Let The Vehicle Search Begin

[beak81champ]

I bought the truck brand new off the lot in October of '98. almost immediately, I set about ruining it. After running into issues with a shop I thought I could trust (ran by former NBA players with the fabricator who previously designed suspension systems for Airlift), I finally brought the truck home and it has sat ever since. I keep telling myself I'll get to it "some day."

It was originally black. It had a little stereo in it (Diamond and Rockford) and some custom leather Recaro buckets. Some of the other work is a little more apparent in the photos.

These are a couple of old shots when it was in that last shop getting worked on.
Attachment 7553Attachment 7554

Layin frame on 26’s?

[Lanson]

Hey Dustin,

I can't offer much in the way of suggesting which vehicle has the largest kickpanels, so I'll defer that to other experts. I usually just make-do with factory locations and just try to maximize them. As far as the part I can contribute to, once you get a specific model in mind, I can check a few resources on my end for reliability patterns and so on.

I currently work for Solera as a field engineer in the shop management system and repair software division. Previously, I spent 12 years working for Identifix (now a Solera company), training shops how to use the product.

As far as trucks today, I ended up with an FJ. I picked it because my budget was under 30k, and I wanted to trade my fragile WRX in on the most robust, durable, and capable vehicle I could find that could still take two kids comfortably on a trip. A 4Runner was also on the short-list, as was a newish Tacoma and Tundra. I decided I wanted a Toyota for their ultimate durability (the trucks, anyway.)

[Hillbilly SQ]

I would stay away from the BMW X5 to be honest. I hear that they can be endless money pits. Same with Mercedes. Their used value drops like a rock for a reason. They hold up OK for those who can afford to buy new or just lease them but after that they're too much of a wild card.

I still encourage you to talk to Lanson on here about this. He will tell you the good, bad, and just plain ugly about what's on the road so you can make a more educated decision on what you can and can't live with because they all have problems.

On the Santa Fe I had a 2017 Sport for a rental while my Grand Cherokee was in the body shop after getting rear ended. I liked the car OK for what it was and dreamed about what I could do with that false floor underneath. The big issue was the doors creaked as the body flexed while easing over holes in the gravel road I live on. In my opinion no car should do that ever. Just didn't give me much confidence in the structural integrity of the body as a whole. Guess if you never drive where the road is less than perfect you wouldn't know the difference. My Grand Cherokee was a tank so unfair comparison there. It held up quite well for as hard as it was hit and the back hatch even still opened and closed and sealed up even though it and the bumper was caved in!

For your needs I'd stick with a truck if you're going to be hauling stuff like bikes. Compile a list of what you think will fit your needs inside and out and go on the hunt. I was looking for something VERY specific in a truck and found mine in Texas and I live in Arkansas so don't be afraid to travel for the right truck.

[Lanson]

Dustin has reached out, that's why I'm active in the thread. I would echo what you said about the X5. Really, with Euro vehicles, the best experience with these is to LEASE them. And make sure the lease includes free loaners for any and all service or repair, and double-good if you can get the lease to include service expenses. Nobody wants to be surprised by a $300 oil change.

I would stay away from the BMW X5 to be honest. I hear that they can be endless money pits. Same with Mercedes. Their used value drops like a rock for a reason. They hold up OK for those who can afford to buy new or just lease them but after that they're too much of a wild card.

I still encourage you to talk to Lanson on here about this. He will tell you the good, bad, and just plain ugly about what's on the road so you can make a more educated decision on what you can and can't live with because they all have problems.

On the Santa Fe I had a 2017 Sport for a rental while my Grand Cherokee was in the body shop after getting rear ended. I liked the car OK for what it was and dreamed about what I could do with that false floor underneath. The big issue was the doors creaked as the body flexed while easing over holes in the gravel road I live on. In my opinion no car should do that ever. Just didn't give me much confidence in the structural integrity of the body as a whole. Guess if you never drive where the road is less than perfect you wouldn't know the difference. My Grand Cherokee was a tank so unfair comparison there. It held up quite well for as hard as it was hit and the back hatch even still opened and closed and sealed up even though it and the bumper was caved in!

For your needs I'd stick with a truck if you're going to be hauling stuff like bikes. Compile a list of what you think will fit your needs inside and out and go on the hunt. I was looking for something VERY specific in a truck and found mine in Texas and I live in Arkansas so don't be afraid to travel for the right truck.

[Jdunk54nl]

I would stay away from the BMW X5 to be honest. I hear that they can be endless money pits. Same with Mercedes. Their used value drops like a rock for a reason. They hold up OK for those who can afford to buy new or just lease them but after that they're too much of a wild card.

