Vehicle Advice

[jackellis]

Without going into the details, it looks like we're going to have to retire at least one of our ancient vehicles and purchase another. The current fleet consists of a 1983 Subaru wagon, a 2000 Volvo V70, and a 1992 Ford Probe. The Subaru and Volvo have been used at various times to get to hiking trailheads and to haul firewood and furniture..

My wife is 4' 11" so she has difficulty getting into and driving large vehicles. It's why she opted for 4WD station wagons instead of a SUV or a small truck and it's also why full-size pickups are out of the question.

We want a vehicle that gets decent fuel economy, is reliable, works reasonably well on dirt roads, has 4WD (for long winters with lots of snow) and can haul firewood, furniture, lumber (of course). American nameplates are either too big (F-150) or may be too small (Ranger). The Honda Ridgeline is ugly as sin and pretty expensive but appears to be perfect. We're also thinking about the Toyota Tacoma and the Nissan Frontier, both of which are about the same size as the Ridgeline and would probably be less expensive.

Since there are lot so folks here from lots of places, I'd be interested in suggestions, recommendations and cautions.

[Russianwolf]

The Dodge Dakota, GMC Canyon/Chevy Colorodo, and Ford Explorer Sporttrack are all about the same size as the Ridgeline. Since they have American names, they can be gotten for a good bit less than the Japanese names.

Look for one about 2 years old and you'll get rid of most of the depreciation involved.

[cabinetman]

I agree with Mike's suggestion. If you prefer "new" check out a last year leftover, or a new "dealer demonstrator", so you'll get the benefit of a full warranty.
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[cwithboat]

In 2003 after being told I was going to retire, I had to abandon my plans for a Porsche 928, and, as I was going to lose a company car, I figured I needed a small pickup to complement LOML's 380SL. I surveyed several mechanics as to the best vehicle. All(3) of them said Tacoma. I signed up for the Costco auto program, received an excellent price and free money(i.e., 0 interest loan). I did not buy the 4WD as our problem is not as much snow as ice. Studded tires go on in November and come off in March. Some weight over the rear wheels helps. The truck has performed flawlessly. I change oil (Mobil1) and filter every 5000 miles and have a major service done every 25,000. The dealer tried to sell me a poured on bed liner, but after looking at trucks in the used car lot which had poured liners, I opted for a bolt in one.
Mileage 37,000, AC, 5-spd stick, AM-FM, CD, tape. Extended cab gives room for a car seat.

[jonmulzer]

I vote for Tacoma also. I know a lot has changed on them, but the older ones without fuel injection and such regularly went 500K miles. They were basically bulletproof designs. The new ones are also tremendously reliable, but the electronic bits won't make it to the moon and back.

[ironhat]

What did you see with the spray-on bed liners that turned you away, Charlie?

EDIT: Lest you think the question is a set-up I'll state now that I have a Rhino, installed in 1997 when the truck was new. I've shoveled, dragged steel across it and never gave a thought to it. I can't see the cuts that have to be there. I'm just wondering what you saw.

[Hellrazor]

What did you see with the spray-on bed liners that turned you away, Charlie?

I like my spray on Rhinoliner on my F250. You just have to clean it once in a while or they tend to look faded.

[jonmulzer]

I have a spray in, done over the rails to cover up the scratches from a drop in. I actually threw my drop in away to replace it with spray in. I like it a heck of a lot better. No sliding anymore.

[crokett]

There's a Subaru Outback derivative - the Brat. Would that be too small? I don't think Subaru makes it any more.

[Pappy]

Chiz and Mike, you are both talking Rhino liners that are the best in the business. I have what I assume is a dealer option spray in in my Ram. It looked great, but the original owner was one of those that bought a Ram to look cool on Texas roads, not to use it as a truck. Seriously doubt anything other than maybe luggage was ever in the bed.

The liner scratched the first real load I had in her. Paper thin and the paint under it was shiney. Figure they wiped it down with solvent to remove any wax and called that prepping the bed.

