Thinking about switching to an SUV, who regrets it?

She sounds like a catch and a half. Mine is the opposite and now that she has a small SUV (Rav4), she says she will never go back to a car. That combo works out pretty well for us though, we have interior space when needed and a bed when needed.

 

i went from an SUV to the tacoma. I got sick of having to place mats, covers, etc in the back when something was dirty.

My DC is plenty for dogs and some. I put down one of those dog hammocks and its easy to clean! Just hose off

 

I recently switched from a DC Tacoma to an FJ cruiser and while it has taken getting used to I don't regret it at all. Husky or weather tech mats are great in it. I coach baseball and we have buckets of balls, gear bags, cleats, ect back there. You can always buy a small trailer to haul supplies with as well.

 

We have two utility trailers, one 4 ft x 8 ft (1200 lb capacity) we've had for 30+ years and another 3 ft x 5 ft. (700 lbs) one we got 5 or 6 years ago from HF.

To be 110% honest it is often much more convenient to use one or the other to pick things up--than to use the "pick-up" truck. They are both MUCH lower to the ground and can be easily loaded/off-loaded from the sides, can be "dropped-off" at the place you'll be needing the crap tomorrow, and can be wheeled with a dolly to the next place you'll "need the crap"; and sit there for a day or two or three with no inconvenience...



This little fella' is from HF, they do not offer it any more. Every time my wife uses it to go to HD or Lowes a number of people ask her about it--where we got it, etc...

 

+2 Softtopper. Those golden retrievers get muddy, no problem. In the 4 runner, no joy.

 

^this

Especially seeing that he still owes $12k on the 4 year old Tacoma. Something doesn't seem right

 

This.

Buy a 4Runner....get a trailer to haul things. Lowe's always has some decent ones of varying sizes for a few 100 bucks.

 

buy the SUV of your choice and get a small utility trailer.

 

Amazes me that some of you people care about his financial situation so much. Why do you own this many cars? or 12k on a 4 year old Tacoma. who cares, he didn't come here for that. everyone's situation is different, grow up

 

He said the prius was inherited and the impreza he's owned for 11 years and its a track car(his hobby). We are just almost halfway through 2017 so you could say its 4 years old and the truck is a tx baja edition so it was pry close to 40k for the purchase. If you take a 5 year payment plan at 40k(no down) it would be pretty damn close to 12k after fees and such.....

Just saying, don't bash him for having 4 cars. He didn't come here saying Im broke and need to buy an SUV because it suits me better but I still owe 12k on a truck......And if you argue why keep the prius, they have terrible resale and if you calculate his fuelly, pry saves over 1k a year in gas driving the thing. Easily pays for reg and insurance.

 

Fair enough

 

A bit of an overreaction, no? Nobody bashed the guy. That was the first solution I thought of as buying a Prius to add to the stable with the goal of saving on gas money doesn't make much sense. If it is inherited at little/no cost, then it makes perfect sense. Besides, the "financial situation" of owing $12k was offered by the OP with no solicitation. *shrug*

Fair question from the others, I thought. It's not often that needs are left unmet in a four car family.

As to the original question, it depends on how often the bed is used. In most instances for *me* where I use the bed, having to use a utility trailer would be much less convenient. If my uses better took advantage of the benefits that @cliffyk mentioned, then an SUV + trailer would be just fine for me. Good luck on the decision.

 

I would get a shell for the truck or replace one of the existing cars with a used station wagon (outback for example) to use as a dog hauler.

 

Fair enough. He just came here to ask people though about whether you missed a truck after you bought an SUV or reverse and what where the pro/cons to each. Then it came to be why do you own 4 cars, doesn't make any financial sense but really without knowing a full story its anyone's guess. I guess he provided the other cars to see what his use he can get out of them. I mean those are three pretty dang small cars so the truck/suv would do most of the hauling etc. Hell the old impreza sedans, the seats don't even fold down. I'm not sure the necessity of the price. It does seem in the realm of what normal loans would be at so not sure why it caused so much attention.

 

I think it's pertinent info. He certainly won't be upside down if he sells/trades the Tacoma, which is good news. Not too far away from being paid off, though. No car debt is a pretty great feeling!

Just another factor that got two measly responses. As with most threads of this type, the OP probably has a good idea of what the right decision for him is and is just looking for confirmation and to make sure that there aren't any factors that haven't been considered.

 

That's true, not having a payment is amazing! Reason why I sold my truck bahaha. But also that truck is pry worth a lot so there would be a sizable down payment for an SUV. The remark of the seats being uncomfortable would make my choice in purchasing an SUV. The 4 runner is pretty comfortable while the tacoma would get uncomfortable for rides longer than 4 hours for me.

 

I've had just about everything imaginable. I've come to the conclusion that a 4 door pickup with a cap on it is the most versatile, cost efficient way to go. Unless you need a 3rd row of seats, then a full size SUV or van of some type are your only real options.

You can buy the truck and cap for considerably less than a comparable size and equipped SUV. The truck will also hold its resale value better than a SUV. Fuel mileage is the same. Unless you get into heavy duty 3/4 or 1 ton pickups the ride and comfort levels of a truck and SUV are a wash.

I've had the Tacoma in my Avatar for 10 years, a similarly equipped F-150 before that. It has been on 4 long road trips all over the western states with myself and 2 passengers. As well as multiple shorter trips all over the southeast. Plenty of room in the back for secure dry storage of luggage and camping gear. It is also used to haul off trash, pull trailers and campers.

The Tacoma after 180,000 miles is semi-retired now. My wife drives it primarily around town and we still use it for shorter trips. But I bought a full size F-150 Supercrew about a year ago and set it up just like it. The big truck gets the longer road trips. I also have a Honda for running errands around town. It ain't worth a lot of money and is worth more to me just to keep it. I keep the Honda to reduce wear and miles on the trucks and as a spare in case me or one of the kids needs to put a car in the shop for a few days.

 

The reason I have a utility trailer is because I used to have an SUV. I still wanted and got a truck. There are still
odd haulings which the truck is great for that the trailer would be cumbersome to hook up. I use both frequently, truck bed and trailer.

 

Canvas or fiberglass truck cap? Would selling the GTI and getting her an sub be an option. If not the 4Runner is great, we just got my girfriend one a week ago and we love that thing.

 

Keep the truck. Buy an older, low(er) mileage Legacy GT wagon, Outback XT, or Forester XT. Once purchased, sell your Impreza and Prius. Now you have a decent MPG daily that can also be fun on the track and can hold your dogs. If handled right you should break even, or possibly make a little money depending on the condition of your existing cars. Though you may have to look for awhile as these unmolested can be as rare as a unicorn fart.