What Car? Parents Retirement Travel Vehicle Edition

Some of you might recall that last year I asked for advice for my mom, who was looking to trade her Buick for something a bit nicer. She ended up with a Cadillac XTS- basically, an Impala wrapped in fancy leather. She likes the car, and her and my dad have taken some longer trips in it.

Now, my dad is retired, and at the end of this year, mom plans to as well. Dad's current vehicle is a 2003 Dodge pickup- your basic, V6, 2WD, crank up windows, etc. It's got 100k on it, and he's looking to upgrade that. The deal is, he and mom plan on doing some more, longer trips in retirement, and they decided that the Caddy is a bit too cramped for that (my mom tends to pack....not lightly). In any event, he still wants a more truck-like vehicle, as they have a boat that they tow (about 3000 pounds), but they're looking at a crew cab pickup with a tonneau cover bed to use as the new long-distance travel mobile.

I suggested to him that an SUV might be something they might want to consider, given the usage of the vehicle. But, my dad's been driving a pickup since 1975 (I'm not even exaggerating here) and has been checking out new Chevy trucks.

They're pretty much set on a GM vehicle...dad's Dodge has been OK but they've generally purchased GM products over the years and they tend to sway that way. Any thoughts or recommendations from the peanut gallery?

Addendum question: Dad's a bargain hunter, and wants to know the best way to get the best deal on a new vehicle. Any tips on this topic would also be appreciated. Thanks!

In reply to volvoclearinghouse:

I think this thread is pretty much the answer your father is looking for.

New Ridgeline could be the car-like truck experience.

But, my guess is you will not pull him away from GM.

Get rid of the Cadillac sedan and get Mom a big GM Crossover SUV for the road trips and leave Dad in a real truck.

My suggestion also was going to be Ridgeline.

If not, then get a loaded up Avalanche.

How are the transmissions on the new Ridgelines? Would a 3000 lb boat be testing the limits of machine?

The Ridgeline is rated for 5,000# towing so it shouldn't be an issue.

If his '03 Dodge has a clutch, put me first in line to buy it!

EvanR wrote: If his '03 Dodge has a clutch, put me first in line to buy it!

Alas, no, it's a slushbox. He had it listed on Craigslist for awhile at 4500 with no bites, and recently dropped it to 3500. It's got a bit of rust (as one would expect in Western NY) but he's a stickler for maintenance, and always had it done at a local garage down the street they've been going to since, well, 1975.

The best way to get a deal on a new vehicle is to go in on the last day of the month, especially if said day is at the end of a quarter (March, June, September, or December). Dealers really want to meet their goals, and sometimes a dealer will take a loss on a new car to retain ordering priority in the given area (Chevy dealers don't want to miss out on ordering Corvettes). I know people who have gotten some crazy deals this way, especially on used cars (03 Denali for several hundred under sticker, no real haggling required).

Well, dad closed the deal on the Dodge today, its sold and gone. So now he and mom are down to just the Caddy. And Mom's still working 3 days a week, so she needs it to commute.

Will be interesting to see what happens. I just sent them this:

https://rochester.craigslist.org/cto/6020265175.html