As mentioned in the other thread:
Given my current lifestyle of hiking, biking, camping, and God knows what else this coming year, and after having struggled with a number of issues that arise when you try to do all this with a compact car, I have decided to give up Miss Jetta and go big(ger) or go home.
Current facts
1. Good ground clearance is a must. We spend almost every weekend on country roads out in bumfack nowhere, and will continue to do so. Remember my oil pan accident?
2. Since I've got the GPS, most carpool with me now. This usually means 3-4 hikers in my vehicle at a time, plus our 25L (or bigger) backpacks.
3. For cycling, I want to easily stash my mountain bike in the back of the vehicle, with a possible hitch option when there are more than two of us traveling together.
Must Haves
1. Pre-owned only.
2. The budget is ~$18-$20K at list (before negociations begin)
3. Mileage 60-80K kms
4. Interior functionality more important than esthetics
5. Nothing older than 2008 (unless there's a compelling reason)
6. Relatively decent on gas. Miss Jetta runs at 10L-ish/100km. I drive about 15,000 kms per year, so not a huge concern.
7. Reasonably reliable – I drive my cars until they start costing me stupid amounts of money to fix.
8. Automatic only. The knee is done with clutching. I'm sorry, already – now stop whining.
9. Loads of cargo room for activities as indicated above.
Nice to Have
1. 4WD or AWD on demand. Full time may make it a gas pig.
2. V6 - max.
3. Roof rails
4. Heated seats
5. Any colour but silver or beige, but ultimately doesn't matter.
So, let's try this again. No mini-vans, pickups, wagons or Jeeps. What would you test drive?
Poll
