“twigeater dear, I'm a bit taller than you are.

I thought we were talking about Scorchfire?

I bang my head getting into my Xterra all the time, and absolutely hate getting in and out of cars. My 6'2" son still doesn't have enough leg room in the Xterra.”

“I think it really depends on the vehicle. My Forester has a lot more head and legroom in the drives seat than my mothers Santa Fe. But the room in the back seat of my Forester is much smaller.
last edited: 1/24/05 8:49:51 AM”

“me too. My Suzuki had more head room for me, but less room overall.”

“The Escape is one of the only cars that I know of that is easy to get in and out of........for me.

I also like the Ford Louisville cabs.
They ride kinda rough, though.”

“My Jeep got a lot of use this weekend with the snow.”

“I tried skimming over this whole thread, so I may have missed if these points have been brought up. I was in "gotta buy an SUV" mode when we had our first kid, but we went with a minivan. NO, I didn't want a minivan. Do I love my minivan now? YES, after the first time I drove it.

- minivans have a unibody frame, like a car, so they drive like a car and not like a truck (most SUVs still have truck frames)
- minvans are much cheaper to insure than an SUV
- minivans are cheaper to buy than an SUV
- you get more room in a minivan; factor in the lower cost and the price per sq. ft. is much lower
- you can get some minivans with AWD
- MPG is better with most minivans vs. SUVs
- you can tow about as much with a minivan as you can with many SUVs”

“OK, family guy!”

“actually most SUVs have car frames, the Xterra doesn't.”

“For someone with a family, the minivan is the responsible choice, if you're deciding between an SUV and a minivan. For all the points that TnT made.

Of course, my wife drives ours, and I have a macho pick'em-up truck, so that's easy for me to say.”

“I prefer the cab in a truck or my Suzuki. The windshield is kind straight up and down, which makes it less claustraphobic. The Xterra has more of a sloping windshield like a car, and I feel like I'm too close to it. However, the last few days this truck has been earning my respect. I also chose the Xterra for the clearance.

oh yeah zac, on that post about the tow truck - you're right, 4WD does not mean you can drive like a maineiac and get away with it. In the case you described, I can see why it couldn't be towed.”

“And for ScorchFire and PhantomSoul - consider that you might have a kid or two within the lifetime of this vehicle. We had an older model Geo Tracker which is what we gave up to get the minivan. I still miss putting the top down on that thing in the summer. But it was impractical with kids.”

“"Of course, my wife drives ours, and I have a macho pick'em-up truck, so that's easy for me to say.”
bitpusher
9:41:05 AM
1/24/05

hill·bil·ly ( P ) Pronunciation Key (hlbl)
n. Informal pl. hill·bil·lies
A person from the backwoods or a remote mountain area.

twigeater, I hate the way so many cars and SUVs have the sloping windshield.

It's as though they are made for short people..........like you.
last edited: 1/24/05 10:31:55 AM”

“I second the Jeep Brand. I have a 2004 Grand Cherokee, it is awesome. But if you want the best of both Worlds. Get the Rubicon Unlimited Wrangler. You will be a Hot Chick in a Hot Jeep! Good luck on your choice”

“oh, by the way, I have an 04 Rubicon and it is the most fun driving I have had in a long, long time. Now getting to the remote trailheads are as fun as the hiking is.”

“WOW !!

I had no idea that Scorchie and Phantom Soul were even an item!!”

“If true, would they make a PhantomScorch?”

“Maybe a Scorched Soul?”

“Zac, I like that!”

“Get a minivan. Mazda MPV with AWD. Seats 6 comfortably. Forget the SUV ;)”

“who's this deoreDX newbie?

some kinda troll?”

“He's a dancin' fool, what I hear”

“Has anyone mentioned a Subaru Outback or Forester?”

“Probably WK, something about not enough clearance, maybe?”

“OH, I see.”

“Not enough clearance? I have a Forester and it has the same ground clearance as my old GMC Serria (2-wheel drive with 15" wheels) when measuring the low spot on each. The frame on the truck was much higher, but the rear differential is no higher then the one on the Subaru.
last edited: 1/24/05 12:11:15 PM”

“I wasn't getting into the whole SUVs-are-evil argument, just pointing out the benefits of the minivan. But now that its been mentioned...”

“Automatic is fine if the SUV is powerful enough.

CRV is crap. It's just a Civic chassis with a truck body. You don't want that!

I am on my second Kia. I had the Sportage and upgraded to the Sorrento when it came out. I couldn't be more pleased. I absolutely love my Sorrento! Kia's have excellent warranties, excellent standard safety features and the company is really striving to make the vehicles more luxurious lately. The Sportage is now totally redesigned. I saw one out on the road the other day. Looked good.

I suggest all of you shopping go to Vehix.com and use the comparison feature. It's awesome.”

