Topic: Suggestions?

[razonbred]

96 Mazda MPV has bit the dust. Loved it - now what is a good replacement?

Need:
* good interior room to carry 2 adults, 2 kids, dog and luggage
* 4WD and good clearance for travelling bumpy/ rocky camp road
* good towing for 17" fishing boat (with the above mentioned cargo inside!)
* not underpowered (MPV was a bit)

Thinking used, maybe 2-3 years, around $20 - 25,000.

Thanks!

[The Mighty Duck]

We've been through three Dodge Dakotas in the last four years - loved every one of them (it was a case of needing more power each time).

Latest is a 2005 Dakota Quad Cab...  tons of room (as much as any midsize sedan, I'd say), lots of power (we pull a 22' boat with it).  Short box, but still room enough for lots of junk.

I saw one advertised brand new (2005) the other day for $26 000...  so on the used market you'll probably find something in your price range.

[mdxtasy]

A mid size domestic quad cab is a good suggestion.  But to have 4 people and a dog (depending on size of the pooch) might start to get tight in the cabin....especially if you're kennelling the dog while in transit.  A 17' boat isn't small...but what would one like that weigh with trailer?  Would a Nissan Quest minivan fit the bill?  Or would that be pushing the limits of the V6? 

[The Mighty Duck]

The Dakota quad will hold four adults comfortably, I can attest to that.  Not sure on the dog, though.

That said, I thought for some reason that you were looking for a pickup truck, hence the Dakota suggestion.  I'm fairily certain that the Dodge Durango is more or less the same thing but an SUV, not a p/u...

MDX: our first Dakota was a V6 model, and we upgraded when we moved up to a 21' boat.  Not sure how the Dakota engine compares to the Nissan, but I would guess that towing a 17'er would be a little bit iffy.  I personally would rather have the extra grunt of a V8.

[Snowman]

You could pick up a nice quad cab Tundra fro that price. But you would need to go back to a couple more years to 2001. Four adults and a dog would be tight in a mid-size truck. An SUV would offer more room and comfort.

A friend of mine had a Dakota Quad cab for a year and traded it for a mini van within one year. Not enough room for the family of 4 on long trips. The gas mileage was brutal and similar to a full size truck. Why not get a full size Dodge for the same fuel cost? There is no space in the cab for storage or dogs when traveling and the box fills up quickly.

The used lots are jammed packed with domestic full-sized 4x4 extended cab trucks these days and you could pick up a sweet deal on a 2 or 3 year old truck.

[tortoise]

Is the boat Fiberglass or Aluminum?  I/O or Outboard?

A 17' aluminum boat with an outboard really doesn't weigh very much.  A reasonably powered V6 could tow it no problem.  My dad used to Tow a HEAVY 19' boat with a 350 I/O with a mid '90's Ford Windstar.

[mrthompson]

Chevy Tahoe 4 door with the 5.3L V8 and 4x4?

[Trainman]

96 Mazda MPV has bit the dust. Loved it - now what is a good replacement?

Need:
* good interior room to carry 2 adults, 2 kids, dog and luggage
* 4WD and good clearance for travelling bumpy/ rocky camp road
* good towing for 17" fishing boat (with the above mentioned cargo inside!)
* not underpowered (MPV was a bit)

Thinking used, maybe 2-3 years, around $20 - 25,000.

Thanks!

I picked up my Pathfinder for $22,000 (3 years old, 62,000 km, some issues with the paint).  Let us see how it stacks up:

good interior room to carry 2 adults, 2 kids, dog and luggage Yes, if you use a car top carrier as I do when I need it
4WD and good clearance for travelling bumpy/ rocky camp road   Very good at this!
good towing for 17" fishing boat (with the above mentioned cargo inside!)  Can tow 5,000 pounds
not underpowered (MPV was a bit)  Lots of power in the 3.5 l, if light on the go pedal can get 25 mpg on the highway (not heavily loaded though).

I would suggest a SUV like the Pathy or 4Runner.  Good long term reliability, reasonable fuel consumption for what they are.

Good luck in your search, let us know what you get.

mdxtasy: I do not think the Quest would meet his "4WD and good clearance for travelling bumpy/ rocky camp road" requirements without some serious modifications 

[razonbred]

 

Yes, I like the sound of the Pathfinder. Hubby worries about the age or mielage we'd have to sacrifice to get to our $22,000 price range. He's thinking Chevy.....I've always stayed away from GM and Ford. How reliable are they?

Agree with comments on the truck models - we looked at those but think space would be issue. Our other vehicle is a Mazda B4000 so we have the basic truck needs covered - but it doesn't work as the passenger vehicle.

Also agree that mini-vans won't have the clearance we need.

OK, so he's thinking 4L, V6, low mileage...........

you're helping narrow it down - thanks!

[razonbred]

 

so, having pored over vehicles currently available at dealers on one of the websites, the Chevrolet Trailblazer seems to fit the bill on paper..........?? comments? While we really like the pathfinder, the mileage/ age tradeoff is hard to swallow

[The Mighty Duck]

All of the domestic automakers seem to suffer from a quality problem...  you can get some GREAT examples that will run forever without any problems...  yet you can also get the exact same year/make/model and have it turn out a complete lemon.  Not so much that they can't produce quality vehicles, they just can't do it consistently...

*shrug*

We've had no touble with our three Dodge trucks.

[barrie1]

The Trailblazer will serve you very well and has a good reputation overall. GM is a big company and there is thousands of these on the road. Parts are quite reasonable as well and easy to get also. The Dakota is also a similar good quality truck as well. 

[EV-Light]

The Trailblazer will serve you very well and has a good reputation overall. GM is a big company and there is thousands of these on the road. Parts are quite reasonable as well and easy to get also. The Dakota is also a similar good quality truck as well. 

Im with Barrie on this one. I think both the Trailblazer and the Durango will provide all the space and versatility you need.

[Snowman]

The Trailblazer and Durango occupy the bottom of the reliability ratings in Consumer reports. Stay away….stay far away.

Trailblazer : The seats lack support. Reliability is below average, and front- and offset-crash-test results are unimpressive.
Highs: Ride, seating capacity.
Lows: Handling, braking, fuel economy, fit and finish, front safety belts, turning circle.

Durango : Fit and finish is unimpressive. Reliability has fallen to below average.
Highs: Ride, interior room, towing capacity.
Lows: Fuel economy, braking, location of rear wiper switch, engine noise.

[Shnak]

The Trailblazer and Durango occupy the bottom of the reliability ratings in Consumer reports. Stay away….stay far away.

Non-sense! They must be good as you see tons of them on the roads!!!

 

A 2-3 year old Pathfinder would be a great purchase. Tops in SUV reliabilty, power, size, hauling... it would suit you perfectly IMO.

[Trainman]

There is a reason why Pathfinders and 4Runners keep their value so much more than others (not just domestic, look at the depreciation of used Land Rovers, Kias and MB SUV's    ).  Just depends if are willing to pay for what the extra cost (value) gives you  .

[The Mighty Duck]

 

4Runner is probably one of the best SUVs on the market.  Can't go wrong there, imho.

[barrie1]

It may well be but look at the price of it. I'll take a GM truck and pocket many thousands of dollars, probably more then enough to offset about 10 years worth of repairs with the GM or the Dodge vehicle. They will serve you just as well. Have a good look at them before you decide as they are usually much cheaper to buy to begin with and will last for as many years as well. The parts will certainly be cheaper also.