed to have 400 HP and 25 MPG I will be purchasing one as soon as they come out. Some of the smaller SUV’s could fit your purpose as well i.e. Jeep Compass Ford Escape. [/quote]

You do realize that most foriegn companies employee almost as many americans as “domestic” car producers right? In addittion, more “foriegn” cars are actually assembled in america then are fords or gm…

most gm and fords = assembeled in mexico… however, there is a mercedes, honda, and hyundai plant within an hour of where I live… not to mention the supply jobs to support them…

dodges are garbage, they look nice but quality is non-existant… and arent the ford escapes having problems with floor mats?

14

[quote]Ratchet wrote:

[quote]nmj1199 wrote:
Don’t buy a Jap truck. This country is in a recession and the second most expensive purchase a person normally makes is a vehicle. Keep the money in the U.S. don’t send it overseas. The wrangler is great but its hard to haul kayaks with them. The 2013 Dodge ram is suposed to have 400 HP and 25 MPG I will be purchasing one as soon as they come out. Some of the smaller SUV’s could fit your purpose as well i.e. Jeep Compass Ford Escape. [/quote]

You do realize that most foriegn companies employee almost as many americans as “domestic” car producers right? In addittion, more “foriegn” cars are actually assembled in america then are fords or gm…

most gm and fords = assembeled in mexico… however, there is a mercedes, honda, and hyundai plant within an hour of where I live… not to mention the supply jobs to support them…

dodges are garbage, they look nice but quality is non-existant… and arent the ford escapes having problems with floor mats?[/quote]

Additionally, Honda, Toyota, BMW, Nissan, etc didn’t run their company into the ground and then beg the government to bail them out with our tax dollars. I’m never buying an American car or truck again. Mostly because they kind of suck shit compared to what else is out there anyway. Last year I bought the wife a Jetta. About $2500 less than a Focus, more options, and all around a way better car.

15

[quote]cyruseven75 wrote:
Looking to pick up a vehicle this weekend, kayaks and mnt bikes to be a large part of what i’m hauling/putting in it.

thinking in no order

  1. jeep wrangler (always wanted a jeep)
  2. subaru outback (heard good things even though a wagon is kinda a bitch ride, cock melter)
  3. tacoma (love trucks, always own them, usually bigger f150 or rams…thinking gas prices might go up and i’d be better suited w/ a more economical vehicle)

fuckingA…hate that i want to get it this weekend but haven’t done enough homework. pre-owned 15-20k is what i want to spend.

thoughts on these vehicles, throw out others that seem like a good fit for my utility/purposes.

GOIN TO THE INTERWEBZ FOR ADVICES IS FOOLISH BUT ANYWAYS…I’M ASKING! [/quote]

Having served my country as a used car salesmen for 5 years, I miht have some advice. I’d go wrangler, 1-3 years old, low milage. you’re a truck guy, unless you are looking to melt your cock in a bitch ride, that is the way to go. Don’t be the guy that always wanted one, be the guy that has one. The thing with jeeps is their resale prices are all over the map. Jeep people love Jeep, dealers know it, (I sold a Rubicon for 5k over sticker) and profit accordingly…so do your research, know what you want and what it is worth.

16

[quote]nmj1199 wrote:
Don’t buy a Jap truck. This country is in a recession and the second most expensive purchase a person normally makes is a vehicle. Keep the money in the U.S. don’t send it overseas. [/quote]

The Nissan Titan is built in Mississippi by Americans with more American-sourced parts than Chevrolet Silvarado, many of which are built in Mexico and say “made in USA” due to NAFTA. Same with Ford.

The Toyota Tundra is built in San Antonio by Americans with almost all USA-sourced parts. Designed in America. And Toyota is 50% owned by Americans.

17

Had jeep CJ’s and wranglers for many years.

Got a Toyota FJ Cruiser a few years ago. Great Vehicle.

If you are looking at Wrangler would highly recommend looking at the FJ

18

Check out the Nissan Xterra. I’m lovin mine

19

[quote]Derek542 wrote:
Fuck all that just get a motorcycle [/quote]

I told my supervisor that the other week. Looking for a car not too and I told him I should just say fuck it and get a harley.

20

If you can afford to fuel a Wrangler the newer Rubicons are fuckin badass.