OT: Help Me Choose A Vehicle (Ridgeline Spinoff Kinda)

nolaegghead

I dig my 2006 Ram.  I bought it with a "bad" engine for $3200.  Fixed the engine, fixed everything broken, did full service, (all fluids, filters).  Been nice to pull boats, get stuff from the hardware store, move motorcycles and bikes, do food stuff, bad weather, etc.  My car is my daily driver, but I drive the truck weekly and it is used as a truck.

hondabbq

I had a truck and then traded it in for a car. I missed it too much. Just got this truck. I do live in the country on4 acres and have a side business that I need to load up the bed. Suv and truck mileage are basically equal. Your either in the need for a truck for the reasons you want/need a truck or be a miser with your accord and rent beg borrow when you need a truck. 
I travel 60kms round trip to work daily split half and half city and highway. I pull about 680 Kms per tank. When I go on road trips I can get the upwards of 750 kms per tank. 100l tank. Is it like your accord? Nope. But your accord can't do what I can do either. It's a trade off. 
My buddy has an Audi S4. His mileage isn't much better than mine. 
Be patiient and work the deal. I got this 2015 Sierra All Terrain for $18 less than my 2011 Sierra SLE. This is $16k more truck. 

fishlessman

ive never been a fan of leasing but those 200 dollar a month on a 40k dodge 1500 4x4 is awfully tempting and drive the car into the ground. it doesnt matter if your buying the house you live in, once its yours walls will be coming down

tonyled

Lit said:

I didn't read any of this but trucks are expensive to buy and commute. If you only need a truck sometimes homedepot has them for like $20 for 2 hours. We have a 4 runner and I still rent a uhaul when I go to the dump cause I don't want a nail in my tire. Based on your post you don't want to spend a lot of money any decent truck with low miles is gonna be $20k plus.

agreed, a suv sounds like a better option than a truck and im a truck guy

saluki2007

@hondabbq I have the exact same truck.  Absolutely love it.  I traded in an A4 to get it being in the same position as OP.  It's the first truck I've ever owned and love having it.  I had an explorer in the past and agree that a truck is better than an SUV if you are not going to use it as a family hauler.  But at the same time it is very spacious (quad cab) if you are wanting to put people in the back.

HeavyG

When I retired a few years ago I decided to buy a truck so I could do all those home and yard projects that having a truck to move stuff around would make easier. So I bought a brand new Nissan Frontier Pro4X King Cab with an automatic (the first vehicle I have ever owned with an automatic tranny). Nice truck and it has been handy to have. However, I'll have had it for 4 years this month and it has a whopping...4500 miles on it. Obviously not a daily driver and it may go a few weeks at a time without being driven.

If I could take a mulligan I'd probably just leave that money in my checking account and buy one of those folding utility trailers for $500 or so and just use that whenever I needed to go to the hardware store or the dump or just rent a truck from Home Depot when needed.

On the other hand, if you are looking to get a vehicle that will also be a daily driver then having a truck always available can be nice just for the convenience of it.

I considered buying a Ridgeline but opted for the Nissan mainly because of the price difference and I wanted the longer bed that my King Cab has. Ridgeline's are fine trucks and are more than capable of doing what the vast majority of truck owners actually do with their trucks.

Good luck with your decision!

henapple

A small trailer but your civic probably won't pull it. I'd get a small trailer even with a new truck. 

tarheelmatt

Sounds like a perfect scenario for an El Camino to me.  


I have a 02 Dodge Ram with 60k miles on it, but have a trailer too.  A trailer is a nessesity even if you have a truck.  

I'd find a nice cheap used truck and get a trailer too.  

hondabbq

saluki2007 said:

@hondabbq I have the exact same truck.  Absolutely love it.  I traded in an A4 to get it being in the same position as OP.  It's the first truck I've ever owned and love having it.  I had an explorer in the past and agree that a truck is better than an SUV if you are not going to use it as a family hauler.  But at the same time it is very spacious (quad cab) if you are wanting to put people in the back

My last truck was a extended and not the crew cab. I like this better.

