quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
As mentioned above, if there are any local, try a Ford Flex.

Tons of utility room, and the seat goes back far enough that I struggle to reach the pedals (6'0" & 34" inseam).

I'll try one on for size. There are none at either of the two local CarMax places, but I can check at a Ford dealer. They'll certainly have one that I can sit in, and maybe even an affordable CPO.

Looks like their fuel economy is 18 / 25, city / highway. Better than my 1995 S-10 Jimmy, which will be sold or traded, and about on par with the 1994 Volvo 940, straight 4 cylinder 2.4 L

The big question is seating comfort for a "stretch" guy like me, in the driver's seat. Frankly, I don't care about back seat people. They are rare for me, and if they whine, let them buy their own car, I'm paying for my comfort, not theirs. Yeah, I'm a grouchy old bastard.

Might be tough to find one, even at a Ford dealer, they're not a common nor big seller.
My local dealer has maybe 3 Flex, but 40 Explorers.
Maybe the 'box on wheels' look puts people off, no idea. We love ours & even with school run idling, we get just above 20mpg.
Would likely be much better without the time spent idling in the school lines.

Here's ours, with the mast of Battleship Texas in the background:

We've put around 15k miles on it in the year and a half we've had it & haven't had a single problem from it.

Driver leg room is all about engine placement. The type of engine determines the driveling configuration and whether the engine sits in front of, behind, or above the front wheel.

Subaru's boxer engine puts the drive output right down the middle of the car, and needs to sit pretty far forward of the front axel to make room for the transmission/front transaxel. The result is lots of front leg room, and low engine center of gravity, but longer front overhang over the front wheels.

I would look for an older F150, have 150K on mine
it's a 2003, only issues have been front end components
needing replacement such as wheel bearings, brake pads, ball
joints which is normal stuff, otherwise nothing other than general
maintaining.

It won't have blooteef, etc, but it has a double din radio (double stack)
size and you can have an aftermarket radio with big screen and
backup camera installed fairly inexpensively.

With the standard v8 they will run a long time, you can haul your
floor cleaning equipment, look for a super crew cab so you have more
room and four doors.

I've been touting my love for my 2011 Toyota Venza on here for a couple of years when this topic arises. It's cosidered a "Crossover" and it's been EXTREMELY roomy and utile for me. If you need to haul stuff in a trailer, Curt makes a nice bolt-on hitch that will accomodate a light-weight trailer.

Replying to both HRK and erj-pilot, immediately above:

Bluetooth, radio, all of that stuff is totally meaningless to me. I'm hearing impaired, so I have no need for any of it.

I do want basic amenities: power windows, cruise control. Backup camera would be nice, but not mandatory. Do not need navigation system, backup camera display on rear-view mirror works just as well, for me, as a display on a navigation screen. If I need nav, the phone apps work fine, and are cheaper (or free) to update.

Weight hauling is not important, nor is towing capacity.

Probably in order of importance to me:

1. leg room / knee room. I have, as noted before, extra long legs. I have reinforcing rods inserted in thigh / hip, which diminishes mobility. I have 80 year old hips and knees. Any vehicle that is not easy to get in and out of, and does not provide ample leg stretch room, is out of the question.
   
   
2. Reliability, maintenance cost, etc. I do not want to be a "frequent flyer" at the maintenance shop, and when I do have to go there, I would be looking for reasonable maintenance cost.
   
   
3. Acquisition cost. My budget tells me I need to stay below $15,000. The closer I can get to $10,000, the better.
   
   
4. Fuel economy, but this would only come into play as a tie-breaker re the above considerations. I don't drive enough that his would really be a major factor.

It's a coin flip for me re vehicle type, SUV, pickup, etc. Does not have to be big, as long as the roomy driver seat requirement is met. I really don't care about room for other occupants. If they don't like it, let them eat cake or use Uber.

Good explanation from Aeteocles re Subaru legroom. I haven't tried one on for fit yet, but it sounds as if this might be the leading candidate. I'll get my narrow ass to a Subaru dealer or to CarMax as soon as I can, to sit in one. I like just about everything I have heard about them. Will an Outback bring out my inner Lesbian, or does it have to be a Forester? Any thoughts about the 3.6L with the 5-speed auto vs. the 2.5L with CVT? Again, not hauling any significant weight, nor towing anything. I haven't towed anything on the road for decades (I do pull the airplane to the fuel pumps, using an electric golf cart, but that's the extent of my towing activity).

