YACT: What would you choose?

[desy]

Read the post
No toyota dealerships up there

 

[Doboji]

Originally posted by: desy
Read the post
No toyota dealerships up there

Whatever...

 

[Scouzer]

Yeah I like the Equinox but its out of my price range. I'm looking to buy an '05 slightly used. Equinox's are a full 5k more than the Escape or Liberty.

 

[Doboji]

Originally posted by: Scouzer
Yeah I like the Equinox but its out of my price range. I'm looking to buy an '05 slightly used. Equinox's are a full 5k more than the Escape or Liberty.

That changes things a bit... if it has to be an 05... I would definitly go with the liberty. The Escape is underpowered. All else is compareable....

 

[iamwiz82]

BTW, will you ever use 4Lo? There is none in an Escape.

I dunno how often you will be on seasonal roads and how bad they are, but here seasonal roads are a mess and 4Lo is pretty much required.

 

[codeyf]

Friend of mine hates her Liberty...but she has champagne tastes...I'm not a fan of the looks. The flared fenders make the cabin look really skinny to me.

We have a '01 Escape, had it for about a year now. Got a smoking deal on it when we did. Only thing I don't like about it is the road noise. I think it was addressed in the newer models, but it's loud in ours when on the freeway. The Mercury Mariner might have better sound insulation since it's the "luxury" line. The '06 comes in a sweet dark orange color that I really like. But I'd get a Hybrid if I could. We avg just shy of 20mpg with ours (V6, AWD). But my wife does a lot of in-town driving. Road trips get us low-mid 20's.

 

[Scouzer]

Mercury Mariner is not availible in Canada they really do strange things with the Mercury brand here...

I am defintiely leaning Escape now with these MPG reports...

I am not sure if I would use 4Lo iamwiz82. I am solely a car guy, a truck/SUV to me is really alien. I'm a known SUV hater...but I might just require one. I don't think I'd require the 4Lo because that far north you don't go where you can't 100% get yourself out.

Are the Escape/Liberty good highway cruisers?

 

[Gooberlx2]

I think you should really check into the service depts are up there. You don't exactly need a dealership. Also, I don't think you should buy a vehicle with the expectation that it's going to break down....kinda like setting yourself up for failure. With that said, if trucks are even an option for you, I'd recommend a Toyota Tacoma + sandbags in the back.

 

[LordMorpheus]

I was in anchorage once - everybody had subarus - good mileage, good drives, practical, and good AWD systems.

 

[Scouzer]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
I think you should really check into the service depts are up there. You don't exactly need a dealership. Also, I don't think you should buy a vehicle with the expectation that it's going to break down....kinda like setting yourself up for failure. With that said, if trucks are even an option for you, I'd recommend a Toyota Tacoma + sandbags in the back.

I'd love a Tacoma, but I'd have to buy brand new due to insanely high resale values. Which I cannot afford.

The only shops are mom & pop garages. The Ford/Jeep dealerships are about 4 hours away, which beats 10+ hours to a Honda or Toyota...

 

[thedarkwolf]

Would you rather drive a hybrid or a desiel?

 

[tigerbait]

find a 4runner

 

[DainBramaged]

H1

 

[archcommus]

What what what....would YOU choose.

Still a kid at heart....

 

[torpid]

4hrs vs 10hrs... are you implying that you would be taking the vehicle to the dealer for service when it's 4 hours away? I find that to be really impractical. If you mean just in terms of going there to buy it, I think 6 hours for a vehicle you will spend hundreds of hours in might be worth it.

 

[Soccerman06]

I got a Jeep Liberty and have to put up with driving up and down hills in with some quite large amounts of snow (in winter). On average theres maybe 50"+ on snow, even had 15" one night. The day later, the only trouble I had when going to the ski mountain an 7:30am was dusting the Liberty off. Thanks to the snow tires and 4HI, I got around with no trouble at all. Had to use 4Lo to get cause snow was up and over the rear bumper, but was fun to fishtail in RWD mode haha.

Liberty gets my move.

