The debate in my head starts

[04crewvt]

Truck is 8 this March just under 80K. Has cost me at least half of it's purchase price in repairs and upgrades gets less than 15 MPG all winter and maybe 17 in the summer, gas prices predicted to go to $4+/gal this summer and now the back seat is woefully inadequate for a car seat. Thinking it's time to look into something else as much as I hate the idea. Need something for a family of 2 adults and a 10 month old that still has the wherewithal for VT winters gets hopefully double the gas mileage and I can fit and drive comfortably (that may be the deciding factor). A Subaru Forrester may be on the short list of cars to look at which is sad to say being a GM man but they just have crap for vehicles these days. Any ideas or suggestions to look at?

[saab9k]

I have this one, converting it to a trike in a few weeks. Champion for yamaha roadstar silverado.

[04crewvt]

Yea misses almost any of the criteria for a family vehicle.

[saab9k]

I know, you got to have fun too.

My 1989 taurus sho is getting 28 to 30 m/g speeds below 80.


Buy a older vw rabbit, convert it to used cooking oil. There are several driving around

[04crewvt]

LOL yea if I had the scratch for a toy I would have a Spyder but very impractical for the maybe 4 months of riding time up here. As for cars the back story is here I actually have to fit in them to drive them. I am 6'5" tall and am 365 lbs with a 5 Xl jacket size. My knees don't fit under most cars dashes (especially ones with consoles and knee bolsters) and my vision line is so high that in the s10 I am looking through the windshield just below the shaded matrix at the top and the new aerodynamic rake to most windshields means I cant see a traffic light unless I am 2nd in line LOL. My Crew is my compact car LOL. Even in my Tahoe over rough roads I often bump my head on the liner.

[killian96ss]

AWD Trailblazer SS! I've driven a few and really like them. Plenty of space for big guys and the family, 400 hp, and AWD for bad weather. You won't get double the gas mileage of the S10, but it should be better. If I had to stray from GM I would probably look at Toyota. Expensive vehicles, but pretty reliable.

Steve

[barch97]

The barches lived through this very same predicament (minus the VT winters) over the past few years. We got by with the CC until it was paid off, which I assume is the case with yours as well. We kept our CC as a third vehicle and only use when a truck is truly "needed". Reduced the insurance coverage to state minimum liability and saved enough to offset the cost of financing another more economical commuting car.

We've been extremely happy with our '08 Impala. Very comfortable front seats for myself and Mrs barch, very few complaints from the boy barch in the back seat. As a matter of fact his only complaint so far is that the back seats aren't heated like the front. We've been driving the 3.9L V6 (with 3 cylinder deactivation) for just over 3 years and getting 28.5 - 29 mpg which coincidentally happens to be a little better than the 14 ish our CC gets. And, with front wheel drive, traction control, etc. it handles surprisingly well in the snow.

I'm a little disappointed in the width of the back seat and the adequate but far from luxurious rear passenger leg room. It's not quite wide enough to accommodate 3 adults. I would have much preferred that they push the rear seat back between the wheel wells and allow more leg room in a 2+2 configuration. It could have been a very comfortable 4 adult car.

If you can afford to keep your CC around for when things get cold and slippery, I very strongly recommend the Impala for 1 or 2 child family. Good luck in your search please keep us updated as we're considering making some changes to the family fleet as well.

[04crewvt]

I would love the crew as a spare I am currently still running the 98 Tahoe but it's been down all winter. Needs a driver side front seat and still need the gasket work done as well as finishing up the A/C rebuild from last summer. The GF has a 2011 Ford Focus 2 dr nice car for her but I can't drive it so she is stuck driving when we go anywhere. The crew I can't move the seats forward enough on either side to easily set the seat in it can only go in the center. If I had the cash to keep all my rigs and get another it would be great but that will require more hours from work to have a payment. I can fit the Impala ok but not great the other think I have been looking at is a LeSabre big road boats but lots of room good gas economy and if I could gt one at a good price and not have much of a payment I might be able to keep the crew. Still weighing options at this point.

[HenryJ]

This might sound a little crazy, but have you tried a four door Tracker? I have a friend who is "super sized" that recently bought one. He likes it.

[04crewvt]

Looks like they were discontinued in 2004 and currently none within 500 miles for sale according to usedcars.com but will keep an eye out

[HenryJ]

His previous rig was an Isuzu Trooper. Those can be a decent rig too, although they do seem to hold their value. That may make them less affordable.

[04crewvt]

Yea the Troopers are basically the same as Blazers right? My last Blazer 1995 with 243K on it was what I traded in for the Crew it got 22MPG on average.

[rlrnr53]

I'm going in the morning to pickup a 2000 Outback. It has more headroom than the Legacy wagon. but I still have a little trouble getting my size11s in and out. I'm glad I won't be driving it much. Subaraus seem to hold their value pretty well around here.ost of the ones with less or near 100k are going for 6k and up.

[04crewvt]

LOL My size 13 6E's might be a problem in that one. I am going to have to go a few places and try a few vehicles on I think.