Been out tire kicking again....

[Grant Lamontagne]

It never ends.  I love my Jeep but for a number of reasons I think it's time to start looking for it's replacement.  I'm pretty certain that I'm going to go with a new 4 door Wrangler but I wanted to do some looking around.  I'm also pretty certain that I want new rather than used, but I decided to look at some used trucks too, just in case there was something out there more of interest to me.

Ideally I want 4 doors and four wheel drive, enough towing capacity to bring a small trailer along (with just the wife, me and a large dog I don't need a HUGE trailer, but something in the 20 foot range would be nice) and I want to keep it affordable.  Most of the full sized pickups here are quite affordable until you add in the second set of doors, and suddenly they jump up about ten thousand dollars!     Apparently doors re expensive....

Anyways, looking at used trucks got me to this thing:



I have to say, it actually doesn't drive nearly as bad as I was expecting.  Admittedly it's WAY over the top for what I need, but you know, I kind of liked it.

Still, it's not the most practical vehicle (visions of me trying to lift my kayak ten feet in the air onto the roof rack come to mind!) so I looked at a few others, including a Ford Explorer Sport Trac, a truck I have always liked.  I didn't get a pic of it, so here's what I was looking at:



I like it on paper, but I really didn't like the way the thing felt inside- the dash was pretty blank and seemed like a lot of wasted space.  They also had an Avalanche there that was the same year but had about 100,000 more kilometers on it so I didn't bother looking at it.

Out of the two I am pretty certain I prefer the H2, but the question is, do I have a small enough manhood to justify a truck like that?  And, would I not be better off spending a few thousand more and just getting a brand new Jeep complete with warranty and I get to choose the color, options etc? 

By the way, I have already chosen the color if I get a new one:



I hate the new yellow so I think I may have to go Gecko Green! 

Of course all of this is kind of academic right now- I'm just looking around at the moment with no real intent to buy for at least 6 months.

Def

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I'm uncertain about the Hummers.  I've heard that H3's are horribly underpowered.  AFAIK, they're crappy on mileage too.

My wife and I test drove a Nissan Titan last summer when we were car shopping last time; it was a very impressive vehicle.  We looked at a four door model, with four wheel drive, and a 5.6L turbo charged engine.  It was a couple/three years old, with about 40K mi. on it.  They did want a sizable investment for it, and I really did like it.  Seemed like a great truck.

Since then, we now have a Sienna as our family car, but for myself, I've decided that a Nissan Frontier would fit my needs best.  From everything I've read about them, they're just as reliable and perform as well as the Toyota Tacoma's, but they're a good five to ten grand cheaper for comparable models.

[Syph007]

Big part of the decision IMO is how many km you put on in a yr.  If you dont drive alot then fuel economy isnt as critical as power when you need it.  Personally I always choose on smallest (least cost) vehicle to do the job I need it for, with the highest fuel efficiency since I put on quite a few KM.  Now that Ive gotten over my buying used is icky stigma, I'll be looking for a dealer serviced off lease for my next buy.

[Grant Lamontagne]

This is a far from underpowered H2 not H3. I think it's a 6.8 L V8.

Def

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[jzmtl]

The H2 is still monstrous! I'd hate to drive that around town, or god forbid, park it. Then again, I like small and nimble vehicles (with enough power under the hood).

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, it was a beast indeed.  Halifax, being a very old city has extremely narrow streets which would make a behemoth like that a real pain in the arse to drive.  The Jeep is great in the city- lots of power, small footprint, super awesome turning radius and just as much visibility as a fly's compound eyeballs.

Long trips on the highway with it are a killer though, and I was looking at camping trailers last week and I'm extremely limited by my Jeep's (lack of) towing capacity.

Def

[jzmtl]

Yeah I hear you on the long trips, when I have to drive for more than an hour I go borrow my parents' civic, rides like a luxury car compare to my jeep. 

TJ has more than enough engine power for towing, it's the lack of wheelbase making stopping a bit of challenge.

[derekmac]

If you are going to be looking at towing, I think (could be wrong) that the 4 door JK only has a limit of 3500lbs.  Our tent trailer is almost that loaded, mind you it is a 12' with slide out and 2' storage bin on the front.

