Next tow vehicle "Simpler is Better..."?

The Postman

The Postman

Ranger
I just want something that works and can be repaired most anywhere...

Not interested in all the lights bells and whistles and nanny devices that cost thousands to fix if you get in a fender bender, or ya have to pay a subscription to make it work, or phones home to the dealer, for hardware/software updates, data brokers and Big Brother when its time to pay your EV road miles tax...


2018-2019 4runner is the current focus for when the Alltrack is maxed out.

 

Attachments

Last edited:
The Postman said:
I just want something that works and can be repaired most anywhere...

Not interested in all the lights bells and whistles and nanny devices that cost thousands to fix if you get in a fender bender, or ya have to pay a subscription to make it work, or phones home to the dealer, for hardware/software updates, data brokers and Big Brother when its time to pay your EV road miles tax...

2018-2019 4runner is the current focus for when the Alltrack is maxed out.

Click to expand...
Good luck. It will be an increasingly difficult thing to find as time goes on, but hopefully someone will decide to fill that need/desire in our society.
 
I could do without a lot of the new tech. The problem is, to the degree you can avoid it, you end up with a very base level model of anything. Spartan beyond what you would prefer. When you want some basic amenities you can only get them with an upgraded trim level that comes with a lot of what you don't want. It can be frustrating.

I will say that Toyota does still stay with a lot of tried and true mechanical technology which helps with reliability in some segments. But it does come with a lot of boring designs. And I say that as somebody who has owned a lot of Toyotas.
 
I like the gas mileage of newer cars and the electronics on my 2017 Outback have never failed. But the transmission did. My car will function without lane assist but not without a transmission.
 
Tour 931 said:
I like the gas mileage of newer cars and the electronics on my 2017 Outback have never failed. But the transmission did. My car will function without lane assist but not without a transmission.
Click to expand...
Thats why I went with the Millenial Theft Device.

Amazon.com - Equipped with Millennial Anti-Theft Device Decal, Millennial Stickers (H 8 by L 6 Inches, White)

Amazon.com - Equipped with Millennial Anti-Theft Device Decal, Millennial Stickers (H 8 by L 6 Inches, White)
www.amazon.com

No CVTs for me...
 
Last edited:
SLO Camper said:
My 2003 Tacoma is perfect.
Click to expand...
#2 choice is a Taco with a hard shell.
Have had a gen 1 and 2.

Getting hard to find First Gens...except BAT.

I remember driving east on I40 in 2022 seeing repeatedly, a beat Taco with the body/engine of another strapped on back, also headed east...must have been a market for rust free Tacos to be rebuilt out East is all I can think of...

See the crazy prices for rebuilt restored Broncos...

The reason Tacomas command higher prices is reliability. I like a BoF truck with low-low for backcountry, especially if solo, towing.

Or a jeep, if you dont mind the horrible highway manners ie "death wobble"...

There is only so far you can go on rutted USFS and BLM roads in AWD...

One thing people forget in the sand and mud is that lighter is better. All those old double tracks in the SWUS and baja were made by Model Ts, first.
 
Last edited:
JohnC said:
I could do without a lot of the new tech. The problem is, to the degree you can avoid it, you end up with a very base level model of anything. Spartan beyond what you would prefer. When you want some basic amenities you can only get them with an upgraded trim level that comes with a lot of what you don't want. It can be frustrating.

I will say that Toyota does still stay with a lot of tried and true mechanical technology which helps with reliability in some segments. But it does come with a lot of boring designs. And I say that as somebody who has owned a lot of Toyotas.
Click to expand...
If I were buying electric anything it would be Toyota who has been at it the longest. The hybrid RAV is sort of the Goldilocks spot for 90% of what I need, and perfect for a CampInn.

I'm idly interested in the new Tacoma but not paying $60, $70, $80k for anything...

Who said "I'm not buying green bananas at my age?"

Besides- the difference in good enough used and baseline anything new will buy a LOT of gas...
 
