Big Paws Only Dog Forums
BPO Travel & Transport Forum => Transporting & Traveling With Dogs => : Winslow 151 November 07, 2005, 05:20:35 PM
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Hi,
Winslow is growing Rapidily :o The Wife's Saturn Coup won't last long. What are you using to transport your dogs.
I have a Tundra Extended cab with 2 regular and 2 Suicide doors, We need to keep that for towing our camper.
I'd like something that can hold Winslow but also get some decent Gas Milage.
She wants an SUV and I'm having a hard time getting her to think gas milage. :(
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I have a 2003 Honda CRV. It's great for Kiah! She has the whole back to herself. Gas mileage is around 20mpg in town and more then that on the highway.
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I drive a Toyota Matrix. Its gets great gas milage (~31 mpg) and can definitely hold a BPO or 2 in the back seat. Also the seats fold down. I call it my car/SUV/wagon because it doesn't quite fit into any category. :)
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We drive a ford explorer. It doesn't get great gas mileage, but we bought it used and it was cheap...
If I could afford a new car, I would buy the Toyota Highlander hybrid. It is an SUV, but it is a hybrid so you are using WAY less gas.
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We got an older jeep wrangler, took the seats out of the back. It works great for Webster and Riley. (newf pup and goldie)
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I live in an area that gets a lot of wierd weather, so a car was not an option when we went car-shopping this year. I travel quite a bit with my pups, and also hauling sound equipment for my singing group, so I needed an SUV with a low entry/exit point so that I wouldn't kill myself unloading the dogs or equipment. Gas Milage was also at the top of the list. So after some serious comparison shopping, my husband bought me a Suzuki XL-7.
It's FABULOUS! We got it decked (all the extras) and walked out less than 30k tax/title/license. The dogs love it, I can haul my two big monsters, Zeus my wanna-be, and my three skin kids comfortably. Great gas milage, I think it's like 18 in-town and 24 highway. (don't quote me on that, best look up the specs) It's got 4x4, 'cause we get some pretty hefty snowfalls here.
All the seats fold for extra cargo as needed. It's got an optional third row (which we didn't need) and some other really great options. I've got the V-6 and it's definately ballsy.
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Great thread. I actually was going to post this same kinda question. My thing, however, is leather or fabric? We're getting a new vehicle...we decided on the Toyota 4-Runner...and we're having a debate over the interior. I think that leather will be much easier to clean drool, hair, etc. off of, and last longer. But, Mark thinks that Cabeza's claws will tear it up. I still think that leather will withstand claws better than fabric.
I posed this question on chat once, and everyone agreed with me. (Leather) Anyone else have experience with this?
BTW, the 4-Runner gets pretty decent MPG. (For an SUV) We had to have 4Wheel drive to tow our boat and various other things, it had to fit Cabeza, (and the Newf pup to come next fall) and it couldn't be too grossly huge. So, the 4-Runner fit the bill pretty well.
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I highly recommend the leather. I've had both, and my leather is much easier to wipe up the drool and food slimies than fabric. I went to the farm store and bought the padding that they line horse stalls with, and custom made mats for the cargo area. They soak up any mud or water that the puppers track in, I can also haul them out for cleaning, and just hose them down.
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I have a Honda Pilot and I LOVE IT..Zero and Misha both fit in it with room to spare, they can both stand, move and turn and that is not folding seats down
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You mean what kind of seats are best under the HEAVY DUTY SEAT COVERS!
I recommend the leather, but suggest aquiring 2 sets of extra heavy duty sail canvas seat covers that you can Scotchgard to the moon and back no matter what you end up getting.
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I have a Mercury Mountaineer which'll probably fit 3 Danes. (Fits Nee and Tench pretty well with room to spare). I'd LOVE to get a Ford Freestyle or the new CHevy HHR which looks like an awesome dog car and gets good mileage for a SUV.
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That's such a great picture of Nee and Tenchi, Ang!
