What vehicle should I get next?

[sixstringsteve]

how about a ford raptor? I could see you rockin one of those for a few weeks Or a 4-door JK.

I think range rovers are terrible cars, but they fit your cool factor criteria.

Seems like you enjoy some of the finer automobiles out there and there's nothing wrong with that. :greg: Some of the vehicles that cost $40-50k new are several years old and the prices have dropped to where the Average Joe can afford something that was once out of reach.

You know what I'm a huge fan of? Mercedes Benz vehicles... after working on a friends wrecked Benz, I really became a fan of the engineering that goes into the brand. They are well thought out and the thinking that was put into the vehicles shows when you need to work on them.

X2. I feel the same way about BMW's. Excellent engineering, easy to work on, super reliable, and very fun. A 325xi is a great car (so is an M3).

maybe you should look at extended rental car programs

 

[JL Rockies]

Ford Raptors bend and then Ford pretends that they don't. Lame.

 

[Cascadia]

how about a ford raptor? I could see you rockin one of those for a few weeks Or a 4-door JK.

I think range rovers are terrible cars, but they fit your cool factor criteria.





X2. I feel the same way about BMW's. Excellent engineering, easy to work on, super reliable, and very fun. A 325xi is a great car (so is an M3).

maybe you should look at extended rental car programs

I do like land rovers but Like you said, they are one of the worst cars ever made. I have had a 325is but an m3 or xi(awd) would be a lot more fun. At the same time I miss wheeling cause I haven't had a rig for about 6 months. I could get a 4 door jk or I could spend a whole lot less and get the scrambler on ksl that's already built. Then spend the extra on a tdi or something along those lines. The scrambler isn't 4 doors but it's big enough. Hmmm...

 

[mesha]

I love scramblers so much. Someday.

 

[Bart]

Did you sell the WRX? If not work out a trade with Eric on his ZJ. I think that's what he'll buy, but not sure about the wagon part.

 

[Marsh99]

Ford Raptors bend and then Ford pretends that they don't. Lame.

"Like Button"

 

[Cascadia]

Did you sell the WRX? If not work out a trade with Eric on his ZJ. I think that's what he'll buy, but not sure about the wagon part.

Ya I sold the WRX 2 nights ago Bart. I'm contemplating the ZJ already. I just don't know if I want to put the time into fixing the little things right now. I know they're small things though. Maybe I should come by and check it out. Maybe once I see it the little fixes will be forgot about cause it's so cool.

 

[MattL]

Fast family car - http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/2663137847.html

Dreamy car Greg!

 

[jdub]

Ford Raptors bend and then Ford pretends that they don't. Lame.

*Like*

 

[jdub]

I took all my back seats out. Passengers complain about having to squeeze back there. I've thought about a large back door and land cruizer style seats, haha.

 

[Bart]

Ya I sold the WRX 2 nights ago Bart. I'm contemplating the ZJ already. I just don't know if I want to put the time into fixing the little things right now. I know they're small things though. Maybe I should come by and check it out. Maybe once I see it the little fixes will be forgot about cause it's so cool.

This is a perfect rig for your skills. So much potential.

 

[Cascadia]

So I'm still having a hard time deciding on a vehicle. I've realized I have a few problems...
1. I want a comfortable ride.
2. I want something not too big to park. I hated parking my tundra.
3. I want better gas mileage than my tundra.
4. I need a truck or SUV for work and to pull my trailer.
5. I need 4 doors because we have a baby on the way and I like the extra room.
6. I want to wheel again, without multiple vehicles.

How does an 01-05 4 door Tacoma fit into my needs and wants?
Are there problems with the optional supercharger? What are expected mpg's?

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'm seeing a few contradictions

2. I want something not too big to park. I hated parking my tundra.
5. I need 4 doors because we have a baby on the way and I like the extra room.

3. I want better gas mileage than my tundra.
4. I need a truck or SUV for work and to pull my trailer.

1. I want a comfortable ride.
6. I want to wheel again, without multiple vehicles.

I'm not saying it's impossible to meet those criteria, but there's going to have to be some give and take. You can't have a comfortable big car that wheels well, parks like a small car, gets the mileage of a geo metro and can tow a trailer... If only they made something like that

How does an 01-05 4 door Tacoma fit into my needs and wants?
Are there problems with the optional supercharger? What are expected mpg's?

What weight are you towing? I drive like a grandpa. My '01 got 20-25 mpg stock. Once I put 35's and 4.88s in it, I got 17-19.

 

[sixstringsteve]

what type of wheeling do you want to do? I think my wife's land cruiser meets most of those criteria. With a small lift and some 35's it'll do rattlesnake and some of the basic trails in Moab.

I think a 4-door tacoma or a 4runner are good options. The 4-door tacos have a long wheelbase, which makes parking a bit tougher than a 4runner, but still manageable.

 

[Cascadia]

I don't really see those as contradictions. I feel my truck was way too big to park unless I parked on the last row. And how is having 4 doors contradicting that?

I want better gas mileage than my tundra but I want an suv or truck. My tundra got to the point where it was getting less than 12 every tank. I feel that is easy to beat with just about any smaller 4 door truck or suv.

And I think it is very possible to be comfortable in your rig and still wheel it. It doesn't have to be car comfortable, just more comfortable than my LJ on 37's with a 1 inch air gap in the doors.

I don't have to have the best of the best in all my categories I listed. I want to be able to wheel a lot of trails in Moab and local but I don't have to be able to conquer every obstacle. I'm not towing a huge trailer anymore, it's just a 6x10 enclosed v-nose. So it probably won't ever even be more than 2500-3000 lbs. I'm willing to give and take a little. I realize a truck that can wheel won't be as comfortable as my wifes Touareg but it will be better than my jeep or Angelo and I know I can do better than 11-12 mpg.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I think a 4-door taco would meet your criteria. they can tow up to 6k, but I'd only want to tow about 4k with one.

 

[Cascadia]

The main reason I had the Tundra was to tow my rig with and to haul my dump trailer. I sold the dump trailer and no longer have a rig. So no heavy towing for me. Now I jUSt need to find the right one. Do the TRD superchargers make a big difference? Anyone know?

 

[Jesser04]

The main reason I had the Tundra was to tow my rig with and to haul my dump trailer. I sold the dump trailer and no longer have a rig. So no heavy towing for me. Now I jUSt need to find the right one. Do the TRD superchargers make a big difference? Anyone know?

I'll vouch for the TRD supercharger my bil had one with the seventh injector and it haul a$$ for a little truck. On the other hand my buddy has a turbo'd Tacoma running about 5-6 of boost on the stock computer with supra injectors and pump and its just as fast. The turbo set up was much cheaper than the supercharger.

 

[Greg]

The new body style Tacoma's in a 4 door may work for you, they are a bit bigger than the older ones, but nowhere near as large as a Tundra. They also have a 4.0 liter V6 which is pretty powerful yet still gets decent mileage. I'd like to think you could find one in your price range if you spent some time looking.

On top of that, they look great with a little lift and bigger tires.

 

[Cascadia]

The new body style Tacoma's in a 4 door may work for you, they are a bit bigger than the older ones, but nowhere near as large as a Tundra. They also have a 4.0 liter V6 which is pretty powerful yet still gets decent mileage. I'd like to think you could find one in your price range if you spent some time looking.

On top of that, they look great with a little lift and bigger tires.

What about when it comes time to go wheeling? I have looked into them but wonder if it would be too big when it gets on the trail? How is the low range?