Our ‘24 Land Cruiser should give us a huge break on insurance premiums due to all the safety and driving suggestion “features”. Obviously it’s more than enough for our trailer but when we bought it we hadn’t landed on Campinn quite yet. We thought we were getting a vehicle that would tow a nice 21 footer, but I will say the Toyota towing features, at least on our model, are kinda lame. I have to disable a bunch of features to tow. And I know there are trucks on there that will disable that stuff when you press “Tow Mode”, or when you plug in your 7pin. All that said, still love driving it.
 
Tour 931 said:
I like the gas mileage of newer cars and the electronics on my 2017 Outback have never failed. But the transmission did. My car will function without lane assist but not without a transmission.
Click to expand...
The CVT transmissions are the biggest problem, and these are increasingly common.

What happens is as you are taveling at highway speeds, thc 'cones' don't move much and the 'belt' wears patterns into the cones. Then over time, the transmission has a harder time (impossible?) until the tranny simply can't 'shift' well any more. Avoiding CVT is an important consideration if you want to go long range drives. This is the continuing 'improvement' made worse by anything beyond grocery getting.

Toyota does offer standard automatic transmission still...I think toyota tacoma and tundra both still do, as well as 4runner. 4Runner would be my choice today if I were in the market....

Sadly you're breaking that 60k. Unless you lookat used. Toyota has such a good record, Id consider a precovid model. Even if it is 7 yerars old. The tru enschitification didn't start its hockeystick pattern until 2020 when it went into over drive.
 
Sweeney said:
Toyota does offer standard automatic transmission still...I think toyota tacoma and tundra both still do, as well as 4runner. 4Runner would be my choice today if I were in the market....
Click to expand...
4Runner TRD - 2023-2024 before they ditched the v6 for a turbo'd inline 4. Yes. They're hard to find in my area. Makes me think keeping my 2012 Ram 2500 diesel might be a better way to go, even if it's too much truck for the CI 560. And hey, it's paid off too.
 
The Postman said:
If I were buying electric anything it would be Toyota who has been at it the longest. The hybrid RAV is sort of the Goldilocks spot for 90% of what I need, and perfect for a CampInn.

I'm idly interested in the new Tacoma but not paying $60, $70, $80k for anything...

Who said "I'm not buying green bananas at my age?"

Besides- the difference in good enough used and baseline anything new will buy a LOT of gas...
Click to expand...
Truck pricing has gotten out of hand across all brands. And it appears the market is finally revolting and truck sales are not doing well. But, regardless of price, I can't really justify a truck for every day usage these days. Which puts me in the SUV market, which ends up pointing me back towards Toyota again. A vicious cycle. LoL!
 
taranis17 said:
4Runner TRD - 2023-2024 before they ditched the v6 for a turbo'd inline 4. Yes. They're hard to find in my area. Makes me think keeping my 2012 Ram 2500 diesel might be a better way to go, even if it's too much truck for the CI 560. And hey, it's paid off too.
Click to expand...
JohnC said:
Truck pricing has gotten out of hand across all brands. And it appears the market is finally revolting and truck sales are not doing well. But, regardless of price, I can't really justify a truck for every day usage these days. Which puts me in the SUV market, which ends up pointing me back towards Toyota again. A vicious cycle. LoL!
Click to expand...

Pre DEF diesel is definatley the way to go if the rest of the body/drivetrain is solid :)

Prices of everything has gotten out of control. VC's (vulture capitalists) and greed....I'll stop there.
 
I get simpler being better for most things in life - for me that meant no stove, no heater, no sink on my 550 however I'll have to say when driving I like having the modern conveniences - my 2019 Subaru Ascent is much more pleasant to drive with the driver assistance features - the cruise control that speeds up or slows down makes for a way better experience in the heavily trafficked mid-Atlantic region where I live. Yesterday coming back from Assateague, it was stop and go for much of the trip. Just a lot less fatigue to have the car computer doing it. My wife's Tesla is leaps and bounds more advanced than the Subaru. When we take long road trips, we pay for the "full self driving" which they charge $100 per month but it's pretty nice to just put in the destination and sit back and let the car do all the driving. It does make you pay attention to the road (will beep at you if you start looking away or at your phone) but it makes road trips much easier. For my next tow vehicle, I want one that has similar capabilities but also having a battery to power the teardrop at camp (to run the AC in the summer and ceramic heater in the winter) would be pretty sweet. Unfortunately the battery only vehicles take such a range hit that I am not sure I'll go that route. Intrigued by the Scout with range extender engine. I'll wait to see how well it lives up to the hype though.
 
