Thinking of a new ride,but have no ideas

Hey guys,

Now I am in no big rush,as I don't have any money set aside for this,but I thought I would ask you guys. I currently have a small collection of vintage Mazda rotaries,and a daily driver 2001 Dodge Ram Wagon 2500 passenger van. I hardly ever drive the van as I have a company van as well that I am allowed to bring home(but can't use for personal stuff). While I like the van it really is a larger vehicle than what I need now. I bought it about three years ago when we had a 23' camper trailer. Well we don't have that anymore,but we do have a large pop-up camper so towing is still a requirement. The van runs great,and doesn't have any issues aside from a clunk in the front end,and a pull to the left when braking(may need another new caliper). The thing is it gets maybe an average of 14-15 MPG the way I use it on local trips here and there,and not MUCH better on the highway,but better.

The vehicle I want will be capable of towing the 3500lb GVW of our pop-up while carrying some of the stuff that we can't fit in the pop up like the kids bikes,and other misc stuff. I wouldn't want it to be at its safety limits towing this weight though. I have two boys ages 3,and 7,so seating for kids is a must,so no Miata answers. And no TWO Miata answers either!! I would like it to have doors on both side of the vehicle in the rear if possible as it is a bit of a pain loading up the kids in their car seats in the van now. I don't need 4wd/AWD even though I live in snow country,and to be honest I have never liked the few 4wd vehicle I have owned. I prefer a manual trans,but it isn't a requirement as the van is auto,and if my wife's van(06 Sienna) is laid up she can drive the van now. My wife's Sienna is rated to tow 3500lbs,but I really am not sure if I would feel safe doing this until I load up the camper,and weigh it to see what it weighs when we tow it. I would like said vehicle to get decent mileage,maybe in the 20's range if possible.

I am not a big fan of SUV's,but I think maybe the vehicle I am describing is an SUV,aside from most SUV's being 4wd. I would be willing to spend in the range of $6-8000 for said vehicle,and I am not opposed to buying a vehicle that is older that even the 90's if the vehicle was clean. Oh yeah I want a vehicle that is reliable,and isn't one that has a poor aftermarket for parts,and such.

I have owned my ram wagon for three plus years,and only put maybe 10-12k mile son it,so said vehicle must be okay to sit around a bit,and not go bad on me. I know having a vehicle sit around isn't good,but I really don't drive much especially during the winter. During the summer I have the fleet of Mazda's to drive anyway,and the van gets a few long trips for camping,and not much more.

I am confident you guys can suggest a few vehicle that fit my description.

Chris

Grand Wagoneer!

The thing is just about anything still willing to tow that camper and haul of that stuff will still get the same bad mileage as the van. We like full size vans here.

Staying with the Mazda theme I recommend a Mazda 6 wagon. Easy seating for a family of 4 and some hauling capability with seats folded.
If not this wagon, maybe a Volvo fwd wagon or Subaru Legacy. With some looking, all of these can be had with a manual trans.
All of these fall short in your towing desires.
If that towing is the most important feature then I recommend a Chevy Astro but then you have the single side door issue.

Diesel truck with a double cab?

Keep the van. It works. It's paid for. It's safe. Excise tax and insurance costs are low. Use your money to buy that sweet TR8 located around the corner from you. I thought people moved from the burbs to the country to get away from the pressure of having to keep up with the Joneses'. You don't need a new vehicle- unless you want to give more money to the guvner so he can appoint more people to no show high paying jobs.

Astro van? Not sure if the mileage will be much better.

Anymore suggestions?

I'll be the anti-GRM: diesel Excursion. Might be a little over your budget, but F-series is insanely popular, you can get 700 ft-lbs of torque from a chip and exhaust (okay, maybe a little more involved than that, but it's still pretty easy), and it'll have all the room and towing capacity you could ever need or want.

Why not a minivan??

a 96-00 grand caravan can be had under 3k in nice condition, have dual sliding doors, ride quiet and nice like a car, get 19-22 mpg on the highway, have more power/weight than the current van, have craploads of space with the seats out (and more accessible/useable than emptying and loading a full size), and tow 3500 lbs just fine. Did i mention available AWD? The 3.8 has about 240 lb ft of torque, pleasant power.

01-04 or 05 is in the budget, too, but i like them less.

Ive towed car+dolley with the 97 grand caravan my parents had, just fine. If it wasnt suddenly worth $4500 a few months ago, we'd still have it at 230k+ with no major issues other than dried up trans seals at ~210k (rebuilt it myself, cheap).

I also towed my GRM car+dolley loaded up with tires, tools, etc from TX to FL and back with my dodge dynasty, which has the exact same engine and transmission as a caravan. Just fine. 2k+ miles of towing 3500 lbs.

