Re: Which vehicle
 

Thanks Piff Poff and everyone else who has kindly answered my thread. I have had a good look at the autotrader.ca site and none of the 7 seater people carriers as we call them in the u.k have 3 seats in the middle and 2 in the rear. This set is is necessary for us because we have 3 children and 2 dogs, and the dogs need to go in cages in the back. You will be pleased to know that I love the look of the Ford Expedition and explorer but will decide when I get out there. Probably looking to spend $25,000 which I hope will be enough to get something decent.

Re: Which vehicle
 

That should be enough, as I say our '98 (think I called it a '95 previousely, but have been corrected :rolleyes: )Expedition cost us $9,500. It's a lovely car and we were lucky to get a good deal, hopefully you'll get a good break too!

Re: Which vehicle
 

Our caravan bench 3 seat could move to the centre position or being a grand version it could move forward to give about 3 foot in the back.

How big are the dogs?

Re: Which vehicle
 

We have two dogs and one is medium sized (Terrier) and the other is a big bugger without a brain (Lab cross Doberman)...but we still love him.

Ideally my Wife would prefer a 7 seater people carrier where the 3 seats could be positioned in the middle. I am assuming from your comments that you have a Dodge, but please correct me and tell me all.

Regards.

Re: Which vehicle
 

We recently went for a test drive in a Chevy Trailblazer, the extended version. It looks lovely but it was a bit scary when you made tight turns, we felt sea sick :eek:
We then, just for fun drove a GMC Yukon, wow, what a difference!, it was like driving in an armchair, It was a slight difference in price though, a snip at $43000 and I believe it was a 2003 :scared: .

I was amazed at how the sales guy just took a copy of the licence and let us go, he even told us we had enough gas to get to Red Deer!!! Very trusting, when we test drove our last car in the UK, I was stuck in the back while the sales man sat in the front seat, talking sales talk!!!

Linda

Re: Which vehicle
 

Yep we drove around in a dodge 93 Grand caravan. Currently driving around in a ford focus Wagon. Sits five and a Lab cross. Once or twice year we need 6 seats so the dog stays home and the runt goes in the back.

You can goo to any dealer site now and see the seat configurations. for example

http://www.dodge.com/caravan/seating_storage.html

Re: Which vehicle
 

I have read this thread with interest thanks, so landing in Calgary in just over a week,

I have $10 000 to $15 000 dollars to spend, looking ideally for a 4 wheel/AWD vehicle

what would be your recommendations

thanks in advance

Scotty 1972 :)

Re: Which vehicle
 

Need more information. What do you intend doing in it? How many people?

Are you talking SUV type or more car like?

I started off with a Jeep Cherokee and soon tired of the ride quality, handling and fuel economy and general "truckyness". Experienced the same with a Ford Explorer. Now I have a Subaru Legacy and that does all I need it to. I never went seriously off road in the Jeep, so why sacrifice good road manners for off road ability.

Its worth noting that the VAST majority of Canadians dont worry about AWD, they drive in regular front drive, and in fact one of the the most pupular new vehicles is the Chrysler 300 / Dodge Magnum/Charger platform which is heartily RWD. Go figure. Good tires is more important in the winter than anything else.

4x4 is great for off road, but not good in the winter. Obviously when its snowy you put it in 4x4 mode, but most of the time the roads are cleared with the odd slippy spot. In that case you need something more sophisticated than bog standard locked center diff 4x4, as if you run in non slippy conditions there is a good chance you will trash your transmission. In the jeep, with its basic 4x4 system I never knew whether to run in 4x4 or not. At least most of the new crossovers have variants of torque on demand AWD, but its good to know the differences before going shopping.

Re: Which vehicle
 

Hi Scotty 1972
No doubt you'll have looked at autotrader. ca.
Personally i like the Dodge Magnum as potrayed by iaink (did i mention its a hemi) earlier on, their big, their loud - its a man's truck :D

Re: Which vehicle
 

Thanks IainK and Mandyg

the choice of car, the most hotly debated topic in our house currently. My other half will be the primary user as she will be working just outside Calgary myself I will either use public transport.

So in essence I am looking for something which is trustworthy for winter driving, and functional. We also have a tendancy to carry bikes etc, personally I would opt for a subaru but they seem to be pricey. I'll have a look at the Magnum now

I ve looked at autotrader.ca, but will probably buyer from a dealer, any recommendations?

Rgds Scotty 1972

Re: Which vehicle
 

Hi Scotty 1972,
When you look at autotrader it will show the dealers at the side which you can click on to browse ( you've probably worked that out for yourself ), keep an eye out for repo's websites, they repose vehicles and sell them at reasonable prices :cool:

Re: Which vehicle
 

Hi mandyg

Is there a risk in buying repo?

rgds Scotty

Re: Which vehicle
 

Sorry Scotty 1972 i can't answer that one.
Worth checking out with the sites, the ones i've seen for Vancouver look like they trade along the same lines as dealers, but only look to cover the cost of the out standing loan. Unless they have forced entry to the vehicle to repo and its been looked after it's probably the same as any other dealer, but to be on the safe side double check

Re: Which vehicle
 

For $10-15k you wont get a Magnum, its a new model. AWD versions start in the mid 30s, which is more than a similarly equiped Subaru. (well. except there is no Hemi option in a Sube:( ) Did I mention the magnum has an available 425Horsepow....Oh yeah, seems I did.

For 10-15k you can probably find a 2003 or 2004 year of Sube. Even an Imprezza would do by the sound of it, but the styling is a bit :eek: I carry my bike on a trunk or hitch mounted carrier...dont want the mud inside. Dont have to worry about it getting nicked around here thankfully.

Subarus hold their value in the used market unfortunately, but thats for a good reason. Mine is now nearly 10 years old, just passed its drive clean with no problems, and apart from a little rust (shouldnt have let the OH park it in the garage in the winter...outside in the cold stops the rusting process) its as good mechanically as it ever was and is still a pleasure to drive. If that isnt asking for it to break down on my next trip to TO I dont know what is!

At least in AB you dont have so much sales tax to factor on top:)

Re: Which vehicle
 

Perhaps you need two - 1 for solo driving and 1 for bike driving