"Dog" Cars?

I have a Toyota Matrix, but I haven't tried to fit more than two crates in it. The back seats go down though, so I bet you could fit 3 or 4 crates if you put the back seat down. Either that or you could stick one crate in the very back and two on the back seats. The Matrix gets 30MPG, and I've seen some used ones that were priced low. Here's my car (please excuse the aftermath of the December Colorado blizzard which was still melting lmao). >^_^<

you need a minivan-- none of the vehicles you listed are big enough for your needs.  I'm saving up for one myself.

ORIGINAL: Xerxes

ORIGINAL: TAOofGoldyShep
I know a couple people who have the Honda Element who say the car is lacking in "hiney" big time...if that matters to you.

Well it does have enough power (166HP) to get up to speed, but not much more than that.  The torque is non-existent, so don't think you'll win any stoplight races.[]

HAHA...that's your story and you're stickin' to it! []  Just kidding.  Dunno...these people may indeed be lead foots, I've never driven with either of them.  I think their main beef is pulling out into traffic, getting up to speed, etc.  It's not a very aerodynamic design.  One of them refers to it as their bread truck, lol.
 
Me, on the other hand, I drive like a turtle...even w/a turbo engine!
 
 

TUNDRA...
The Tundra as an example will not give you that milage rating...unless you choose the smallest engine size or add in something like a prechamber fuel mixer and air intake system. With the small engine in the Tundra you are left with an underpowered bulky vehicle that is not comfortable to drive at expressway speeds.
There are after market ventilation systems for the cap however. Vents you can add to increase circulation. they are available at most off road, truck, and especially hunting outfitters.

I'm happy to report that our 2003 Tundra Limited (xtd cab, 8-cyl, not 4-wd) still rides like a luxury vehicle after four years.  Great comfort on and off highway...even takes NH dirt/backroad bumps gently.  Unbelievable.  And, surprisingly, it also gets much better gas mileage than the 6-cyl Cherokee Sport.

My vote still goes for the very roomy and comfy Volvo XC Wagon. []  ...5-cyl and gas mileage has been running 22 mpg on average.

I drive a Chevy Trailblazer. I can fit two intermediate crates in the hatch with the back seats upright and in their proper positions. With seats down I can fit Five crates in there - one large, two intermediates, a medium, and Zippy's small stashed in there too. I can haul up to three crates and have room for 3 humans, or two crates and four to five humans. Gas mileage isn't all that great, but could be worse. It has 4wd that is easily turned off and on - on the fly. Best towing capacity in its class. If you go with a setup like this you wind up shuffling crates around some. I always keep two crates in the hatch though - without fail.

I'm actually on the lookout for a mini-van though - as I'd like to be able to take out the seats and stack crates. []

I don't know much about cars, but personally if I wanted to be able to get 3 people and 2-3 dogs/crates in my vehicle, I'd get a minivan.  We've always wanted one because we like to camp a lot, which involveds packing lots of big stuff.  My husband had one very briefly that he was borrowing from his parents and it died right away.  We LOVED it.  We just kept all the bench seats out or had just one bench seat in and there's plenty of space.

I just got back from a family vacation in Fort Morgan, Alabama, which is like 1100 miles/18 hours drive from here.  We rented a minivan and only had to fill it 1 full tank and one half tank for the trip down, same for the trip up.  I don't know what that translates to into gas mileage, but my dad was impressed (and he knows cars).

I'm not one for looks and I'm not into trucks, so I'd get a minivan over an SUV any day. 

My mom has a Ford wagon, I think it's a Focus wagon.  Like the minivan, it's not very trendy, but she loves it and I love it too.  You can get 5 people in there, plus the whole back for dogs/crates and whatnot. 

I have an old Nissan pickup, and I do crafts fairs. I HATE crawling around in the pickup bed.

I used to have a Chevy cargo van (Express type) and I loved it. I moved up here in it but had to sell it because it wan't 4wd and I do live in one of the only places where you actually NEED 4WD to get home sometimes. That's only if you live on a dirt road. Front wheel drive does FINE in ice and snow as long as you don't have to deal with deep snow.

