Blanco1 wrote:
I have considered a CRV & looked at them & they look like they might be large enough in back for our large dog.
In my opinion, you really need to see if the back of the CRV has enough space for your dog. Also, the entry height is pretty high for any of the SUV's, will your dog be able to get up there on their own? And CRV's are AWD, not 4WD. In my opinion, AWD is designed to keep you from going off the road, not necessarily to be taken off road. :)
Your $5,000 price range is going to be hard to meet, I think.
The Suzuki XL-7 is a GREAT car (I drive one daily), almost unstopped in 4WD when the roads get rough and because Suzuki (for whatever reason) never recovered from the bogus Consumer Reports Fiasco years ago, their resale value is pretty low. In my opinion, my 2003 is built as well, and in some cases better, than our 2001 Honda. You might be able to find a 2003 for near your $5,000 price point. But again, you have to see if your dog will fit in the back or be able to hop up there on its own. You might consider using a crate for the dog.
You mentioned you like Subaru's and you were told that manual transmission Subaru's are flat towable. The Outbacks might be a good choice.
We love our Honda Odyssey. It is about the roomiest towable vehicle out there, but it is not 4WD. It does have traction control on the FWD, though, which is good, but it's not 4WD. But the Odyssey weighs in at about 4,500 lbs. The XL-7 is around 3,900 lbs. How much towing capacity do you have?
Also, keep in mind, in addition to the purchase price, you must budget for the tow bar, tow plate, braking system and lights. Easily another $1000 or so, unless you can find one already set up to tow.
Good Luck on your search, but I think you have to bring Fido to a couple of used car dealerships to see where he can fit. :)
~Rick