Last thing I towed with a truck was a Regulus missile launcher, back in the late 1950s when I was in the Navy.

The suggestion on a radio was just to provide a good solution for backup cam with larger screen, and with BT you can use apple maps for navigation, which is a plus, other than that a simple backup cam on the mirror is good, you can get those from amazon.

I would be you could find a F150 in that price point and being a southern truck, not a rusty POS.

Try looking at an older Honda Ridgeline. I came into possession of a 2007 with low mileage and really like it. A bit of a "gentleman's" pick-up though.

Honda Element might also fit your needs although the cargo capacity might not be enough.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
The suggestion on a radio was just to provide a good solution for backup cam with larger screen, and with BT you can use apple maps for navigation, which is a plus, other than that a simple backup cam on the mirror is good, you can get those from amazon.

I would be you could find a F150 in that price point and being a southern truck, not a rusty POS.

You're giving me a bit of an education; that is A Good Thing. I have not gone vehicle shopping for 20 years, so I have a lot of catching up to do.

0658, a question for you. Leg room is really my # 1 criterion. Will your Ridgeline accommodate a 37" inseam with reasonable stretch room? Corollary question: I am under the impression that the Pilot and the Ridgeline are fraternal twins, basically the same in terms of front row seating, front cabin dimensions, etc. Is this correct, or am I misinformed?

Question for IronMike, if you're listening: How is your Element in terms of stretch-out legroom. You're wider than I am, but I'm longer.

Jimmy123x: Cargo capacity is not an issue. As long as I have a driver's seat with long leg room, I'm good. Ability to carry a couple of target stands, 6 foot uprights (lightweight furring strips), couple of range bags.

Or enough luggage for a weekend trip for me (toothbrush and clean underwear) and my wife (half a closet packed into a medium large suitcase, a duffel bag, a backpack, and an incredibly large purse, don't ask).

Just about anything from a VW Golf (not enough leg room) on up will do this, so I'm focusing on the driver's seat leg room and ease of entry / exit.

As far as truck goes, I really don't "need" a pickup. It's just convenient, in terms of being able to toss things like target stands etc. in the back. This would work fine in a closed cabin like an SUV or even maybe a full size sedan, but with a truck I would not have to worry about damaging upholstery, or getting it dirty coming home from an outdoor range. I really do not need a truck in terms of capacity, just for convenience when schlepping stuff that would fit inside, but maybe mess up the upholstery. Besides, I've gone my whole life without a truck, it's my turn to have one now.

if you can find a tahoe with 100-125k miles on it in your price range, that'd be what I'd get.

My last 4 chevrolet trucks have all gone over 180k with the last two well over 250k with very few major troubles.

The Honda Element is very roomy for the front 2 seats, and fits your other criteria. I believe they got 26 mpg on the highway.

The expedition (or tahoe/suburbans) are both a good choice and fit your criteria but also very thirsty. I average 14 mpg with mostly city driving.....highway is just under 20 mpg.


I think you're just going to have to take a weekend and go to a couple of large Carmax type dealers with large selections and sit in them.

Agreed that the Element has a pretty roomy front seat. Tons of cargo space with the rear seats folded up.
Vinyl floors on the base models, easy clean.
Carpet on the Element SC.
Solid reliable K24 Honda engine.

I'd suggest the Ridgeline but the $15k cap limits your options. I have a 2008 I bought at a non-carmax dealer last year. Very happy with comfort, mileage, and some useable bed space.

V tail, recenty heard about www.offleaseonly.com
It seems they purchase rental fleet cars. Looking for your opinion, since they are local to you. Remembered your post-so sending your way.
Frank

Not sure about offlease, but my neighbor has bought 3 or 4 former Hertz rentals & has had good luck with it.
When we moved in he was in a Dodge Stratus (crap car, but was reliable), then into a nice Fusion that he loved until he got t-boned in it, now in a Camry.

So, something like that may be an option to get a good deal.