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: Scouzer
So I may be moving fairly far north. Fort Nelson, BC I think. Look it up on Mapquest.

Anyway, its on the Alaska Highway. Not the most friendly piece of road in the winter. So I think one of these two vehicles would be best.

Most important to me - gas mileage.

Second - fun to drive.

Third - some off road capability. I doubt I'd OFFROAD that far north but I would definitely be taking it down some sketchy excuses for road.

What say you?

P.S. I am an import fanboy but they are out of the question that far north. No dealership coverage up there, it'd easily be 10 hours to the nearest Honda dealership.

I have a 2001 Ford Escape and it handles very nicely in the winter. I just recently took a road trip from Raleigh, NC to DC, and averaged 24 mpg.

For the size, it's a very peppy car. Do not get the I4, it is a sad excuse for a motor. Get the V6, or hybrid. I have the V6.

I have driven mine offroad, and on sand (beach on the outer banks of NC), and it handled very well. I had very little issues driving it on the sand, whereas my friend who had a jeep had to get off the sand cause his car kept getting stuck.

Those are my 2 cents. I personally think, for it's class, the escape is the best car you can get. Personally, I would get the V6 over the hybrid, and would not even consider the I4.

EDIT: Also, I am a big guy, and I am able to fit comfortably in the escape. I've managed to fit 7 people in my car once, without even shoving people in the back storage area. 2 in the front, 3 on the back seat, and 2 on 2 people in the backseat's lap. I could proably fit another 2-3 in the back if need be. This is just to give you a sense of size.

 

[neovan]

Xterra

 

[notfred]

WRX.

 

[VTHodge]

Originally posted by: Scouzer

Originally posted by: VTHodge
I drive a Mazda Tribute, which is very similar to the Ford Escape, and I am very happy with it. I get aroud 22 mpg with mixed driving (max at about 25-26 pure highway).

I drove a Liberty for about a month (rental) and did not like it that much. The interior felt very small to me, especially compare to the Tribute.

I would probably recommend the Escape Hybrid.

With the V6?

That's excellent mileage.

My friends keep saying Ford Ranger, but I'm not so keen on that...

Yes, it's a V6. It's a 2004 ES-class.
Just filled up an hour ago and it was 335 miles / 15.5 gallons = 21.6 mpg.

 

[VTHodge]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: VTHodge
I drive a Mazda Tribute, which is very similar to the Ford Escape, and I am very happy with it. I get aroud 22 mpg with mixed driving (max at about 25-26 pure highway).

I drove a Liberty for about a month (rental) and did not like it that much. The interior felt very small to me, especially compare to the Tribute.

I would probably recommend the Escape Hybrid.

The Liberty/Escape are within an inch of each other on pretty much all interior measurements.

I said the interior felt smaller. Mostly based on the way the seats/dash/center console were shaped and placed. I know you are trying to back your car, but I have driven both for significant amounts of time and have enough info to make an informed opinion.

 

[thomsbrain]

if you get a RAV4, you will be able to drive it for at least 100K with nothing but oil changes (and you could probably skip even those). so having a local dealer won't even be necessary.

in gold country passes over the sierras in CA, where there are no mechanics who specialize in anything, most people either drive ancient trucks or subarus. the fact that there are no subaru dealerships within 150 miles doesn't slow them down at all. most cars that aren't supercars or brand-new S-Class Mercedes don't need to be serviced at the dealership, and if your car is really reliable in the first place (Subaru, Toyota, Honda), then it really isn't that much of a problem to be far from the dealer, especially if we're talking new cars. if you can find a mechanic with metric tools and a set of Chilton's, you're probably ok.

 

[soydios]

I would go for the Liberty 4WD.

And an Escape Hybrid would be a very bad idea. Batteries do not like the cold.

 

[sniperruff]

subaru forester. practical, car-like handling, reliable, excellent residual value, trusted AWD.

 

[VirginiaDonkey]

I have a Mercury Mariner ( Same as Escape) and have rented the Liberty. The Escape wins hands down. Less tippy feeling, better ride. You should read the reviews and and road tests and then drive both.