Topic: Searching for the best car to ride in Canada and sleep into

[quadzilla]

How much is the first gen Kia Rondo now? My buddy had one and we had no issues with two of us camping in the back. Actually has more room than most of our ultra-light tents.

[pi314]

^ you were able to sleep stretched out in a Rondo? I've spent a lot of time in one and didn't think it was long enough for that

[ArticSteve]

One thing about an older Rondo they have great head room in the back

[quadzilla]

^ you were able to sleep stretched out in a Rondo? I've spent a lot of time in one and didn't think it was long enough for that

Amazing isn't it and we are both 6 footers. The trick for his setup was he made a folding bed. He would move both front seats all the way forward, fold out the bed to use that space and then would have lots of room. My head never touched the front seat or hatch. I really was very slick.

[.l..]

There was an AWD Caravan

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/mississauga-peel-region/2003-grand-caravan/1072077328?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Price   
$3,000.00

Holy    $3000!? Welcome to Canada...where if you're not careful you will get raped on your first vehicle purchase. And you get to keep your clothes on, I hope. That thing comes with a liter of oil (946 ml actually since they don't even sell full liters anymore) and a jar of Vaseline at that price. Hope you (not "you", but any buyer dimwitted enough to say "I'll take it!") like it up the rear! That has to be a typo, right? $300 ....or maybe $0003 - which is in itself $3000 more than it's worth. The guy should be paying someone to take it off his hands. Fuuuuckkk....that's not even a parts car.

I've got no suggestions...they've already all been made.  Good luck and have a safe trip! Don't get screwed! (other than by your significant other, or course) My only advice is, don't use Craigslist. Most useless site in Canada. Use Kijiji or even Auto Trader...in that order, probably #1 and #2...there's no #3, 4, 5, 6 or 7.  Craigslist is near the bottom at #8 out of 3 (except in BC where for some reason it's fairly popular).

[link14]

So much to answer ! Thanks a lot guys 

We want to be able to sleep in the car so we can go a weekend without any destination in mind, and sleep anywhere we want. No reservation, no fees, no room booking It's really not for living in it (I'm not even sure I could do that  )

Now cars :
Honda Element seems a bit small, I'd like a car big enough so we can sleep without moving the front seats. But nice idea !

Chevy Astro and GMC Safari clearly have enough space. AWD would be nice. And they are quite cheap ! Might be the best option. My only concern is that it might not be capable to do very well in non-asphalt roads, is it ?

Fobroader: This is a Chevy Suburban right ? It is the answer for my needs I guess but some people advised to go for lighter as it would be heavy and huge. And I guess it drinks a lot.

Kia Rondo seems to be off-budget 

Arctic Steve : I'm talking of 5000-6000 without tax. And I know about insurance too 

Picky Details : don't worry, I won't buy something like that

I got question :
I saw Toyota 4Runner and Ford Explorer could be good options, what do you guys think ? I'm not sure about the space at the back tho.

[quadzilla]

Nissan X-Trail?

[blur911]

There was an AWD Caravan

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/mississauga-peel-region/2003-grand-caravan/1072077328?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Price   
$3,000.00

Holy    $3000!? Welcome to Canada...where if you're not careful you will get raped on your first vehicle purchase. And you get to keep your clothes on, I hope. That thing comes with a liter of oil (946 ml actually since they don't even sell full liters anymore) and a jar of Vaseline at that price. Hope you (not "you", but any buyer dimwitted enough to say "I'll take it!") like it up the rear! That has to be a typo, right? $300 ....or maybe $0003 - which is in itself $3000 more than it's worth. The guy should be paying someone to take it off his hands. Fuuuuckkk....that's not even a parts car.

I've got no suggestions...they've already all been made.  Good luck and have a safe trip! Don't get screwed! (other than by your significant other, or course) My only advice is, don't use Craigslist. Most useless site in Canada. Use Kijiji or even Auto Trader...in that order, probably #1 and #2...there's no #3, 4, 5, 6 or 7.  Craigslist is near the bottom at #8 out of 3 (except in BC where for some reason it's fairly popular).

You seem to have a lot of personal knowledge of this van and a fear of being unwantedly entered in your hind quarters.  Is there some sexually deviant trauma that happened to you in a Caravan you want to tell us about? 

Apart from the rusty hood on the van do you know anything about it, or did you just want to rant? 
BTW, I just bought some motor oil at Canadian Tire, by the litre.

[.l..]

Apart from the rusty hood on the van do you know anything about it, or did you just want to rant? 
BTW, I just bought some motor oil at Canadian Tire, by the litre.