Hmm....seat covers, eh? Mark HATES them....maybe we can get some just for Cabeza's area. Or maybe do like Leah suggested and get the rubber mats. That sounds like a good idea.
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Leather works great! Be careful with the SUV's and, at least, Newfs. Their knees are so delicate so they need to be assisted down as well as being helped up. Cowboy has learned to put his front legs in the back of my station wagon and I support his back legs as he climbs in. When he comes out, he knows to wait for me to support his chest to take some of the weight off his landing. He came to me, at 18 months, limping, from his previous owner allowing him to jump and the vet said a tiny bone in both his front knees had broken off. Cosequin and support of stablilized that problem. Chester is a whole other story....WILD MAN!!! ;D ;D
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Their knees are so delicate so they need to be assisted down as well as being helped up. Cowboy has learned to put his front legs in the back of my station wagon and I support his back legs as he climbs in.Â
Zoey does the same thing if we can't do the ramp for whatever reason.... But for those who need it, they also make a car ramp called the 'pet step' it is heavy and has to be stored in the back seat which is akward, but it is still a great thing to have around if you have a tall car and a dog with achy bones.
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well i have a mitsubishi outlander. it is in between a car and an SUV. the saleman called it a "civilized SUV". actually it is all-wheel-drive. it has automatic transmission but has a "sport-matic" transmission in which you can shift it over and actually change gears like a stick shift, good for off road or hazard driving conditions like snow. gets about 24/29 mpg and is very easy to get in and out of and load your cargo easily. you dont need a step ladder to get in and out. very good when you are short like me. hugo rides in the back seat (which is a 60/40 spilt) with plenty of room to spare. actually the back seat would comfortably hold 2 giants and with the seat folded down would comfortably fit 4 giants, although i have never hauled that many at once. it is a peppy little vehicle, but no speed demon. i have been very happy with it. had it for 2 years. it is very affordable $17k-25000 (depending on options). it has been around for a couple of years so you might be able to find a good used one.
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Mari,
Cabeza always enters and exits that way. He's too afraid to jump. So, we're used to that. Thanks for the reminder, though. I'll probably just get him a ramp. We've been needing one to get him in and out of the boat, anyway. Sometimes the docks are so far away from the boat! (higher or lower)
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Hi,
THANK YOU this has been extremely informative. I like the Matrix (She hates it ??? She Likes the CRV (I do too :P but won't tell her) Make her sweat a little.
K9 cooky that dog ramp looks Great!! i'm definately lokking into that from the picture the link looks like www.dogramp.co m
Rich
PS Winslow went to the vet last night and weighed in at 64 pounds at 18 weeks old 8)
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I love my CRV!!! That's a good choice! ;)
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Don't forget the much-overlooked Kia Sportage! It gets great gas mileage - about 25 mpg in town, can actually hold a lot more than you think (I've hauled 3 big dogs and one small dog in it when I lay the back seats down (probably 2 giants would fit, I've hauled mostly lab-sized big dogs). And it's CHEAP and very reliable.
I'm looking to get a new car, too and thought I would look at the Mistubishi hybrid SUVs. Anyone know anything about them??
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We recently leased a Dodge Durango after months of shopping and comparing other SUV we thought it was the best bang for the buck.
It is large enough to fit 2 large crates in even with the back seat up for human use.
The gas milage is only 15/19 but at $200/month 0 down we figured in the long run we are saving money over leasing the Trailblazer $400.00/month, Equinox $343/month, GC $310/month and the many others we looked at most of which did not get much better then 20 miles tops.
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I've heard good things about the hybrid SUV's for basic gas mileage and what-not. The only problem with them (for us anyway) is that they aren't as powerful. So, they probably wouldn't work for hauling heavy stuff. (Like boats). I wish they would, though. But they're just not as hefty as we need.
I also heard with the hybrids that you have to change the battery every couple of years which will cost you about $2000. There goes all the money you saved on gas....