Sweeney said:
Prices of everything has gotten out of control. VC's (vulture capitalists) and greed....I'll stop there.
Click to expand...
Come on Sweeney, not everything......

intro-1729792625.webp
 
JohnC said:
Truck pricing has gotten out of hand across all brands. And it appears the market is finally revolting and truck sales are not doing well. But, regardless of price, I can't really justify a truck for every day usage these days. Which puts me in the SUV market, which ends up pointing me back towards Toyota again. A vicious cycle. LoL!
Click to expand...
I really like the RAV4. I found the following on another forum and found it interesting.

The rav4 phev has really big electric motors. They double the total horsepower of the vehicle. So climbing a hill that car will fly as long as the battery has juice. But when the battery depletes, then you really slow down.

Yes, that is true. Decided to research the HP at full and depleted battery levels.

"The 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid XSE produces a total of 324 net combined horsepower at full charge. When the plug-in battery hits its designated lower reserve limit ("depleted" user state), the vehicle transitions to hybrid mode and retains access to its full combined system power—effectively maintaining peak output as long as the hybrid buffer is managed by the gas engine and regenerative braking, though extreme continuous high loads may occasionally bottleneck down toward the 186 hp internal combustion engine alone."
 
Last edited:
Ben said:
I get simpler being better for most things in life - for me that meant no stove, no heater, no sink on my 550 however I'll have to say when driving I like having the modern conveniences - my 2019 Subaru Ascent is much more pleasant to drive with the driver assistance features - the cruise control that speeds up or slows down makes for a way better experience in the heavily trafficked mid-Atlantic region where I live. Yesterday coming back from Assateague, it was stop and go for much of the trip. Just a lot less fatigue to have the car computer doing it. My wife's Tesla is leaps and bounds more advanced than the Subaru. When we take long road trips, we pay for the "full self driving" which they charge $100 per month but it's pretty nice to just put in the destination and sit back and let the car do all the driving. It does make you pay attention to the road (will beep at you if you start looking away or at your phone) but it makes road trips much easier. For my next tow vehicle, I want one that has similar capabilities but also having a battery to power the teardrop at camp (to run the AC in the summer and ceramic heater in the winter) would be pretty sweet. Unfortunately the battery only vehicles take such a range hit that I am not sure I'll go that route. Intrigued by the Scout with range extender engine. I'll wait to see how well it lives up to the hype though.
Click to expand...

I love my toys -- I love the conveniences -- where I get sideways is when these conveniences become so intertwined that your check engine light comes on, and the car suddenly takes you from 65mph to 30mph in "limp home" mode at 2am in the middle of rural Tennessee. Especially when you find out that it was not an engine damaging condition.

I just do not trust the decision makers any more to make good decisions.


JohnC said:
Come on Sweeney, not everything......

intro-1729792625.webp
Click to expand...

loss leader exterme! FTW! I'm sensitive to VCs becusae I'm seeing veterinary clinics, mortuaries, plumbers, HVAC all being gobbled up by walstreet investors. Frustrated that small businesses are dispearing...and its the consumer paying the price.

The Postman said:
Dodge Power Wagon for the win...
If only we could get the Hilux.
Carry the hot tub on back!

www.roadandtrack.com

Toyota’s $10,000 Future Pickup Truck Is Basic Transportation Perfection

The IMV 0 makes a Corolla feel like a Bentley in comparison.
www.roadandtrack.com www.roadandtrack.com
Click to expand...

You must be a fan of James Rawles :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top