So did I...but it was 946 ml...go figure.  You must have a more Cdn Cdn Tire than I do. Maybe they have old stock at your store. How would I know.  And...I can't rant as you call it about a rusty old over-priced mini-van? If the hood is that rusty, the rest can't be far behind. So, you're in charge here of who and when someone can or cannot rant?  Should I contact you first next time just in case I have the urge again?  Could be a LOT of PM's back and forth.  Would you like editorial rights to my rants then as well? I've been told I need work on my communication skills before...to no avail it seems.

You seem to have a lot of personal knowledge of this van and a fear of being unwantedly entered in your hind quarters.  Is there some sexually deviant trauma that happened to you in a Caravan you want to tell us about? 

What kind of bone headed comment is that? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Perhaps you could explain why you said it. Confused as to why you said it or what you meant.

[tortoise]

I dunno, I laughed at Blur's comment.  You did go on a pretty impressive tirade about a van you know nothing about.

[johngenx]

That van would make an awesome climbing machine!

[2JDM]

So much to answer ! Thanks a lot guys 

We want to be able to sleep in the car so we can go a weekend without any destination in mind, and sleep anywhere we want. No reservation, no fees, no room booking It's really not for living in it (I'm not even sure I could do that  )

Now cars :
Honda Element seems a bit small, I'd like a car big enough so we can sleep without moving the front seats. But nice idea !

Chevy Astro and GMC Safari clearly have enough space. AWD would be nice. And they are quite cheap ! Might be the best option. My only concern is that it might not be capable to do very well in non-asphalt roads, is it ?

Fobroader: This is a Chevy Suburban right ? It is the answer for my needs I guess but some people advised to go for lighter as it would be heavy and huge. And I guess it drinks a lot.

Kia Rondo seems to be off-budget 

Arctic Steve : I'm talking of 5000-6000 without tax. And I know about insurance too 

Picky Details : don't worry, I won't buy something like that

I got question :
I saw Toyota 4Runner and Ford Explorer could be good options, what do you guys think ? I'm not sure about the space at the back tho.

A 4Runner would be OK, heavier on fuel than say a Toyota Highlander, but its more rugged off-road because its on a truck platform. Used ones are priced like gold.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/brantford/1998-toyota-4runner-limited-edition-suv-crossover/1076081852?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

I don't know much about the Explorer, but the 4Runner would be more reliable for sure.

[Bubba]

Spotted in Arizona, February 2014.   

[mmret]

Toyota Tacoma with sleeper bed cap thing?

Or maybe a FOrd Ranger with same?

[tortoise]

You mean like this:



Or just a regular cap with a sleeping space?

The former would be perfect.  The latter would be a mosquito ridden hell.

[ltruong]

HWelcome to Canada!  you're a rock climber?  you might be able to find a Volvo V70 (or xc70) for around $3,000.  descend room and some of them are AWD with Manual transmission.  you would also have a roof rack for a box.  If you don't need AWD  Van are the best.  an older GMc(chevrolet) safari are good and fuel economy is descent.  they are rear wheel drive tho so not the best for winter.

[Gurgie]

An AWD Safari or Astro are plenty strong enough to go on dirty roads & even some more challenging stuff as long as you have the ground clearance.  They're full framed vans that were rated to tow 5000lbs, so plenty enough ruggedness.  Also, parts are cheap for them, they're easy enough to work on and they don't have any annoying electronic nannies that could bugger up.

[link14]

Thinking about everything that people said, I'm considering these options :

- Safari or Astro van. Plenty of space, AWD version, cheap and easy to fix.

- 4runner or Highlander. I need to search deeper about the Highlander. I saw nice reviews of people owning and sleeping in their 4runners, that could do it. The price is pretty high tho

- I'll search about Ford Explorer, as it's cheap and it might be not very expensive to fix ? I also need to figure out if it's OK to sleep in it.

- Cars like Mazda6 wagon or Subaru Outback looks nice, I could go with that, but they have a low roof. In a car like the 4runner, explorer or in a van, I would be able to create a wood structure to store things underneath the bed.

A pickup truck equipped would be awesome but I'm not sure if it will fit in my budget, and in my building parking lot 

Same as a VW camping van. I wish I had a bigger budget :/

Again, thanks a lot guys

[Solstice2006]

I love sleeping in the Honda Odyssey. Fits 2 easily, and with much room to spare.  You want more off road capability, get the Toyota Sienna AWD.  Outback will be too hard to find in that price range. 

[neil]

First gen Durango?



These should be plentiful and cheap, and fairly reliable/ durable