Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Pickups Pickups - Archived Discussions Extended cabs OK for "real" people 
83 messages, Last post on Sep 12, 1998 at 5:41 PM
You are in the Pickups - Archived Discussions Forum. Your Host is kcram
This discussion is ARCHIVED. To reactivate the discussion, post a request in the Lost? Ask the Pickups Host for directions! discussion.
| The advantage of the SUV is that it has four doors, easy to park and can still tow a fair amount of weight. When I was a kid the family car could tow more than just 2000lbs. I would not even think of towing more than a 1000lbs with our camry. If truck manufactures would make a real four door mini truck (Im not talking about an extra cab with suicide doors), then the world would most likely see the end of SUVS. | |
|
Rocles, I agree on a practical point, but I think most people buy cars with other objectives in mind. Functionality isn't the only one. Why do people buy Corvettes, when they could pay alot less for a Honda Civic? The Civic will get better gas mileage, it will be able to carry more people, and it will be able to carry a lot more stuff. And, of course, it's a lot cheaper. The Civic can operate fine at highway speeds and cannot accelerate up to those speeds in a reasonable amount of time. Unless you will be taking your Corvette out to the track on a regular basis, it's way more car than you need for everyday driving. Still, they have quite a following. Why do people buy Mercedes, BMWs, Lexus and Cadillacs when they could get a less expensive mid or large size sedan that will easily provide them with all of their needs on a functional level? I would venture a guess that very few people are matched with the car that best meets their functionality needs. A lot of car buying is a matter of preference and what you feel comfortable in. If you like SUVs and are willing to pay the extra bucks for them, more power to you. It's not likely to make sense to us pickup owners, but to each their own. |
|
| I meant to say that the Civic CAN accelerate up to highway speeds at a reasonable rate. | |
|
fredwood, Those crew cab mini trucks are at the expense of the bed - the cab is just in front of the rear axle, much like a Suburban. The SUV is a sad replacement for a full-size station wagon. One of the big selling points of the old full-size was holdng a 4x8 sheet of plywood with the back seat down, and a full-rail chassis that could tow. Even a V8-powered wagon gets better mileage than all of the SUVs except for the tiniest 4 cylider models. |
|
|
Wow! Guess I've really sparked some debate here. But, let's bring the conversation back to the original point. No, I don't want a full size SUV, for the above mentioned reasons. Too expensive to buy, to insure and to keep filled with gas. I'm thinking about either a small SUV (Forester, CRV, RAV4), which, if memory serves, all get mid-20's in highway mileage, OR a mid-sized sedan (Accord, Contour, Altima). The wife won't be caught dead driving a minivan, so that idea is out. My original post was to get feedback on whether a small extended cab pickup might work as well. As I've found out, it won't -- the suggestions being, that if I want a truck, buy a full-sized one (F150, Ram, C1500). We have two kids (9 and 11) - occasionally a third, who is 8. We don't go on a lot of long trips - mostly around town errands and such. The vehicle I'm looking to purchase would probably be driven 8-10,000 miles annually. Plus, I have around a $20K spending limit. Here in CO, every other vehicle is an SUV or minivan, and I'd like to think of myself as a contrarian.... Whaddaya think? |
|
| Go all out and get a station wagon. I have a friend in California who was shopping for a SUV, about the Durango/Explorer size. He does a lot of camping and outdoors stuff. He was getting pretty set on the Subaru Outback, but took a timeout for about a month to reevaluate his needs for the new car. He bought a station wagon. I'm not sure what brand, but I'm sure it's fairly sporty looking. He's in his early 30s and his wife is in her mid-20s. They have no kids and don't plan to have any in the near future. The station wagon just met their needs better than an SUV when they factored in cargo space, gas mileage, cost, etc. It might be worth consideration. | |
|
kcram, What I meant by a real crew cab, is four regular doors with a regular 6 to 7 foot bed. And yes that would mean a longer chassis. Brutus, The station wagon still cant tow. That might suit someones needs but not for me. If you buy the rav4,crv or forester you just maybe caught dead in it. In so cal you can get a near fully loaded chevy truck easily for 20k. In fact for the last few weeks a dealer in Corona Ca has had chevy silverado's extra cabs with auto, 5.0v8,pw,pl,alum wheels, etc for $18,500. I wanted one but it did not have the third door. |
|
|
Fredwood, My post was in response to Michaell who I don't think will be towing. He mentioned the possibility of a Sedan in his first post. It sounds like he needed something to haul his family and some camping gear. The station wagon sounded like a better choice than the sedan (cargo space) or mini-truck (age of his kids). I have nothing against SUVs. I have another friend out in CA who drives a Ford Explorer and his wife drives a mini-Blazer. Their only kid is off to college and they don't do any outdoors stuff. They just like the vehicles. People should drive what they feel the most comfortable driving, regardless of whether they use the vehicle to it's maximum capacity. |
|
|
Michael I think your best overall compromise will be a Subaru of some type, either a Forester or maybe an Outback wagon. I would suspect you want to keep your camping gear under wraps, and Lord knows I've watched stuff sail out of the back of a pickup. The all wheel drive of the Subarus will be a big help in the winter for you, and the lower center of gravity will help in the white stuff as well. The sedans you mention have no versatility off-pavement, and the taller miniSUVs won't ride as comfortably. And kudos to your bride for hatimg minivans... |
|
|
Brutus, My point is there isn't a good reason why there are SO MANY of these SUV's driving around. I do understand why someone would buy a Vette--because they have the money to afford another vehicle! One also doesn't see 500,000 Vettes on the streets either. SUV's simply are not a good choice when a family car is needed. kcram was right-on when talking about a wagon. I don't like wagons or vans but those are better choices versus SUVs for most people. I own three motorcycles because they are recreational, like a Vette. If people thought about SUVs a little more, and stop listening to ads, a whole lot of them would sit at the dealers lots like they did 20 years ago. my two pennies. |
|
You are here:
Forums
Pickups Pickups - Archived Discussions Extended cabs OK for "real" people
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
