Possible vehicle change.

2011etec

Super Member
Short history.I live in mid northern Ontario Canada.Its a province that's much much larger than the state of Texas (sorry guys).Half and hour outside my door is endless forest which translates into endless outdoors playground.Needless to say outside of town and north is truck country and ive owned my fairshare of them and currently do (2003 f150 4x4).I find myself using the truck for its intended real purpose less and less as I age (60 now).The truck will not last many more years body wise shes showing her age fast now.Being retired im on a limited budget so today just for fun I test drove a 2014 kia sorento ex awd.290 hp 3.3 v6,6 speed auto with eco mode.For a v6 suv she hauled butt pretty good and is prettywell fully loaded .I wasn't sure till I drove it but damn I actually liked it ! With 290 hp and 283 foot lbs she would easily tow my boat and motor.
 
Well, you know them new Fords are 'luminum. Theoretically they'll last well. Just don't hit anything. Frame and undercarriage are still steel, so if your local road department likes a dash of salt, then it'll still rust.

Other SUVs to consider are:
Toyota Land Cruiser if you can find one. It'll be the last one you need to buy. Down here you can still get one for around 10-12k US.
Chevy Tahoe if you like rust.
Isuzu Trooper is a good looking machine.

Some of the selection rides on the weight of your boat, and tow capacity needed for that.
 
Well, you know them new Fords are 'luminum. Theoretically they'll last well. Just don't hit anything. Frame and undercarriage are still steel, so if your local road department likes a dash of salt, then it'll still rust.

Other SUVs to consider are:
Toyota Land Cruiser if you can find one. It'll be the last one you need to buy. Down here you can still get one for around 10-12k US.
Chevy Tahoe if you like rust.
Isuzu Trooper is a good looking machine.

Some of the selection rides on the weight of your boat, and tow capacity needed for that.
The new Ford pickups have aluminum bodies, but I think their SUVs are still regular steel. The ones up until a few years ago seem to rust pretty badly, too.

New Land Cruisers are $$$$$. Old ones rust about as bad as all older Toyotas.
Chevy Tahoes, I can't argue about the rust part.
Isuzu Troopers haven't been made since the early 2000s. They rust badly, too and are getting tougher to find in decent shape. Parts aren't the easiest to come by since they didn't really make a whole lot of them.
 
I don't know what kind of terrain you are dealing with (lots of hills, or fairly flat), and the size and weight of your boat/trailer, but I'd be leery of towing anything much more than a small trailer with a lawn tractor, atv, personal watercraft, dirt bike, or snowmobile with that Kia and its unibody/drivetrain configuration. It is nothing more than a lifted small/mid-sized station wagon with a passenger car unibody/drivetrain. Towing puts a lot of extra stress on not just the engine, but also the transmission and braking systems, and any amount of weight back there affects suspension/handling. Just because you CAN put a hitch back there, doesn't mean its a good idea.
 
Its rated for 3500lbs.Max weight of my starcraft is well under 2000.including everything .As I said heavy towing days are long over for me.There are approx. 250,000 lakes in Ontario and I live 10 minutes from the largest freshwater lake in the world.My trucks not worth much anymore except to me so I could keep it for emergencies .It looks great from the outside but underneath its got stage 3 cancer in several areas.
 
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If AWD capability means anything for your needs, Subaru's AWD systems are heaps better than most off-ish brands where they are basically an afterthought.

Having said that, if it's a nice car at a nice price, go for it!
 
I'd want something with a frame under it if you intend to drive it in the winter as with a unit body it won't be nice in a few yrs after the warranty. The rest will be pricey to keep up also, The latest Ford Expedition also went to aluminum along with the Lincoln version, but even the Expedition may be out of your price range. You might find a 2015 Aluminum F-150 for a lot less and you will likely have better luck with it in the long run ass they are built to take more abuse so will last compared to the light car based SUV types. Easier to get at and replace and repair parts of the F-150 also as everything is crammed in sideways on most SUV types like most FWD cars also.
 
Down here lease payments for a SuperCrew STX 4x4 F150 with 2.7L V6 Ecoboost are $219 USD a month or so on a 24 month lease. That's a regional thing. It will tow your boat, and keep you in the hip truck crowd.

Here's a $5000 2000 Land Cruiser down in Dayton, OH with a quarter-million miles on it. Not rusty looking. But it's probably only good for another 200,000 miles though, so... https://dayton.craigslist.org/cto/d/land-cruiser/6644127818.html
Not mine, no relation, of course.

Best way to avoid the rust is shop down south (meaning southern USA) and drive it home.
 
Up here in Canada trucks are king but that also means they demand a premium price .Most dealers will not take off a nickel.Suv,s though popular are dealable.Up here a truck in the 2013 and up demograpkic are 25 grand plus cnd.Rust check,crown,or even good old fashion oiling will keep any vehicle looking like new for many years after they should be toast but the trick is to do it every year ,not skipping any years.Im retired ,gas is pricey and if im honest with myself a truck is really not needed .Im easy on vehicles mileage wise putting on 60 thousand miles in 13 years!Shadowdog there a many examples of unibody vehicles holding up good winter wise etc .My dads 2003 sunfire is an example ,its still great underneath till this day.I wont be rushing into anything and this process could take 6 months to a year .Or tomorrow,lol.
 
I just don't think those vehicles will stand up long term from what I've seen. They are built to last so long and parts aren't that cheap.
 
Actually right now a chev traverse awd v6 and a buick enclave awd v6 are leading the pack.I also like the ford edge v6 awd.
 
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Well 2013 ford edge 3.5 v6 awd it is! 48,000 KMS .Pretty well appointed with backup camera,dual climate zones etc and etc.Good deal from a good ford dealer Unless some disaster happens financially will pick up Friday morning after its gone over mechanical fitness wise per Ontario Canada regs and detailed to beautiful.Kodiak Brown which actually unless you look closely looks like black.6 speed auto with 280 hp plus with dual exhaust.Great looking suv to my eye at least and that's all that counts,lol.Saved enough to also get a full 100 percent ford warranty for min 2 years and still be within my pricepoint .If in less than 2 years I can add on for 2 or 3 years more for a good deal.With all the high tech stuff they have on cars now it could easily pay for itself.
 
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If your talking about the line on lower left its a light.It will take me forever to figure out that computer system ,lol.
 
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