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Vehicle for geocaching


The Jester

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I've used a mini-van for years, but now that I need a new ride (for those that haven't seen the story, click here) I'm looking for what might be a good vehicle. I want decent load carrying, good MPH, light off-road capable, and being able to sleep in it would be a plus (but not a deal breaker). What are some suggestions?

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I've used a mini-van for years, but now that I need a new ride (for those that haven't seen the story, click here) I'm looking for what might be a good vehicle. I want decent load carrying, good MPH, light off-road capable, and being able to sleep in it would be a plus (but not a deal breaker). What are some suggestions?

 

Good MPH? Or good MPG? The two are usually mutually exclusive. :D

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I'm looking for what might be a good vehicle. I want decent load carrying, good MPH, light off-road capable, and being able to sleep in it would be a plus (but not a deal breaker). What are some suggestions?

 

I've absolutely loved my Hyundai Tucson... good cargo space without being an overly large vehicle, plus the seats fold down flat and it would be very easy to sleep in the back (although it occurs to me that I've never actually slept in this car. Huh). It's got good gas mileage and the newer models are even better, from what I understand. Also, it can be locked easily into 4WD, something NepoKama and I have had to use a number of times while out caching in the back country or even just driving on snowpacked roads.

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Let us see... How about a Honda Element?

 

I've had one since 2004 {215500 Miles} and still going well. Back seats can be removed for lots of storage or naps. Seats can be hung along the inside and again storage & sleep.

 

Bad news 21 -26 MPG and they do not make them anymore. My 2004 has a Moon Roof while the newer Models do not. This puppy has been down and back the Middle fork Road, it has been all over the Cascades. It has all-wheel drive.

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I too am starting to look for a new vehicle, but for less-dramatic reasons. :P My informal survey indicates that Subarus and the Honda CRV are popular geo-mobiles for those who like the backcountry, as shown by several of the responses below mine. I'm leaning Subaru myself.

Edited by hydnsek
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Hands-down I would recommend the variations on the Suzuki SideKick / Geo Tracker.

 

I've had my 1997 4-Door Geo Tracker for the last 2 years and it has been the best geomobile I've ever used! 4 wheel drive (selective front hubs), transfer case, and a real frame! (so tougher than a CRV, RAV, or other unibody light SUVs) It has IFS (independent front suspension) so it's not a mountain killer, but a great small 4x4 for those tougher terrain / back country caches. Possible to do a lift kit / body lift if you want more clearance, or to use larger tires.

 

Just got back from a 1700+ mile geovacation (WA, ID, OR, NV) and averaged just over 34 MPG.

 

Unfortunately, I'm not short enough (or thin enough) to camp in this vehicle, but that's only because I don't want to modify the interior. But there is possibilities if you want to do modifications to the back seat / back cargo area.

 

I love my Tracker! I'd buy another one in a split-second!

 

.

Edited by Fuzzywhip
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I've used a mini-van for years, but now that I need a new ride (for those that haven't seen the story, click here) I'm looking for what might be a good vehicle. I want decent load carrying, good MPH, light off-road capable, and being able to sleep in it would be a plus (but not a deal breaker). What are some suggestions?

 

Good MPH? Or good MPG? The two are usually mutually exclusive. :D

I knew I should have checked my lexicon before typing...

 

Yeah, MPG.

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I have been amazingly happy with my 2002 Subaru Outback. Mileage is only low 20's but it has been very rugged and reliable. Plus it drives and handles extremely well.

Ditto. My last 4 cars have been Subarus starting in 1992. I've had three Legacy wagons and currently have a 2011 Outback, my wife drives a 2008 Outback. They're reliable, reasonably fuel efficient and handle great.

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Subarus are nice but the cost for repairs - ouch. Pricetag = ouch. Honda's run forever with minimal repair problems. I already miss my Hyundai Santa Fe :( & it was INCREDIBLE on mountain roads - like....Ruby Grade. A small sized Pickup with a nice weather-tight shell might do the trick. Be smart - don't buy new!!

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I've used a mini-van for years, but now that I need a new ride (for those that haven't seen the story, click here) I'm looking for what might be a good vehicle. I want decent load carrying, good MPH, light off-road capable, and being able to sleep in it would be a plus (but not a deal breaker). What are some suggestions?

 

Toyota Tacoma!!!

 

I have a 2007 4.0L V6 Auto Access Cab 4WD with Tow package. Tow rating 6500lbs.

