Rancher Gal Needs Comfort, Too!
Hi, I am a sheep herder-rancher girl, I enjoy the comfort of leather seats, etc. but I need a vehicle I can throw a bale of alfalfa into or several sacks of grain. I Am currently driving a Ford Sportstrac 4X4 truck. It works as a car while letting me grab sheep stuff when I need it. Any suggestions that is four-wheel drive with the comforts of a car…. I have just seen the new Ford Escape to be released this spring, they gave it a redesign. I need a rough and tumble vehicle for work with the sheep and comfy too. In wish the auto industry would recognize there are women ranchers who don’t want a huge truck to do tough jobs. Any suggestions… Thanks
– Marcia
Petaluma, Ca.
Dear Marcia –
Have you thought about a Subaru Outback? The Outback is basically a
station wagon on steroids. Its cargo bay is long, rather than tall like
many SUVs, so it’s good for bales of hay and sacks of grain. And you can
get a rubber cargo mat that will give some semblance of protection to
the carpets underneath. The Outback drives like a car, but it has
all-wheel-drive and high ground clearance that makes it great for
trekking out into the fields after a soaking rain. (New Englanders swear
by ’em.) You can get a Limited model with leather seats for a reasonable
price, and Subarus last forever.
Another idea similar to your SporTrac is the Honda Ridgeline pickup. It
tries hard to look tough and trucky (a nod to the guys who usually buy
pickups) but it’s designed like a car, so it handles pretty well for its
size. It’s a proper pickup, which means you can toss your supplies into
the bed and not worry about getting alfalfa on your seats, and it has a
locking compartment in the bed floor that works like a car’s trunk. The
Ridgeline isn’t very popular, but the few people we know who have one
seem to really like it.
Happy shopping and be sure to get “ba-a-a-a-a-a”ck with us on what you
choose!