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[Bensasupertool]

Custom Jeep Limited MT.O Edition

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah I have been looking at that too, which is one of the reasons I've been looking at bigger trucks.  Since it's just my wife and I and a rather large dog I haven't been looking at big trailers- I was considering something like the R-Pods:

http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/default22.asp?page=specs&nav=rec&choice=rpod

3500lb towing capacity will handle any of those while my current 22lb tongue and 2,000lb max is incapable of taking any of those on.

One thing that gets to me about that H2- if I get that sucker stuck none of the Jeeps I wheel with will be able to pull me out!   

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Custom Jeep Limited MT.O Edition

My Jeep already has a Leatherman and a Gerber sticker in the front windshield, along with an MTO decal. 

Def

[Bensasupertool]

of course it would

[derekmac]

Yeah I have been looking at that too, which is one of the reasons I've been looking at bigger trucks.  Since it's just my wife and I and a rather large dog I haven't been looking at big trailers- I was considering something like the R-Pods:

http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/default22.asp?page=specs&nav=rec&choice=rpod

3500lb towing capacity will handle any of those while my current 22lb tongue and 2,000lb max is incapable of taking any of those on.

One thing that gets to me about that H2- if I get that sucker stuck none of the Jeeps I wheel with will be able to pull me out!   

Def

Those are nice looking trailers!

Lol, I was thinking that I couldn't really imagine you driving a Hummer through the trails!  It would be nice to actually see one muddy though!

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[JAfromMn]

 :drool:I would have to go with this Baby.

[Mr. Whippy]

:drool:I would have to go with this Baby. (Image removed from quote.)

Agree.  Of the choices listed, this is my winner too. 

[jzmtl]

One thing that gets to me about that H2- if I get that sucker stuck none of the Jeeps I wheel with will be able to pull me out!   

Def

And you better have a spare tie rod with plenty of tools. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

I love that green- I'd prefer a yellow one, but the new yellow is Dozer Yellow and looks like crap.  Mine is Solar Yellow which I like a lot more.  I'm almost tempted to get a Dozer Yellow one and take it straight from the dealership to Maaco.   

I'll see what's involved in ordering a custom color as I really want yellow, but if that's not a realistic option I'll get the green.

Jie- that looks painful and expensive... 

Def

[Whoey]

if you change Jeep colours I might have to redo all the site logos and themes 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Believe it or not, I actually considered that!   

Def

[Mr. Whippy]

You can always go British...

Heck, it's even called "Defender"

[Pacu]

jumping from the ole TJ style to the new JK style jeep may be a bit of a shock.

The Jks interior plastic is butter soft...scratches super easy 

Im pretty tall so it's nice having that extra leg room in the JK. I've got 46,000 miles on my 08 ..no problems so far. I think the new JKs have a Pentastar engine in them now.


also my sister had a couple of  H2's for years...the regular one and the truck based one. Awesome heavy duty rides.    She is the definition of soccer mom hauling kids around in them, pulling the rv, bass boat.

[Pacu]

You can always go British...

Heck, it's even called "Defender"

(Image removed from quote.)

i love those things   

i rarely ever see them down here in texas..they have that ole school bronco/ scout look to them.

[Grant Lamontagne]

If Defenders were imported to Canada with the Evoques, LR4's and Range Rovers that's probably what I'd get.  Sadly the only way to get a Defender here is to buy one that's at least 15 years old- otherwise it can't be licensed for the road.   

Def

[Mr. Whippy]

If Defenders were imported to Canada with the Evoques, LR4's and Range Rovers that's probably what I'd get.  Sadly the only way to get a Defender here is to buy one that's at least 15 years old- otherwise it can't be licensed for the road.   

Def

There are ways....

 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Well, that's it- wifey says no Hummer!   

She feels it's way too big and I think she's pretty intimidated by it.  This one would be a great buy though- at $20K it's six years old and has only 61,000 kms on the odometer.  Ah well, someone will be happy to get it!

Looks like I'm back to considering a 4 door Wrangler. 

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Too bad she said no- I could totally see her driving it!

Def

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[Syph007]

That photo totally needs a "My husband doesn't need to compensate" line at the bottom.   

[J-sews]

Don't listen to her Grant, your manhood is plenty small enough to justify a truck like that! (so I've heard)

[Grant Lamontagne]

Thanks for the vote of confidence- I knew I could count on you guys!

Def

[Whoey]

If it's any consolation, I think Hummers are fugly.

If you're on a mission to replace the Jeep, I'd say either stick to Jeep or get a Defender as others have mentioned...