Looking for new car, suggestions?

toyota tacoma, i have high cap, with air core and isobed sleeps like a 5 star hotel. out of the elements and 4x4 can get anywhere

1980 Cadillac Eldorado. About 11 MPG highway and I'm pretty sure instead of back seats they just threw a couch in there. Mega comfortable, mega inefficient, but also mega cool.

1980 Cadillac Eldorado. About 11 MPG highway and I'm pretty sure instead of back seats they just threw a couch in there. Mega comfortable, mega inefficient, but also mega cool.

1980 Cadillac Eldorado. About 11 MPG highway and I'm pretty sure instead of back seats they just threw a couch in there. Mega comfortable, mega inefficient, but also mega cool.

I've been looking at the new X6M. I think that would be pretty nice to take on road trips and such.

any thoughts on the new jeep cherokee? That looks like a great climbing/sleeping car

I hear the 2015 Outback is going to have an option for a turbo.

I rock an SL 550 and have never had any problems with it. Nobody ever tries to eff with it at the crag either. Keep your car till it shits the bed then buy a Mercedes.

Brototype,
Post up with your Honda Fit setup!

mitchy wrote:I rock an SL 550 and have never had any problems with it. [b]Nobody ever tries to eff with it at the crag either.[/b] Keep your car till it shits the bed then buy a Mercedes.

This is a brilliant point. Always park next to a much nicer car :D

I am thinking about the Honda Fit as my next car. It will be replacing a long gone 2003 outback sport, so I'm curious; will those with Fit experience let me know how they fair in icy or snowy weather?

joe caps wrote:Brototype, Post up with your Honda Fit setup!

Sorry! I missed this thread for a couple days. I'll post up a picture tomorrow when I get a chance.

We have a Fit and a Tacoma. The Fit does about as well on snow and ice as would be expected of a small 2wd hatchback/wagon, not terrible, but nothing exceptional either. It is pretty much just okay for icy roads and snowy hard pack. We really like our Fit, but it has no clearance what so ever, so I am very hesitant to take it on anything but the smoothest of dirt roads. I already rearanged the front spoiler more than once by smacking it on rocks. Living in New Mexico, I would not take our Fit to the Enchanted Tower, the Bat Cave, Last Chance, to the more private camping area of El Rito, or even someplace mild like the Major Wall area of Socorro. I know people who have taken Fits into these areas, but I don't think that I would.

Brad Vanor wrote:Loooove my Jeep Grand Cherokee. She's an oldie (1998), but a dang warrior! My only complain is that the gas mileage is dreadful. Still, I look forward to buying a new one in a year or two. To each his own.

I had a 96 Grand Cherokee, the only thing I've found that measures up is my current car, 14 Subaru Forester. I'm not as confident off-road with it without the solid axles, but it fits all my crap, drives well, gets better mileage, and is big enough to sleep in. I average around 28mpg per tank with it too which is way better that 17 or so I remember getting with my Jeep.

mitchy wrote:I rock an SL 550 and have never had any problems with it. Nobody ever tries to eff with it at the crag either. Keep your car till it shits the bed then buy a Mercedes.

I think an AMG SLS would be a better ride to the crag.

I'll throw in another "small car but it works" comment. 2005 Hyundai Accent two door hatchback. Works nicely for weekend trips, but might be a little tough for sleeping in on longer trips. Took it down South for three weeks with a partner, but we didn't sleep in it. It fit everything fine, just took a while to get it right.

The car has been great since I got it at 89K about a year ago, and it's running fine at 104k now, just needs new tires ;) (Edit/add): I've tracked my mileage since I got the car, and it's averaged at 34.5 mpg, more like 35-36 summer, and 31-33 winter in NH. Primary use is a 1.5 hour round trip rural and highway commute, several days a week.

I'm not suggesting my car, I'm just showing what you can do with a small and cheap car. Slightly bigger cars with a little investment would be perfect for you.

Also, I'm not sure how yours is, but I've slept on the folded seats of a friends Suby Outback, and it is somehow harder than rocks. Drop a few bucks for a nice sleeping mat if don't already have one.

Pictures/explanation of my system here:

rocksropesandcrashpads.blog…

rocksropesandcrashpads.blog…

SL63 is the next one.

Another cause of croaky noises on cold mornings is a worn belt which slips. My '88 Corolla made a whining/squealing noise when cold if I turned the steering wheel hard: it was the alternator belt. Worn belts should be cheap and easy to fix, and might be good to get it looked at, as it would be pretty easy to get stranded by a broken belt.

The little padded support to fill in the foot well for your car is way cool, Brendan! I've always wanted to be able to convert a regular car into a camping one. I folded down the back seat backs in my Accord and unfortunately it doesn't go down flush. So I'm thinking of designing something like what you have or a whole board that sits above the uneven seat back. I'll post up pics if and when I do it. Kind of moving back into tent camping again.

Ok, here's my setup. In addition to the platform I obtained a couple slabs of foam custom cut to fit the form of the platform.

Here's the sub frame:

Subframe

Driving mode:

Driving

Sleeping mode:

Sleeping

Side view:

Side

FWIW, this is the second iteration of my platform and there are still a couple of things I would do differently, but I'm too lazy to change it now.