Ford Maverick

[Winelover]

I drive full size vans, since 1977! I much prefer to go pick up 40-50 pound bags of whatever, with the full size van over Cindy's Colorado. The vans floor is lower than the pickups bed, so don't have to lift as high. Also, when I pull the Ranger SxS up to unload, it's bed is pretty much level.............only need to slide the bags to transfer.

I lived in the snowy north, drove the van to work, daily. It doesn't even have Posi-traction. Never had an issue, driving in snow. Plenty of ground clearance, with 16" wheels.

Still don't have anything smaller than a V-8, registered in my name. Yeah, I'm a dinosaur.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Posi-traction is also a nice addition.
Locked axles can be a boon or a major detriment if you don't know how to drive with them. They are a excellent "loside finder".

I never found both locked axles useful on paved or cement snow surfaces. Single locked axle drives straight often overcoming steering if good traction is found.
I have had a number of different axles and like a electric locker thats a LS when off. In a long WB auto PU a Detroit Locker is awesome even if only 2WD.

CW

 

[Winelover]

Cindy asked me once, why don't you get a Suburban. Because you give up 100 cubic feet of cargo space for about $10K more, back then. Discussion over!

 

[Petrol & Powder]

While we're on this subject, does anybody make anything with manual transmissions? The CVT types seem all the rage, and based on my son's Mitsubishi, they are extremely efficient, but my mechanic friend tells me the whole concept is designed to be doomed to failure eventually and Nissan had a class action suit against it due to premature failures of the CVT in their Versa.

Is it really that hard to produce and sell a normal five speed?

I've driven vehicles equipped with CVT and I don't care for that type of tramsmission.
I understand the concept and and agree they can be efficent but I don't beleive they will hold up.
It not difficult to produce manual transmissions but it is difficult to find buyers that want them.
This is very much an American issue as most parts of the world still produce and sell large nubers of vehicles with manuals.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Posi-traction is also a nice addition.
Locked axles can be a boon or a major detriment if you don't know how to drive with them. They are a excellent "loside finder".

I never found both locked axles useful on paved or cement snow surfaces. Single locked axle drives straight often overcoming steering if good traction is found.
I have had a number of different axles and like a electric locker thats a LS when off. In a long WB auto PU a Detroit Locker is awesome even if only 2WD.

CW

Posi-traction (or any of the other trade names for a limited slip differential) are a good compromise between an open differential and a locker.

Lockers do not tolerate stupid drivers but like a lot of things - that is a self correcting problem.
Lockers are useful if you have some mechanical sense and use them correctly.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Fact: 4 wheel drive will not suspend the laws of physics. Also line was from the "Devil's Right Hand". I personally disagree with that line. I can think of a couple of occasions when a pistol if not getting me out of trouble, sure kept trouble from starting.

Thank you
Correction made.

 

[300BLK]

My wife's 2006 Ford Five Hundred AWD had the CVT transmission and worked very well. We loved that car, but it got rear-ended and was "totaled" by the insurance company in 2012 with 92K on the odometer, but was still driveable!

Her current vehicle is a 2019 Subaru Forester, 2.5L direct injection (no turbo!), AWD, and CVT. It works well and has more cargo space with the rear seat down than does th Xterra.

 

[Rick H]

4x4. I will always have one vehicle with 4 wheel drive. I am not a hard core boon-docker but my cabin lies down a 1/2mile long two track through the woods in northern Michigan. I hunt in November/December in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula. That means snow, ruts, mud and sand. I can get to most places with 2 wheel drive, and most pickups have plenty of ground clearance, most of the time. The problem comes when you stop, park the truck and need to get going again. I can get the 4x2 rolling after 45min work with a shovel, come along and a deadman. Or I can have it in 4 wheel high and drive out. I have done it both ways, 4x4 is worth its weight in gold.

4x4 or at least front wheel drive can be a real plus on slimey algae covered boat ramps too.

 

[KeithB]

This is one of those discussions where there is no single right answer for everyone. I've owned numerous pickup trucks, a Suburban, a station wagon, and several Chrysler/Plymouth vans. Each one was what I needed at that point in my life. Now what I need I have, which is my Grand Caravan. I can get a 4 x 8 sheet of wood in the back, haul my wheelchair, load it up with groceries, bags of wood chips, cat carriers, etc. And for the few times I haul humanity around I can just pop the seats up. The front wheel drive is pretty good for traction for most of the bad weather we get in the winter. I'm pretty cautious but I've never gotten stuck.

My answer may be totally wrong for you but so far it works for me.

 

[hporter]

I drive full size vans

Though not full size, I've been noticing the myriad of small commercial vans out on the market now. Some of them have piqued my interest.

When our granddaughter was born, I bought my wife a Toyota Sienna minivan. She has always had a Suburban, and had no desire to ever own a minivan. But that Sienna really changed our perspective on the utility of a vehicle that can haul quite a lot for it's size, and gets really good gas mileage. That was one downside of the slew of Suburbans she has always driven. I know the rest of the country pays a lot more for gas - but here in Houston it was back up to $3.40 a gallon when I filled up her van yesterday.