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We have a dodge caravan. It works great, and is good on gas.
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I've had my full size 1999 Chevy Suburban for 5 years now, I do love my truck & although I hate filling it up about $100 BIG tank, gets about 13mpg, fits 3 big dogs perfectly. When camping we can sleep in it. To save on gas I ride my motorcycle, if one of the bikes break down, I know I can hook up the trailer & go get it.
Carolyn
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ok....this is getting scary Kelly! lol :o Your hubby's name isn't Gary is it??? lol ;) ;D
No, hubby's name is Eric (phew)! Too funny though! So, what color is your Dakota :-\
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I drive a Jeep Wrangler. You'd be surprised at what you can actually fit in those things! LOL It was very affordable even though I got it with everything possible on it! It gets about 20 MPG in town 22 on highway.
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We're buying the new RAV4 when the v6 comes out. It's small enough to feel comfortable yet big enough to fit our doberkid (and possibly a playmate for her in the future ssshhhhhh! ;D). We are DEFINATELY getting leather in it. I've cleaned enough cloth seats in my days to know better than to buy it again. lol
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very smart about the leather...I have an X-terra with cloths seats and they are trashed! Daisy ripped up the back today. it's roomy though. ;D
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Wow this is a really good post,good info!
I have also been looking recently for a new vehicle to accomidate my little soon to be big Kayzer! I have A 2000 Intrepid
Beautiful car to ride in and drive but it always has something wrong with it.The material of the interior is the worst thing I have ever seen,Its like valcro.Everyth ing sticks to it and its really hard to get off, I hate it! Thinking about a Ford Escape! Did some research and it sounds pretty good on gas and quite roomy inside for an SUV. Im very relieved that Im not the only one buying a new car for my dog LOL
cuttles
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I ended up getting a 2004 ford expedition eb for our crew. At the time we still had 2 rottis. It is very roomy. Great for travelling. I can get a crate for Farley and Puck ( no crate).There is still plenty of room left for luggage and car seat ;D Not the best vehicle on gas though :-\
My husband has a 2005 ford escape. It is great on gas but we have not tried it with the dogs yet.
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Wow this is a really good post,good info!
I have also been looking recently for a new vehicle to accomidate my little soon to be big Kayzer! I have A 2000 Intrepid
Beautiful car to ride in and drive but it always has something wrong with it.The material of the interior is the worst thing I have ever seen,Its like valcro.Everyth ing sticks to it and its really hard to get off, I hate it! Thinking about a Ford Escape! Did some research and it sounds pretty good on gas and quite roomy inside for an SUV. Im very relieved that Im not the only one buying a new car for my dog LOL
cuttles
First mistake you bought MOPAR! Boooo Hisssss! :P OK just so you know, I test drove the Escape when I was looking at cars in April (Nee was about 8 months old at the time). I thought it was too small. He couldn't lay down unless all the seats were down, (OH YES, I brought him with me) he was hunched in the back pushed between the back of the seats and the actual tail gate. I don't even WANT to think about trying to do it with him now. I guess if I never took anyone anywhere and if I only had the one Dog it would be OK. Honestly though, Matt's mom just got the new Chevy HHR and I LOVE IT! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it! You should check it out. Tons of Cargo Room, AWESOME gas mileage, Great styling, low to the ground so easier for the babies to jump in and out of. Just an idea :)
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I heard they are advertising the new Tahoe as getting 30mpg! Unfortunately this will be my last SUV...they tore it up and we've lost thousands of $$ :(
I'm researching the Silverado, or Denali pickup for my next vehicle(with a topper)....they can dirty up the back all they want!! It's cooler when in the shade too. :)
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Hi,
Funny to see this still active. Well we are still looking, We drove the HHR it was nice just a little under powered with the 4 cylinder but definately in the top 3. We rented a Hyndai Tuscon in COLORADO so we got to test in the mountainns and snow and it was really nice. That is the leader at the moment, and the CRV is still up there.
