ideas on a newcar

[rusty savage]

hey all my wife needs a new vehicle. Im looking for good gas mi, and enough room for a pronto power wheel chair plus 4 people. Im thinking another mini van, but an suv would work if the cargo area is big enough. Id say the base roughly 3' by 3.5'. any ideas? oh yeah i have about 15-20k to spend

[FreeRideFrosty]

Used Passat, (Don't know how tall the power wheel chair is) or a Subaru Forester Wagon

[rusty savage]

Id like to stay away from all time 4wd. Ill be keeping this car for 7-10 years so cost of ownership plays in. also when the chair back is folded down its about 3' tall. so Id say the cargo needs to be at least 3ft/sq and still be able to seat 4.

[DAVEC-NITRO-RS4]

I just got done reviewing mid and full size Suv's (Explorer, Expedition, Yukon, Enjoy, etc...) and regardless of size, engine, or 2wd/4wd, they all got roughly the same gas mileage...15 city 20 highway.

The cargo size you're after, I think van. Bumper height on the SUV is higher, so lifting the chair into it would be more hassle.

[rusty savage]

we have a folding ramp that can hold 600 lbs that we use to get the chair in and out. we are about to head out ang look at some Chevrolet Equinox LS and some high landers and a few vans.

[BJoe]

Check this site out too
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/

They cover all brands and have some interesting info on there.

For what you're doing, I'd look at some kind of minivan.

[Tex]

just don't buy anything like Kia, or crap like that or I'll punch you in the face

[FreeRideFrosty]

LMAO @ Tex. I second that.

Check out a Passat Wagon. As a family we have had great luck with VW and my GTI has not given me any problems.

[Michowski]

Dont get a pt cruiser either. Those are horrible vehicles.

[squirrel]

For what your looking for I would say a newer exploder! I have 2 a 91 and a 99. They are both excelent cars. If you get a 99 sport you can lower it about 2 inches all the way around without needing a alignment or costing any money!!!!!


Also not to side track your thread but how is that scion working for you? Been looking at one.

[Notochord]

my mom just got the lexus rx 400 hybrid its really nice car and it gets 30 mpg. and it has a lot of cargo space.

Freeridejunkie do you have the 1.8 t gti??
and what have u put into it?

[north_shore_racer]

yea your mom gets the lexus and leaves you the A4...i still dont see how the hell that happened...

[FreeRideFrosty]

Yes I do have the 1.8t. There is little done to it.... probably putting about 200 or so to the ground vs 150 to the ground stock. There is more to come but I am really limited with the tiptronic trans. Its a fun car but when its done it will only be running mid to low 13s or so. By no means fast....

[dirtguy90]

well to that pt cruisers being terrible...my neighbor has invested nearly 200K into his..and it still looks pretty gay
but considering it is a pt, it's a sweet pt
he had nos in it, but he was using it and forgot to shift and blew his tranny...so no more nos and he hadda drop outa school cuzz he couldn't afford it

but my mom has always had good luck w/ toyota and nissan vans, so maybe a used...'03 or so would be in that price range

[Tex]

200K into a PT Cruiser? was it rocket powered? I think you meant 20K huh?

[Notochord]

Rusty Savage i think u should get a mini van like the toyota sienna its cheap, it has lots of passenger room and lots of storage room, the only con is that its a mini van..... lol



ya freeride i have an a4 and its got the same engine 1.8t. ur right it is a fun car but it isnt really that fast.

i think the a4 is getting 170 hp right now and i want to squeeze a few more out of it but i really have no idea what to do. i was thinking better intake or something like that. but i have no idea what companies are good.

[Tex]

intake and exhaust are minimal power boosters compared to a chip on the 1.8T's. A chip is where it's at. You can get 40-50HP for $500 with just a chip.

[Notochord]

cant u just reprogram them??

[BJoe]

Rusty Savage i think u should get a mini van like the toyota sienna its cheap, it has lots of passenger room and lots of storage room, the only con is that its a mini van..... lol



.

Before you consider this recomendation check the website I posted, I haven't checked Nissan yet, but theres no way I'd buy a Toy or Honda van after reading some of the complaints about those.

[squirrel]

cant u just reprogram them??

You can flash the pcm and change fuel mapping raise the rev/speed limit but unless you have a vette, viper, or other high end car you will only be able to get abou 20 hp max. Also intake and exhaust are only good for about 20 extra hp. For turdo cars go with a bigger turbo. Not the cheapest way but will help, also a chip works good to.

[Notochord]

my friend was telling me to put in a better turbo. but i have no idea what companies make good turbos. where would i get the chips from??

should i start a new thread i feel like im hijacking rusty savages..??

[rusty savage]

its cool the title didnt say any thing about who's car! lol

also we are leaning towards a decent sized suv. she wants to look cool driving and that just dosent happen in a van! lol she dosent want an explorer since her friend already has one and dosent want to copy her. she does only work like 5 min away so daily driving miles arnt that high. mabey its tahoe time.

[dirtguy90]

no, he has EVERYTHING in that pt
that price also includes 3 or 4 different body kits that he's had
and 2 sets of rims/tires
and all kinds of different headlights
and a tranny that he blew out and then replaced

[squirrel]

no, he has EVERYTHING in that pt
that price also includes 3 or 4 different body kits that he's had
and 2 sets of rims/tires
and all kinds of different headlights
and a tranny that he blew out and then replaced

All that stuff you just listed doesn't even come close to 200k. I can believe that people would put that much money into a $20,000 car. Look at what people do with honda's!!!