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Hello,
 
I'm looking for a reliable, safe, small SUV for oversand driving. My parents have a dune cottage that is accessible only by driving oversand and up & down dunes. They're getting elderly, and need more and more help with the place. I live in the city, so a small SUV would be best. My budget is about $11 - $12K, so I'm looking at used vehicles.
 
The CR-V is very appealing, but I'm worried that the 4-cylinder engine won't be able to handle the hills and soft sand. Would a manual transmission overcome this problem? i.e., shift into low gear to climb the tougher hills. The other problem with the CR-V is that they retain their value, meaning they are more expensive to buy used than other cars. I would probably end up with a '99 or '00, if I'm lucky.
 
I've also looked at the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute, which come with a V6. I found a nice '02 Tribute with 49K miles for sale by the original owner for $12K, but upon returning from the test drive, transmission fluid started pouring out of the front of the car! The owner has all records and took good care of it, but I'm nervous that the transmission might be cooked, and that his mechanic might not be entirely honest with me about the seriousness of the problem.
 
I like the handling and responsiveness of the Escape and Tribute, but am worried about reliability. Any advice about this, or suggestions for other cars to try out, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 

- 4 cylinders should be fine
- stick with Toyota
- get an atuomatic transmission - in the off-road world it is referred to as a "juice-box" and provides the best traction in sand
- a RAV4 had full time 4 wheel drive and is far superior to the others you asked about
- any year rav4 is fine

did you ver get something?
where is the dune shack - I'm very familiar with Cape Cod - Nauset Beach from Orleans to Chatham ...