I wanted the upgraded sound system but that only came in the SLT version and I didn't want leather which was standard on the SLT. $5k for an upgraded Sound system wasn't worth it in my eyes. Sure sounded nice though.

Im looking at blacking out the rims and all the chrome.

saluki2007

hondabbq said:

saluki2007 said:

@hondabbq I have the exact same truck.  Absolutely love it.  I traded in an A4 to get it being in the same position as OP.  It's the first truck I've ever owned and love having it.  I had an explorer in the past and agree that a truck is better than an SUV if you are not going to use it as a family hauler.  But at the same time it is very spacious (quad cab) if you are wanting to put people in the back

My last truck was a extended and not the crew cab. I like this better.

I wanted the upgraded sound system but that only came in the SLT version and I didn't want leather which was standard on the SLT. $5k for an upgraded Sound system wasn't worth it in my eyes. Sure sounded nice though.

Im looking at blacking out the rims and all the chrome.

I've seen them with the blacked out rims and really like it.  Thinking about doing that myself.  I also blacked out all the windows (including tinting the windshield).  I also painted front and back GMC logos black.  I like having the chrome trim though, so wont be blackening those out.  I love the seats and the sound system even though I'm not a big Bose fan.  One of my favorite things about the truck though is the On Star Connect app.

hondabbq

saluki2007 said:

hondabbq said:

saluki2007 said:

@hondabbq I have the exact same truck.  Absolutely love it.  I traded in an A4 to get it being in the same position as OP.  It's the first truck I've ever owned and love having it.  I had an explorer in the past and agree that a truck is better than an SUV if you are not going to use it as a family hauler.  But at the same time it is very spacious (quad cab) if you are wanting to put people in the back

My last truck was a extended and not the crew cab. I like this better.

I wanted the upgraded sound system but that only came in the SLT version and I didn't want leather which was standard on the SLT. $5k for an upgraded Sound system wasn't worth it in my eyes. Sure sounded nice though.

Im looking at blacking out the rims and all the chrome.

I've seen them with the blacked out rims and really like it.  Thinking about doing that myself.  I also blacked out all the windows (including tinting the windshield).  I also painted front and back GMC logos black.  I like having the chrome trim though, so wont be blackening those out.  I love the seats and the sound system even though I'm not a big Bose fan.  One of my favorite things about the truck though is the On Star Connect app

Im gonna do the windows if I do the rest.

I love the bluetooth streaming as well, no more wires. voice text is good too.

In my next truck I wanted a sunroof, but couldn't with the trimline on the At package. I do have a like the rear window defroster and sliding window combo. My sales guy told me that this was the first year you could have both options together, it was one or the other  in the past.

saluki2007

Mines the AT and has a sunroof....

oldgeezeystax

Well the Ridgeline is off the table, we are expecting our first little egger in late March...

So the situation is: 2 adults, baby on way (plan to stop at 2), and a puppy that will be about 70 or so lbs when full grown.  We live in the mountains and get some pretty nasty weather at times and would like to have at least one adverse weather capable vehicle in the stable.  I would also like a 2" trailer hitch for a bike rack and to pull a utility trailer every once in a while.

I really like Outbacks but can't bring myself to pay ~$27k for the model I want new.  What vehicle do you think suits my situation best?  I've been looking at used Honda Pilots pretty hard.  I've got some time but I'd like to upgrade my coupe before the baby comes.

Thanks all!

ps. I've been slacking on posting cooks but rest assured I've been putting the egg to use, I'll get back to documenting the fun stuff soon.

fishlessman

ive been tempted to get a second hand hummer h3, the prices seem low to me for what you get. i need towing capacity over 5k and most of the vehicles like jeep just dont have it

kl8ton

@fishlessman

My BIL had same search for pulling his boat.  He ended up with a used land Rover LR4 (I think) 

Little Steven

Got a trailer hitch on either of the cars? An 8' x 4' open trailer would give you what a pickup would and not cost as much. Even if you had to put a hitch on one of the cars it's only a couple of hundred. Not sure about weight capacity.

