best vans for dirtbagging (or trucks)

The best van or truck might be the one that has the lowest miles vs. year vs cost.
Most recent models of all types are reliable.
All US vans & trucks will do the job and in this recession you'll probably find a ten year old model for a good price (suburban toy car?). The truck frame vehicles, 2WD or 4 WD, will offer substantially better rough road durability than any car chassis based mini van. And yes parts will be much easier to find for US vehicles if you are out in the wilds of Wyoming Utah, etc
Have a great summer climbing - way to go!

Referring to "Smart Cars":

Monty wrote: dude that's perfect. i'd even save on gas money too. those compact euro's... all ways a step a head...

Except that there are a few cars that are about 2X as big get just as good a mileage rating (actually, better) cost less, and have better saftey features than a Crisco can.

Michael Schneiter wrote: I've heard such varying opinions on VWs that I don't know what to think.

It's a cult.

Michael Schneiter wrote:GMC Safari/Chevy Astro vans are pretty good dirt bagging vehicles.

I agree with Michael. I have a 94 Chevy Astro, which I lived in for a little over a year. The big advantage of a MiniVan over a pickup is that you can easily get from the driving compartment to the living compartment without going outside. This is super nice in bad weather, or when you want to grab a guidebook out of the back, or when camping in a clandestine fashion. Can also be nice on cold nights, cause you can heat the entire living space while driving.

The Astro/Safari model is extremely roomy. The bed in mine is 6'x4'8" or so; plenty of room for two. I can also fit a 4'x8' sheet of plywood inside (laying flat, with doors closed) which was super awesome when I was building my gym. Many pickups can't do that.

As for AWD, I have the AWD model, but I wasn't looking for it. I had a Jeep Cherokee prior to the Astro, and I learned the hard way that 4WD is usually more trouble than its worth. But I was looking for a used Astro, and the best one I found happened to be AWD, so I took it. I don't think I ever really benefited from the AWD, but who knows. However, I haven't had any maintenance issues that were directly related to the AWD. I'm still driving the Astro, approaching 170,000 miles (I bought it at 85K). I have had several mechanical problems (fuel pump, wiring harness, alternator, drive shaft), but not more than any other American car I've owned. Half of those repairs I did myself, so I'm not convinced that its "hard to work on".

German Unimog

VW! Of course, I had to put a Subara Legacy engine into it to get it to be reliable! Haha! Plus the mileage went from about 18 mpg to 24 mpg - seriously!

It's got a two-person bed in the back, a two-person bed in the pop-up, stove, fridge, sink, furnace, and lots of cupboard space. I've also tricked mine out a bit with additional storage areas, custom bike racks, kayak racks, a snowboard as the rear bumper, etc. And check out the paint job, which was done by a friend of my sons. I get people coming up to me all the time, "Dude! That's your van?! I saw that van at ...!" Too fun!

Chester in front of The Great White Book on Stately Pleasure Dome in Tuolumne Meadows, CA (2008).

If you are looking for affordable and reliable, and don't need 4WD, check out a late 90's to early 2000's Ford Ranger. Specifically, the 4 cylinder, 2-wheel drive version. The 6-cylinder engine consistenly craps out around 80,000 miles. These are pretty cheap little trucks, and the 4cyl. is known for being a reliable engine. I own an '02 and love it. Throw a decent canopy on there, and build yourself a sleeping/storage platform in the back. In Utah, I was getting 30-32 mpg. In the NW, that drops to about 26-28.

This Sportsmobile. You seriously can't get much better. And it's for sale if you're interested.
picasaweb.google.com/freeje…

Bert

cascadeclimbers.com/forum/u…

This is das boot

No way to compete with the built in kitchens. Still, I love my ride/tent so much that I always have to jump in on threads like these. The Pontiac Aztek. Uglier than the Pacer, despised more than the Gremlin, but so much more clever...The entire back, from the front seats to the tail gate is completeley flat, sleeps two easily and has room for all gear on the tail gate and the whole thing is encapsulated by a tent. Now you could cook on the tailgate in inclement weather, but you would have to build a shelf that would take the slope out of the tailgate. However, not sure about carbon monoxide. I guess you would want to get the window vent visors so you could vent AMAP...There are stereo controls in the back of the car, intracabin tie downs for hanging clothes lines to dry yer spandex, etc. I've got 77k on mine with no problems after some early warranty work. 22 city/hwy. All wheel drive, seven inches clearance(which is not much).

Black Owl 1 at roost outside Penitente Canyon

1992-1994 Ford Aerostar AWD Extended Sports Edition. I picked up one of these for $1900, put $400 worth of work into it and some new studded snows and that sucker took me up and down the mountains, on tons of road trips, to Idaho where I lived and worked for a winter regularly driving up to Grand Targhee from Driggs to work through 1-2 feet of snow at 4am every day, back to CO, all over the damn place, ran spectacularly at 10,000 feet while living in Breckenridge, and after over 30,000 miles (180,000 on the odometer) on it in less than two years the only thing that ever happened to it was a blown oil pressure line, inconsequential. Don't buy a Chevy Astro, the brakes go like gangbusters. The Aerostars drive great because they are the same width as an Explorer, and the AWD is bomber, I did plenty of light duty four-wheeling in that thing. If you take out the back seats, there is tons of room (I had the extended edition), and lots more interior space than other minivans of similar size. It's basically a four-wheel drive box with and engine on the front.

