Need a car to haul my boat

[SurfnFish]

Hills would be your issue if towing a driftboard and familiy in car, that's a lot of strain on the drivetrain for the little 4 banger that's in my wife's 2020 Forester. We've had a half dozen Subaru's in our family, and if buying used, stay away from the 2011 - 2013's which have a serious piston issue.
Check out pre 2020 6 cyl Santa Fe or Sorento (use the same drivetrains). More power, higher tow rating, minor diff in MPG, bit more space

 

[brownheron]

Thread drift... but I'm loving my Ram 1500 Ecodiesel so much I sold my commuter car Grand Cherokee. 28mpg documented in daily use and if I would stick to the speed limit, I bet I'd get 30 or really close to it on the drive back and forth between Maple Valley and Beaver that I do 3X a month. It feels wrong that the big truck gets the same mileage as my wife's little Audi.

The diesel is an expensive option and and doesn't have the turning radius of the Subaru but I'll trade that for the almost 900miles of range hauling/towing capacity.

 

[Paige]

I towed my DB in a older Subie just fine, zero issues for the 4 banger.

 

[Eastside]

My 2014 Outback just had gasket problems with 114K on it. Not a cheap repair but way cheaper than a new vehicle.
I’m probably in the minority here, but I’ll never buy another Subaru again when this one dies.
SF

I’m in that club with a blown gasket at about the same mileage and will never buy another Subaru. On the other hand, my brother-in-law put 300K miles on one before he had issues. Our son was gifted his grandfather’s Subaru; so far so good.

 

[iveofione]

I went back and read your original post and it sounded like you need something to tow a drift boat occasionally but like most of us only have a trailer on a small percentage of the time. Most of the time you will be driving around without it and will appreciate owning something that gets decent gas mileage. If you buy something big and powerful that can tow your drift boat over a mountain pass at 75mph there will be a heavy price to pay around town at today's gas prices.

Buy the vehicle for the purpose you will use it most for and just make some compromises for the relatively few times you will actually be towing. As several have mentioned, a drift boat can readily be towed by a late model Outback and when not hooked to a trailer you can expect 28-30 mpg. The bigger, more spacious and heavier the rig the less gas mileage you should expect.

But hell-this is 'Merica! If a Subaru will do the job but with minor inconveniences conventional wisdom dictates that a Suburban would be a much better alternative, It's the American way...

 

[NRC]

I went back and read your original post and it sounded like you need something to tow a drift boat occasionally but like most of us only have a trailer on a small percentage of the time. Most of the time you will be driving around without it and will appreciate owning something that gets decent gas mileage. If you buy something big and powerful that can tow your drift boat over a mountain pass at 75mph there will be a heavy price to pay around town at today's gas prices.

Buy the vehicle for the purpose you will use it most for and just make some compromises for the relatively few times you will actually be towing. As several have mentioned, a drift boat can readily be towed by a late model Outback and when not hooked to a trailer you can expect 28-30 mpg. The bigger, more spacious and heavier the rig the less gas mileage you should expect.

But hell-this is 'Merica! If a Subaru will do the job but with minor inconveniences conventional wisdom dictates that a Suburban would be a much better alternative, It's the American way...

Great points, Ive. As much as I’m hoping my wife and 10 month old are going to want to be out in the boat every weekend, it’s gonna be a slow build, and my solo float fishing trips are just as doable in an inflatable. So I want to be sure to get a vehicle that can do the job adequately, but I’d be foolish to optimize specifically for mountain pass hauling or navigating banged up/slopey launches.

Also, as a 6’4 guy who drives a Honda Fit, I might get lost inside an SUV. “Excuse me, which way is the pilothouse?”

 

[Brute]

"decent fuel economy"

That leaves out Jeep Wranglers...

 

[troutpocket]

My 2007 Outback went down with multiple organ failures at 109k. No more subbies for me.

I like the suggestions of a mid sized SUV with AWD for your purposes.

I’ve pulled my 16’ Clacka with an AWD Sienna van, 4Runner, and a newer F150 with a 2.7 ecoboost. They all did the job and served as family fun rigs too. Surprisingly, the Sienna and F150 achieved similar fuel economy (21-23 on the road, 16-17 while pulling my boat). The 4Runner does the worst for mileage but is a great rig for 2 on weekend fishing trips. With the rear seats down it can hold enough gear for a few days. The van and truck have far more cargo capacity for longer trips with more people. The AWD system on the Sienna is very capable but the ground clearance is minimal. The F150 is a big vehicle and I wouldn’t want to use it (or have to park it) in a busy city.

 

[Buzzy]

"Easy to get a baby in and out of a carseat" - Okay, you've loaded the baby while at home, lots of room, and then driven to Trader Joes and found a narrow parking space between two cars. The Sienna has sliding doors rather than hinged doors, and for times when you're parked in tight spaces, that's a nice feature for baby, mom, you and the cars next to you.

 

[Peyton00]

I am very happy with my 2010 Forester. I tow a light 100lb boat with it. I just said l wish it were long enough inside for a sleeping pad. It was $11K with a new head gasket.

I am 6'3" 225lbs.
I had a 2006 forester til 5 months ago. Sold it with just over 300,000 miles. I loved that car and it never stranded me.
I would move the front seats all the way forward and tilt them. My airbed fit in there like a glove. I could reach forward and control all the creature comforts. Try it.....u should fit.


I also towed my 16' toon on a hvy duty trailer all over the place. Never stuck at any boat launch.