My Tundra has never gotten better than 15-16 miles per gallon. I keep thinking about how useful those little commercial vans would be, especially in a stripped out "work" version with rubber floorboards and vinyl seats. I don't tow a trailer anymore, so I really don't need a full sized truck. I wonder if any of those little vans come with a robust engine that could do 200-300k miles without a fortune spent in maintenance?

 

[Petrol & Powder]

4x4. I will always have one vehicle with 4 wheel drive. I am not a hard core boon-docker but my cabin lies down a 1/2mile long two track through the woods in northern Michigan. I hunt in November/December in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula. That means snow, ruts, mud and sand. I can get to most places with 2 wheel drive, and most pickups have plenty of ground clearance, most of the time. The problem comes when you stop, park the truck and need to get going again. I can get the 4x2 rolling after 45min work with a shovel, come along and a deadman. Or I can have it in 4 wheel high and drive out. I have done it both ways, 4x4 is worth its weight in gold.

4x4 or at least front wheel drive can be a real plus on slimey algae covered boat ramps too.

If you learn how to drive a 2WD pickup off road (like I did) you get pretty good at not getting stuck. When you later get a 4WD truck it almost feels like cheating!

 

[Bret4207]

OK, but I can more easily handle what I'd have overloaded a 60s-era half-ton with and don't have to lift it over my head to get it in my means of conveyance.


No cattle, not hauling implements or tractors either. The point is that I have to haul a lot of stuff that won't fit into the car/truck combo thingies, and driving a full-sized pickup every day doesn't make sens for me. Can't afford/don't want the maintenance of a car and a truck, so... the "stodgy station-wagon" rules the day for my needs. The compact size of the Cherokee is just enough for what I have to do. I'm not pulling stumps either, but I've drug some logs out of the woods that weighed almost as much as the "car." It's a compromise, but so woiuld be a real truck for me - I just picked my own optimum set of compromises and a truck didn't fit - for ME.

I don't know what it's like everywhere else, but most pickups I see on the road these days never get used as a truck. You see pretty people drive them in town to run errands and go to work. I think most of those are "look at me - I've got the baddest truck in town."

That's not counting the young guys with "old" pickups that are three colors, require a step-ladder to get into and have a set of wheels on them that are worth four times what the truck's worth. I kind of like those kids. Their truck sits in the yard between paydays and parts runs, but hey are very dedicated to "old" trucks.

Vans and mini-vans, if they still make them, would make a LOT of sens for a lot of people. I like the idea too, really. There's a lot of space inside some of those minivans. Ground clearance could be an issue for me and I won't be dragging a 6'x12' trailer full of firewood out of the woods with one, but all that room inside! Just don't like all the motor-driven opening/closing/folding/unfolding, or the rest of the fancy, electronic stuff that's on everything these days.

I get what you're saying, but having owned a couple Cherokees I know their limits. A trailer is a wonderful tool. My father had the family station wagon and a trailer for many years, in fact I'd say a good 12 years of married life before he got a $300.00 F-100 that was locally known as "The Spruce Goose" due to the plywood body panels he attached to it! He hauled immense amounts of lumber, stone, cement, machinery, topsoil and everything else you can think of with a ho'made trailer, which I still own! But there isn't a lot of difference between a Cherokee and that Malibu station wagon as far as hauling goes. In fact, I can recall a time when the travel trailers of the 60s/70's were routinely hauled behind sedans and station wagons. Airstreams were the top of the line and many were hauled behind a Caddy!!! And yes, the dude with the lifted 1 ton dually diesel that never hauls anything heavier than a set of golf clubs mystifies me too!!! Still, with todays crew cab/4 door PU's, some which will get better than 20MPG, there isn't a lot of reason for someone NOT to prefer a PU over a car. My wife hated the sedans I bought for her. She wants to be up higher where she can see around her, not down with her butt 6" off the ground as in my old Sunbeam Alpine, Covair or even the 70 Chevelle SS. I get it. MIni vans work as well as most station wagons, except few if any will let you put sheetrock in the back like a Burb or my folks 74 Ford wagon.

In the end, whatever floats yer boat is good with me. I'd rather see a resurgence of the 4 cyl 1/4 ton PU's as others have noted than the ridiculous EV's that allow 2 people and a bag of groceries in the car!

Here we are talking about this stuff and my wife has decided I need to sell at least 2 of my trucks and get something newer, more comfortable and more complex that what I have now!!! She's gonna have a hard time winning this one!

 

[Bret4207]

I drive full size vans, since 1977! I much prefer to go pick up 40-50 pound bags of whatever, with the full size van over Cindy's Colorado. The vans floor is lower than the pickups bed, so don't have to lift as high. Also, when I pull the Ranger SxS up to unload, it's bed is pretty much level.............only need to slide the bags to transfer.

I lived in the snowy north, drove the van to work, daily. It doesn't even have Posi-traction. Never had an issue, driving in snow. Plenty of ground clearance, with 16" wheels.

Still don't have anything smaller than a V-8, registered in my name. Yeah, I'm a dinosaur.

