Vehicle Advice

[Russianwolf]

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

It'll be VERY used as the Chevy S-10/GMC S-15 stopped production 5-10 years ago. The Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon is the replacement.

[dbhost]

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..

That is a fairly decent stable of vehicles! That Ford Probe / Mazda MX-6 is most likely the weak link of that chain... No AWD / 4WD, very limited interior space, etc...

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.

My darling bride is 5' 0" so I know the feeling... Nerf bars do miracles for allowing her to step up into my lifted 4x4 F150 with no hassles. Don't let height be a limiting factor if she is still healthy and ambulatory.

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.

That is a pretty tall order...

A 4x4 Dakota Quad Cab with the V-6 is a fairly decent option for a Domestic. I must admit to hating the Daimler styling of the most recent models though... I love my F150 except when I fill up, it is roomy, has lots of towing power, and drives like a Town Car even while riding on 34" mud tires... But I know this is NOT a good solution for everybody...

I am curious. If the old Subaru is a vehicle you are happy with, why not try to pick up its modern counterpart? Subaru has always made a quality vehicle. A little weird styling wise, but overall solid cars that stand the test of time...

The Ford Explorer is a decent (NOT great) vehicle, with a notoriously bad transmission... I would steer clear of those...

I know my wife wants a Lincoln Navigator (future purchase obviously). Part of our reasoning is we experience a LOT of what I would call low grade flash flooding in the Houston metro area... A road can fill with 6 - 12" of water while you are waiting for a traffic light to change. A low clearance vehicle like your typical econnobox would fall victim to that quickly, where as a full size pickup / SUV would be immune...

A Jeep Wrangler is out of the question due to my wife's height though. The stepover on the sill is simply too high for her...

Our use of 4wd is limited to primitive roads in Texas, Louisiana, Northern Mexico, and Oklahoma. Oh, and beaches, lots of beaches...

I can give a thumbs up for my experiences with my local Car Max. They did me right on my pickup, and 3 vehicles prior to that. I pick up my vehicles typically 2 years old on lease return. I let the guy ahead of me take the big beating on depreciation and I get a nice car for a huge discount!

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

If I were in your shoes, in snow country, I would definately be looking at a Subaru Wagon. Reliable, fuel efficient, and definately competent snow cars. HOWEVER, if you travel many rough, rocky, rutted, tree stumpy roads, any 4WD wagon will be brought to an early grave...

Best of luck with your choice!

[williwatt]

It'll be VERY used as the Chevy S-10/GMC S-15 stopped production 5-10 years ago. The Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon is the replacement.

The last Chevy S-10/GMC S-15 was actually sold in 2004 so you should still be able to find some decent used vehicles.

[Russianwolf]

The last Chevy S-10/GMC S-15 was actually sold in 2004 so you should still be able to find some decent used vehicles.

Yep, your right. But they only had the crew cab 4x4 in 2004 and not too many were produced, so they may be harder to find. The Colorado/Canyon had already taken the place of the other models in 04.

[jackellis]

Another Subaru is out of the question. According to the boss, this vehicle needs to be able to go off-road so she can carry backpackers on crappy dirt roads in the Sierras. It'll probably be driven a bit more than the average 400 miles a month I put on my car now, mostly for business, but not a lot more.

One of our friends suggested looking at the Toyota 4Runner, which we will do.

The CarMax idea is worth looking into. I had good luck buying a barely used car when I got out of college. As long as we choose a model that's known for reliability, we can't go wrong.