Hi All
We are landing on 24th September, having bought a house (in Cochrane, Alberta), we should be ready to move in approx 30th September. Just a quick question, we are after 7 seater 4x4 vehicle (something not too large) up to about cad$30k. Any of you good folks got any suggestions as to which vehicles to go for (or avoid ). We will probably hire a vehicle for a couple of weeks when first landing, but a shortlist of ones to go for or to avoid might save us a lot of time when looking.
We will also be buying ALL new furniture, so ideas of which shops to use would be great

Getting seriously close now, nervous but excited

Many thanks in advance.

The 'which vehicle?' question, coupled with the '4x4 or not' factor always provokes debate. In short, $30k I don't think quite gets you into a new 7 seater SUV so you are looking at used. A Honda Pilot would be a suitable vehicle for your needs.

I am after the same thing......I have pretty much lined up a Dodge Journey with a dealer in St Albert. The basic version is 20k approx and it costs $1500 to have the seating option which gives you 7.

Should be able to get a decent spec one for 30k. I have never driven one but it ticks the boxes.

JET

Hi Jet

Weird that, spent most of last night looking into the Dodge Journey, seems to be a practical all rounder at a decent price. Same as you though, never driven one so don't know what they are like. Mayber some kind, knowledgable members (or even Journey Owners), could give us their views as to good and bad points regarding this vehicle.

Thanks for your reply.

I haven't driven a Dodge Journey either, but I have been in a wide range of Chrysler products and have found that they steering is very much geared to the sort of driving Canadians do on the highways. It's vague and has no feel, there's no need to consciously drift between lanes as the car will do that for you. IME experience Chrysler products are sadly underpowered, I would be hard put to choose between my tractor and the Sebring we rented in AZ to win a traffic light derby or a hill climb.

Sounds familiar - for the price range I think Kia and Hyundai offer a 7-seater, although once you add taxes etc I think $30k for a new will be tight. There may also be 7-seater Subaru or Chevy versions for around this price.

I'm a bit perplexed by the idea of buying a 7 seat SUV. If you need 7 seats, and I pity you in this, then what's needed is a people mover, a van. There's lots of choice among such dreary vehicles, the most popular being the Chrysler van (also sold as the VW Routan). A vehicle with that much seating capacity will not be suitable for off road use, even on damp grass, so there seems little point in paying for lots of extra gears and shafts and whatnot spinning and breaking.

The Journey I think is available in AWD. It has more ground clearance than your beetle but not as much as a 'proper' SUV. The only benefit of the AWD version one supposes, is driving in snow. I wouldn't call it an SUV. Thetruthaboutcars.com calls it 'unrelentingly bland' inside. The perfect Canadian vehicle then.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/200...ourney-review/

I suggest that, for driving in snow, any benefit of the AWD will be offset by the failings of the suspension. Earlier in the summer we helped push an AWD truck on to the road, it was parked on a slight slope and a light rain had fallen, all the wheels spun equally as they would in snow. The 2WD Beetle had no difficulty in starting on the manicured surface thanks to a better suspension and weight over the wheels. In deep snow, yes, ground clearance is important but not if the vehicle gains no traction on whatever's under it.

One of the neighbours has a Pacifica, for the summer.

We have had two Ford Expeditions, both 7 seaters, both 4wd, I would have another one, nice comfy cars. I'm fortunate enough to have a mechanic in the family so we tend to go for older high model/mileage examples for under $10k - preferably lots under $10k but for your budget you should be able to pick up a much newer model. Our last one I think was a 2002 we paid, I think $8k for and it didn't need anything doing....

A two car family (not including kids)...for most of our time here we have always had a 4 wheel drive SUV while the cars have usually been front wheel drive.

At this moment we have an AWD SUV and a rear wheel drive car.

All perform fine (summer and winter)...in addition, we are late comers to the world of winter tires, but it dis not take long to see the difference and benefit of fitting them (on both vehicles).

Suffice to say, that I am quite happy with the AWD vice the on demand 4 wheel drive which I am used to.

When the weather is bad...and we have to make a long trip...guess which vehicle has always won. And if I am to lazy to shovel the driveway after a dump of snow...the SUV is a plus as I plow through two feet or more of the white stuff.

My two cents....

Toyota Sienna with AWD option is the most practical, reliable choice I can think of. Wont get a new one for $30k, but should get a not too old used one if you can find one.

Unless you really meant SUV when you said you wanted 4x4. For practicality and economy Id take a van over an SUV any day of the week, unless you intend to tow a horsebox, or do some serious off roading, in which case a seven seater SUV wont get you too far anyway.


For winter driving decent tires matter more than the drivetrain I think, but as a Subaru owner I wont pretend that AWD isnt nice to have for peace of mind some days.

Here's my 2c...

We live in Calgary. One of our vehicles is a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan.

We ski most weekends in the winter and the 'van has been superb at driving to the ski resorts (winter tyres on). When we have visitors, pop the rear seats up, otherwise keep them down and you've got enough space to carry tons of stuff. I once carried a queen size mattress inside it, no problem.

People go on and on and on about how it's an awful car... it really isn't. It certainly isn't the most thrilling of vehicles, but why pay for top quality ride and handling when you're only driving around the dead straight and flat roads of Alberta?

Big pluses of the Caravan v. Journey are (i) the rear sliding doors, which means the kids don't bash other cars when getting out in the carpark or garage, and (ii) being able to walk right through from front seats to rear door on on the inside.

I suspect the offroad capability of the Journey is no more than the Caravan.

If you want/need an SUV, then get a proper one. If you want/need a practical people carrier, then consider getting one that was designed to do that. The Journey is neither.

http://blog.iseecars.com/2009/08/19/...ird-row-seats/

If you consider an XC90...don't even consider the T6 model...which rights off most 2003-2005 models

2006+ (2.5T versions) can be picked up well under 30K with low mileage...a very safe vehicle, particularly if you have 7 folks in it.

Quote from the website above just found on google... "In the rear of the XC90, there’s a safe distance of 12 inches of space between the head of the third-row occupant and the back of the vehicle. Motherproof.com’s review says of the 13 inches of space between the third row and tailgate that “in the event of an accident, that space becomes a precious cushion between kids’ heads and another vehicle.” Volvo XC90 pioneered Roll Stability Control, and Edmunds calls XC90 “easily one of the safest SUVs on the market.”

When considering the Journey I am not too worried about the drive. If I wanted a 'drivers' vehicle I would not choose a SUV, van. However it is a means from A to B and the practiciality of it.

Dodge Caravans we have always hired and they have been really a good vehicle. We are not looking at off road, towing etc just a means from a to b safely.

JET