As far as ice goes, 4WD just puts you in the ditch faster and deeper. []

Anyway, I NEED a van, and I am thinking either a Toyota AWD, or a Honda, if they do start making one. I like the Chevy Astro van, it also comes in 4WD (think you have to buy a used one, do they make those anymore?) BUT American cars.....you have to keep trading them in, blah, later for that....

I was interested in the Honda Elephant, but decided that it was too small.

Just wanted to add two comments:
 
Whatever you get, please be very wary of putting a dog in a rear crumple zone!
 
Before you think about using seatbelts instead of crates, please read this thread: 
[link>http://forum.dog.com/asp/m.asp?m=304838]http://forum.dog.com/asp/m.asp?m=304838[/link][/size]

I can't add much, because I don't know very much about import vehicles. I'm a domestic guy myself. My grandfather bought a Tundra about 2 years ago with the V8. It gets about 15 mpg on average. But a warning to you, anyone over 6' tall will be eating their knees. I'm 6'4" and I cannot even fit behind the wheel in that thing.

From what you describe, I think that some type of van will satisfy your needs the best. Your not gonna be doing much off road in one of those, but it will do most everything else very well.

I have a pickup myself. It's a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 with the Cummins diesel engine. It does absolutely everything that I can throw at it. Plenty of room for anything, mileage is about 16 city and 20 hwy, and can pull/haul anything that you could possibly throw at it. I've also never been in a place off road that I couldn't get to. I'm extremely pleased with it. Not to mention, it's first overhaul is scheduled for 375,000 miles. People regularly get about 500,000 miles on one of these before its time for a new one.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

you need a minivan-- none of the vehicles you listed are big enough for your needs.  I'm saving up for one myself.

 
Yeah, and I am with Tashakota, either Odyssey or Sienna.  I am guy and the minivan rep as a soccer mom car is long past.  All wheel drive and total comfort in the cabin.  3 Great Danes can stand up without their ears touching the ceiling.  Read side windows roll down, a must for a dog.  Its all about what fits the dog.

I'm happy to get all the feedback - even if you all are mentioning vans and domestics waaay too much for my taste. []

Re: Vans: I know the soccer mom rep is past, but I'm 22 and I just can't get into the idea of driving a dang minivan around town all the time through my head comfortably. The one my parents had was big but I hated how it looked then, not to mention all the mechanical issues it had, and thus it's clouding my judgement a bit I suppose. I do like the crossover Tribeca though lol.

Re: domestics: My family has never had good luck w/ them (see van story above) and despite my uncle being a salesman at a Chevy dealership, my dad still swears he'll never buy one. Maybe it's changed some recently, but I always thought your avg Chevy/Ford/Dodge. etc. got lower gas milage than a comparable Subaru/Honda/Toyota.

I've decided that someone needs to build a computer program that allows you to cram stuff into various vehicles virtually and in the comfort of your own home lol, then I could figure out how all of these ideas would work.

Sounds like I might be leaning toward the Tacoma more now, but I'll still be checking everything out in the next few years.

Keep the ideas coming! []

How about an old milk truck? [&:]

http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1930-1939/1939-Divco-Milk-Truck-white-custom-ma.jpg

or a hearse?

fficial%26sa%3DG' target='_blank' title='http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurlfficial%26sa%3DG'>http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurlfficial%26sa%3DG>http://www.geo-metricks.com/geo-shop/promo-images/txc-hearse.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.geo-metricks.com/geo-shop/promo-htm/txc-hearse-promo.htm&h=480&w=640&sz=35&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=RXUoXJc9eiyDOM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhearse%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26sa%3DG[/link]

ORIGINAL: stardog85

Re: domestics: My family has never had good luck w/ them (see van story above) and despite my uncle being a salesman at a Chevy dealership, my dad still swears he'll never buy one. Maybe it's changed some recently, but I always thought your avg Chevy/Ford/Dodge. etc. got lower gas milage than a comparable Subaru/Honda/Toyota.

Sometimes yes, and sometimes the same. It all depends on the powertrain, weight of the vehicle and what they were designed to do. Domestic vehicle tend to cater more towards a crowd who don't mind sacrificing a little mileage for a little bit more "oomph", but they also have vehicles that cater toward the more mileage conscious crowd. Like I said, my heavy duty truck, that weighs in at a little over 8000 lbs, gets about 20 mpg on the highway. And that's with oversized tires. With the stock (I like to call them pizza cutters []) tires I got about 23 mpg.