The only thing I don't like about vans, and I drove an E350 Ford for years, is the limited visibility. Yes, I know how to use my mirrors, but it's the same as having a PU with a cap on it, only I can't take the cap off a van. Otherwise a full sized van is a fine utility/family vehicle. I see a lot of Mercedes vans up this way now. I think they're diesels and a lot of contractors are going to them for the same reason you mentioned- bed height.

 

[Jeff H]

If you learn how to drive a 2WD pickup off road (like I did) you get pretty good at not getting stuck. When you later get a 4WD truck it almost feels like cheating!

It may well be, but I'm not ashamed in the least. I've driven a lot of 2WD pickups. Some had open diffs, some posis, some were labeled "limited slip, which were great for chugging through snow and mud. Having another drive wheel to get some traction when the one doesn't makes a big difference in what I have to drive through.

I use 4WD so I DON'T tear up lanes and waterways - so I don't spin my wheels. I'm not into "wheeling," I just need to get in and out with little drama. We had a winter a few years back in which the snow plows were getting stuck and waiting for a "tug" from a big farm tractor. I could sit tight and enjoy the isolation, but if my wife has an emergency and EMS can't get down my road, I can get down it and to them. Lots of extra weight and friction to drag around during the warmer months, but that insurance premium (in gas) is worth it to me.

Given the choice, I'll go with 4WD myself.

We had a 2001 Subaru Forester, until the heads started leaking coolant at pretty low miles. It was a dog on the highway and didn't get any better mileage than the Cherokees, but that danged thing would GO in the SNOW! Punch the accelerator and the car WENT, regardless of what was under the tires. Not the same as traditional 4WD, but an interesting observation while on the topic of vehicles. My dad had a Dodge minivan at one time with "AWD" and it was much the same in the snow. I was surprised at how well it did.

MANY of the guys who set up at the small, local shows use minivans. They can get a LOT of stuff into one of those things!

 

[Jeff H]

....Otherwise a full sized van is a fine utility/family vehicle...

I DO like the idea of being able to sort of stand up in a full-sized van as compared to squatting and crawling under a cap. It was fine when I was 20 through 40, but all my bendy stuff complains a lot more these days.

I'm a one-man show too. Keeping with an extra vehicle used a few times a year - insurance, licenses, maintenance, etc. is a no-go for me. Seems if I don't use a vehicle regularly, that's when stuff goes wrong. I had a '76 Ford F150 with a 300 Six and three-on-the-tree at one time. Really cool truck, but EVERY time I went to use it, something was wrong with it. It only had 76k miles on it. Great engine, but all the peripherals would go bad, one at a time.

 

[300BLK]

My dad bought a '76 F150 new. It was black with red interior, 302 v8 and automatic. It was a looker, but that SOB was absolutely miserable if the surface wasn't hard and dry. I swear it was the most helpless vehicle I ever had the displeasure to drive. Oh, yeah, he THOUGHT weight in the bed and studded snow tires were the answer, but NOT!

What were "station wagons" back in the day had more rear weight, better weight distribution, so did OK. I learned to drive with RWD, and steering with the throttle in the snow was a hoot. Later, I bought a 4wd F150 and was amazed. Since then, she or I have had 4wd or AWD.

I do not need a 4 door F150 or anything of that size, but I do like the elevated seating position and comfort. The wife's Forester is VERY comfortable, and I don't feel like I'm gonna be squashed like a bug when around larger vehicles. Those mini-cars might be OK for in-town commuters at 35mph, but forget it on the highway at 75+.

 

[JonB]

Low miles? I have not seen a truck of any kind, except a rebuilt wreak, with less than 150,000 miles in ten years!

Here is another one, also a fresh listing [yesterday]
It's a little closer to Rick, too...but it's 4x4 ...actually it's one I'd like to have.

1995 Toyota Tacoma Regular Cab

2005 Toyota Tacoma looking to sale as soon as possible. In amazing condition please contact me if you have an question

www.facebook.com

 

[RicinYakima]

I wonder if any of those little vans come with a robust engine that could do 200-300k miles without a fortune spent in maintenance?

Here in Eastern WA, the Ford Transit Connect mini vans are popular with beer, pop, bread etc. route salesmen. I don't know what they start at, but top out about $35,000 top end. The one guy I talked to said they sell them at 100,000 miles, but are trouble free till then. Believe that is a tax issue. FWIW

 

[JonB]

Here is another one, again 4x4, but it does have a few more miles on it [under 200K]...IT SURE IS CLEAN.
add says Automatic, but there is a shifter and clutch pedal in photos.

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[Winelover]

The only thing I don't like about vans, and I drove an E350 Ford for years, is the limited visibility. Yes, I know how to use my mirrors, but it's the same as having a PU with a cap on it, only I can't take the cap off a van. Otherwise a full sized van is a fine utility/family vehicle. I see a lot of Mercedes vans up this way now. I think they're diesels and a lot of contractors are going to them for the same reason you mentioned- bed height.

I purchase and drive 3/4 ton passenger vans, since 1985. Also, limo tint the windows and have plenty of visibility but privacy. You get a better interior and sound proofing. When I need to haul, can take out the extra seating.