Quick correction: I just remembered that the Buick Regal TourX was a thing...these aren't yet old and cheap and aren't as capable off-road as an Outback, but might need fewer repairs?
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Which Subaru?
- Thread starter Glenn MacGrady
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Cheap and reliable are not easy. I fear that compared to a van most SUV will not be comfortable to move around in like you're used to.
This vehicle is not new, efficient, or reliable. But it's gorgeous and comes with a canoe and trailer.
This vehicle is not new, efficient, or reliable. But it's gorgeous and comes with a canoe and trailer.
If I was looking for a reliable shuttle vehicle the Toyota Venza gets AWD and reliability as cheaply as possible. Like this one in Hartford.
Of course an Outback in that price range is also a great choice.
Of course an Outback in that price range is also a great choice.
This seems like a good suggestion! A 6’ cargo area with the rear seats folded is the same as my Outback, so unlike a Forester, it might (just) be long enough to sleep in.
Now THAT is a sweet ride!This vehicle is not new, efficient, or reliable. But it's gorgeous and comes with a canoe and trailer.
1977 jeep wagoneer for sale by owner - Syracuse, NY - craigslist
Sold the fishing cabin last year so no longer have use for my fishing rig. All original Jeep Wagoneer with one repaint many years ago that still shows well. No rust. Both the Wagoneer and canoe have...web.archive.org
Don't sleep on minivans. I lived out of a Caravan for a few months and drove it on many adventure trips to the desert and hauling canoes. It was darn near perfect and to this day I still can't believe some of the places it went, many of them would have been considered 4x4 only. More than once I questioned if I was going to get back out but I always did.
I slept on a cot in the back (room under the cot for more storage) and still had plenty of room for weeks worth of gear.
They're not expensive to buy or work on, they get decent mileage, and they're small enough that they aren't difficult to drive in tight spaces.
Alan
I slept on a cot in the back (room under the cot for more storage) and still had plenty of room for weeks worth of gear.
They're not expensive to buy or work on, they get decent mileage, and they're small enough that they aren't difficult to drive in tight spaces.
Alan
Do they go on with the light switch, or do they go on when you turn on the radio?The Fort Wayne, IN Sierra/Silverado assembly plant recently celebrated the first truck coming off the assembly line with all the lights working.
What older minivan would you recommend?
Older is a relative term but often, when it comes to buying older vehicles (10-15 years), condition and how they were maintained can be very important.
I don't think GM has ever made a decent minivan.
I used to really like Caravans but I can't say I've been impressed with them in the last 12 years.
Kia vans have been surprisingly good. My dad owns two from '07 and they're both approaching 200k and have needed virtually no work. The ones we've had in the shop have been similar.
Toyota Siennas are great.
I haven't seen enough Honda Odysseys to comment.
Alan
All of them is the simple answer.
I have a Forester and really like it for most things. It fits the canoe or kayaks well, fits most of our gear with ease, as long as the dog isn’t coming. We can still sleep in it, especially with the rear hatch tent for airflow and keeping the bugs/rain out. That said, we had some weird issues with the brakes and had to rent an Outback for a week, I think it was a nicer model, and that is what we both said we should’ve got. Tons of space for gear and us, plus the dog.
Otherwise, the Forester is working out just fine.
Otherwise, the Forester is working out just fine.
That's likely true. However, it's becoming more difficult to load canoes on top of a full size van, and mine is so old (1997) that it needs a lot of work. On the other hand, it may be cheaper to fix the old van yet again as opposed to buying something expensively newer. It's also the only vehicle I own that can tow my canoe trailer.
I don't really need AWD. Only one canoe vehicle I've had over the past 45 years had AWD, and I only used that used clunker for one or two years.
99.44% of the time in my canoeing adventures over the past 45 years I've been driving on regular paved roads. I've never encountered a situation where I thought I needed AWD or 4WD, even on dirt and logging roads in Maine. Of course, I often cannot get my RWD van up my long, steep, icy driveway in winter. But I don't canoe in the north in winter. I freeeeze! Or try to jury rig trips to Florida.
That was my one AWD vehicle, a Ford minivan. I bought it in 1996 in Brunswick, Maine, on a credit card when my first full size van conversion, a 1982 Ford E-150, crapped out on the Maine Turnpike. I was on a canoe trip that also included buying my Surge sea kayak. It was a Ford Aerostar. I eventually removed the back seats, put a foam mattress on the floor, tacked up black sheets for window curtains, and used it for a couple of years. It had about 125,000 miles when I bought it, and things kept breaking on it all the time. I gave it to my son, which was its coup de grâce.
After that, I bought a new 1999 Honda CRV and a new Mountain Hardwear tent and became a tent camper for a couple of years. Alas, my wife took over the CRV, which was a great and reliable vehicle for 20 years. Oh, I guess it had AWD, too, but again I never needed it, other than to get up the driveway in winter. We still have the old CRV. It's become a planter.
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