Older 2wd Suburban?

How are the 2002 Toyota 4Runners? I found one local that I may go look at. It is a 2wd V6 I believe(engine size wasn't noted in ad) with 100k on it. Are these reliable?

Mazdax605 wrote: I would like said vehicle to get decent mileage,maybe in the 20's range if possible.

How about an Escape Hybrid? I don't particularly like SUVs, but a friend has an Escape and I like driving it ok. One owner reports getting 22-23mpg towing 2500lbs or so, and the normal ones are rated for 3500. I've seen used ones pop up for under 10k. so they'd be at the high end of your budget though.

Here's the article about towing with one:

http://www.starclass.org/artman/publish/article_357.shtml

You could get a tribute grille for it and have a Mazda. :)

Mazdax605 wrote: How are the 2002 Toyota 4Runners? I found one local that I may go look at. It is a 2wd V6 I believe(engine size wasn't noted in ad) with 100k on it. Are these reliable?

Yes its reliable, don't know the tow rating, but our 07 V6 tows will tow almost anything we throw at it.

Mileage is about 20 on the highway.

Early chevy avalanche's are getting down there in price.

Thats about all I can add.

ignorant wrote: Early chevy avalanche's are getting down there in price. Thats about all I can add.

Don't tell me that. I have for some reason that I can't explain wanted one ever since they came out... And now I'm actually in the market for a car in a few months... and I don't want an SUV. Damnit.

not even a response, eh?. Seriously, a long wheelbase caravan does everything you need, is quicker, rides better,handles better, is quieter, gets better mileage, is easier to park, looks better, is reliable, and tows what you need it to. AND, its CHEAP.

94-96 Chevy Caprice wagon or Olds Vista Cruiser w/LT1 power.

What about a Dodge Magnum? They will tow up to 3800lb, can be had with a V6 or V8, AWD is an option and can easily be found for $8000 for a high mileage car to $13,000 for a low mileage (25,000 miles) V6 car. The Hemi's add about $1500 to the price. (Edit: Sorry, I completely missed your $6-8K price requirement - my prices were from Autotrader.com, maybe you can find a cheaper one on Craigslist).

Here's a pic I found online. If it will tow this, it will easily tow your pop-up.

Bob

Sorry Vigo I missed that post somehow. I was also away all day picking up another RX-7. I love the idea of a minivan,but I don't want one that will be at its limits when it comes to towing the 3500lb trailer.If this can be done with a long wheelbase Caravan I will look into one.

Hey Vigo,why do you like the 2000,and older models Grand Caravans more? Are they more reliable? Better engine/transmissions? Cheaper? All of the above?

Mazdax605 wrote: How are the 2002 Toyota 4Runners? I found one local that I may go look at. It is a 2wd V6 I believe(engine size wasn't noted in ad) with 100k on it. Are these reliable?

So yesterday I was on Martha's Vineyard(island off the coast of MA),and looked at the 02 4Runner I found on Craigslist. It is a black 02 SR5 with 112k miles,2WD w/factory running boards,trailer hitch,alloys,automatic,power windows,etc.

Looked to be in great shape aside from some nicks,and such here,and there. The frame was rust free. It was in a semi dark garage,so I didn't get to see it in the day light(had flashlight), but the paint looked good,and no apparent signs of collision repair.

The seller wasn't there,but here cousin let me look over the car,so I have no idea on maintinence records aside from what she put in the ad. She mentioned it probably need new plugs. I couldn't drive it as it had no registration/plates,but it ran fine in the garage.

I think the asking price is $9000,but I can't find the craigslist ad anymore,so i can't say for sure. I have no idea if the timing belt was changed,and if not I think it is over due at 112k miles.

What do you guys think is a good price assuming the timing belt was done,and if not what is a good price? Can I safely assume this truck will be reliable for the next 3-5 years with not a lot of use?

What about a Dodge Magnum?

I just bought one for $4588.65, but it was a 'special deal'. Helps to know people!

BUT its a 2.7 and i wouldnt tow 3500 lbs with it. Probably..

Mazdax605 wrote: Can I safely assume this truck will be reliable for the next 3-5 years with not a lot of use?

Wikipedia defines "reliability" as "Toyota Truck".

pinchvalve wrote:

Mazdax605 wrote: Can I safely assume this truck will be reliable for the next 3-5 years with not a lot of use?

Wikipedia defines "reliability" as "Toyota Truck".

Yeah but 9k for a truck with a questionable history and over 100k miles seems a little steep.

you could probably pick up a 96-02ish (don't know the exact years, R50 chassis code) pathfinder for around half of what they want for that 4runner