You can get a double cab longbed if needed (TRD Sport). Put a cap on it and you'll have a place to sleep.

Or, you can get a smaller 4cylinder and save on MPG's.

 

It's our official caching truck

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I've used a mini-van for years, but now that I need a new ride (for those that haven't seen the story, click here) I'm looking for what might be a good vehicle. I want decent load carrying, good MPH, light off-road capable, and being able to sleep in it would be a plus (but not a deal breaker). What are some suggestions?

 

Good MPH? Or good MPG? The two are usually mutually exclusive. :D

The Jeep Hemi will provide an abundance of the former, and precious little of the latter. :laughing:

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I've used a mini-van for years, but now that I need a new ride (for those that haven't seen the story, click here) I'm looking for what might be a good vehicle. I want decent load carrying, good MPH, light off-road capable, and being able to sleep in it would be a plus (but not a deal breaker). What are some suggestions?

 

Good MPH? Or good MPG? The two are usually mutually exclusive. :D

The Jeep Hemi will provide an abundance of the former, and precious little of the latter. :laughing:

 

Sort of like our Land Crusher, will pass anything on the road but a "Filling Station". We drove the LC over and did the power trail by Ritzville. Got about 15 mpg. We normally take the little t5 Scion. Noisy

on the road but gets about 33 mpg. Would like to have a Honda CRV.

Edited by W7WT
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Geotracker - Motor by Toyota - Nice.

 

CRV - Another extremely nice Vehicle

 

But the Jest should look at the AEV.. http://www.aev-conversions.com/?option=com_content&id=54

 

Toyota Tacoma - nice

 

Whatever you choice it will be the right vehicle. Best day to look is a rainy day, those guys want to be inside. Keep them outside for the best deals.

 

Good luck on your quest... :rolleyes:

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I really like my 2004 Honda CRV. It wouldn't get into some of the really rough areas I used to get to in my Ranger 4X4. But then I don't really go those places any more anyway. However, it does have good ground clearance, all wheel drive, and some skid plates under it. It will get me into any place I want to drive to these days. :P

 

As for sleeping in. You can remove the head restraints, and recline the front seats so they are level with the rear seat cushions. Making what Honda calls a "large cushioned area". Kind of like what the old Ramblers had.

 

The difference is the seats in the Ramblers were flat. The seats in the Honda are contoured.(Plus the front seats are buckets.) Not sure how comfortible that would be for sleeping. B)

 

I get between 19 and 22 MPG. Usually about 21, and a couple times on a highway trip, I have gotten 26 MPG.

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(wow - glad you're ok)

 

Agree with the pro-Outback comments. Best gas mileage of the big name SUVs. Lasts forever. Good ride. Nice and quiet.

 

I have a 2000 Outback with 110k miles and it's a nice ride if you can afford the lousy (24 max) mileage.

 

I did a FW -> Cheyney and back trip in Dec'2010 in it in a 15 hour day watching Villanova lose (sigh) to CWU in the National Semis and it was plenty comfy enough to do that, have a conversation in the car without going deaf, and be able to walk at the end of a 600 mile day.

 

I had a loaner 2011 a year ago for a week and it was 'much' nicer in every way. Smoother. Quieter. Far better mileage. Far nicer ride.

 

You might want to try some rentals and short trips. I had a rental Ford Escape and it was a very nice car, but mileage was terrible, well under 20. The RAV4 was surprisingly nice, with a little better mileage in the same combined local/highway traffic. Everybody I know with a CRV loves it.

 

But the 2011 Outback I had for a week was 'really' nice. Very nice ride. That would be first on my list to look into if the 2000 got hit by a meteor or something.

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All the comments are great. Thanks and keep 'em coming.

 

We did a little shopping today, tried the Kia Sportage, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 and Jeep Patroit ('Auto Row's are nice, easy to hit several dealers). Still need to do some thinking on all this. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

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We did a little shopping today, tried the Kia Sportage, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 and Jeep Patroit ('Auto Row's are nice, easy to hit several dealers). Still need to do some thinking on all this. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Would love to hear your pros/cons/assessments when you're done, since I'm also in the market. A few others on here would probably be interested as well.

