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An Ideal Vehicle for All DR
Intriguing conversation and it's got all of our attention, as we've recently relocated here from the states, and are in the market for a vehicle just as described above. Good both in the autopista and in mud/pothole/campo conditions. I'd appreciate it if anyone on the forum has experienced the Murano, by Nissan? We're considering 4wd version for 2017.
i have not experienced that car on a long time basis, but my friend has a 2008, and it is glorious. thirsty, yes, but it is a wonderful vehicle to drive. i cannot speak to issues such as reliability, but it is a Nissan, and they are tough as nails.
I would say don't get a Nissan X trail..
I will never learn to love mine.Always thinking of a new fault...
RAV 4 if you can afford a good one.Honda CRV ditto.
Cheapo Suzukis seem to work well and are pretty capable.
Never had a Korean so no opinion so far..L200 is bombproof but original spares are pricey.Lots of aftermarket stuff around but never seems to last long.
I will never learn to love mine.Always thinking of a new fault...
RAV 4 if you can afford a good one.Honda CRV ditto.
Cheapo Suzukis seem to work well and are pretty capable.
Never had a Korean so no opinion so far..L200 is bombproof but original spares are pricey.Lots of aftermarket stuff around but never seems to last long.
Read all 7 pages.
My heart would be for a Land Rover Defender--diesel, of course. What I did buy recently was a Subaru Outback with AWD. So far it has performed very well. Trips over the mountains at Jamao and off to Luperon and La Isabela. It is sturdy on the road, not a real gas guzzler. I used to have a VW Golf with the 1.9 diesel THAT was a gem...60-65 km/gal. and rugged.
But this Subaru is also rugged. As for parts, there is eBay and Amazon with factory parts at 1/3 to 1/4 the price here....and the price here is for Chinese parts, not OEM factory....
I can also agree that the Toyota Hilux 4 x 4 diesel is a real horse. It will go anywhere the Defender will go. I am ordering snow chains for the Subaru, and that, plus AWD will get me anywhere, also.
Loved this thread.
HB
My heart would be for a Land Rover Defender--diesel, of course. What I did buy recently was a Subaru Outback with AWD. So far it has performed very well. Trips over the mountains at Jamao and off to Luperon and La Isabela. It is sturdy on the road, not a real gas guzzler. I used to have a VW Golf with the 1.9 diesel THAT was a gem...60-65 km/gal. and rugged.
But this Subaru is also rugged. As for parts, there is eBay and Amazon with factory parts at 1/3 to 1/4 the price here....and the price here is for Chinese parts, not OEM factory....
I can also agree that the Toyota Hilux 4 x 4 diesel is a real horse. It will go anywhere the Defender will go. I am ordering snow chains for the Subaru, and that, plus AWD will get me anywhere, also.
Loved this thread.
HB
my sons first car, too. XT Turbo. wonderful car, that took a beating, and ran forever.
Did your Subaru come with EyeSight Technology? And if so, do you think it is a worthwhile option for the DR? EyeSight is the name of the collision avoidance system that Subaru has been offering since late 2014.
Other car manufacturers have followed suit, but on a limited basis. By way of example you can get it on the 2017 Corolla, but not the Camry.
You made a good choice as the Outback comes equipped with AWD (All Wheel Drive).
Within the model years, 2013, 2014 fare better quality wise than the 2015 and 2016. No surprise as the 2015 was a redesign......and the first year of a redesign generally has new kinks/bugs to be worked out. That does not make the 2015 and 2016 bad vehicles. To the contrary, it is just that they may have more annoying issues until corrected in later model years.
They are a more practical choice than the Landrover.
Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
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One of the biggest things to consider is whatever you buy can you get parts a few years from now. There are several cars sold here that are not sold in the big global markets like north America and some parts of Europe. Trying to get parts for these now is not easy.
The second thing to consider is how many electronic convenience options do you need. Here the less electronic stuff the better. Heat and humidity kills them faster than cold and dry.
If I was to buy a new car here I think I would lean towards a Jeep Wrangler. They are quite basic and parts will be around forever.
The second thing to consider is how many electronic convenience options do you need. Here the less electronic stuff the better. Heat and humidity kills them faster than cold and dry.
If I was to buy a new car here I think I would lean towards a Jeep Wrangler. They are quite basic and parts will be around forever.
Lack of preventative maintenance. Guaranteed. My Prado has 250K on it and still runs and looks like new. Doesn't smoke or use oil either.
I like the Izuzu DMax as well, but I think the Volkswagon Amarok diesel pickup is cheaper and just as good.
The CVT (constant velocity transmission) drives me up a wall. Now give me a base Frontier 4 x 4 diesel, and now you're talking.
OP, you can rent a Frontier at National Rent a Car here in Santo Domingo. Well worth the effort to rent one for a day.
I was lucky and got one from National for two weeks when my car was at the repair shop. I had the Navara - the automatic version - and I enjoyed driving it a lot.
The new toyota hilux. It's not only very sturdy and maintenance friendly, it's also very economic on fuel (diesel) miles/gallon, and it is simply beautifull (but that's a matter of taste, offcourse). Moreover toyota's are easier to sell than whatever other brand of car in this country, when you eventually want to get rid of it... USD 54.000,- will do the trick i think.
A new Hilux is around 54 and there's a couple of limited editions for 3-4k more.
A new Frontier with turbo diesel will be about 47K ( a base 2dr pickup is about 30K)
A new DMax will run about the same as the Frontier
A new Amarox will be 36K for a 2016 model.
They all sip fuel, but if I had the bucks, I'd go with the Hilux, and if I was trying to save money, the DMAX.
Thanks for quoting the costs.
I did mention economy in my OP.
If you like driving boxes on wheels that cost a great deal carry on.
Best suggestions to date are from the gorgon and playacaribe as expected.
Being a European, the Subaru ideas do interest especially wanting something that handles in other than as straight line.
I mentioned racing around the Great Orm in Wales before and the car that did the best then when younger was a Saab 96. Nothing like good driving cars and I am a BMW 3 series fan. But no good for here due to maintenance issues and fuel quality. We need to be realistic relative to the OP.
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