I'm a HUGE fan of diesel powered vehicles. GREAT mileage and you don't sacrifice any power. Plus, with biodiesel becoming more available, it is becoming even more environmentally safe. I regularly run biodiesel in my truck, and I get better mileage and power out of it then regular diesel. I remember reading that Dodge is actually planning on putting a small diesel engine in their regular half ton trucks (the 1500 series). In the engineering magazine I read it in, their tests showed 26 mpg with this setup with average use. Maybe you might be interested in that. I know of other import vehicles that have diesels, but I can't remember exactly which ones off the top of my head. If you would like more info, I can dig it up for you.

I have never really been a fan of Chevy's products. They all seemed a little cheaply made compared to the price you pay for them. Ford's are great vehicles. They were just a little bit more pricey then a comparable Dodge, which is why I got the truck I did.

My first Dodge truck was gas powered. It was a hog. It got 10 mpg on a good day. They've come a long way since then. I've also had a Pontiac Trans Am. It got about 26 mpg on the highway, but about 12 in town. That probably had something to do with my lead foot. []

By the way, this kind of discussion is right up my alley. I'm a Mechanical Engineering student specializing in Internal Combustion Engine and Vehicle design. I'll talk (or type?) your ear off on this subject.

ORIGINAL: TAOofGoldyShep

TUNDRA...
The Tundra as an example will not give you that milage rating...unless you choose the smallest engine size or add in something like a prechamber fuel mixer and air intake system. With the small engine in the Tundra you are left with an underpowered bulky vehicle that is not comfortable to drive at expressway speeds.
There are after market ventilation systems for the cap however. Vents you can add to increase circulation. they are available at most off road, truck, and especially hunting outfitters.

I'm happy to report that our 2003 Tundra Limited (xtd cab, 8-cyl, not 4-wd) still rides like a luxury vehicle after four years.  Great comfort on and off highway...even takes NH dirt/backroad bumps gently.  Unbelievable.  And, surprisingly, it also gets much better gas mileage than the 6-cyl Cherokee Sport.

I had an '03 Tundra also, I second everything you said, TAOofGoldyShep. Great truck, wish we'd never traded it in...

ORIGINAL: stardog85
Sounds like I might be leaning toward the Tacoma more now, but I'll still be checking everything out in the next few years.

That's what I'm going with in Dec. Watch the breaks though, I've heard the '05 remodel feedback that they changed the breaks & they are a bit spongy (only real neg feedback compared to other trucks in it's class - no truck is perfect but the Tacoma is close to) I intend to have them changed to better breaks right after purchase. Check out that seat belt vs crate link mentioned up the thread. I'd really go with seat belts vs crates myself. Much safer when proven in crash tests.

Ok so those of you w/ Toyota truck experience, is there much of a difference between the Tacoma and Tundra other than size? Both have been mentioned favorably...

Also re: seatbelts: I REFUSE to belt my dogs for several reasons:
- I don't trust the testing used
- My current dog is incredibly nervous in the car when uncrated
- My current dog and my parents' dog both can't sit still in a seatbelt; my girl actually has gotten herself severely tangled in the actual seatbelt, not just the harness part, because she hates riding on the seat "loose". If I hadn't noticed during our ride, the circulation to her foot would've been impaired significantly for over 30mins - think amputation at that point)

I crate Maggie in a soft crate in my hatchback area (which I now realize is probably a crumple zone, but there's really no other area in the car that ensures that the crate itself will not wobble if I stop suddenly and it's ore likely that I will stop suddenly than be rear ended). I plan to use soft crates or possibly airline crates in the new car, though the article about KennelAire crates does trigger some thinking on that - I just wish they were easier to obtain.

I think someone should invent a sturdy rubber crate; maybe out of Kong Material? []

I plan to use soft crates or possibly airline crates in the new car, though the article about KennelAire crates does trigger some thinking on that - I just wish they were easier to obtain.

Bought mine on eBay from dealer "kennelaire".  Good price.  Quick delivery.