Those were just examples mainly because people know they are "expensive" to begin with and think of them as "elite" vehicles, so it was more of an attention grabber. But, all vehicles follow the same pattern. A 4runner follows it as they are usually about 65% of the new cost after 2-3years ($40,000+ new and about $28,000 used with 30,000 miles on carmax) The mercedes/BMW is about 50% so it is definitely more on the extreme side of that, but my 2014 F150 was $25,000 with 70,000 miles on it when I bought it and the sticker MSRP was $55,495.

The whole point was, with $30,000 budget for a used vehicle, he can pretty much get whatever he wants.

Dustin has reached out, that's why I'm active in the thread. I would echo what you said about the X5. Really, with Euro vehicles, the best experience with these is to LEASE them. And make sure the lease includes free loaners for any and all service or repair, and double-good if you can get the lease to include service expenses. Nobody wants to be surprised by a $300 oil change.

If you are surprised by service costs on vehicles, then you haven't done your research and bought it solely for the name. You should expect the foreign/"upper scale" vehicles to cost a little more on maintenance as there are less mom and pop mechanics to work on it. So supply and demand there.

[Hillbilly SQ]

Those were just examples mainly because people know they are "expensive" to begin with and think of them as "elite" vehicles, so it was more of an attention grabber. But, all vehicles follow the same pattern. A 4runner follows it as they are usually about 60%-65% of the new cost after 2-3years ($40,000 new and about $28,000 used with 30,000 miles on carmax) The mercedes/BMW is about 50% so it is definitely more on the extreme side of that, but my 2014 F150 was $25,000 with 70,000 miles on it when I bought it and the sticker MSRP was $55,495.

The whole point was, with $30,000 budget for a used vehicle, he can pretty much get whatever he wants.



If you are surprised by service costs on vehicles, then you haven't done your research and bought it solely for the name. You should expect the foreign/"upper scale" vehicles to cost a little more on maintenance as there are less mom and pop mechanics to work on it. So supply and demand there.

Yup, agree on all counts. To me a big part of a smart vehicle choice for the common person that isn't swimming in money is getting something that won't break you to maintain and occasionally get fixed. On trucks (Toyota, Ram, GM, and Ford...not many Nissans around here) just about everyone works on them daily and knows them inside and out. On the flip side most of these places won't touch a European car or anything that basically requires a doctorate in engineering to work on. Yeah I like some of the Euro cars but if I ever got one I'd lease it then walk away from it when the lease was over.

[DavidRam]

I love the NO cvt part... Carmax has a great website that you could use as tool (not to buy from them necessarily), but to get ideas...

Here is SUVs narrowed to 15-30k: https://www.carmax.com/cars/sport-ut...ce=15000-30000

Trucks 15-30k: https://www.carmax.com/cars/pickup-t...ce=15000-30000

I am not a Toyota fan at all, but for $30k you could get you into an almost brand new Tacoma. Those seem to be all around good trucks with Toyota's reliability.

I really enjoy car shopping!

[Lanson]

Oh yeah, getting this beast and modding it like I have to where it is now has been one of the most fun experiences for me in my entire car buying/modding history, going all the way back to age 16.

[rton20s]

I can say I have been very happy with the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The false floor in the storage area was a huge help (I know more models today have that space). I am not sure about 10’s in the kickpanels, but I can take a photo next week with a Pioneer IB Flat 10 next to the kick area if that will help.

Sure, the more reference information I can get, the better.

For $30k, your options are pretty much unlimited on the used market. You could get something simple all the way up to a 2016/17 Mercedes GLE350 or BMW x5 SUV with like 30,000 miles on it.
I actually just wrote a blog for my financial coaching business on this and was shocked at how "cheap" those two were. (for reference: https://www.atozfinancialfreedom.com...r-used-vehicle)

So, don't worry about the price all that much (except to decrease it by whatever you want). Now just figure out which one can fit the other requirements, with the kicks being probably the hardest part.

Thanks for the feedback. And yes. I have seen that if I do open my budget up as high as $30k, the options are pretty wide open. I'd love to find something under $20k, but options become MUCH more limited at that price point.

The one thing I will be very careful of, is researching both common issues with a mark as well as costs of repairs. "inexpensive" used luxury brands can quickly become not so cheap once maintenance or repairs rear their ugly head. Plus, I've been spoiled in that regard driving a Toyota that is nearly impossible to break and pretty inexpensive to repair if it ever does.

I'll take a read through your link. Thanks again.

[rton20s]

Layin frame on 26’s?

20" x 8" Intro Champion 6s. That photo was back in 2002 after all. I think I bought the wheels in 2000, though. I even opted for the 8" wide step lip over the brand new (at the time) 8.5" soft lip at the time because of fitment concerns up front.