another help choosing vehicle thread

[tbone1004]

So I've been lurking on here for a while and a lot of things have changed recently and my requirements are a bit different.

Here is normal case scenario
4 adults *I'm 6'4, buddy is 6'6, and wives are about 5'8*, 3 dogs *1 great dane, 1 standard poodle, one lab sized mutt*, 4000lb trailer *enclosed cargo*, 1000 mile each way highway trip. These are mainly expedition cave diving trips where all of the gear is in the trailer, dogs and us in the tow vehicle. Currently I'm using a 2004 Grand Cherokee which is working well but is really too small for that long of a road trip. Cargo capacity is a little small as well. New Grand Cherokee looks really nice but the interior volume is about 10% less than what I have now, so that's really out. Pickup trucks are out due to the dogs and the fact that when it's just a buddy and I all the gear stays inside. These trips happen every 4-6 weeks generally alternating between trailer and no trailer.

Ideal scenario is convert an old bus, but don't have the place to park it and still need a DD.

New Expedition looks close but no v8 has me a bit nervous and since towing will be a regular thing, I'd rather keep it diesel. GM's are out due to personal preference, Ford/Mopar or foreign are perfectly fine. Need either load leveling as stock or ability to retrofit airbags to at least the rear, preferably all 4 corners due to weight of gear. If it's just the two of us, it is close to 1000lbs of payload. I have put OME HD springs on my Jeep to help it with the payload when the gear is in the vehicle, but would prefer to not be cutting it that close.
Toyota 4runner is pretty close but don't want to be that close to the towing capacity of the truck and no load leveling, same for the 4 door Wrangler.
The big SUV's are also close but don't want 17mpg off the bat only to drop to 10 with a trailer behind it.

SVT Bronco would be almost perfect if they put the baby diesel they have in there, but we'll see if that ever happens. On that, there is a rumour Mopar is replacing the Durango with a 7 passenger Jeep, and while I don't need 7 seats, having that size vehicle is really what I'm aiming for.

Not opposed to restomodding something vintage, have experience doing engine replacements etc, but with the ladies in the car I need something a bit more refined than a defender 110 and with enough get up and go to actually cruise at 75 with the trailer behind it. My issue here is the expense of putting a modern turbo diesel into a vintage vehicle. Not sure of the cost on the Banks 630T but I'm not entirely sure I want to know....

My ARB will live in the back mostly permanently, offroad use is pretty minimal for true offroad, but 4wd or at least a locking rear diff is required for quite a few of the places we dive. Lots and lots of fire road type places but some of them have some pretty deep and long water holes regularly throughout the year. No rock climbing or anything that would require crazy flex or anything, but that is why air suspension is very appealing to me.

So this is realistically about 12-24 months away, but want to get my brain turning around this now and hoping you can help. Budget is around $50k ish.

 

[rayra]

Gonna have to say 4x4. Gonna be full with 4 big people and 3 dogs even in my Suburban.

 

[dmaxmike]

how are you getting 4 people and 3 dogs including a great dane in a grand Cherokee?

since you don't like GM i would say find a old solid axle diesel excursion.

 

[AFBronco235]

Honestly, a pickup truck would be the best bet in my opinion. An OBS F250/350 with crew cab would be perfect. Throw a camper shell on the back for the dogs and gear and you'll be all set. Get one with a 460 and 5 speed and you'll never have a problem. Plus you can rig up the bed however you want. Its a blank slate. Throw in some carpeting and beds for the dogs, crates and boxes for gear. It will have more than enough power for cruising down there highway with a trailer in tow. Insurance will be cheap and so will any repairs you'd need to make to. If you're dead set on a diesel, throwing one in isn't too difficult.

There is also the added benefit that in an emergency, you'll want a nice flat bed space for carrying injured persons. You don't want someone with a head wound sitting up for instance.

 

[kpredator]

ummm make your buddy get his own rig!!!!

 

[stilljeremiah]

Trucks with camper shells are easy to find. A mega cab ram would be huge. Sportsmobile or full size van. That is what comes to mind quickly. Shopping for cars is fun.

 

[tbone1004]

The four of us and 3 dogs fit in the back of the '04 WJ no problem right now, just the girls are a little cramped in the back seat.

Buddy has his own rig, but would be preferable to only have one car

Pickups would be the best, but they're out due to dogs. Unfortunately very few pickups have a direct SUV equivalent like they used to. Most of the ones that do have direct equivalents have junk motors in them. No V8 in the Expedition, 4500lb towing in the 4Runner is a joke.

Not concerned about laying flat for head injuries, luckily cave diving is a relatively non-trauma injury prone sport, drowning yes, major head injuries not so much.

 

[blkdvll]

Powerstroke Excursion sounds like the perfect vehicle for you

 

[NatersXJ6]

Yup

Powerstroke Excursion sounds like the perfect vehicle for you

I agree with this. There are a lot of Excursions out there that were cheap until recently due to high fuel prices. You could drag 4-5k behind it without really noticing and with very little effect on mileage. I'm not sure if falling oil is pushing them back up or not.

My 2005 F250 4x4 gets a solid 17.5 mpg average, completely stock setup with 4.30 gears. Commute for that truck was about 2/3 highway at over 150 miles per day, running about 75mph, with the AC running 8 months of the year. I did have a few issues, 2 that I would consider major, but easily repaired with the help of YouTube nd basic mechanical skills.

There are a few known issues with the 7.3 and 6.0 power strokes... Different for each engine... If you are willing to hold a couple grand in reserve and do your own wrenching, you could build a really spectacular rig well within your budget.

Have fun.

 

[Ray Hyland]

Pickups would be the best, but they're out due to dogs.

I don't quite understand this. Is it because the dogs need restraints? Carpet?

You could put carpet in the back of a pickup. Put a canopy on so it's secure. Add doggy restraints if needed. Put a slider window in if the dogs need to be able to talk to you...

Crew cab pickup, v8 or diesel, seems like an easy find, and cheaper than an Excursion.

What am I missing?

 

[NatersXJ6]

If you were to go the pickup route, you would have the advantage of being able to choose the bed length, load rating, and of adding a cap with windows/side panels that slide or hinge upward for much better gear and doggie access.

 

[tbone1004]

sorry for delay of response, the wife doesn't want to go pickup since she wants the dogs inside, she also things bed caps look dumb, so that is a major restriction. We are negotiating on a Merc GL350 right now actually, 2014 with relatively low miles coming off of a lease, so while it isn't quite as big as I would like, I'll be finalizing my dive trailer so the load capacity goes down significantly and this should be a nice comfy daily driver to boot for when we aren't towing. Thanks for the suggestions!