What type vehicle is best for getting two 100 # dogs around AND easy clean up?
by admin on Friday, October 22nd, 2010 | 11 Comments
I do not want a van, mini or fullsize. I looked into Explorers but would hate to be constantly cleaning one out, even with a cargo liner. Looked at trucks, some are too high for them to jump in, small ones are a little tight with the camper shell on. Is there any American car, suv or truck I am not thinking of? My dogs want to run in the park at least 4 days per week and I do not have time to be constantly cleaning a car interior. If this matters, I am trying to stay within 10 years of age vehicle and under $10,000.
If you have large muddy dogs, what vehicle works best for you? We are in the Seattle constant rain/mud. Will dogs use a ramp or stairs better to get into a high truck?
i would think that the Honda Element would be the best choice because since it’s boxy it will have plenty of room for two dogs. It’s eays to clean up when you have mats
What about a sub compact truck with a shell? You cannot beat the Toyota Tacoma for reliability and value. Ford also makes the Ranger, which is similar in size th the Tacoma.
The best way to buy a used truck in your area is to shop online. When you have found the vehicle you want, go to CarFax and pay the fee for running a background check on the vehicle to make sure it hasn’t been in a disasterous accident.
You might also consider the Scion XB, which is wonderful, but it can’t be washed out.
I used to live in Bellingham and I used a Tacoma with a shell. It worked great.
My girl is wet and muddy and she is quite big. We spend lots of time in the woods 7 days a week. My car is a small crappy import, but it’s her personal “dog mobile”. Nobody else would dare to enter
Best of luck on your “quest”!!!
Try Jeeps. A Wrangler would be good if its big enough. Some models have floor drains and all so you could just hose it out. Also the Unlimited is pretty big (just avoid the latest model which is above your max price anyway, and definately not worth the money)
Some Cherokees have similiar features.
S10s arent bad, very low to the ground for a truck, so they could get in easily. Sliding glass door and a topper on the back and youre good to go.
Same thing for a Ranger.
If those are too small, you can look for a base model F150 or comparable (Silverado 1500, Ram 1500). The base model versions are pretty low to the ground, but were usually offered with a long bed which would give a few more feet for the dogs.
You mentioned American, so Im assuming you arent interested in the Element. That said, it does have a vinyl floor for easy cleanup, just no floor drain which is a pretty big design flaw. Its also overpriced and the 2WD version is a lightweight POS that flies around the road in the wind due to poor design. If you consider it, the 4WD version is nice, but you’ll want to put in a drain and it may be a bit too pricey anyway.
My g/f has a Honda Element which she uses as a dog vehicle. The WHOLE interior, seats, floor, doors etc are vinyl or rubber and she can literally park it on a hill and hose it out, according to her. She loves it.
Pick up. You can put them in the back, without having the fuss of the cab getting dirty.
I know someone who recently got a pickup, after using and Expedition for years. They have big dogs and when the dog rolled in something, they had to endure the smell for the entier drive. Not with the pick up and I think clean up is easy if you have a bed liner. You can just hose it out.
I think they have an F-150
I have a dodge pickup with a topper and bed liner. I see lots of people with dogs in a truck with no topper in this area, but that just scares me. I have also seen the results of dogs jumping or falling out of a truck with no topper. I just hose ours out every now and then.
Well, you would have less clean up worries on a vehicle if you crate your dogs during transport.
An Element is great.
It’s roomy, and is all water-proof so it’s amazingly easy to clean up. Some friends of mine with two young sons (and you know how boys will be be boys and they aren’t always the cleanest) had an Element, they would open all the doors and hose down the back seat with a garden hose!
Two words
EL CAMINO
lol. You should be able to pick up a decent runner for around 5k. I have a big lab and he rides in the back after he gets muddy and I short leash him to a spare tire in the back because he acts like he is going to jump out sometimes. You can install a bar in the front of the bed to leash them too so you dont have to worry about having a camper shell.
If you really want to stay withing 10 years the only way to really go is some kind of pickup. I would avoid any kind of vehicle designed for interior cargo because it will be a hassle to clean. For cheap an S-10 or Ranger.
We bought a Chevy Tahoe for ours and I keep the back seats down and blankets spread to minimize the clean-up.
I also just bought a Blazer and discovered that my german shepherds fit quite nicely in the back of it too.One weighs 86# and the other is 115.It sits lower to the ground so they don’t hav as far to jump.