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Mark Force
Trad climber
Cave Creek, AZ
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Nov 19, 2013 - 12:04am PT
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I'm with Ed. Love my 2004 Jetta TDI (turbo diesel). Five speed, 50 mpg at a good clip on cruise control, lots of punch when you need it, really solid and stable in the snow, huge trunk, put down the back seats and two can sleep in it if you're inventive, and cost $20G new. Runs like a champ at 180,000 miles.
This is kinda cool, though....
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Nov 19, 2013 - 12:36am PT
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Debate away but you can't beat a Subaru. Of course get 2wd unless you love winters and head to the snow a lot. Most dirt roads just need careful driving, not 4wd.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Nov 19, 2013 - 12:48am PT
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If you are on a tight budget look at the Pontiac Vibe, you get a Toyota Matrix for a GM price. 4wd is not necessary in CA. I have been in some gnarly spots and always pulled it off with 2wd. 4wd is lower gas mileage and more expensive maintenance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Toyota_Matrix_--_07-09-2009.jpg
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bergbryce
Trad climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
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Nov 19, 2013 - 01:19am PT
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There is no debate in CA, Subaru for most of us. The newest models are large and flatten out really well for sleeping. No stopping for chains, good gas mileage and clearance.
If you aren't skiing, driving in snow, I agree you don't need 4wd, and I would focus on gas mileage. Something like a Honda Fit would do just fine.
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caughtinside
Social climber
Oakland, CA
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Nov 19, 2013 - 01:24am PT
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I'm with Ed. The Jetta sport wagon tdi is a fun car that gets 45 mpg. Only thing it doesn't have is awd
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ruppell
climber
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Nov 19, 2013 - 01:59am PT
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Most dirt roads just need careful driving, not 4wd.
You don't get very far back into the backcountry do you? 4WD would be highly advisable for a lot of climbing areas.
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ddriver
Trad climber
SLC, UT
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Nov 19, 2013 - 10:07am PT
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decent gas milage, 4 wheel drive
There's the crux. Seems you can't really have both. I guess it depends on what you consider "decent," but 23 in town is indecent to me.
I'm in the TDI wagon camp at present and get 38 in town with performance. Its big enough for a weeklong trip for two so long as you don't insist on sleeping in the car. For one it would be fine.
Downside is you don't go off-roading with it and mountain snow can be daunting. For that I have a 4wd truck, but it doesn't offer the same creature comforts or mileage as the TDI. I'm going to replace it but with what I really don't know. Kind of hoping a suitable 4wd hybrid option or 4wd TDI appears.
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Euroford
Trad climber
Louisville, CO
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Nov 19, 2013 - 10:29am PT
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hard to pick just one... best to have a stable of choices.
we are closing in on our ultimate adventure mobile finally. we are pretty sold on the thing, maybe not just the ultimate camping rig, but maybe just the ultimate vehicle period. except for when you need to park it... or do a uturn....
1999 Ford F350, four door, long bed, 4x4 and Lariat interior + all of the towing/hookup crap and tons of aftermarket stuff. honda genny, 2000w inverter, 18-20mpg, badass off road (depending on how off road you need, it tows the jeep nicely) and depending on how you drive it can have between 600 and 700 miles of range between fill ups.
set the cruise control at 70mph and blast from boulder to moab. never before had a vehicle that can do that. with the engine upgrades it'll do 13.8 at brandemere. but... all the noise and black smoke elicits dirty looks from prius owners. rest assured however, with regular oil changes it'll still be blasting up the road 10 years after the prius's have leaked all their lithium into the landfill.
so far its been nice just having room for all the gear, people and dogs, while still enjoying tent camping. next up we'll start looking into a pop up bed camper.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Nov 19, 2013 - 11:22am PT
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You don't get very far back into the backcountry do you?
Lol. Honestly you couldn't be further from the truth. Of course I'm talking about the Sierra, not Utah and such.
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Grippa
Trad climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Nov 19, 2013 - 11:32am PT
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Ford E-250 extended body with a 3 inch lift and 30 inch tires. Gets about 16mpg+ on road trips and has loads of room to live in. Cheap to buy, and cheap to fix. Parts from the F-250 trucks are interchangable, and since they're fleet vehicles the parts are everywhere and dirt cheap.
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Nov 19, 2013 - 01:16pm PT
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Honda Fit for the win! Man I had fun hunting up these photos. Good memories.
Second choice Feiseler Storch experimental:
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squishy
Mountain climber
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Nov 19, 2013 - 02:53pm PT
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the jeep will just break down, the FJ is too small to sleep in for it's size and the Nissan is too overpriced for what you get..and none of them fly..lol
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Stewart Johnson
climber
lake forest
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Nov 19, 2013 - 02:57pm PT
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GMC Safari
280000 miles and still going
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Dapper Dan
Trad climber
Menlo Park
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Nov 19, 2013 - 03:02pm PT
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Get a 4x4 ! My runner sleeps us both , reliable , decent MPG even with 37's.
Pretty slow though .
edit : FJ cruiser fine to sleep in if you are under 4 feet tall .
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Stewart Johnson
climber
lake forest
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Nov 19, 2013 - 03:07pm PT
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Buy American 4x4s
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Nov 19, 2013 - 03:16pm PT
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Update for the Prius for prospective buyers: it is *not* a luxury vehicle. It is very loud on the road, enough to adversely impact music listening experience. No seat warmers or mechanized controls (but I like that). When you roll down only one window, you get standing waves of air that buffet your ear drums and need to crack open another window to stop the resonance. The climate controls are overly complicated touch-screen items... I liked the old Honda mechanical knobs: one for hotter/colder, another for fan level. Air conditioning has wimpy output. The vent / air conditioning design leads to condensation inside the vents and it smells bad when you switch from regular to Air Conditioning or vice versa. I've tried changing filters, cleaning it out, didn't fix it. GPS built into the car, you can't use it while car is moving, even if you have a passenger to operate it. The storage space for a spare tire only takes a small donut, can't take a full-size tire.
That pretty much covers the lame stuff, but overall I'm happy with the car. Next time I buy a car, I'll look around though. Don't like it enough to automatically re-purchase the same thing whenever this one dies.
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