Weekend warrior vehicle

thecmacattack wrote:Raper-ey, yes. but it got us around.

"Excuse me miss, can you help me move this couch? Say, are you about a size 14?"

So many options, I dig my Kia Soul for my weekend vehicle. I can fit a full air mattress in back. 35mpg FWD and the clearance i have has gotten me anywhere I have needed so far. I have a roof rack and with a car top carrier no need to rearrange my sleeping arrangement every night. So i'm satisfied

mountainhick wrote: You are arguing for your own bias. That's fine, no worries. For me though, having car (i.e. tent) camped out of Subaru station wagons and a Nissan crew cab (short bed) pickup for 35+ years, I'll take the Previa any day as a weekend warrior vehicle! Keep in mind, mine is not a stock Previa, but something much more capable for 4wd, recreation, access to climbing etc. We are looking into a Sprinter for living on the road 6 months out of the year, but I have no plans to get rid of the Previa even so. The Sprinter would be the family camper, the Previa for my solo climbing trips.

Fair enough, I'm only good at arguing my own biases. I think we're on the same page more than you think; your Previa sounds absolutely awesome, and would make me seriously consider living and commuting with something like it on a day-to-day basis if an opportunity to own such a thing was reasonable given the chance (or the time to do it myself to something I can find that's already 1/2 of the way there...). As a single cityish-living person with the ability to own/park only one vehicle, my argument becomes much more targeted and less generally accurate. Just my opinion given my circumstances, I'm glad others have come to different conclusions and I didn't mean to sound dismissive of them. Off-road on in your wonderful jelly-bean shaped sick minivan!

Ray Pinpillage wrote: I agree the difference in annual costs are significant between the those two vehicle but you may as well compare a Metro with a 5 ton dump truck. The vehicles are so different your comparison makes no sense at all. The Sprinter is optimized for carrying cargo while the Cmax is optimized for picking up trans teens in the red light district. In the end it depends on where your priorities lie but there is more to the comparison than just pure cost.

We were just comparing a Sprinter with a Subaru on the previous page, and the Cmax is basically Ford's version of the hatchback. I was simply demonstrating that fuel economy plays a very large role in the total cost of a climbing trip. For many, fuel is the largest expense on a trip unless you are parking in paid camping spots all the time. I agree that a Sprinter is far better to sleep in--it just all depends on your situation and what you want.

Ray Pinpillage wrote: "Excuse me miss, can you help me move this couch? Say, are you about a size 14?"

"It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it is told....It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again."

"Put the f*cking lotion in the basket!!!"

Tapawingo wrote:Anyone here have any experience with the RAV4 (FWD or AWD) and driving on rutted, washboard roads, snow, or steep dirt/gravel roads? Contemplating getting something more reliable. I currently have a 96 ranger 4x4 that's having some issues. I don't need it to perform like the ranger in terms of offroad capabilities. Overall, would like something with a little better gas mileage, ability to take more than just one partner on a trip/crag, and decent off-road capability. Thoughts?

I had a 98 RA4 4WD 5 speed that I bought while I was working in Alaska for the summer. It was great little car with good ground clearance. I took it off road a bunch and through some pretty terrible snow and it never had a problem. It had a dif lock, but I never had to use it. It was a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder and was quite underpowered. I often had to go up hills on the highway in 3rd gear at 4500 rpms to keep it above 60. It also burned oil like crazy (about a quart every 500 miles in the summer). It was a known problem on those Toyota engines with the valve stem seals. A very cheap part, but a pain in the ass to fix. No other mechanical problems though. I bought it at 150k miles and drove it to 205k till a stupid lady without insurance tboned me and totaled it. I bought it for $5200 in 2009 (not a bad price in Alaska at least) drove it for 4 years and ended up getting like $4500 after insurance and selling it for parts. If it hadn't have gotten wrecked I'd still be driving it most likely. I now have a lightly used Subaru Impreza which has been a great car, but having a car payment sucks.

Tim G. wrote: I had a 98 RA4 4WD 5 speed that I bought while I was working in Alaska for the summer. It was great little car with good ground clearance. I took it off road a bunch and through some pretty terrible snow and it never had a problem. It had a dif lock, but I never had to use it. It was a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder and was quite underpowered. I often had to go up hills on the highway in 3rd gear at 4500 rpms to keep it above 60. It also burned oil like crazy (about a quart every 500 miles in the summer). It was a known problem on those Toyota engines with the valve stem seals. A very cheap part, but a pain in the ass to fix. No other mechanical problems though. I bought it at 150k miles and drove it to 205k till a stupid lady without insurance tboned me and totaled it. I bought it for $5200 in 2009 (not a bad price in Alaska at least) drove it for 4 years and ended up getting like $4500 after insurance and selling it for parts. If it hadn't have gotten wrecked I'd still be driving it most likely. I now have a lightly used Subaru Impreza which has been a great car, but having a car payment sucks.

Thanks for the input Tim. While I know it's not a true off-road vehicle, I think it'd definitely get me through the 10% of driving I do that requires some clearance and a little extra traction. I am looking at the 6cyl versions which seem to get better hwy mpg and would add a little power for those hills. I feel your pain with the tbone situation, had a similar thing happen in jackson, wy in my beloved accord wagon, RIP. Cheers.