I'm tempted by this http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/2006-Honda-Element-4X4_31865020.lite
Stretching my small budget though lol.
I'm tempted by this http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/2006-Honda-Element-4X4_31865020.lite
Stretching my small budget though lol.
Posted by: Kevin26
I'm tempted by this http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/2006-Honda-Element-4X4_31865020.lite
Stretching my small budget though lol.
There's a nice looking red Element forsale just down the street from my place. Think it said $7200, looks super clean.
lota KMs on that ^^ one
the local independant mech pointed out you can spend less on the vehical and then have to spend $$$$ to have him fix it OR buy something that is in better shape to begin with
lol 200 k is a lot of km??
I suppose YMMV but its a 2006 so its a 12 yr old with > 200,000 kms a car does not last forever
Posted by: tashi
Well, I'll go the other way and say truck.
You don't drive much, so increased fuel costs won't hurt the wallet much. You're buying cheap so you can walk away if fuel prices climb enough that they do hurt. This way, for the increased fuel consumption on the little driving you do do, you have the increased utility of a truck. I really like mine for getting things done on the house, getting a little further into the woods for camping/exploring, taking lots of bikes and other toys on road trips, and it makes me a little money doing a little carpentry and landscaping work on the side as well. Also, when the weather is shit, a car with good tires is totally fine, but a vehicle with good tires AND 4WD or AWD is freakin' awesome.
So, not the cheapest option, but based on how much you drive may not cost you much extra at all. How much extra is worth the utility is your decision. Personally I'm getting sick of how much fuel my DERGE uses, but I drive it more than I planned on and it has a big dumb 5.9L V-8 in it and I can't stomach the payments for a new, significantly more efficient truck.
This is the debate I'm having with myself, don't do many miles so can justify poor gas mileage but hard to justify spending a lot more for a truck in good shape vs a car in good shape.
I think what I want to do is to keep an eye out for a great looking b4000 or ranger (I liked my old b2600) while just rolling without anything through the summer.
I bought a new ranger in 2010 when the car industry wasn't doing great so Ford knocked 6600$ off the list price,19K for which you got the 4L/AC/ 5spd/ 4x4/ excab/ but the truck was completely stripped with a bench seat, rubber floor mats instead of carpet & power nothing, duno where prices are now but at the time people were asking the same price on a used ranger as a brand new 2010 ranger becuz of that 6600$ discount. Ford quit making the Ranger in 2011
The 4L Ranger gets about 25mpg on the hyway less in town, very cheap vehical to own, all pretty low tech, I haven't even tuned it up yet just change the oil twice a year and fill the tank, I got 110,000 kms on it ,the only thing that broke was the SAT radio which Ford replaced on warranty
Spell it with me.....vehicle.
Posted by: XXX_er
I bought a new ranger in 2010 when the car industry wasn't doing great so Ford knocked 6600$ off the list price,19K for which you got the 4L/AC/ 5spd/ 4x4/ excab/ but the truck was completely stripped with a bench seat, rubber floor mats instead of carpet & power nothing, duno where prices are now but at the time people were asking the same price on a used ranger as a brand new 2010 ranger becuz of that 6600$ discount. Ford quit making the Ranger in 2011
The 4L Ranger gets about 25mpg on the hyway less in town, very cheap vehical to own, all pretty low tech, I haven't even tuned it up yet just change the oil twice a year and fill the tank, I got 110,000 kms on it ,the only thing that broke was the SAT radio which Ford replaced on warranty
I wanted one of those back then! Couldn't quite stretch my budget.
No idea why I didn't mention the Element, I guess I thought you're looking for cheaper.
Until very recently I owned an "4WD" Element for about 10 years. Best car I've ever owned and at 250+k it felt tighter than the Outback we were just given that has only 150. Crazy reliable. Far more enjoyable clutch, gearbox and engine than any Subaru I've ever driven, which is MANY. Reasonable efficiency (great in town, but low gearing and a box shape kinda limit the comfortable highway cruising speed and kills the usual highway fuel efficiency boost. You have to get a BIG vehicle to get as much interior space as an Element, and everything is wipeable and basic so super well suited to a filthy lifestyle. The "Full-Time 4WD" system is kinda lame in comparison to Subaru's AWD, but does help get you unstuck when it kicks in and it is far more tolerant to alignment issues or worn suspension or non-matching tire sizes (Subarus spec exceeds many tire manufacturers standards) than the Subaru system. The back end sags over time (same as CRV's); I'd recommend an adjustable camber kit to avoid killing the inside edges of your tires.
Personally I'd buy an old Element in a heartbeat but would only buy an Subaru with over 150k if it were cheap enough that I don't mind walking away if something significant goes wrong with it. I apologize if I'm tanking someone's sale here, but I've owned both (I'm on my 4th Subaru now) and this is how it's gone for me.
Have 2 subies.
Both have had headgasket issues. Besides that, no issues in 10 years. Just general consumables replaced.
Next new car will probably be another, to replace the older one which has 300k on it and still drives great.
Posted by: three-sheets
Spell it with me.....vehicle.
sorry but if I changed that word it would completely change the thread
What about something like a Mazda 5? I think you can take out the back seats, which would provide a fair bit of card space.
So it won't help the guy looking for a cheap car/truck but I happened on the best truck I've ever had a few years ago. I have a big SUV with lots of room inside, diesel and goes 100km on 8.5L on the highway and 9-9.5 in the city. With an 85L tank I can go 1000kms before filling up. Sure it's a Mercedes ML350, but it only cost 8000 more than a 4Runner and they had 0% financing!
I had a Tacoma a few years ago, fine truck but guzzled gas and they suck in the winter. I figure the difference in gas consumption alone will pay for my ML in 5-10 years. +I have seat warmers and a steering wheel warmer, so nice after a ski day. I guess my point is, a solid truck with excellent engineering does offer something that may be worth the extra $$.
You are talking about a 60-70K suv so it wasnt bad on fuel but how was it ^^ for service my neighbor has a mercedes and it was fucking expensive to service
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