Good dog cars?

[Sheesh]

Thanks for all the suggestions! We're going to check out a few dealers tomorrow to see what they have on the lot. I think we may have it narrowed down to a Jeep Liberty or a Rav4. It will be Tuesday before we can actually do anything (once we know for sure the status on the Saturn), but it certainly helps to start looking now.

[eclectic]

so many choices!

When I was out looking I too wanted a dog friendly/bike friendly vehicle. Mainly DOG HAIR friendly! I was seriously looking at the Toyota Matrix or the Pontiac Vibe (virtually the same car just different labels) as a smaller car. It has a totally uncarpeted interior and comes in AWD.

I test drove a honda element and if I lived near a beach or the mountains it would have been my choice but for here not necessary - Also totally uncarpeted.

I ended up w/ a Honda CRV which I love and I just put the back seats down and layed an old sheet over all.

I really like the new RAV 4's (I didn't like the older styles - the CRV was much nicer and roomier) My aunt has a Rav 4 and 2 BIG dogs, she is 6 feet tall herself and finds it comfortable

Good luck and let us know what you decide

[roguedog]

have had my 4rnr for almost 20 yrs. its been thru dogs, skiing, moving, college, numerous road trips, hauling horse equip.. basically every whim of my life.

i love it. with the back seats down, the dog has plenty of room in the back to stand and roam about or just lie down.

i love it. i call it "ole trusty."

[crazybikinchic]

Exploders are great trucks. Guess I should actually say Explorer. Great for hauling dogs and bikes.

[Tuckervill]

+1 for the Forester or Legacy Outback, even though I ended up not buying one after my Beetle got totaled. I got a '07 Honda Element, because my 6'7" tall hubby couldn't fit in the Subarus. (I really wanted a Honda Fit, but it turns out the Beetle is the only small car he CAN fit into.)

He doesn't really fit in the Element, either, because of the funky shelf on the passenger side at his knee level, but it's tolerable. For long trips he can sit in the back. With the dogs!

But I look longingly at the Foresters as they drive by me sometimes, and then I snap to my senses and feel grateful I have a such a fine husband, who would have bought a Subaru anyway, if that's what I had really wanted.

Karen

[KnottedYet]

My 6'7" uncle is as much a Subi nut as I am. (well, MORE of a Subi nut, truth be told) I don't know how on earth he manages to fit in the Subis, but he does it somehow.

Seems like a Forester would have a lot more "tall person" room than a Legacy, but I've never seen my uncle in a Forester.

He hauls dogs in his Subi wagons, too.

[Wahine]

I drive a Nissan Xterra. The first model out - 2000. I love it. It has a very reliable engine and lots of room for animals, bikes and windsurfing gear. But I have to reiterate what others have already stated. Getting a big dog into an SUV as they age is a tough chore. I used to have a 130 lb Bullmastiff and my SUV was great until he hit about 9 yrs old. Then I started noticing that he would limp the day after he had gone for a car ride. I ended up training him to use a small rubbermaid step ladder to get in and out of the back. That worked alright until he was about 11 yrs then he started having trouble with the nerves in his back legs and he couldn't reliably use the step ladder. I ended up heaving him into the truck most days if I had to take him someplace. Not a pretty sight. Ultimately, I had to have him put down in February of this year and I miss him dearly.

In the end, I had the vet come to the house to do the deed. It was just way too much for me to try to get him inside the vehicle.

I still love my truck buy I've vowed that when I'm ready to get another dog, I will get a ramp and use it always to prevent unnecessary joint trauma. I love my big dogs and they need all the help with their joints that they can get.

[Tuckervill]

My 6'7" uncle is as much a Subi nut as I am. (well, MORE of a Subi nut, truth be told) I don't know how on earth he manages to fit in the Subis, but he does it somehow.

My hubby is all leg. He doesn't need extraordinary headroom, just lots of room for those giraffe legs to fold up. He also has flexibility and circulation issues, so if he drives, he needs room to move around a bit. That didn't exist for him in the Subarus.

The looks he used to get as he folded into the Beetle!

Karen

[Sheesh]

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions! We found a 1999 Toyota Rav 4 with 35,000 miles on it for about $8k, so we bought it today! All the other used cars with room in the back for dogs were closer to $13-15k, which is out of our price range for a second car (especially one that's really just used for hauling the dogs), so the car we found was perfect!

[xeney]

Sheesh, I bet you will love that car. Ours is a later model, but whenever we take it to the mountains we see a lot of the older ones like that, usually with dogs inside, bikes on the back, and rafts on the top! They are very popular with young outdoorsy types and they will go just about anywhere. Congratulations!

[Lenusik]

We are in LOVE with our Nissan Murano. My hubby is 6'6. He does not fit in any Subaru or Honda element, already tried. But Murano is the best. Plust, we have 3 dogs, a 120 pond Rotti, a 54 and 27 pound mutts. We all fit and love to take trips.

My hubby is all leg. He doesn't need extraordinary headroom, just lots of room for those giraffe legs to fold up. He also has flexibility and circulation issues, so if he drives, he needs room to move around a bit. That didn't exist for him in the Subarus.

The looks he used to get as he folded into the Beetle!

Karen