Gulfcoastguy

It sounds like a trailer could solve a lot of your needs. I would try to keep a fuel efficient vehicle for your personal ride with a 56 mile commute, cheap gas prices won't last as long as a new car note. For what it's worth I carry a lot of building materials and gardening materials inside my vehicle but it is a VW diesel wagon and you can't buy them anymore. I do love it's 2000 lb towing ability and the relatively massive cargo carrying ability though. 

oldgeezeystax

Little Steven said:

Got a trailer hitch on either of the cars? An 8' x 4' open trailer would give you what a pickup would and not cost as much. Even if you had to put a hitch on one of the cars it's only a couple of hundred. Not sure about weight capacity.

Yeah but I'm looking for at least 4 doors (My accord is a coupe) for ease of use with my approaching child.

fishlessman

oldgeezeystax said:

Little Steven said:

Got a trailer hitch on either of the cars? An 8' x 4' open trailer would give you what a pickup would and not cost as much. Even if you had to put a hitch on one of the cars it's only a couple of hundred. Not sure about weight capacity.

Yeah but I'm looking for at least 4 doors (My accord is a coupe) for ease of use with my approaching child.

you need to think big, my brother comes to camp with 2 kids and a dog, it takes two vehicles and a trailer and he has a jeep grand and the big nissan pathfinder.  kids have to have too much stuff nowadays and its all big stuff til they get near 1st grade

Little Steven

hondabbq said:

I had a truck and then traded it in for a car. I missed it too much. Just got this truck. I do live in the country on4 acres and have a side business that I need to load up the bed. Suv and truck mileage are basically equal. Your either in the need for a truck for the reasons you want/need a truck or be a miser with your accord and rent beg borrow when you need a truck. 
I travel 60kms round trip to work daily split half and half city and highway. I pull about 680 Kms per tank. When I go on road trips I can get the upwards of 750 kms per tank. 100l tank. Is it like your accord? Nope. But your accord can't do what I can do either. It's a trade off. 
My buddy has an Audi S4. His mileage isn't much better than mine. 
Be patiient and work the deal. I got this 2015 Sierra All Terrain for $18 less than my 2011 Sierra SLE. This is $16k more truck. 

That's my only beef with my Toyota. 80 litre fuel tank. I keep my odometer in miles and get about 380. Of course, at my age, I can't really go that far without peeing.

pgprescott

oldgeezeystax said:

So I think I might be in that category of dudes that don't use their pickups to pickup capacity but I think I still want a pickup anyway.

Current Situation:

• Getting ready to buy a single family home (first time buyer)
• Currently have a 56 mile round trip commute to work
• Currently drive a 2003 Accord with ~170k - paid off
• Wifey drives a 2008 Civic with ~100k - less than a year's payments left

With owning this home I see a lot of situations arising where a truck would come in handy: running to the dump, picking up mulch/stone/etc., picking up furniture/furnishings, etc.  Wifey and I would also like to start taking our bikes places which a truck could do instead of buying a rack for our cars.  We are going to adopt a dog in June and I have this beautiful image in my head of cruising down the road with my wife and doggy.  Lastly, we get a decent amount of snow in my location and I'd like to have one vehicle that was at least fairly capable in adverse conditions.  

