Road trip car adventure...

[brewer12345]

Evidently the major issue in repairing the engine is the difficulty in pulling the engine.

That is one of the reasons I will be letting the subaru go. After 150k miles I am staring down a head job on one side within a year and it would require yanking the engine. Two grand, easily. Time to move on.

 

[M Paquette]

That is one of the reasons I will be letting the subaru go. After 150k miles I am staring down a head job on one side within a year and it would require yanking the engine. Two grand, easily. Time to move on.

Ah, pulling the engine. A huge advantage of my old MG was that I could pull the engine in about 30 minutes by myself. That was counterbalanced by the fact that pulling the engine for something was a weekly maintenance item.

 

[Ronstar]

This jeep story is making me nervous. My 2000 grand Cherokee with 150k may need to be replaced soon. It now stays at our az condo and only gets 1000 miles per year. At that rate, I thought it would last 20 more years. Maybe not. Today the Jiffy Lube guy found:

Transmission leak
Front seal leak
Sludge in the engine
Bad windshield wipers
Broken thing that keeps the hood open

I told him that none of these things present a problem - just change the oil.

 

[brewer12345]

This jeep story is making me nervous. My 2000 grand Cherokee with 150k may need to be replaced soon. It now stays at our az condo and only gets 1000 miles per year. At that rate, I thought it would last 20 more years. Maybe not. Today the Jiffy Lube guy found:

Transmission leak
Front seal leak
Sludge in the engine
Bad windshield wipers
Broken thing that keeps the hood open

I told him that none of these things present a problem - just change the oil.

If you don't go far in it and a terminal breakdown isn't a major inconvenience, it should be no biggie. Dad has a 1996 truck that pretty much just goes around town and to the dock when he is fishing for maybe a thousand miles a year. Its got all your problems and more, but it chugs along.

In my case, if I were willing to put the money into the head job I could probably keep the car going at least another 5 years. But since I need a better tow vehicle and the subaru is getting long in the tooth, I will let someone else keep it running.

 

[Brat]

Brewer take a look at the Santa Fe. We used Consumer Reports online to evaluate vehicles, we wanted something that could tow 3,500, great warranty, safe to drive (best stopping # on wet pavement). We looked at a Subaru but it didn't have the towing capacity and it takes premium gas.

The Consumer Reports car chooser could use development IMHO but their compare tool is top notch.

Once we distilled the list two four vehicles it didn't take long to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Oh, if you anticipate replacing the car sell it before it breaks down!

 

[Ronstar]

If you don't go far in it and a terminal breakdown isn't a major inconvenience, it should be no biggie. Dad has a 1996 truck that pretty much just goes around town and to the dock when he is fishing for maybe a thousand miles a year. Its got all your problems and more, but it chugs along.

In my case, if I were willing to put the money into the head job I could probably keep the car going at least another 5 years. But since I need a better tow vehicle and the subaru is getting long in the tooth, I will let someone else keep it running.

Yes - your situation is different than mine. In your case, a tow vehicle needs to be dependable. it makes sense for you to buy something better.

My case is like your dad's. My big trip is a two hour trip to Sedona once a year. Other than that, I hardly travel more than 15 minutes. My biggest problem with a terminal breakdown would be finding a junkyard to come pick it up. I could probably even walk home after they truck it away.

 

[brewer12345]

Brewer take a look at the Santa Fe. We used Consumer Reports online to evaluate vehicles, we wanted something that could tow 3,500, great warranty, safe to drive (best stopping # on wet pavement). We looked at a Subaru but it didn't have the towing capacity and it takes premium gas.

The Consumer Reports car chooser could use development IMHO but their compare tool is top notch.

Once we distilled the list two four vehicles it didn't take long to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Oh, if you anticipate replacing the car sell it before it breaks down!

Unfortunately, our existing tow vehicle (Honda Odyssey) is also rated for 3500# towing and was a perfectly adequate tow vehicle at sea level and on relatively flat inclines. We rapidly found out that at altitude and with steep inclines, it simply does not cut it.

I test drove an F150 today and it seems like the winner. Now I just have to decide on whether to try to find a 2011 that matches what I want or sit on my hands for another 6 months and buy a 2012. Thoughts?

 

[Ronstar]

Unfortunately, our existing tow vehicle (Honda Odyssey) is also rated for 3500# towing and was a perfectly adequate tow vehicle at sea level and on relatively flat inclines. We rapidly found out that at altitude and with steep inclines, it simply does not cut it.

I test drove an F150 today and it seems like the winner. Now I just have to decide on whether to try to find a 2011 that matches what I want or sit on my hands for another 6 months and buy a 2012. Thoughts?

I have a 2009 F150. Great truck. It should easily handle your towing needs if you get the towing package. Check out the F150 forum. They'll have threads on towing, etc and what to expect to pay. I think I got mine for about 20 % off sticker.

 

[Brat]

Back in the day we had a F150 pick up and loved it. You want to find one with the towing package because it comes with beefed up cooling system and brakes, towing wiring and other stuff. Son has a F 450 diesel which serves him well. The motor homes we were considering had F 350 engines. Son's fishing buddy runs a Ford dealership and spoke highly of that engine.

Again old info: vehicles need to be 'tuned' for high altitude use so you want to buy one in CO if you intend to use it primarily at your elevation.