Truck or SUV if can only have one?

jewlsvern said:

I go with the Mazda CX-9. The 3rd row seats fold down completely flat which would allow for towing.

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I'm not sure what the 3rd row seats folding flat have to do with towing? (and as an aside, all the SUV's with three rows that I've seen, have the 3rd row fold flat, else the cargo area wouldn't be useful)

Also, the CX-9 comes standard with 2000# towing capacity, you must get the optional towing package if you want 3500# capability. If a person is only towing a utility trailer, this should be fine, but if you need to tow camping trailers, etc. then going with a 5000# rated vehicle (or more) would be much better. Mazda and Ford specify their tow ratings with a 150# driver only, so any cargo, passengers, accessories in the vehicle need to be subtracted OFF the tow rating. Which means it's highly unlikely a person would ever be able to tow 3500#. This was actually the reason we sold our 3500# rated Ford as the tow limit was deceiving. I'll repeat that this would be fine for a small utility trailer though.

Sorry, towing was the wrong word. I meant hauling things in the back. Wtih the 3rd row seats folded down flat you get a ton of room to put things. almost as much room as a truck.

jewlsvern said:

Sorry, towing was the wrong word. I meant hauling things in the back. Wtih the 3rd row seats folded down flat you get a ton of room to put things. almost as much room as a truck.

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That makes more sense. Although I suspect you'd need to fold the 2nd row down as well in a CX-9 if one wanted to compare the cargo room to a truck bed. It's only a mid-size SUV so with 3rd down, the cargo room is decent, but nowhere near that of a truck.

What kind of 4wd do you want? For bad weather or off roading/towing a boat onto a launch ramp?

We have a Ridgeline. It's nice. Good compromise. We bought it cuz we got a new house so there was lots of Home Depot/furniture runs in our future. I hate SUVs and trucks while the wife refused to get a minivan and the Ridgeline was the best compromise. It can't tow too much and only has a moderate payload in the bed, but for general yard work it's fine. It's an AWD system for bad weather, but it will lock in low range so if you have jet skis, a wet ramp wouldn't be a problem.

The storage is awesome. Thing fits easily in a garage, yet we stuck a 50 inch Vizio plasma from Costco, in the box, into the back seat.

Sorry I haven't been back. I actually forgot I had posted this.
First let me say that I didn't mean to get everyone arguing. Sorry for that.

Since I originally posted this, things have changed. If things work out as we hope, we will be getting rid of our current vehicles (too high payment on one, and the other has too many problems). DH will be getting an older Wrangler for his work/commute car. Then probably get a trailer. He needs 4wd as he has to be at work no matter what and weather is not an excuse.
Then if we sell the second we will be looking for a family vehicle. We're hoping to find a md-size suv, lots of room, good on gas. But as quoted above:

skaterbabscpst said:

That said, sometimes I think we forget that not everyone can purchase a three year old or newer vehicle with all the great safety features.

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Our budget will not be very much. So if anyone can help with recommendations on an older suv type, that'd be great.:thumbsup:

Used wranglers hold their value really well, if you look for a cherokee instead (not the grand cherokee) for him you can find them pretty cheap. A '96 will run you about $1k. I'd suggest going a few years newer than that, but a '98 shouldn't be much more and will have driver and passenger airbags. (The '96 only has a driver's airbag.)

For your family vehicle, check out the late 90's Isuzu Troopers. They're wide enough that if you carefully choose your seats they'll all fit, and the outboard seats have head restraints for when your elder children get in that 9-12 age range and still need boosters but are too tall for high backs, so you'll be able to use backless. Obviously it won't last forever, once you need that third shoulder belt in the back you'll need to reconsider.

A late '90s ('95 or later) Suburban with three rows of seats will have head rests in the outboard positions and at least six lap/shoulder belts, four of which will be in the back. Again, not particularly expensive to purchase. You will use more gas though.

It's not an SUV, but a late '90s Volvo will have lap/shoulder belts in all seating positions, and head rests in the ouboard seats. I think a '97 can be found for under $6k.

If I was buying an older SUV and wanted a decent carrying capacity (7 seats) but didn't want to spend more than a few thousand, I'd probably look at the Mitsubishi Montero. You can get early/mid 90s for under $5000, and they're supposed to be fairly reliable. Downsides--I doubt they have the best side impact protection, and they don't have great roll-over stats...

-Nicole.

Good suggestion! Like the Trooper it will have outboard head rests and shoulder belts, and should be wide enough to do three-across if the seats are carefully chosen.