 

[dep]

just adding that I have a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the small V8. While it gets horrible gas mileage regardless if I am towing or not, for a smaller SUV, it has plenty of horsepower to pull the jet ski or 19 foot Larson. gravel ramps or salt water ramps are not a problem either.
It is a good camping rig as well.
probably not what you are looking for, but it does well for me. we have also gone thru, or currently have, a few subaru's as well. I like them.

good luck in your search

 

[Trout Trekker]

 

[NRC]

View attachment 68295

I just love that there’s an outboard on that boat, lol

 

[Stonedfish]

I’m in that club with a blown gasket at about the same mileage and will never buy another Subaru. On the other hand, my brother-in-law put 300K miles on one before he had issues. Our son was gifted his grandfather’s Subaru; so far so good.

Seems hit or miss with the Subarus. I did some research regarding them and it seemed they had the head gasket issue resolved for the model year I purchased. Apparently not….
I’ve had a lot of other odd stuff go wrong with this rig as well plus them not making things simple maintenance wise for the end user like changing the headlight bulbs.
SF

 

[troutpocket]

Seems hit or miss with the Subarus. I did some research regarding them and it seemed they had the head gasket issue resolved for the model year I purchased. Apparently not….
I’ve had a lot of other odd stuff go wrong with this rig as well plus them not making things simple maintenance wise for the end user like changing the headlight bulbs.
SF

+1

Seems they work fine for most but mine had issues the whole way.

 

[NRC]

Seems hit or miss with the Subarus. I did some research regarding them and it seemed they had the head gasket issue resolved for the model year I purchased. Apparently not….
I’ve had a lot of other odd stuff go wrong with this rig as well plus them not making things simple maintenance wise for the end user like changing the headlight bulbs.
SF

Interesting - I had seen a lot of buzz about a) the head gasket issue and b) that being resolved on newer models, but good to know that it still crops up sometimes even on the newer ones. Sounds *mostly* resolved…

 

[RCF]

It sounds like @NRC has recently had a little one. He has yet to find out the dirty little secret ---> there is never enough room in a vehicle. Four guys going fishing and camping for a week will take up less room than a toddler going out for a day trip. When the little one becomes a little older and has a friend along it is two vehicle time....

Just something to think about...

 

[Eastside]

My 2007 Outback went down with multiple organ failures at 109k. No more subbies for me.

I like the suggestions of a mid sized SUV with AWD for your purposes.

I’ve pulled my 16’ Clacka with an AWD Sienna van, 4Runner, and a newer F150 with a 2.7 ecoboost. They all did the job and served as family fun rigs too. Surprisingly, the Sienna and F150 achieved similar fuel economy (21-23 on the road, 16-17 while pulling my boat). The 4Runner does the worst for mileage but is a great rig for 2 on weekend fishing trips. With the rear seats down it can hold enough gear for a few days. The van and truck have far more cargo capacity for longer trips with more people. The AWD system on the Sienna is very capable but the ground clearance is minimal. The F150 is a big vehicle and I wouldn’t want to use it (or have to park it) in a busy city.

I am a Toyota fan. We just gifted our 2001 Sequoia to our nephew with 303K miles and it is running strong. Some of the electronics on the dash don’t work but the powertrain is working well. He will use it as a second vehicle for camping and towing his boat. I had a Toyota Tacoma which I really liked until we bought an 18 ft RPod trailer. The Tacoma pulled the trailer just fine, BUT, just because you can tow something with a Tacoma doesn’t mean that you should. We upgraded to a GMC half ton diesel which does a much better job. Towing the trailer reduces fuel economy but when I’m not towing I routinely get 26 mpg on the highway and have seen mileage up to 28 mpg driving over Snoqualmie Pass. That far surpasses the Tacoma. Like your F150, it’s a big vehicle so I save it for its intended use. Our Highlander is now my around-town and skiing vehicle when it’s not hooked up to my wife’s Mastercraft ski boat (July through September and into October if the weather is nice).

 

[iveofione]

It is interesting how many people have had a bad experience with a product and swear they will never buy another-including me. Yet that same product will be purchased by millions of other people who will declare it the best they ever owned. There are a lot of vehicles in this category. I wrenched for a Toyota dealership one summer and we had lots of issues with rigs that were right off the boat. In one instance I replaced the engine on a Toyota Crown that stuck a rod through the block at 196 miles. It can and does happen to every manufacturer. I started driving in 1952 and over the years have seen a number of guys that could ruin any vehicle-even if it was made from virgin unobtainium. Some of these guys could dent an anvil and after trashing some newly minted car or truck would declare it a POS and vow that they would never own another.

Anecdotal incidents of failure can be misleading and often get exaggerated out of proportion. Recently Cosori air fryers have recalled over 2 million units for a wiring snafu that could result in a fire. I have one of the affected units and did some research to understand how severe the problem was. To my surprise only 10 people had actually been injured and the injuries were described as superficial in nature and no major property damage. Certainly none of us want a product that can burst into flames because of an electrical short but on the other hand 10 minor injuries out of over 2 million units is not exactly a landslide. More people than that are probably burned by a hot teakettle every month. My response was to buy 2 new fire extinguishers and keep the unit unplugged when not in use.

So take those disgruntled tales of woe with a grain of salt, your experience will probably be completely different.

 

[clarkman]

It sounds like @NRC has recently had a little one. He has yet to find out the dirty little secret ---> there is never enough room in a vehicle. Four guys going fishing and camping for a week will take up less room than a toddler going out for a day trip. When the little one becomes a little older and has a friend along it is two vehicle time....

Just something to think about...

Truth!