What if I wanted a Mazda5 that was ZAV worthy?

OK, I may have mislead slightly.

I will most likely be purchasing a very used stick shift Mazda5 in about a year as I'll be carting three kids to school while Momma carts them back in the Caravan. The PT Cruiser isn't going to do it for three kids legally.

But. Even though I do have the GMC in process, there's no telling how it will be used, or if I might sell it or what.

So, let's fast forward a year. A Mazda5 with high miles and a manual transmission is 6k. The truck is gone, sold or something. Let's say I wanted a simple, easy to fix, ready to tow a car, haul crap, bug out with the family, etc for that same 6k. What would that be?

Rules:

Swaps are OK as long as they're not silly crazy or difficult to complete (Dude, that Coyote powered Defender is totally the answer)

4wd is required, even though I don't think I'll use is 95% of the time

Real live rows of seats. No jump seats, reverse facing seats or other such nonsense.

Fuel economy (not gas mileage to allow for diesels) matters, but can be adjusted for potential DIY type improvements.

Whaddya got?

I think you'd need a full powertrain & drivetrain swap, maybe from a CX5? The requirement for 4wd makes it WAY tougher.

You know 2WD with a good LSD will get you through any light offroading. When I had the locker in the sammy's rear axle I'd often drive dry or moderately muddy trails in 2WD and the only hint that I forgot to put it in 4WD was that it would slide around the corners more.

Suzuki XL-7 is small but has 3 rows and real, rwd based 4wd.
If not that then Astro AWD.

put a huge deposit down on a Land Cruiser. Drive it till you're bored with it. Sell it and get your deposit back in full.

JohnRW1621 wrote: Suzuki XL-7 is small but has 3 rows and real, rwd based 4wd. If not that then Astro AWD.

01-06 is. THe newer ones are just enlarged Equinoxes.

Find a trashed Speed6 and rob the AWD system. Since they are based on the same chassis maybe easier bolt in than the other meathods

^ Good idea. Still, it's a full powertrain & drivetrain swap...

I'm not sure I could stomach the "reliability" or the "availability of parts" on the Suzy

I was thinking older iron than those options anyway.

Flight Service wrote: Find a trashed Speed6 and rob the AWD system. Since they are based on the same chassis maybe easier bolt in than the other meathods

Are you sure? I thought the Mazda5 was based on the 3 platform, not the 6.

Crew cab truck. Mine will seat 6 adults.

jstein77 wrote:

Flight Service wrote: Find a trashed Speed6 and rob the AWD system. Since they are based on the same chassis maybe easier bolt in than the other meathods

Are you sure? I thought the Mazda5 was based on the 3 platform, not the 6.

Also, if I want to compete with a 6k Mazda, the solution probably isn't to buy a 6k mazda and then buy 5k in parts to put in it...

DaveEstey wrote: Crew cab truck. Mine will seat 6 adults.

Airbags in the front make it not exactly the right choice, unfortunately, unless they can be disabled. The three kids will be 6, 4 and 3.

Mine has a key to turn off the passenger airbag.

DaveEstey wrote: Mine has a key to turn off the passenger airbag.

OK I just checked your garage - you got that for around 6k?

tuna55 wrote:

DaveEstey wrote: Mine has a key to turn off the passenger airbag.

OK I just checked your garage - you got that for around 6k?

You won't find a diesel for that price, but an older one with a V8 should be attainable. Given your requirements I don't think you need the diesel anyway.

Right around 2000-2001 with 90-100k miles seems to be the sweet spot for F250's for around $6k here.

roadmaster with impala SS underpinnings.

or not, since the newest one is nearly 20 years old. grand cherokee?

AngryCorvair wrote: or not, since the newest one is nearly 20 years old. grand cherokee?

Now there's a good idea.

http://columbia.craigslist.org/ctd/3755305846.html

jstein77 wrote:

AngryCorvair wrote: or not, since the newest one is nearly 20 years old. grand cherokee?

Now there's a good idea. http://columbia.craigslist.org/ctd/3755305846.html

Gotta convert to 4x4. Well THAT one anyway.

Old Quigley E-Series, I'm sure I'm missing part of it but I've seen them for that money. Saw a stripped (like a cargo van) Quigley for $3,500 up here a few years ago.

ebonyandivory wrote:

jstein77 wrote:

AngryCorvair wrote: or not, since the newest one is nearly 20 years old. grand cherokee?

Now there's a good idea. http://columbia.craigslist.org/ctd/3755305846.html

Gotta convert to 4x4

How many rows?

Two. Hey, aren't PT Cruisers five-seaters?

Yeah. I think Cherokee is the answer here...or AWD Safari. Hell, at $6k, buy one of each. If you can snatch 'em for $2k a piece, you'll have money left over for an AWD Supercharged Previa!!!

Um.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/3772503636.html

tuna55 wrote:

DaveEstey wrote: Crew cab truck. Mine will seat 6 adults.

Airbags in the front make it not exactly the right choice, unfortunately, unless they can be disabled. The three kids will be 6, 4 and 3.

The back seats in modern-ish crew cabs are wide enough to fit three car seats of nearly any variety. As to the front air bag thing, if it's less than a decade old it will probably not come on unless there's enough weight on the sensor (my 11 year old doesn't turn it on, my 110 lb wife does) and just a generation older than that will almost certainly have a key that can turn it off. As much as I HATE to equate trucks with safety, I'm quite certain that any of my kids that are big enough to just ride in a booster seat are safer in the front seat of my truck than they are in the back seat of my Mazda2.