I'm Heading East In Search Of The Simple Life And I Need A Reliable Road Tripper! What Should I Buy?

Eli is tired of the Los Angeles rat race and is going to head east to live in Maine. He has a Passat wagon that may not make the journey and is looking for a solid road trip car with all-wheel drive and a little towing capacity. With a budget of about $20,000, what car should he buy?

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Here is the scenario.

Getting tired of the west coast so I'll be packing my bags and heading east in a few months. I'm going to be moving from LA to the back country of Maine. Im looking for a truck or SUV to make the trip cross country (with my girlfriend and dog) and then to keep through the winter in Maine. I'll be towing a small trailer be sleeping in the car during the trip. The area I'm moving to gets a lot of snow so AWD is pretty important to me. Budget is about 20k, ideally I'll sell the car next spring. Currently driving a VW Passat wagon which I love, but I don't think it's going to be up for this. Please help!

Quick Facts:

Budget: Around $20,000

Location: Currently LA

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: Comfort, reliable, can tow

Doesn't want: Something too wild

Eli, this sounds like quite the adventure and I'm sure it will be a welcome culture change. This might be a cliche answer but that doesn't mean it's a bad one: You need a Subaru Outback. These are great for road trips, can haul a ton of stuff on the inside or easily handle a roof box. You can even tow up to 2,700 pounds with the base motor, though the car will feel a bit sluggish. One of the key benefits is that, with the rear seats folded, this wagon becomes a decent sleeper if you aren't over 6-foot tall. Another bonus is if you don't plan on keeping this for very long, Subarus are a quick flip in the New England market.

Here is a 2024 Outback Premium with a bit of mileage but in overall good condition for just under $22,000. While the Subie might not be the most interesting choice for a cross-country journey it should be one less thing to worry about.

Now, I'm the first to admit that I'm not really a Lexus GX fan (though I do like the new one a lot), and I'm especially not a fan of the styling of the generation of GX that I am recommending here, but I do think it is the right vehicle for you. This 2012 GX 460 looks to be in extraordinarily good shape, and with just under 119,000 miles on the odometer it's barely broken in. There's more than enough space for you, your girlfriend, your dog and a bunch of stuff, and with full-time four-wheel drive, KDSS, rear air suspension and seemingly brand new all-terrain tires, it'll be able to handle all the nature that Maine will throw at you.

Did I mention that it's brown? Because it's brown, and it's amazing. OK, the cream interior might not be ideal for a dog, and it'll be a shame that the pristine-looking interior will certainly get beat up on your journey, but isn't that the whole reason to get an SUV? This GX also has navigation, the Mark Levinson sound system, heated and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats (the dog will love that), parking sensors and a backup camera, and a tow hitch receiver. This is a hell of a lot of truck for just under $20,000, and when you're ready to get rid of it in the spring, I bet you'll easily be able to sell it to a Mainer for a profit.

There's an interesting factor in your ask, Eli: You're only planning to keep this car for a couple of months. One road trip, one winter, and then you're done. You don't just need a reliable car with towing capacity and room to sleep in, you need one that's at the bottom of its depreciation curve without harming its ability to be relied on to take you across the United States. Eli, my friend, you need a Land Cruiser.

Specifically, you need a 100-series Cruiser like this one, though the listing doesn't much matter. These V8-powered models aren't yet desirable classics like the earlier 6-cylinder eras, but they also aren't still expensive like the later 200 series. Over your single winter and 3,000-some-odd miles with a 100-series Cruiser, it'll lose about ten cents in value.Eli, get yourself a 100-series Land Cruiser, and road trip across the country in God's Perfect Vehicle for only what it costs you in gas. I'm jealous, honestly — the Hundy is one of my all-time favorite vehicles, and you'll get to see everything the U.S. has to offer from its windows. Have fun, my friend.