So far I'm considering the following:

• Buy a full-sized beater truck for 3k or less, everything else stays the same.  The more I think about it, the less appealing it is because it will take up more space, require tags/inspection/extra maintenance/require starting it up every so often.  I was also looking at 2wd trucks for this as it's more difficult to find 4wd in the price range, this will not satisfy my poor weather want.
• Drive my Accord until the wheels come off (might be a long time) or trade in to get a truck and use it as my daily driver.  This is where the Ridgeline would maybe come in, I like the creature features and smooth ride but don't particularly care for the small box.  The 2016 diesel Colorado looks pretty cool too but it's $$$ and I'm not particularly keen on buying brand new.  No matter what option I pick here I'm sacrificing MPH.
• Drive my Accord until the wheels come off (might be a long time) or trade in to get some sort of crossover SUV and buy a trailer.  I really like Outbacks and they would honestly fit my needs 95% of the time until I need to make a sloppy dump run/pickup mulch or stone/pickup furniture and then I could use the trailer.  Depending on what year Outback I get, I'm not sacrificing much MPH.

I know that was a lot of rambling, I hope you are able to understand some of it.  I feel like the smart economic decision is to drive my Accord until it starts to cost too much in maintenance and rent a pickup for the few times I need one.  Then, once the Accord goes to auto heaven, grab a used Outback and get on with life (continuing to rent pickups when I need them or get a trailer).  That said, I've always wanted a truck... talk me in to one guys!

hopefully you've changed the timing chains in those Hondas? If you have, they will run forever.

VanDawg38

I've had the same POS utility trailer for close to 20 years.  Used a Taurus wagon, Chrysler T&C, Subaru Outback to pull it around.  Does the job 98% of the time.

Don't mind loaning it to friends and family, either.  

Outback is a good vehicle.  Boring, but good.  Don't regret getting one.

I've thought about getting a truck a time or too but couldn't really use one as a daily driver and I have access to one if I really need it.  (Best truck is one you can borrow.  ) 

Acn

What's the price difference between the Outback you'd want and a comparable Forester?  We've had a Forester since 2008 and have absolutely no complaints at all.  If the pup is going to be tall, the Forester might be a better option too, as it is a bit taller, although narrower and shorter.  With it being taller, it is also easier for my father-in-law to get into it, I don't think he'd be able to get down in to an Outback.  

We've fit 2 adults and a rear-facing car seat in the back for a three hour trip between my parents and grandparents, and fit all the stuff we needed for a 2-day visit with an 8-month old in the back.  

There are 3-4 times a year we wish that we had something a bit bigger, but as folks have mentioned, it is easy enough to get a uhaul or something for one day.

Phatchris

I have 2 kids( 5 and 2), 50 lb dog, single family house and my Ram 1500 crew cab does the trick... My commute is 20 miles each way city driving and I average 18mpg.

Killit_and_Grillit

I had a 2013 GMC Sierra and I loved it. Wife, baby, 2 dogs no issues. But my wife wanted to switch to a Highlander because it was easier to get the kiddo in and out compared to her 4Runner so I made the economical decision and took over her paid off 4Runner, traded in my truck, and got her a Highlander.

Now the seats stay down all the time in the 4Runner and I'm destroying it because all of my cars have been trucks up until now and I treat this one like a truck, too. You would be surprised how often you use the bed once you have it, and how bad you miss it when its gone. 

gamason

I just bought a 2016 Frontier V6 Crew cab about 3 weeks ago. Plenty of room for a small family and totally bulletproof. My co worker has the same truck, a 2006 model with 225,000 mile with never an issue. It pulls like a freight train, actually better than my 03 Ram Hemi I traded for it. Its built like a Mack truck. Good luck on your search. 

PSHome

I vote for a trailer too.  I'm a DIYer and have flipped one house with a 1998 4Runner + trailer.  Now I have a 2015 Outback + the same trailer. With the low height of the Outback, I rarely use the trailer, instead opting to throw must stuff on top (I have it fitted with 60 inch Thule crossbars).   Americans love their trucks, but you can do a lot with cars / station wagons / crossovers.  Drive in Europe and all you'll see are cars pulling trailers.   Unless you need to tow a boat or RV or more than 2 tons, a car will do.  

oldgeezeystax

Yeah I'm leaning this way, I've had my eyes on an outback for a while.

KiterTodd

This is what you need...

ThrillSeeker

Another truck vote