Update:This post was confusingly written. I've cleaned it up (and changed the name) so it's more obvious.
I want your opinion on what kind of car would fit the following needs.
This car would be:
- A car or truck that's good on the highway
- safe enough for me and family members
- potentially (but not necessarily) offroad-capable
- under $10,000
This is not a trick question and I'm not asking you to guess what I'm thinking—I just want to know what you'd pick to meet all these points. There are no wrong answers here—except, of course, the 1994 Ford Ranger XL, which is never the right answer to anything.
Let me guess, you're trying to write a bio...
Speaking of the DeadGuy™ 1994 Ford Ranger XL, some jackass got pulled over yesterday on account of registration that was 9 months out of date. Wh000t! I'm off to court.
I guess ...
A Toyota 4runner.
Used of course ... probably from the mid '90s
Actually this might work. Or even this this, if you want something slower.
Might I suggest the 1994 Ford Ran... oh wait. Hrmm how about a mid 80's Toyota Hilux. I think TopGear had some good things to say about it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/images/prog28/hilux_1024.jpg
Toyota actually released a special Hilux in the UK called the "Hilux Invincible" in honor of the Top Gear special.
Those things are mechanically indestructable, but I worry about the overall safety. Light trucks made before 2000 or so weren't subject to Federal car safety regulations, and the door protection in the 1980s-era Toyota pickup consists of two thin bits of sheetmetal. Admittedly, if you've got the window rolled down, that will also help impede the progress of an inbound front bumper.
In any event, those things do scare me.