“LOL...I bet Kias are great, but I don't like the commercials where they drive up a hiking trail...”

“And yes, Suburus actually have good ground clearance. Don't think just because they are technically a car that they aren't beefy, cause they are! And they are really easy to drive and comfortable to ride in.
And according to Vehix, the Outback kicks the Escapes butt in safety features.

Speaking of, my old Sportage looked small, but my 6'3" friend commented several times that she not only was comfortable in the front seat, but also sitting in the back compared to other cars and trucks she had ridden in.

Vehix compares all of these under "Specifications."”

“You got a 6' 3" "she" friend???

Where were these gals when I was single??”

“My wife and I rented a Sportage for a week in Colorado, and it was a fine vehicle. Took us places I didn't expect it to. The only thing I would have changed about it was having a manual transmission instead of an automatic.”

“Didn't get to read all the replies. Toyota is reliable. My '99 4Runner has 169K on it and hasn't had any major problems. I've had 3 windshields and 4 sets of tires. Just got the rear shocks replaced recently, but that's it. Not the best gas mileage, but I never worried about it in snow, mud, rain, or 4 wheel drive roads. SnowDude's '98 Chevy Blazer had problems so he got rid of it last month with ~140,000 mi. Replaced it with a Jeep Rubicon.”

““I doubt if Scorch is planning to go where some of y'all go.
She's an urban chica.” MarkO

Speak for yourself, city boy!



“And for ScorchFire and PhantomSoul - consider that you might have a kid or two within the lifetime of this vehicle." techntrek

oh hell no. i don't want kids.



“WOW !!
I had no idea that Scorchie and Phantom Soul were even an item!!" MarkO

quit spreadin' rumors!


"who's this deoreDX newbie?
some kinda troll?” sacco

someone who never mailed my pepsi can stove to me : (”

“Drove the x-terra today. It has worse top end acceleration than some of the 4 cylinders that I drove.”

“but once the Xterra gets up to 90 or so, it's smooooooth cruisin'...”

“that's a disappointment.

i'll be test driving the rav 4 (god, i can't stand the name of that vehicle) this saturday. i really have high hopes about it. we'll see.

i talked to the lady that i bought my current toyota from who hooked me up with a great deal since i brought her a ton of business, so i'm hoping she'll cut me a nice deal this time as well.”

“"Drove the x-terra today. It has worse top end acceleration than some of the 4 cylinders that I drove"

because it's geared and tuned for a lower torque band. High end torque really doesn't help much when you're stuck in the mud.

4 bangers make all their power up high because they can't build low end torque...not enough displacment.”

“Did you drive the 2005 X-terra?”

“Scorch, RAV is short for Recreation Active Vehicle. It is kind of a dorky name. Even more strange is the names they put on some tires.”

“deathmarch is right...I'm not gonna shovel at all this winter. This baby plows through snow with no prob so far.
I'm happy with the acceleration, but that's not a feature that matters to me...and is that something to look for in an SUV?
Most SUV rollovers are by people who drive aggressively - you just can't jerk a short wheel base around.”

“I drive an 01 Yukon 4x4 and would not trade it for the world even if it drinks faster than i do”

“someone who never mailed my pepsi can stove to me : (

Did you never get em? I sent two of em stuffed in my old beat up no-longer used Evernew Ti cup!”

“scorchy, are you planning on buying new or used. If buying used check out a Carmax if you have one around. Before I bought my Jeep from them I looked at every Jeep place around. Carmax beat the price by a lot. I even bought it for less than bluebook which the credit union liked.”

“i don't know any carmax's around, but i'll look into it. thanks for the tip.

i'm seriously considering the xterra again. will be test driving it tomorrow.”

“Did you drive the 2005 X-terra?”
RichB
8:48:08 PM
1/24/05

No, The 2005 xterra is not available yet that I know of.
last edited: 1/25/05 7:09:25 PM”

“I saw an ad for the 2005 X-terra in a magazine also, but they must not be at many dealers yet.”

“scorchie, if your close to Maryland they have a few http://www.carmax.com/dyn/companyinfo/locations/locations.aspx?state=MD


Used cars
Baltimore/DC
- Dulles
- Laurel
- Laurel Toyota
- Rockville
- White Marsh

New cars
Baltimore/DC
- Laurel Toyota
Scion, Toyota
- White Marsh
Nissan
last edited: 1/25/05 9:27:55 PM”

“if i decide to buy used, i'll def check it out.. MD is only about 2 hrs from me.

i'm planning on buying new, but if i can't get a good deal, i may resort to used.”

“i really like the xterra, but it wasn't rated that great as far as consumer reports. the rav 4 got better reviews, but still there were some downfalls about it that i didn't like. for example, when it's windy out the rav4 doesn't hold up that great while driving, blows back and forth.

i'd like to hear some opinions on that from some rav owners on here.... how bad does it actually sway?”