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In 2007 we calculated that at $3.00 a gallon, we could pay for about half the price of our Socialist People's Car™ over a five year period compared to driving our V8 Tundra. It is roomy enough to sleep in and we have done so several times. It handles light off-road duties just fine. Our definition of light is no rocks turned up edge, because ground clearance is minimal. However we we've driven it all the way up Hart's Pass and we have seen other people managing the Middle Fork and even topping Corral Pass, which is a hideous road no matter what you are driving.

 

To us, spending as little as possible on fuel is is a bigger deal than anything else. Our Pruis is paid for in another couple of months, but if if we were in the market for another vehicle, the Tundra would be the one we'd replace. It's really painful getting 12-19 mpg when we can be getting 35-45 instead. It feels like driving down the road tossing $5 bills out the window.

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In 2007 we calculated that at $3.00 a gallon, we could pay for about half the price of our Socialist People's Car™ over a five year period compared to driving our V8 Tundra. It is roomy enough to sleep in and we have done so several times. It handles light off-road duties just fine. Our definition of light is no rocks turned up edge, because ground clearance is minimal. However we we've driven it all the way up Hart's Pass and we have seen other people managing the Middle Fork and even topping Corral Pass, which is a hideous road no matter what you are driving.

 

To us, spending as little as possible on fuel is is a bigger deal than anything else. Our Pruis is paid for in another couple of months, but if if we were in the market for another vehicle, the Tundra would be the one we'd replace. It's really painful getting 12-19 mpg when we can be getting 35-45 instead. It feels like driving down the road tossing $5 bills out the window.

 

How many miles do you drive in a year? Unless my math wrong, if I drive 10,000 miles a year the difference in cost for gas between 20 mpg, and 40 mpg is only about $1100. per year. (At the current $4. per. gal.)

 

Nice savings, and certainly worth it, if the Pruis does what you want it to. ( assuming all other costs are the same.)

 

However, for what I use my vehicle for it is worth the less than $100. a month difference in cost.

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How many miles do you drive in a year? Unless my math wrong, if I drive 10,000 miles a year the difference in cost for gas between 20 mpg, and 40 mpg is only about $1100. per year. (At the current $4. per. gal.)

If we floor it, which we have done once or twice, it's more like tossing hundred dollar bills out the window. We figure we've been saving $2300-$3000 a year. To be fair, the Tundra went through a period where is was getting even worse mileage than normal until we replaced two of the four the O2 sensors, but even so, our average mpg was closer to 10 than 20. Filling a 26 gallon tank about once a week or filling a 10 gallon tank about once a month was a very easy decision for us.

 

 

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How many miles do you drive in a year? Unless my math wrong, if I drive 10,000 miles a year the difference in cost for gas between 20 mpg, and 40 mpg is only about $1100. per year. (At the current $4. per. gal.)

If we floor it, which we have done once or twice, it's more like tossing hundred dollar bills out the window. We figure we've been saving $2300-$3000 a year. To be fair, the Tundra went through a period where is was getting even worse mileage than normal until we replaced two of the four the O2 sensors, but even so, our average mpg was closer to 10 than 20. Filling a 26 gallon tank about once a week or filling a 10 gallon tank about once a month was a very easy decision for us.

 

I guess I was thinking of the Pruis and my CRV. I would love to have a Pruis, but the CRV works well for me. Being retired and out of the daily commute helps.

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It's really painful getting 12-19 mpg when we can be getting 35-45 instead. It feels like driving down the road tossing $5 bills out the window.

 

You don't buy a fullsize truck for the MPG's unless you want the heavier towing/hauling + 4WD (& 4lo) capabilities. A midsize truck will get you midsize towing/hauling capabilities and still have 4wd (and 4lo). And usually, if you need the towing/hauling/4lo- you don't care too much about the MPG's.

 

In fact, most V8 vehicles will gulp fuel. But then again...I have a 2001 corvette that gets better gas mileage than anything we own - 32mpg on the highway in 6th gear. You just can't do much with a corvette other than cruise the highway. Sure - you can race 'em, but your MPG's will drop!!!

 

If you're really concerned with MPG's and that's all that matters - then you get a Prius, a Smart Car, a Motorcycle (to name a few).

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How many miles do you drive in a year? Unless my math wrong, if I drive 10,000 miles a year the difference in cost for gas between 20 mpg, and 40 mpg is only about $1100. per year. (At the current $4. per. gal.)

 

And you have to figure in the time value of the increased cost to get the hybrid variant as well. The dealers are still insanely marking them up in most cases.