When we make a purchase we'll let you know. The Saturn Coupe is getting smaller every week I think.
Rich
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We recently bought a Dodge Durango...I really like it but truthfully our minivan is easier to get the dogs into & it seems roomier for them. (with the back seat out)...Here is our Durango.
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I have a '98 Toyota T-100 and I love my truck. I have the extended cab so the girls get the whole back seat. But I recently went and looked at the Honda Ridgeline. I love that vehicle. I just can't justify it since the gas mileage is worse than my truck that is older. But the Ridgeline has a trunk in the bed that can act as a cooler. I am talking a cruising beer container for a tailgate party. Okay enough dreaming.
Kat
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Wow this is a really good post,good info!
I have also been looking recently for a new vehicle to accomidate my little soon to be big Kayzer! I have A 2000 Intrepid
Beautiful car to ride in and drive but it always has something wrong with it.The material of the interior is the worst thing I have ever seen,Its like valcro.Everyth ing sticks to it and its really hard to get off, I hate it! Thinking about a Ford Escape! Did some research and it sounds pretty good on gas and quite roomy inside for an SUV. Im very relieved that Im not the only one buying a new car for my dog LOL
cuttles
First mistake you bought MOPAR! Boooo Hisssss! :P OK just so you know, I test drove the Escape when I was looking at cars in April (Nee was about 8 months old at the time). I thought it was too small. He couldn't lay down unless all the seats were down, (OH YES, I brought him with me) he was hunched in the back pushed between the back of the seats and the actual tail gate. I don't even WANT to think about trying to do it with him now. I guess if I never took anyone anywhere and if I only had the one Dog it would be OK. Honestly though, Matt's mom just got the new Chevy HHR and I LOVE IT! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it! You should check it out. Tons of Cargo Room, AWESOME gas mileage, Great styling, low to the ground so easier for the babies to jump in and out of. Just an idea :)
Good to know considering Kayzer isnt full grown yet! I much prefer a chev anyway to tell you the truth! My car has been nothing but a big exspensive pain in my @#$!
Transmission, air conditioning and front end parts, dont even get me started! Research will be done this time, and plenty of it. I will check out the Chevy for sure!
Thanks for the info!
cuttles
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My wife has an Xterra as well which is great for the dogs, and I drive an Armada which is roomier although not as fuel efficient. We drove it to OBX last year with the entire fam (2 adults, 3 kids, 2 dogs) and all of our gear and it was wonderful. I have a ramp on order to help getting them in and out.
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Hi,
Funny to see this still active. Well we are still looking, We drove the HHR it was nice just a little under powered with the 4 cylinder but definately in the top 3. We rented a Hyndai Tuscon in COLORADO so we got to test in the mountainns and snow and it was really nice. That is the leader at the moment, and the CRV is still up there.
When we make a purchase we'll let you know. The Saturn Coupe is getting smaller every week I think.
Rich
I LOVE my CRV!!! I would definately go for it! Honda's are wonderful and they last forever. I will never drive anything else again. It fits both my dogs too!
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I have a Wrangler. Sadie and Riley both fit in the back seat (I buckle them in with their harnesses). Sadie gets in and out on her own, but I help Riley in and out, so he doesn't make any hard landings. He's getting too big for that, though, so I need to get some kind of a ramp, I think. Also, I'm not sure about him squeezing between the front seat and the door frame to get to the back in another 6 months to a year. LOL. I think my next vehicle will be something like a 4-Runner or Element. My mom has a Pilot that is great, but it's a little big for me.
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I am look for an SUV now. Do the seats second and third row seats on the Armanda and the Durango fold down flat?
Lisa
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Thanks Melissa, I will take a look.
Lisa
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I'm new to the BPO and getting a AM in a few weeks. I have been looking at getting a F250 Crew Cab diesel. Plenty of room and decent mileage and can tow almost anything. I will be getting a ramp when I do.