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new vehicle suggestions

O

OCMD

Jetboaters Admiral
Messages
977
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1,004
Points
267
Location
Ocean City MD
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2008
Boat Model
SX
Boat Length
23
Reader's Digest version. Kid just graduated Embry Riddle and got hired by an airline. She will be based in DC but spend her off days in my house in Daytona where she lived while going to school. She has been driving my old 06 beater Civic, but with a new job it is time to upgrade, with inexpensive being the operative word. . She needs a vehicle which will tow a jet ski and fit in some manner (roof rack?) her "long" surf board and a kayak. Any suggestions are appreciated. 21 years old. I want this life!
 
gently used tacoma with hitch insert for kayack and or board
 
How inexpensive are you looking? Pre 2015 4WD Pilot or CR-V. (Or Acura sibling MDX) will tow and provide space for not much money if you are willing to go back enough.. They are very solid, and with a civic already it seems Honda might be the way to go.

Something like this?

(Not from CarMax of course, although some like it you usually pay more there.... but my thought on the kind of car it might be)

If she would rather buy new, answer stands, a new CR-V might fix the bill, but it's not super inexpensive.
 
Jeep Renegade?
 
2011 Ford Flex SEL

(Shameless plug)
And I have one for sale. ;)
 
Nearly any vehicle can tow a ski, but she might want AWD for the ramps. I vote CRV or RAV4 with roof rack. Reliable, spacious, they sell tons so used is an option.
 
Subaru might be another choice. AWD, SUV-ish, lots of roof rack options.

Florida, and beach screams Jeep Wrangler to me (no doors, convertible, etc). But they are rarely cheap or reliable.
 
Are you buying? I'm available for adoption if that's the case. I only need the occasional cigar with my whiskey, and you will never hear a peep from me
 
Hyundai is another option....lots of SUVs to chose from and great warranty. Our Santa Fe has been great.
 
Thanks for the ideas. She'll go new unless I can find a real great deal. All my Jeep owning friends claim they are nothing but issues. Having owned tons of Hondas, maybe a CRV? Will a CRV with a 4 cylinder pull a jet ski? A nicely used Tacoma? We do have a few months to search. I just wonder when the "Parents fly free" deal kicks in.
 
Last edited:
OCMD said:
Will a CRV with a 4 cylinder pull a jet ski?
Click to expand...

I would think if another member here (@Betik ?) could tow with a Prius, a CRV should do just fine.

I'd say any Toyota or Honda SUV would do fine, and buying a new one of those brands is like buying a Yamaha jet boat - resale is great, and you're almost better off going new simply to get more of the warranty, less of other people's problems, and closer to exactly what you want instead of what you're stuck with on a used version.

I'm with Julian, Hyundai seems to be pretty darn good, but I have no idea what resale or anything is like on those. I'm partial to Lexus, and the RX would work perfectly fine for her use, perhaps even the Lexus NX would even work, I'm not sure on the NX towing capability - I know for certain the RX would work. The NX is a 4-banger, the RX is a 6. For towing, I'd prefer more cylinders, but that's my preference.

I have a neighborhood full of OLD Jeep's up north - they all love them, but the newest is a '93 (Cherokee?), and the guys all work on them - if they paid it done instead, all state that the work is easy on a Jeep. I have zero idea if this scales to anything newer for Jeep, and old GOOD versions of Jeeps around me seem to still command more than I think they're worth.

I have 3 female neighbors with Ford Explorers. They all love them, and their husbands like them for the occasional trailer hauling they do with them. They are a pretty darn nice vehicle, IMO, but I have no idea what long-term issues they might have.

Mileage is something to consider too - a Tacoma might work for towing, but she'll likely be using it as a daily driver, and it'll suck for MPG compared to a smaller SUV that will still be capable of the occasional towing she'll do.
 
OCMD said:
Thanks for the ideas. She'll go new unless I can find a real great deal. All my Jeep owning friends claim they are nothing but issues. Having owned tons of Hondas, maybe a CRV? Will a CRV with a 4 cylinder pull a jet ski? A nicely used Tacoma? We do have a few months to search. I just wonder when the "Parents fly free" deal kicks in.
Click to expand...

you seems to be a good father of well deserving daughter; I wish I can be that 12 years later. Anyway that is besides the point.

I am owner of the legendary prius as documented here https://jetboaters.net/threads/the-...fluid-engine-oil-analysis-after-towing.21876/
It has now $128,000 miles and it does a great job. That being said, if my daughter were to be 21 tomorrow, I will probably have her on a 2019 Honda CRV ( which we also own). It just feel a bit having he ski behind it. The prius does great and it is heavier than most people realize. We have gone to Dallas to FL more than once and never felt unsafe or that the vehicle was overtaxed. You can see it that it is trying hard as it gets like 30 to 35 MPG, but otherwise no issues.
Okay so why CRV besides being more roomy, the hitch connections for it are superior to the prius. Plus the install is pain in the lower rear end. I personaly like the CRV better than the RAV4 as it has more room on the back seat and I like the design of it. Plus for $400 I can add 10 inch android display that is far superior to the factory one.
The honest truth though is that most prudent decision for your daughters will be either a hybrid RAV4 or andvture rav4. One will save her money and last longer the other one is just cool when her college friends see her on it.

Jeeps look awesome and everything, but at the end of the day you want to have a peace of mind. Putting your child an Jeep and send her cross-country on Jeep will make me either glue my phone to my ear, of follow her from a safe distance on my 128,000 mile prius.
Nowdays most cars are built well and the first 5 years are okay, but I would rather not have a Jeep as primary vehicle. Escpailly the SUV ones, those things are made by FIAT.

As far as the Kia's go. 10 year ago, I would say they are POS. Lately those cars are becoming awesome. In our househodl we are not allowed to own Korean cars, but both of them have been doing really well latetly ( better than Jeep for sure).
 
My vote is for a naturally aspirated used but not too used subaru. Many of them are reliable, all wheel drive vehicles that are easy to drive and hold their value well. One of the Subaru’s claims is that 90ish % of the Subarus sold in the last 10 years are still on the road. good variety as well from mom’s grocery getter to rally car, cross over to mid sized SUV. Finally, there is a price range/age range for every budget.
81C6D597-06C8-498D-9BDE-ACDF0CF4874F.png
 
Last edited:
OCMD said:
Will a CRV with a 4 cylinder pull a jet ski?
Click to expand...

My in-laws “inherited” an older CR-V, I believe it was around a 2012. It was more of a basic model, but they had a u-haul hitch installed on it to tow their jet-ski (an 800+lb Sea-Doo + trailer). It was never a far drive to the ramp, but it towed it without issue, and never had a challenge pulling it out of the water.

For reference, it was a FWD, with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 185 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque.
 
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