 

When I got my 2005 Civic commuter car (32.5 mpg in 138k miles thus far) I did the math comparing that car versus the same car in hybrid form (43 mpg so they said). The math came out to break even over 120k miles if I drove 20k/year at $4/gallon. At the time, I thought "gas will never be that high" and "I'll never drive that much" so I passed. So much for my math. I drove 19k/year for 7 years and we all know where gas is now.

 

Remember those high mpg variants if they're cars tend to have harder/louder/rougher tires that folks replace with softer/quieter tires a few years into ownership. That'll drop a couple mpg off your totals. From 34 to 32.5 mpg, no biggie. From 23 to 20, bigger deal.

 

When I do my SE WA road trip at the end of the month, I'm probably taking the Outback for comfort. Even if I drive 1000 miles circling the state, the difference in cost is about $50 versus the Civic, which is less than the chiropractor I'd need if I took the commuter car :-)

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The Jeep Patriot has poor reliability according to Consumer Reports. The only Jeep with decent reliability is the Grand Cherokee 2011 or later, a new design based on a Mercedes platform. I love mine but it gets 15mpg.

 

If you want a good deal on a Grand Cherokee - buy one that's 3 years old. Their resale value plummets to about HALF of what it was new.

 

We just got rid of a 99 Grand Cherokee w/ 88,000 miles on it. You do not want to know how much money we spent on this thing to keep it running in the last 2 years. Pathetic!!

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I got a 2011 Nissan Xterra to replace a 2009 Nissan Maxima as my geocaching vehicle. I liked the Maxima for everything other than geocaching here in Washington. It couldn't take me to places like this:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=06bc66df-62d9-4e2b-a052-280f08bdd13d

 

I love everything about the Xterra as a cache mobile except for the gas mileage. But since I don't drive much during the week since moving to Washington, it evens out. I've slept in it a few times, including on my way back from finding the cache Southern Idaho's First (GC5C) last month. It has 4WD and very good ground clearance. It's not a Jeep, but it fits my needs.

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It's really painful getting 12-19 mpg when we can be getting 35-45 instead. It feels like driving down the road tossing $5 bills out the window.

 

You don't buy a fullsize truck for the MPG's unless you want the heavier towing/hauling + 4WD (& 4lo) capabilities. A midsize truck will get you midsize towing/hauling capabilities and still have 4wd (and 4lo). And usually, if you need the towing/hauling/4lo- you don't care too much about the MPG's.

 

In fact, most V8 vehicles will gulp fuel. But then again...I have a 2001 corvette that gets better gas mileage than anything we own - 32mpg on the highway in 6th gear. You just can't do much with a corvette other than cruise the highway. Sure - you can race 'em, but your MPG's will drop!!!

 

If you're really concerned with MPG's and that's all that matters - then you get a Prius, a Smart Car, a Motorcycle (to name a few).

Y U no read? LOL

 

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I drove 19k/year for 7 years and we all know where gas is now.

At 7 years, you have to replace the battery at a cost of several thousand dollars. That supports your decision to purchase the non-hybrid.

The warranty is 8 years (10 in California). Saying the batteries must be replaced at that point is like saying your bumpers will fall off as soon as a 5 year/36,000 mile warranty expires. It is still fairly rare for hybrid batteries to fail, even in vehicles that have in excess of 10 years and 200,000 miles on them. The expected lifespan is more like 300,00 miles, but of course that will vary widely just like the longevity of conventional vehicles does.

 

At 95,000 miles we had to fork out $3500 for a couple of O2 sensors, a timing belt, et cetera for the Tundra and another $1200 dollars for new tires. Hybrid batteries from salvage yards are only about $500. I think the overall costs are still heavily in favor of the hybrid. Besides, as time passes it gets harder and harder for most people to ignore those nagging insecurities the car ads are picking at and they don't keep their vehicles for 8 or 10 years anyway. The average length of vehicle ownership is at an all-time high right now and it is still only about 6 years.

Edited by B+L
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I drove 19k/year for 7 years and we all know where gas is now.

At 7 years, you have to replace the battery at a cost of several thousand dollars. That supports your decision to purchase the non-hybrid.

The warranty is 8 years (10 in California). Saying the batteries must be replaced at that point is like saying your bumpers will fall off as soon as a 5 year/36,000 mile warranty expires. It is still fairly rare for hybrid batteries to fail, even in vehicles that have in excess of 10 years and 200,000 miles on them. The expected lifespan is more like 300,00 miles, but of course that will vary widely just like the longevity of conventional vehicles does.

