I am slowly facing fact that we are likely going to need to replace my DH's car very soon. He has a 2003 Explorer he has LOVED but it has broken down again and we are starting to have to sink more and more $$ into it. Here are his requirements:
-Can pull a small boat (up to 5000lbs)
-Can semi-comfortably fit 3 kids in the back (only occasionally do we need his car for this but it does need to be possible. DD1 just moved into a high back booster but we will also have an infant seat and Evenflo Triumph or similar in it)
-If possible, better gas mileage than the V8 guzzler the Explorer was
- FWD for New England winters
He would love a pickup, but the smaller ones (Ranger, Tacoma, etc) don't seem to have enough space in the back. The big ones are gas guzzlers and even used are so expensive.
Anyone have opinions on any of the Jeep models? I love Pilots but since I have a van, feel like that space is overkill. TIA!
DD1 7/10/08 DD2 8/11/10 DS 7/2/13
Re: Recommend a car for my DH
I have a 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee Rocky Mountain Edition. I love it. It is only a V6 so not terrible on gas (not great either). It has all the bells and whistles I wanted (heated seats, moon roof, satellite radio) and was reasonably priced. It has cloth seats but they clean very well. I just asked DH last night about pulling a camper behind it and he said it can pull at least 5000 lbs. The only thing I can't tell is if it will hold 3 car seats.
I had a friend with a Jeep Patriot and hated it.
Yeah, we have a Dodge Dakota Quad cab we bought pre-kids. We thought we were awesome in buying the 4 door so it was easier when we had kids. Well, we can't fit 3 seats in there, even 2 boosters. So...
We bought a Suburban, but this is my vehicle. We have a 4500 lb camper that we needed to haul and it didn't make sense to drive the van w/ the kids while the truck hauls the camper.
We also kept the truck and van though. Does your DH still want a v-8, or is a v-6 preferred?
What about looking at an avalanche?
DD1 7/10/08 DD2 8/11/10 DS 7/2/13
Toyota Highlander? My mom has one that we borrowed once for a road trip and I loved it. It got similar gas mileage to my Toyota Camry, about 30is MPG which isn't bad for an SUV.
Would love it but they are really pricey, even used. His dream car is another 4-Runner (we had one a million years ago) but they are even more expensive. But that mileage is awesome... I didn't realize they were that good. That is double the Explorer at least!
DD1 7/10/08 DD2 8/11/10 DS 7/2/13
I know, they are kind of pricey. We looked at one and were shocked at the sticker price. For around the price of a base model highlander we've got our eye on a. Fully loaded Kia Sorento.