Who likes their car/truck (Page 3)

That was choice #2, but we went with the Rav4 for two reasons:

- we're coming from a Jeep, so we wanted to go with something the same size 

- the posted MPG on the turbo (Eric insisted) was lower than the MPG on the Rav4 v6

But the WRX was hot.  I liked it. 

We haven't traveled with the bike in the Rav yet, but we did put them in last night to see how it fit, since we haven't had the receiver put on yet for the bike rack.  We took the front wheels off and put them in on the side with the read seats folded down.  They fit perfectly.  And I think we can get away with only folding down half of the rear seat and it will be fine.  Plus there's tons of room left for the camping gear, etc.

But, that's not going to be the normal mode of bike transport.  We have a bike rack that fits into a receiver hitch, and as soon as we get one put on the new vehicle, that's how we'll roll.

As for comparing the Rav4 and the CRV, there was no comparison for us.  We test drove the WRX turbo wagon, first and loved the the power, but weren's happy with the fact that it felt like a "car" rather than an SUV.

Then we drove the Rav4, and liked it even more.  Lots of power in the V6, and lots of room.

Then we drove the CRV and were a bit disappointed.  The sales guy riding with us said, "You won't find power like this in any other car out there."  Eric and I just looked at each other and smiled.  We didn't even take it on any hills.  I just didn't like the way it handled compared to the Rav4.

Not saying it's a bad car.  It's not.  I have a couple of friends who have CRVs and they just love them. So they're not bad.  Just not what we were looking for.   

My bike is small enough that I can haul it in my Cr-V without taking off the wheel.  Not sure about larger bikes.  I have to put my seats down also - though I'm sure if I took the front wheel off I could haul my bike sideways in the back compartment with the seats up.  Whatever the case, I rarely drive my car with the seats up anyways, because I tend to use my CR-V more like a pick-up truck.   Not sure about comparisons between the RAV4 and CRV, and I can attest to the fact that there are many days when I wish I had a V-6, which is not available on the CRV.  However, when I fill-up the gas tank I pat myself on the back for owning a 4 cylinder.

My bike is small enough that I can haul it in my Cr-V without taking off the wheel.  Not sure about larger bikes.  I have to put my seats down also - though I'm sure if I took the front wheel off I could haul my bike sideways in the back compartment with the seats up.  Whatever the case, I rarely drive my car with the seats up anyways, because I tend to use my CR-V more like a pick-up truck.   Not sure about comparisons between the RAV4 and CRV, and I can attest to the fact that there are many days when I wish I had a V-6, which is not available on the CRV.  However, when I fill-up the gas tank I pat myself on the back for owning a 4 cylinder."

The CR-V and the Element both have the V-TEC 4 cylinders.  If I am not mistaken, they have 160 hp.  Trust me, they have enough power.  The CR-V (My mom used to have one before she got an element) can spin all four wheel from a stand still on dry pavement  if you're not "careful" .  I feel like the Element has even more power, but it is an automatic, and the CR-V was a 5 speed- same engine though.  The CR-V gets way better fuel economy then the Element, about 25 all the time- we even got over 30 once with the CR-V, but can't ever get over 26 with the element, and on trips the element only gets about 21-23.

The salesperson on your CRV test ride must be delusional.  The CRV is probably geared more toward a person who is looking for exceptional fuel economy, rather than something snappy under the hood.  Granted I have the 2001 model CRV, and it's even more lame power-wise than the new ones - when you press on the accelerator, the car has to think about accelerating for a bit. At the time I bought my CRV, though, it had more room in the back than the RAV4 during that same model year.  Sadly, the back of a 2001RAV4 looked like it might haul groceries, but certainly didn't meet my own requirements for interior roominess.

2003 Chevy Tahoe...love it! Holds everything and more! Last week I fit a Honda CR-V in the back next to my bike. All I had to do was remove the third row of seats and fold down the second row.

The gas mileage kills me, but I really do love the truck. BTW, no "little man's syndrome" here. I'm 6'7" so the size is nice for me. I have seen TOO MANY 5'5" and under men driving these behemoths. Also many little soccer moms who can't see over the steering wheel.

[qutoe]The salesperson on your CRV test ride must be delusional.  The CRV is probably geared more toward a person who is looking for exceptional fuel economy, rather than something snappy under the hood.  Granted I have the 2001 model CRV, and it's even more lame power-wise than the new ones - when you press on the accelerator, the car has to think about accelerating for a bit. At the time I bought my CRV, though, it had more room in the back than the RAV4 during that same model year.  Sadly, the back of a 2001RAV4 looked like it might haul groceries, but certainly didn't meet my own requirements for interior roominess.

Before we did the test driving, he really really wanted the WRX.  Its been on his Christmas Wish List for the last 4 years.

And it was the first car we took for a test drive.  It was a pretty close race between the Rav4 and the wagon.  I think the only reason the Rav won is because of the interior space concerns.  Like I said before, he's coming from am SUV (Jeep Cherokee), and the Subaru felt too much like a "car".

But he agonized over it for at least three months.   

I love my '98 Jeep Wrangler.  Would not get rid of it for anything, except maybe another Wrangler.  However, I am lucky enough to have an incredible Fiance who has a Honda Element, which I must say is, IMO, the best tri car out there.

Adios
Dave

I'm obsessive about my Suby.  I call it the Silver Bullet.  If you think a stock WRX is fast.... hehehe!

~B

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