 

At 95,000 miles we had to fork out $3500 for a couple of O2 sensors, a timing belt, et cetera for the Tundra and another $1200 dollars for new tires. Hybrid batteries from salvage yards are only about $500. I think the overall costs are still heavily in favor of the hybrid. Besides, as time passes it gets harder and harder for most people to ignore those nagging insecurities the car ads are picking at and they don't keep their vehicles for 8 or 10 years anyway. The average length of vehicle ownership is at an all-time high right now and it is still only about 6 years.

 

Can't count the cost of tires, the hybrid will need them also. If you do count them, you could get them at salvage yards. :)

 

If you are going to compare costs, you need to compare apples to apples.

 

That being said, I do think for some uses the hybrid is a great deal. If it wasn't you wouldn't be seeing some of the taxicabs spending the extra bucks to buy one.

 

Also everything I read says people are keeping their vehicles longer now. I have a 2003 ford F150, 130,000 miles. It has a blown head gasket, and will cost about $5000. to replace the motor. (cheaper through the salvage yards) I plan on repairing it rather then spending $35,000 to replace it.

 

Meanwhile, as much as it bothers me the gas prices are going up. The price will have to go much higher before I will feel the need to get rid of any of my three vehicles, and get something that uses a lot less gas, but doesn't do what I need (or want) to do.

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Can't count the cost of tires, the hybrid will need them also.

 

If you are going to compare costs, you need to compare apples to apples.

Sure, except Prius tires are smaller and cheaper than truck tires (we bought some of them too and not because of road noise as someone else posited). If I am going to compare costs , I am naturally going to compare the two vehicles I actually own and they are about as apple and oranges as you can get.

 

But let's not quibble, I think we've already managed to thoroughly hijack The Jester's thread. I've also been remiss in not saying how glad I am that he escaped from his ordeal unscathed. Glad you're OK, Jester.

 

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...they don't keep their vehicles for 8 or 10 years anyway. The average length of vehicle ownership is at an all-time high right now and it is still only about 6 years.

I've owned my 1999 Toyota RAV4 nearly 13 years (yes, I know I'm not the norm...in anything :lol: ). It's AWD and medium clearance, and has taken me on a lot of gnarly caching adventures in the backcountry. Well worth the $22k I paid to drive it off the lot, and it still gets about 23 mph city and 28 mph highway. It has over 160k miles on it, and I'm on my third timing belt, second set of shocks, and due for my fifth set of tires.

 

I am finally starting to consider a new (different) vehicle of more recent vintage, which is why I'm interested in this thread (thanks, Jester). I can only justify one car, and need AWD and medium clearance for those adventures (sorry, hybrids). I wouldn't buy the current RAV4; I'm considering a Subaru (possibly a Forrester), as so many friends have and recommend them, although the gas mileage hasn't improved over the years.

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...they don't keep their vehicles for 8 or 10 years anyway. The average length of vehicle ownership is at an all-time high right now and it is still only about 6 years.

I've owned my 1999 Toyota RAV4 nearly 13 years (yes, I know I'm not the norm...in anything :lol: ). It's AWD and medium clearance, and has taken me on a lot of gnarly caching adventures in the backcountry. Well worth the $22k I paid to drive it off the lot, and it still gets about 23 mph city and 28 mph highway. It has over 160k miles on it, and I'm on my third timing belt, second set of shocks, and due for my fifth set of tires.

 

I am finally starting to consider a new (different) vehicle of more recent vintage, which is why I'm interested in this thread (thanks, Jester). I can only justify one car, and need AWD and medium clearance for those adventures (sorry, hybrids). I wouldn't buy the current RAV4; I'm considering a Subaru (possibly a Forrester), as so many friends have and recommend them, although the gas mileage hasn't improved over the years.

I was at the Toyota Dealer this morning having a new Oxygen sensor put in the Land Cruiser and was just looking over the RAV4s, Our daughter had a RAV4 and I really liked it. The LC is a 2000 and other than getting below 20 mpg has been a great car. I didn't drive the RAV4, but it sure looked great. The LC has been maintance free up to this year. I wondered if we should trade it in for a new RAV4 but have decided to keep the LC. It only has about 70K and new tires. We have a Scion that we use when the roads are good. I wonder why you wouldn't consider a new RAV4. Thanks Dick & Arlene

Edited by W7WT
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We did a little shopping today, tried the Kia Sportage, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 and Jeep Patroit ('Auto Row's are nice, easy to hit several dealers). Still need to do some thinking on all this. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Would love to hear your pros/cons/assessments when you're done, since I'm also in the market. A few others on here would probably be interested as well.

