Hiking vehicles

[rally_toad]

What kind of vehicles do you guys all drive when your going hiking? Im thinking about investing in a 4wd high clearance Jeep or something of the sort so I could get to some places where I definitely couldnt get to with what Im driving now (73 mustang):) I saw a Jeep Grand Cherokee today for $2600 and I was thinking about checking it out. What "hiking vehicle" is easiest to drive and which gets the best gas mileage (even though I know most wouldnt be too fuel efficient.)

[azbackpackr]

Don't give me any ideas!

[mazatzal]

Californians with RV's tend to be pretty mellow and not oar beaters ;)

[azbackpackr]

I'm going to become an Arizonan again pretty soon, most likely. That was always kind of the plan, unless I found a great job. Which I haven't.

[DarthStiller]

Here's a video Joe took of my vehicle in action 6 years ago. Still running great, but I had to get a new clutch recently.


http://hikearizona.com/t2008/06/08/pipe.avi

[FOTG]

@Darth Stiller

1. cool video
2. makes me not feel so bad for the roads I take my Xterra on..because I go soooo much slower.....
3. I know I have seen your Xterra somewhere, cant mistake those stickers..phoenix??

[DarthStiller]

East Mesa. might have seen it at a trailhead, though.

[FOTG]

@Darth Stiller
I am thinking TH for sure...I want to say Peralta..but my memory fuzzy

[DarthStiller]

Last time I was at that TH was Dec. 26. Been several months before then. I log all my hikes, so you could check my triplogs, that would tell you what day I was there and any other TH.

[Alston_Neal]

Although this is Jeep based, I think many other off road poseurs have fallen into this trap.

http://www.nwjeepn.com/dumbacces.html

Remember......"Chrome don't get you home".

[DarthStiller]

@Alston Neal

I don't care, I still think those tires are awesome. I put about 6K per year on my Xterra, so I can live with the awkward on road driving.

[Hippy]

So who's silver Toyota corolla did we park next to at Peralta TH yesterday, I did NOT see any other HAZzers sign in to the register... [-X

[Jim]

2 flat tires on 2 different tires, in the same position on the car. Coincidence? I don't know. It better be patchable. All Wheel Drive is the biggest con known to stupid people like me who purchase a car. Front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or 4 wheel drive? Sure. AWD? Never again!!! I do not need, want or like AWD, it just happened to be what the car came, with. It turns out, that unpatchable flat tires require replacing all 4 tires, not just the one, with AWD. Even for relatively new tires. Subaru: just plain stupid! 2 Flats in a month!?

This is clearly a soccer-mom-mobile masquerading as an off-road, or "rough-road" capable vehicle, which is very clearly is not!!! The car also has a very nice vibration coming from underneath, that sounds really nice when I idle, accelerate at lower speeds or engine speeds, and sometimes when coming to a stop. It's great!

[SuperstitionGuy]

Subaru: just plain stupid!

Jim, why don't you tell us how you really feel about your Subaru.

[chumley]

I agree with you on AWD. It's not for me, but it is obviously adequate for a lot of people.

Most cars and trucks come with piece of OEM tires. My last three trucks all came with some kind of "rugged" style tires, none of which lasted more than 18,000 miles, and all started getting regular flats after 10k, even driving on normal graded Arizona dirt roads.

I then invest about $1200 on real tires (my preference is BFG All-Terrains), which last about 50,000 miles, and over several sets and probably 200,000 miles have never had a flat. I would use a bald BFG AT as a spare before I used the full-size OEM "rugged" style it came with.

Buy new tires, not a new car.

[FOTG]

@chumley
I spent similar on some nicer AT tires as well, and it paid off...not to mention discount tire now provides life time warranty on all tires damaged from "foreign" objects, if they cant fix, they will replace..obviously not covered for traditional wear and tear..I have not had to replace personally, but I hear from others who have that they are pretty fair and liberal about their policy, unless its blatant vandalism I guess...but even if that is the case, find a nail stick in tire, and the bring them in ;) they will fix or replace..I think its 17 per tire..lifetime of tire

[Jim]

http://www.continentaltire.com/www/tire ... ct_en.html

That is what the car comes with. They're supposed to be good tires. 2 flats very quickly on graded gravel/ dirt? I don't know what further to buy? My complaint about the car, in this case, is that 1 flat requires 4 new tires, due to the AWD. Otherwise, AWD is just a stupid gimmick. The car actually did poorly in snow and slides around in thin mud, because drive alone does not dictate traction, and drive force has nothing to do with stopping ability. As far as I'm concerned, the Outback, and probably all of these jacked up cars Subaru makes, are just updated family queen trucksters. Station wagons for modern the idiot. As the joke went, I really hate her, since I've been driving her.


Hey, I even went with green, when I bought her.

[chumley]

Don't mess with the 'ol family truckster! That beast can do more desert driving than most vehicles. The bumper has a special hook for attaching the leash, and the roof is reinforced to carry the weight of an average grandmother in a monsoon storm on I-17.



edit: not to mention how awesome Christie Brinkley thinks you look while driving it. ;)

[kingsnake]

That explains her marriage to Billy Joel ...

[big_load]

My first Subaru, a '97 Outback Sport, is still running with 300k miles on it. I gave it to my mom because she needed a reliable car. Its replacement (a 2010 Outback) has 83k miles and hasn't needed anything but fluids, wipers, and brake pads yet. It snows 2-3 times a week here between late November and mid-April, so the AWD is handy.

[Jim]

My first Subaru, a '97 Outback Sport, is still running with 300k miles on it. I gave it to my mom because she needed a reliable car. Its replacement (a 2010 Outback) has 83k miles and hasn't needed anything but fluids, wipers, and brake pads yet. It snows 2-3 times a week here between late November and mid-April, so the AWD is handy.

So, how many times did you get a flat in the desert, and have to limp out at less than 45 MPH for 145 miles, on a dough-nut, becuase they sell image, but not a capable vehicle with a full-sized spare? Do you have any comparison between AWD and FWD? My Civic did fine with FWD, it was the low clearance that was the problem. My Subarua got stuck, in snow, when the snow got thick and dense.