I also have a soft spot for a good-running RX7 preferably 1st and 2nd generation, and also the Acura Integra. 

100% Agree with the Honda Element. It’s versatility is underrated. It’s easy to clean (I opened all the doors and used my leaf blower to empty my kids’ crumbs and goldfish) and then a quick wipe down of interior surfaces with a damp cloth and she’s ready. It also has a shocking amount of storage space with the seats…

This applies hugely to diesel truck also. I had a diesel F250 that almost everything powertrain related aside from an oil change required the cab to be taken off. Every job started with $600 labor just to remove the cab to begin work. $5 part becomes an $800 repair because of the labor, and that’s when the part is…

Absolutely. Some of it is partly due to the car itself just being intrinsically a problem, but also because as car guys/girls we have that overconfidence in ourselves to get these things into the shape we *know* they can be, and hope to have them in. For the most part we are all wrong. Very few of us have the…

Any car with more owners than the number of years it’s been in existence. Those are always the cars that just have some dumb gremlin, not necessarily mechanical, that wouldn’t be a warranty fix and so each owner gets tired of replacing the passenger window motor every 3 months, or whatever dumb nonsense that’s just…

I will join your fight. The Element was one of my all time favorite cars to own, and I only sold it because my sister needed a car for her boys that were turning 16. It had 240K miles on it and it ran like a saw. Most expensive repair I had to do was AC replacement (living in Alabama you can’t go without it anymore).…

I always wanted a turbo 850, but I’m pretty glad I just drove my 240 wagon. It was bulletproof and I loved it. I can still remember the smell of that interior, and the mounted cell phone that played through the car speakers. I could get away with anything in it since I looked like a soccer mom that was late to pick up…

It used to be 90210 at most BP car washes for a lot longer time than you would think.

It will be used for sure. As for the minivan, now that my kids are out of the big bulky car seats, I just don’t need that level of interior space. Granted, we probably should have just done it when they were infants, but we made it with just a midsize SUV and a Honda Element. If not for the need of a truck, I was…

I am right at the limit. Your comment about the vicious cycle is very true. We’ve been fortunate enough to use a family camper before we purchased our own and can absolutely attest to that fact. Everyone that has done it for a while, seems to have ended up with an f-250/350. My limitation is that I won’t be paying to…

That’s basically our current setup. I drive an old Honda Element, which I’ll honestly probably keep. I just want something much more robust than the 4-Runner for our trips planned that will take us from Alabama to Yellowstone, and Banff. The short trips (<500 miles) have been fine with the 4-Runner, but I’m exhausted…

I’ve owned a few Toyotas and have always loved them. The only experience I have with Toyota trucks, though, is the Tacoma which is a nice, sporty little truck, but the transmission can’t seem to find a shift point that makes any amount of sense when it’s under load. I’m not sure how the Tundra will do. Honestly the…

This seems to be the consensus advice from other campers. It’s also pretty evident when you cruise up and down the camper lots. It’s about 90% F-250s, Then Dodge 2500s, Then Chevy/GMC

I’ve thought about that, but since we have the creature comforts of an SUV already, I wanted the utilitarian capabilities of a truck. 

It will more than likely be a used truck, but probably about a 2-3 year old one. As my kids are old enough not to need the big bulky child seats, we have pretty well avoided the minivan need. They fit just fine in my Honda Element, and I don’t need the onboard vacuum cleaner, I just open all 4 doors and leaf blow out…

This seems to be the consensus among campers. Every single RV park we go to is loaded with either diesel F250s, or Ram 2500s.

I currently drive a Honda Element for basically the same reason. The problem is that the Toyota’s failings as it pertains to towing has more to do with the transmission than anything else. To safely haul my family, I really need something more suited towards towing. I will probably keep the Element, as it will not…

I’ve though about that. I actually looked at a really nice Suburban because of the creature comforts for the creatures (kids and dog)

Yes. I currently tow a 4200 lb trailer, so I’m closer to the max capacity than I’d like. So, kind of like you’ve mentioned, I would like a truck that I basically can’t feel the trailer behind me, and maybe has some capabilities for upgrading the camper later. I also want the integrated brake controller that a lot of…

BTW it is a bumper-pull trailer, not a 5th wheel.