Hunting rig <15K

Look at the older Lexus RX330s.. I have a 2005 with AWD that has served me very well with very minimal maintenance.. They can be bought fairly reasonably, have fantastic reliability, great comfort, mid 20s mpg and have reasonable towing.. Mine has been a fantastic vehicle.. I've thought about selling it, but always come to the conclusion that it is worth way more to me as an extra vehicle that it would be worth in a trade/sale. Good luck with your choice..
 
Guys, all of the Lexus, Audi, Infiniti and Genesis suggestions take Premium/91 Octane fuel. eww gross.

Get the Outback. Yeah, eventually you will have to replace the head gaskets on it after about 200K miles, but they are by far the best off-road utility option listed and can get 30mpg on the hwy.
 
I followed a ford escape to the wilderness entrance at clover springs in Washington state. He made it 90% of the way before the body cladding rattled off the passenger side.
 
ramsdude47 said:
I don’t disagree about trucks making good hunting vehicles. But they cost too much and get garbage MPG. Half the people I know pay >$500 a month for a truck they literally never (or almost never) push harder than a Subaru could be pushed.

@DenimChicken, thanks for your excellent reply. The vehicle would be my winter commuter (motorcycle for 8-9 months), pull a raft trailer for rafting trips, and finally for family camping trips where a CRV isn’t off-road capable enough. MPG would be the first thing I would sacrifice since it won’t get a lot of use, within reasonable limits. I have a hard time swallowing worse MPG than an Outback. With that said I’m moving the Outback up to 2, I love the idea of a Jeep but the track record for reliability is questionable at best.
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There's a few full size 1/2 ton pick ups that get close to or at 20 mpg. most have small v8 or v6. Ram 1/2 ton eco diesel 25 plus.
 
Silvereagle50 said:
He said older. That doesn’t make me think 5 years old.
I see some nice 2005-8 for under 15k.
Mines a 1997. Would take it anywhere.
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Exactly! Am seeing some fairly nice tacoma's of that era for 11k-15k. Been eyeballing a couple of them, just for a 2nd spare rig. They are going to get near the same mileage as a full size truck though IMO

Thinking that 25mpg requirement is going to narrow up his choices a bunch though.
 
This is one of those situations where the number of compromises you are making for mpg will eventually bite you in the a$$. The RAM or GM ecodiesel pickups would be a great fit, but not sure you can find one in your $20k max price range. The RAM is a full size and GM offers both full size (Silverado and GMC Sierra) and mid-size pickups in the Colorado and GMC Canyon. I've known several guys that have owned the latter and had good experiences.

I've driven outbacks and they are uncomfortable for a fella my size (6'1 / 225) and absolutely gutless, especially at elevation.

Jeeps have deplorable reliability across the entire line of vehicles from small to large. That would be my last choice.

Honda and Toyota small to mid SUVs could be an option, but you're going to pay more for less capability.
 
jjohnsonElknewbie said:
Love them, but don't come close to his mpg requirements.
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Yea, but when you put the numbers together, MPG is a myth when compared to reliability and repair costs of every other option.....and that is when I'm bouncing around driving in the woods every day managing land and timber, including "hunting vehicle season".
 
Sapcut said:
Yea, but when you put the numbers together, MPG is a myth when compared to reliability and repair costs of every other option.....and that is when I'm bouncing around driving in the woods every day managing land and timber, including "hunting vehicle season".
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Agree 100%. MPG should be a consideration but can’t be the top priority for a multipurpose vehicle.
 
I have a 2008 lesbaru outback. I did make two punches in the man card when I got it too. It’s the 4 cylinder so it lacks a bit in power. The radio is a mess to change out and the timing chain/ head gasket will need to be replaced. However, it’s a beast it the mud and snow. With AT tires I don’t think I could get stuck. Plus, I get about 28 mpg. If I was going to buy another it would be the last year of the box forester. No stickers on it and every hippie in Colorado thinks I’m out micro dosing in the woods.
 
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The reliability vs MPG consideration is pretty real. My wife used to have a 2002 VW Jetta Diesel..... That thing cost us more than twice the money (if not 3x) to keep on the road as my high mileage Sequoia that I bought with 192,000 miles on it. Twice the MPG..... but I don't think we saved any money in the long run.

I don't have any towing requirements but my next vehicle will be something along the lines of the OP's requirements. I've been looking at the Honda Passport a bit. 20 in the city, 25 on the highway, 8.1 inches of clearance (not great but not bad either).
 
Ever considered a Suzuki grand vitara
The stock GV ground clearance is only 7-7.5 inches
towing i believe is right around 2000
MPG max is 23ish driving nicely but I'd say avg is 20
Decent power with the 24 valve DOHC 2.5L V6
 
Sapcut said:
that is when I'm bouncing around driving in the woods every day managing land and timber, including "hunting vehicle season".
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Right? always amused me what kinda rig most guys need to go hunting. Yet theres guys running those same roads everyday in overloaded stock f350's on bald ass toyo m55's LOL

As to the mpg, I have never seen 20mpg in my life. 25 or better sounds cool, would not be a factor in buying a rig though
 
Steve300xcw said:
As to the mpg, I have never seen 20mpg in my life. 25 or better sounds cool, would not be a factor in buying a rig though
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I had a 2015 RAM Limited Ecodiesel. I'd done quite a bit of research on the mpg and after I bought it learned about all the ED issues. I talked to an awesome RAM investor and high performance diesel mechanic and he told me what to do with it for longevity.

1- remove all the silencing "death foam" from on top of the motor, valve covers, and fuel pump. all this stuff does is hold in heat on critical wiring and electronics.
2- pull the EGR intake tube and see how bad the intake was coked up. it was awful. he told me the right things to say to the service manager at a local dealership, and to make a long story short, they replaced the intake and my injectors under warranty.
3- sign up for the class action lawsuit and take the money and invest in a tune. i was able to get the Green Diesel Engineering non-epa compliant tune before they put the clamps down. it effectively turned off the EGR electronically. i got mine with transmission tune also, and it improved the shift points and included engine braking as well.

The engine tune added around 30-40 net horsepower and 40-60 ft. lbs of torque. However, the greatest benefit was elimination of the EGR and all the soot those little motors pour into the intake. With this combination, I averaged 27 mpg combined and over 30 mpg crusing the highway. I got 23 when pulling my 17' Lund deep V and the engine braking and overall towing experience was awesome. The tune woke that motor up big time and it would even spin the tires off the line if I needed to gun it.

When I hit 110k miles, I learned about a tone ring issue in the transmission that was sidelining guys around 115-120k miles without warning. The part tat failed was about $20, but when it failed it would break apart and cause catastrophic damage in the tranny. This issue affected a significant percentage of these trucks and repairs were upwards of $4-5k. Add the risk of turbo line fires in the engine compartment and I decided to trade it for a '19 hemi.

Given the increase in my monthly payment and overall driving experience with the hemi, in retrospect, I wish I would've fixed the tone ring and turbo line issues. in the '15 That truck was the total package with good power, excellent mpg, 4 corner air bag suspension, crew cab room, and plenty of off road capability. Hindsight is always 20/20. ;)
 
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