I am more of a lurker here as I have been taking in all the info I can, however it is now vehicle selection time:
This is my list of requirements:
Vehicle will be my daily driver
Vehicle must be shorter than 6'2" when completed - I park in a parking garage at work and it has a 6'2" height
Vehicle must fit two car seats one rear facing, one forward with room for the front seat to go all the way back
Vehicle must be able to tow a trailer, approx 5000lbs
4x4
Vehicle purchase budget - $15-18K
Nice to haves:
3rd Row - if an SUV
2wd/4wd transfer case - it seems full time 4wd eats up gas and tires from some reading I have done
I currently drive a 2WD 2005 Ram Quad Cab - I would like to keep the vehicle around this size as I have to drive in a city that seems to be designed for mini-coopers
Vehicles I have been considering:
Ford Excursion V-10 - test drove the diesel and the car seat fit fine and there seemed to be alot of room, the V-10 matches the budget.
Jeep Commander Hemi
Ford F-150 (2009-2010) - would stretch the budget for this one if certified
Nissan Titan
Nissan Frontier (not sure about car seat fit in this one, any personal experience is appreciated)
Vehicles eliminated:
Ram Mega Cab 4x4 - too tall
Grand Cherokee - if I get an SUV I want a third row
Vehicle Use:
Daily Driver - maybe 10-15 miles per day
Family Trips - 1200 miles one way when going back home
Family Camping trips - would like to go exploring the area (VA/WV/NC/TN) while I am on this side of the country. Probably with a ground tent, not sure what the trails look like in this area if I would need a lift, etc.
Shooting - I am looking at getting into 3 gun matches, so I would like something that I could throw a gun vault or something similar into.
If anyone has experiences with the vehicles above or has any suggestions, I would appreciate it.
Thanks
This is my list of requirements:
Vehicle will be my daily driver
Vehicle must be shorter than 6'2" when completed - I park in a parking garage at work and it has a 6'2" height
Vehicle must fit two car seats one rear facing, one forward with room for the front seat to go all the way back
Vehicle must be able to tow a trailer, approx 5000lbs
4x4
Vehicle purchase budget - $15-18K
Nice to haves:
3rd Row - if an SUV
2wd/4wd transfer case - it seems full time 4wd eats up gas and tires from some reading I have done
I currently drive a 2WD 2005 Ram Quad Cab - I would like to keep the vehicle around this size as I have to drive in a city that seems to be designed for mini-coopers
Vehicles I have been considering:
Ford Excursion V-10 - test drove the diesel and the car seat fit fine and there seemed to be alot of room, the V-10 matches the budget.
Jeep Commander Hemi
Ford F-150 (2009-2010) - would stretch the budget for this one if certified
Nissan Titan
Nissan Frontier (not sure about car seat fit in this one, any personal experience is appreciated)
Vehicles eliminated:
Ram Mega Cab 4x4 - too tall
Grand Cherokee - if I get an SUV I want a third row
Vehicle Use:
Daily Driver - maybe 10-15 miles per day
Family Trips - 1200 miles one way when going back home
Family Camping trips - would like to go exploring the area (VA/WV/NC/TN) while I am on this side of the country. Probably with a ground tent, not sure what the trails look like in this area if I would need a lift, etc.
Shooting - I am looking at getting into 3 gun matches, so I would like something that I could throw a gun vault or something similar into.
If anyone has experiences with the vehicles above or has any suggestions, I would appreciate it.
Thanks