[JSUPreston]

If you're looking at the Tacoma, I would suggest the old body style. The new model does not have a true metal bed. The plastic part that looks like a bedliner is the actual bed of the truck. Only the fenders and tailgate are made of metal. Toyota apparently did this to save money (and supposedly weight) on the bed.

I have the 2000 Frontier Crew Cab w/135k on it. Good little truck. As far as the bed goes, I would rather have the 2001 with the 6' bed. My understanding is the newer Frontiers are great trucks as well, and are more mid-sized, where mine is still considered a compact.

I agree about the Ridgeline. Ugliest truck to ever hit the road. I read an article that reviewed one of the first ones out of the plant. They blew out ALL 4 STRUTS driving it down a dirt/gravel road (not a trail) on a camping trip! Here's the review: http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpconta...7/pageNumber=2

[garymuto]

I've had a Chevy S-10 since 1998 and really like it. It has a V6, 4WD and an extended cab. I'm 5'11" and it fits me fine. My wife had a 2000 2WD with an L4 engine. She like it too, but we had to put ~200 lbs. of sand in the bed for her in the winter. It pulled a boat with all kinds of household stuff from MI to NC and back again just fine, but that was a strain for it. I can get around 17 MPG in town and 20 MPG on the road. I have ~110k miles and have replaced only service items plus, alternator, wiper motor and water pump (those were all replaced between 90-100k miles. American brands get knocked a lot, but I recommend you consider a GM truck... used or new.

[burrellski]

I just bought a new Ridgeline 2 days ago. I was looking at the same three you were considering...Tacoma, Frontier, and Ridgeline. The fit and finish of the Ridgeline is heads and tails above the others AFAIK. I spent countless hours over reviews at every reputable site I could find and the Ridgeline consistently edged out the other two, though just barely. In the end, it came down to test drives for me. The ridgeline's ride was supperior, tons more room in the cab, and a lot more comfortable. I love the looks of the Tacoma, but the seats are so close to the floor it was uncomfortable. Overall, I was pretty dissapointed with the Frontier. hard to put a reason to it, just personal opinion. So far I've been extremely impressed with the Ridgeline (all 125 miles I've driven it). I traded in an '02 Dodge Dakota that I had good luck with, just time for a new one.

There is currently $4500 dealer cash available on the Ridgelines, its just not advertised.
I ended up purchasing for $4000 under invoice, i.e. $500 over invoice - $4500 dealer cash. They made $500 plus whatever the holdback is and I think I got a pretty good deal.

[jonmulzer]

I agree about the Ridgeline. Ugliest truck to ever hit the road. I read an article that reviewed one of the first ones out of the plant. They blew out ALL 4 STRUTS driving it down a dirt/gravel road (not a trail) on a camping trip! Here's the review: http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpconta...7/pageNumber=2

I agree with everything said here, especially it being ugly, lol. I recently helped Global Performance tie up some loose ends at the new Honda plant going in here in IN. Honda apparently sent over a whole fleet of Ridgelines for the GP big wigs to drive around the jobsite. When I asked them what they thought of them the concensus was, "They are alright cars for driving around, just don't go thinking they are really a truck!" They also said they were worse than useless on snow and ice, a couple of them had broken with moderate payloads (less than 1K lbs) hauled for short distances, etc. Completely unsuited for anything but the project managers to tool around in. Everyone jokes how the bed was only to be used for groceries. These guys spent a couple of years driving these things around, I will trust what they say.

The tiny little right hand drive cab-over mini pickups they had there were neat as could be though. I want one, if even for the weird looks.

[jackellis]

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments.

I suppose it's going to boil down to looking at them, sitting in them, and doing some test drives. Apparently the Ridgeline has had problems with cracked or imperfect welds that let water into the cabin during heavy rain. It's struts may not be beefy enough for poorly maintained dirt roads. And then LOML tells me she may favor a truck after all.

I'll have to check the specs on a S-10 and see whether it makes sense to buy one used.