Now that I bought my LS430, someone asked me what was next. Hmm, the next logical buy would be a replacement for my Dakota - upgrading it from a 2wd chore truck to an AWD winter driver and chore truck. Requirements would be:

- Something with an external bed, no SUVs, crossovers, or wagons.
- Something low enough for my wife to transfer from her wheelchair with no step or just a small step
- Automatic 4WD or AWD
- Crew cab or extended cab with rear doors for the dog or grandkids to occasionally ride in back
- Likely used, with higher mileage (60K+) OK since my annual mileage would only be about 5-7K.

Two vehicles that came to mind are the Ridgeline and Baja. Aside from both being quite ugly, they seem to meet my requirements. Your thoughts on these vehicles or suggest something else? Purchase timeframe would be late summer or later.

 

Well I can tell you that I have had three Subarus all with the 2.5L H4 and they have all been fantastic. 118k on my current one so it is still a baby. Maintence has all been usual wear and tear of aged vehicles: a clutch, cam seals, timing belt, valve covers. Nothing major (knock on wood).

The Baja is on the Legacy chassis, which is a fine handling vehicle. I've never driven a ridgeline, but I would imagine that its bed can haul more than a Baja. However, it sounds like the Baja would be easier for your wife. The Ridgeline is definately taller.

The Baja came in two flavors. 2.5L (170 HP) and 2.5L Turbo (210 HP). The turbo's mileage wasn't anything spectacular.

 

I agree with many of the Baja comments, but they are not available brand-new any more. Due to low sales, they were dropped about 4-5 years ago, so you'll have to go with the Ridgeline if you want something brand-new. The Ridgeline also has a higher towing capacity than the Baja.

The Ford Explorer Sport-Trac, which is done on a mid-sized, frame-rail truck chassis, is also worth a look, but may (?) be too tall for you and your wife's needs. Its reliability is not at the Honda/Subaru level, but is reasonable.

 

There may actually be one or two brand new Bajas out there somewhere. But you would really have to look.

 

Hmm, I forgot about the Sport Trac. You're right, it may be a bit tall. But, I could also find one with a V8. I'll have to check one out. Thanks!

I'm almost sure this will be a used vehicle, as I will be slowly sacrificing it to the winter road salt.

 

The Ridgeline is quite high off the ground. In fact I do oil changes on it without having to lift up the truck at all

 

you could lower it

 

Ridgeline. it's more functional, and it's less uglier. i like subaru, but baja was a huge mistake IMO. i never see them on the road.

 

Such a ringing endorsement. LOL I think all the pseudo-trucks with tiny beds fall into the ugly genre.

 

The Chevy Colorado is pretty low.



The Ridgeline is pretty tall even though it's car based. A friend of mine owns the Pilot (Ridgeline's SUV twin) and it's as tall as most truck based SUVs

 

The Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon/Isuzu I triplets (they're all the same truck) are all, IMO, rather low-quality and poorly-built, with a lot of cheap materials inside and out. I don't recommend them. What's more, they are underpowered with the in-line 5-cylinder.

 

yea, i wouldnt recommend the colorado, i like the ridgeline, but even that always seemed a little high

 

The Ridgeline bed length is the same size as my Tacoma Double Cab. I looked at both trucks before going with a new 2010 Tacoma DC mostly because a new Tacoma Truck wasn't much more than a 2-4 year old used one, and at that price only used Ridgeline's were an option unless I wanted to spend another $10K.

 

I agree 100%. Plus, the Ford Ranger cab is too small. I don't trust modern Chrysler products. Maybe I should consider the Taco access cab as the 4wd version seems to be the same height as the Ridgeline. It has a bigger traditional bed, but smaller cab.

 

My friend's brother has a Baja turbo w/ the stick shift. I've driven it a couple of times and it's a gas! The bed is pretty tiny but the back seats can be folded down and it has a small oval pass-through for longer items.

The Baja is more like a car and handles pretty well. If you like being higher up and having something that is more like a truck - I'd say go Ridgeline. The back seats are somewhat small in the Baja, but if it's for only the occasional guest and not everyday use, I can't imagine that would be a concern.

FWIW - my friend's brother is the kinda guy who buys something and drives it until it dies. I doubt he got it brand new since he's also not the type to buy the fully loaded version of anything (I think it pretty much has all options) - but he's had it for at least 5 yrs and so far the Baja is holding up quite well.

Found this pic to show the Baja's bed - and it has the dimensions too.