Here's a copy of my "list" as it stands:

VanStats.jpg

Notes:

These are all the basic models, some of these things change as you add extras.

The "Back Seat Release" is from the cargo area - how easy is it to drop them from the back.

"Cargo Size" is back seats up/back seats down.

"Pro's/Con's" are my opinion only. The tire out back on the RAV4 could be a pro when the vehicle is loaded and you have a flat (no need to empty the cargo - which I did once on a trip). Some might not like manual tranny's so that wouldn't be in the the Pro's column.

The KIA's front roof support is wide enough to block view of a car at a moderate distance.

 

I hope this helps others.

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I wonder why you wouldn't consider a new RAV4.

Fair question - Nothing to do with the performance, I just don't like the look of them, and they've gotten larger over the years.

 

When we bought our CRV it was an even tie between the Suburu, and the Honda. We liked the RAV4, but it was more money. I didn't think it was enough better to justifiy the higher cost.

 

We settled on the Honda because we could tow it behind the motorhome. If we wanted to tow the Suburu, we would have had to have an after market device added. And that would have voided part of the warranty.

 

Looks do play a lot also. We had planned on buying a brand new car. However, we didn't like the looks of the new CRV, so we bought one a couple years old. Also the new one was harder to get in and out of.

 

I do think the Jesters list showing the clearance of the CRV being 6.7" is interesting. The 2004 is 8.1". If I was buying a new car now, the 8.7" on the Suburu would be a strong point. :)

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Jester - thanks for sharing your spreadsheet! Good stuff.

 

Re: The RAV4's spare tire being mounted on the back. Hey, it gives it that rugged, outdoorsy look (less so now that it has a hard shell). :lol: More practically, I've had a few flat tires over the years, and yes, it was much easier having it easily accessible. Plus, I discovered an "off-label" advantage - it's a good buffer when someone rear-ends you. I've been rear-ended three times over the years, and every time the spare tire reduced my damage and maximized theirs. :P

 

When I bought my RAV4 in 1999 (new), it was between it, the CRV, and the Forrester. (For those Subaru owners wondering why I didn't consider the ubiquitous Outback - I didn't want a station wagon.) The Forrester had the best ratings, but it was butt-ugly.

 

Today, I'm not a fan of the styling of the RAV4 or the CRV (thanks, uxorious, for your input), and the Forrester has a much-improved look (now, about that mileage...).

 

From Jester's table, the CRV seems to have a lot going for it, I can see why several caching friends have chosen it.

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I'm wondering why the Hyundai Santa Fe did not make the list. Seems like it fits in the catagory, has good clearance, but the MPG is a bit down. Maybe that is it? Interesting thread, I will probably be geomobile shopping in a year to year and half so it is good reading at this time.

Edited by jholly
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I'm wondering why the Hyundai Santa Fe did not make the list. Seems like it fits in the catagory, has good clearance, but the MPG is a bit down. Maybe that is it? Interesting thread, I will probably be geomobile shopping in a year to year and half so it is good reading at this time.

I would have to presume people are making recommendations on what they drive.

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I have no experience with the Kia's or Hyandais - but we looked at a Sante Fe and Sportage for my mother-n-law about a month ago. The one thing I noticed almost immediately, was how 'cheap and flimsy' the interior was. The panels, the door covers, dash... Looked & felt cheap.

 

She didn't fit in it anyway.

Edited by Lieblweb
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I'm wondering why the Hyundai Santa Fe did not make the list. Seems like it fits in the catagory, has good clearance, but the MPG is a bit down. Maybe that is it? Interesting thread, I will probably be geomobile shopping in a year to year and half so it is good reading at this time.

I would have to presume people are making recommendations on what they drive.

Yeppers. We are in the unfortunate situation of owning 4 vehicles right now. The Subaru is definitely the caching vehicle of choice. We also have a 2008 Chevy Malibu, a 1998 Chevy Astro (can you say Wrastro?) and a 1994 Ford Ranger. If anyone wants to purchase any of our rides just let me know! :P

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