Jeremy wrote:This Sportsmobile. You seriously can't get much better. And it's for sale if you're interested. picasaweb.google.com/freeje…

How much for this beast??

Evan Simons wrote:Don't buy a Chevy Astro, the brakes go like gangbusters.

Do you know what happens with the brakes or more importantly, why? I'm curious because we have a Safari but haven't had any brake issues and we've got a lot of miles on it.

I've never liked the brake system on Astros, because the power steering and brake booster are a linked system, using the same fluid (unlike vacuum brake boosters, which are more common). So, if you have a problem with one system, both are affected.

I lived out of a 91 Astro van for about two years. Bought it with almost 175K miles on it. It made the trip from Squamish, to SoCal, to Bishop, to Ontario Canada, back down to NJ, and then back out west with absolutely no problems. Payed CAN $2000 for it. Had shelves built onto the wall, and a bedding platform built into the back with room for extra storage under neath the bed. It was great for one person, but when a dog and a Canadian girlfriend were thrown into the mix, it got a bit cramped. Pretty decent gas mileage though.

Michael Schneiter wrote: Do you know what happens with the brakes or more importantly, why? I'm curious because we have a Safari but haven't had any brake issues and we've got a lot of miles on it.

Well, every car is different and I'm glad yours is running fine, but I have known numerous people who have had brutal issues with theirs. For example, the guy I bought my old van from had just gotten a brand new Safari for his family, and in less than a month the rotors were so bent they needed replacing. He was an aerospace engineer who drove like a grandma, so it wasn't his fault. I know there is a huge Chevy vs. Ford feud, but everyone I have personally known with GM vehicles has tons of problems, and all my friends, family's, and my own Fords (I have only owned 1994's, seems to be a good year) had very few issues. To be fair though, I have a Toyota now and would not buy American again simply because I can afford not to (barely). And Michael, if you see my uncle Kjell around Glenwood, say hi!

It depends on what you want:

VW's are sweet, but the older ones break down. Not so bad if you break down in moab or boulder or berkely, but big problem elsewhere. New ones you won't have to worry abotu but then they aren't cheap.

American may break down more (or maybe less depending on year and miles), but everyone i know with an old VW is always working on it. When they do break down, parts will be easy to find. Decent clearance if you need to get offroad as well (but not necessarily 4wd)

A tacoma will rock. good gas mileage, 4wd, room for equipment, room to sleep (but not both), and comfy to drive. you will also look in place at any worthy destination or hip outdoor city. A little more expensive but will never break down. The one drawback is sometimes camper tops leak, and there is not a ton of room if you are living in it for an extended time period.

you can live out of a subaru. sleeps one and gear. not comfy, decent gas mileage, hit and miss car problems. not a ton of clearance, but you are rarely going to need it. more of a weekend warrior car.

i personally have a 2000 dodge ram van that i tricked out. runs great, soso gas mileage (about 16 mpg). super cush when the weather is inclement. built in stove, bed, etc. lots of room for gear. giddy up.

Well, every car is different and I'm glad yours is running fine, but I have known numerous people who have had brutal issues with theirs.
I know there is a huge Chevy vs. Ford feud, but everyone I have personally known with GM vehicles has tons of problems, and all my friends, family's, and my own Fords (I have only owned 1994's, seems to be a good year) had very few issues. To be fair though, I have a Toyota now and would not buy American again simply because I can afford not to (barely). And Michael, if you see my uncle Kjell around Glenwood, say hi!
Agreed, every car can be different. Luckily our Safari has run really well (knock on wood). I've never had anything against Ford but I grew up in a serious GM/Chevy family who had a profound disdain for Fords. To my family's credit, we thoroughly beat on our farm trucks and cars and they always just kept on going with just regular oil changes.

I thought it was interesting that when I was looking up Consumer Reports list of best and worst cars, they said the Chevy Silverado had a better reliability rating than a Toyota Tundra. I didn't expect that. I just got rid of my old '79 Toyota pickup that had over 200,000 miles on it and probably has another 200,000 miles left in it. The thing just purred and ran like a champ.

I don't know your uncle but I'll certainly say hi if I run into him.

He's the 6'6" redhead who runs the pool, you can't miss him

Talaban

SAL wrote: How much for this beast??

I'm asking 17000. The blue book is closer to 20,000.

Here are a few more specifics.

Great roadtripping and camping van! It really is a must see. I will miss it alot, but we don't use it much anymore.
It's a Ford E350 extended body with an extended top (tall enough to stand in).
-two burner propane stove with fixed tank
-sink with running hot/cold water
-TV DVD player
-refrigerator
-solar panels and monitor to recharge batteries
-remote engine start/security system
-roof fantastic fan
-kitchenette that folds down into big bed and an "attic" loft
-Ipod hookup
-plenty of storage
-spinning captains chair
The van has 123,000 miles and runs great. It has a new battery and comes with snow tires ($1000 value). Other vans like this sell for well over $22000. This is a great deal on a great van.