New vehicle choice... hatchback, crossover or 2 vehicles? (F150, 2015, manual transmission)

[k374]

So, currently I drive a 2004 Nissan Frontier XE... i've had it for 11 years and it has given me 122,000 miles of exceptionally trouble free service It has the KD24E 4 cyl engine with a 5 speed manual hence very cheap and easy to maintain besides being simple and reliable.

One thing that I miss is something that is fun to drive, obviously driving a pickup truck, especially a gutless 4cyl with 140hp is ridiculously boring.

I'm looking for my next vehicle and have a few options. I have some contradicting requirements in my choice of vehicle:

- I need something I can either tow my motorcycles with (max 1200lbs of towing) or put them in my truck bed

- I am a avid outdoors guy so I need something that can sometimes go over a bit of a rough terrain because sometimes trailheads are not off paved roads - this is only on rare occasions though

- Fun to drive, good handling and reasonably decent power

- Aesthetically pleasing, I know this is subjective.. I love the hatchback format.....

- Budget is around $30k or $35k if I am going to sell my truck (I figure I can get around $5k for my truck!)

- Solid reliability - I intend to keep vehicles for a very long time (10+ years) and i'm looking for something that matches the superb reliability that my Frontier has given me.

There are two main things I can do here, get a new vehicle that will match all my requirements or the 2nd option is to go with a 2 vehicle format - keep my existing truck and get something new for fun, obviously this has a drawback of storing/maintaining two vehicles which can be a chore in itself.

Was looking at some vehicles:

- Ford escape - love the styling and the fact it comes with a turbo, very nice interior quality, nice dimensions but reliability is always and issue with Ford, I hear the Escape is plagued with constant glitches.

- Subaru Forester - exterior styling is OK/Acceptable, interior is a mess with a super crappy infotainment system from the 90s, turbo is awesome, reliability is suspect, I hear it's fairly fun to drive

- Subaru Outback - exterior styling is OK/Acceptable, interior is OK..not great, weak V6 and even weaker 4cyl, fairly good towing capacity

- Ford Mustang - I like it, great styling, engines etc. not sure how fun to drive it is but i'm guessing it's good, reliability is a huge factor!

- Mazda 3 GT hatchback - AWESOME styling, fantastic interior, seems like a lot of fun to drive, adequate 184hp engine, a bit pricey for the segment.. fully loaded around $30k otd. but comes with a ton of gizmos!

Right now leaning towards keeping my truck and getting a Mazda 3 GT hatchback.. rather than getting an all in one vehicle which will always be a compromise I guess.

Opinions?

[Hemlock140]

We have a 2014 Escape 1.6 Turbo 4WD and love it. We took it on 3 road trips to Oregon and CA this year and it flew up the mountain passes and got 28-30 mpg. Despite 2 recalls there have not been any problems at all in the first 14,000 miles, but we waited for the 2nd year because the first of a new model is always problematic, and the 2013 Escape was no exception. We considered the Forester but after driving it the CVT felt odd and it wasn't as much fun as the Escape. We also have a 4WD Ranger (2007) that can haul 6,000 lbs with the towing package and 4.0 V6, also fun to drive. I would advocate keeping the truck and getting the 2nd car. Our Escape was priced at $28k+ but we got it for under $23k.

[k374]

cool! thanks for your feedback

[jaypee]

Have you checked out the Toyota Tacoma with the TRD Pro pkg (Taco Supreme)?

[trlhiker]

Have you checked out the Xterras? I would keep the truck and get yourself the Mazda. You seem most happy about that one.

[itsMeFred]

I would also keep your little pickup and get a car.
Unless you're truly limited in space, funds, etc, I always recommend having more than one vehicle if you have unrelated purposes for them. Your pickup will probably last for many years yet to come, particulalrly if its no longer a daily driver.

[bmwguydc]

I am another who would keep the pickup and get a car that you enjoy driving, be it a Mazda 3 GT, or perhaps something even more fun to drive. Fun to drive and the towing/space capacity that you need for the motorcycle would be very limited by the $30k budget. For example, the X5 M would fit the bill, but a 2010-2011 would be $40-$50k. If you wanted a sporty coupe, for about $30k, what about a Scion FR-S? It may not be the fastest vehicle on the road, but is pretty nimble and thrifty insofar as sporty coupes, in terms of purchase price and operating costs.

[LeagleEagleDFW]

I have a new style 2014 Mazda 3 hatch and love it. Not a GT but it's very fun to drive and very reliable (second Mazda). Highly recommended, but I can't speak to towing.

[belovenow]

Everything you stated would support a recommendation to go with a 2 door 2015 (or left over 2014) Jeep Wrangler Willy's Wheeler edition with a soft top, tow package, and manual transmission. 1) fun to drive/decent handling - yes, 2) can tow your bikes - yes, 3) complement your outdoor lifestyle - yes, 4) aesthetically pleasing - yes, 5) reliable/easy to work on - yes 6) on low-end of your budget - yes (join Treadlightly.org and get no haggle below factory invoice pricing).

I cannot speak for the other vehicles you listed, but I can tell you that I have a similar Wrangler and if you test drive one and like it, you won't regret buying one. The fun factor of retracting the top is unmatchable. I've had zero problems in cold/rain or even on the highway with just a soft top as well.

[GTOlover]

Lots of people will be trading in their 11th Gen 2004-2008 and 12th Gen 2009-2014 Ford F150 for the 2015 version so lots of great deals should be found on those years OP