Hi, I know cars are a common topic here, so I'm sorry to repeat it. I'm looking for old threads that address this topic too.
I have a completely insane vehicle: a full size pickup truck with a contractor-style cap over the bed. It's not without reason: I fulfilled a decade-long yearning by road tripping in it for 3 months straight last year, using it as what amounted to a homemade RV. It was just about perfect for that, as well as the occasional move and so on. But for a normal, urban life it's preposterous. And so now that it's starting to be a money sink it's time to swap it out.
Here's my situation:
1. I ride or walk everywhere for my daily life. It looks like this past year I did 5,000 miles or so. And 2,000 of those would have been when I helped someone move.
2. Although I would love to perform maintenance, it's effectively impossible at my own house. I don't even have a flat place to work. So I don't want a "project."
3. I don't expect to take any more months-long road trips anytime soon, but I love camping and climbing in all seasons and conditions. In a perfect world I would be able to (discreetly, comfortably) sleep in the back of my car.
4. I don't want to have something that will struggle in snow or, say, a muddy national forest road
5. I think my plan to buy it would be to pay cash, in the 11k - 13k range
6. All things being equal, I would prefer to buy American, although since I'm buying used I'm not sure that's even meaningful.
So what jumps to mind is a little hatchback kind of thing: Honda Fit, VW Golf, or maybe a Subaru wagon. I used to be fond of the Mazda wagons. Does anyone have experience with using anything like that like I'm describing?
Thank you so much!