Need SUV Help!

[irenafarm]

The Element is good for mediium dog people but not if you are putting multiple large crates in. I have two friends with them, love them, but their dogs are BCs. And they have all the seats down/out.

I have a friend who just got a Highlander. Again, she just squeezes in two BC sized crates.

I think you have one of three options:

Get a full-sized vehicle (like a Tahoe or something bigger).
Get smaller dogs.
Get a mini-van.

I have a Suburban and weep bitter tears when I think I gave up a minivan for the Queen Mary, just when gas prices tripled. And we tripled our car payment too, which just about bankrupted us combined with the jump in gas prices and the drought. But I'd just had a wreck and I was a freak for safety - I felt like I was driving around in a Spam can in the Montana. Plus, we lived on a dirt road and we were having the wheels balanced and the suspension adjusted about every two weeks.

We are totally upsidedown in the Queen Mary so we have to stick it out to the bitter end with her. But the second we are free I'm turning whatever is left of her in, for a truck!

 

[adojrts]

I have don't know if my vehcile is big enough for what you need. I drive a Ford Focus Wagon, ITS GREAT. When the back seat is down, I can fit in my ez up, several medium dog crates and all my stuff and still have plenty of room left over. I was very surprised at how much space was there was. When I got it, my friend had a Ford Explorer and surprisingly there wasn't much difference in the cargo area. It gets great mileage and has been absolutely dependable. I have almost 300 kms on it and its still going with NO engine problems on any level. After I kill this one, (and if they don't change them ) we will certainly purchase another one.
3 yrs ago we went to R.I with 8 jrts (in crates), ez up, x pens (3 on the roofrack), all our gear, bags etc with two people. It cost me $80.00 in fuel for a trip that took 10 hrs each way.
Lynn

 

[StevePax]

I'll make an economical suggestion that you might all laugh at. I drive a Scion xB. It's that funny looking boxy compact car. Of course, to fit the crates in there, the back seats would have to be folded down. But there is an obscene amount of room in there with the back seats down, I swear - I honestly think you would be able to fit the crates.

As for your significant other - for a tall person, this is the perfect car. I promise you that you will not find any other car on the market with more headroom - a 6'6" person would easily have 5 inches of clearance above his head, and more legroom than he's ever had in a car before.

The best part - it costs less than $16,000 (or did when I bought mine 2 years ago, anyway). Before you knock it as unacceptable, go check it out. It's the roomiest car out there, gets over 30 mpg, and is made by Toyota, so you know it'll last.

 

[Xerxes]

I show my boy and drive an Element. I think the element has lots of room for the humans up front. The drawback is that in order to put the crates in, the seats must come out.

For utilitarian purposes, it's a great vehicle. I used to drive an extended cab F150 and that just didn't cut it.

 

[SizzleDog]

i drive a tahoe, and i can fit two dobe sized crates next to each other with the back seats up depending on the crates- right now the onei use for rah, i cannot, or the second crate has to be very small. but the hybrid is just out this year, so you cannot buy used, and its very spendy. i also get extremely poor gas mileage.

I am actually getting narrower crates, specifically made for vehicles. They are custom made somewhere in Michigan, reeeeallly nice crates! So I won't be putting "normal" large dog crates in the SUV... I'd just like them to have as much room as possible without going the huge SUV route.

ETA - the hybrids may not be used now, but they will be in 2-3 years when I'm in the market for a new (previously owned) vehicle. That is why I'm researching the new SUVs out right now, so I know what to look for a few years "down the road", so to speak.