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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Locker, I was gonna say. Something tougher with a lower center of balance, for sure. I was googling tanks just as you posted.
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Be careful adding a locker to the rear of a two wheel drive if you will be using it on icy or slick roads, it tends to get squirrely and difficult to control. On dirt or rock it works just fine.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Ask yourself:
How much do you want to spend?
Do you need real off road capabilties (is it worth the trade off for poor on road capabilities)?
And you'll narrow it down a lot.
I've owned pretty much everything mentioned so far, many good choices, but only you can decide what's most important and where you are willing to compromise.
1. A smaller truck with camper (tacoma and the likes)
Good all around choice. Will do anything but heavy towing or accomodate 4 or more adults comfortably. Go Toyota. 4Runners are great for more people but not as good for camping.
2. Full size diesel truck (to improve mpg and still have lots of space) with a pop up camper
A great choice if money and on road performance isn't a big issue. My F250 got 19 mpg without the camper, 15 mpg with a 10.5 foot slide in camper with everything.
3. A westfalia eurovan (full camper)
Not for off roading and either expensive (newer) or repair prone (older). Good for an efficient road trip ride.
4. Full size van
American vans are cheaper than pickups on resale. It would take a lot of searching to find awd/4wd but another good option.
I love my Subaru and it's AWD is better in the snow/ice than any truck I've owned. But it's a car not a truck. Limited clearance and size, but much more enjoyable on the road.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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I'm surprised nobody has suggested a Unimog...
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Whatever that Electronic 4 wheel drive is in the Aerostar its really good and the vehicle has good clearance and drives really well. the body is papaer thin. Not a problem unless you live in the north east salt country like myself.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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4wd is over rated. Off roading trashes your vehicle and you only encounter them rarely. Buy some trail shoes.
Volume is king. When you look at all your options, consider first the volume. Outback -> PU w/ Topper -> Minivan -> West-fail-on-ya -> Full size PU w/ camper -> Full size van -> Sprinter -> RV.
Know your comfort level and needs.
2 people road tripping in a Subaru is for college students and ghey people, IMO. I have an Ouback and the wife drives to work in it - that's it. If you're single and plan to remain so indefinitely, it could be an option.
I can't handle the whole PU w/ shell thing either. Too small, limited access, tin can atmosphere.
I have a minivan and use it for most trips. It has AWD, but I'm so over trashing my vehicles off road, so its utility is basically for the mountain passes. It's really too small for 2 people for more than a wknd trip. Nice for 1.
I just bought a Sprinter as well. I'm pretty psyched on it. Check sprinter-source.com for ideas.
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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You need to answer a couple questions about how you'll use it. #1, will you sleep in the vehicle, or will you carry sleeping gear? #2 Are you going to be driving off road or on snowy roads? How long will your road trips be, i.e. how many miles and how many days?
I've had a pickup truck for climging/camping duties and honestly it isn't he best vehicle if you aren't going off roading, even then there are better vehicles. As for the full size diesel rig, with the added cost of the diesel engine, and added cost of diesel fuel, the fuel efficiency doesn't offset the higher initial and higher fuel cost, unless you are towing heavy loads. I have a diesel p/u as a daily driver and it is a very poor choice for that. The stiff suspension makes for a tiring drive, and even "quieter" diesels are still loud. It's great for pulling loads up mountain passes, but really not worth the trade off for a daily driver.
My wifes daily driver (merceded e-320 4-matic wagon) makes for a great road trip vehicle because it is so comfortable to drive, but the service costs and replacement parts are high. If you could find an e-series wagon with the 300 td engine, it would be superb, I wouldn't get the gasser again after having had to replace the catalytic converters and O2 sensors.
If you need a vehicle to sleep in, go with a van.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Best climber's vehicle?
A reliable one
that's paid for.
92 Isuzu Rodeo.
Real 4wd with manual hubs. (still 4wd in reverse)
305,000 Miles, No major maintenance issues.
Carries four and all the gear comfortably,
The part I'll miss most when it finally dies?
A real tailgate.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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I've heard great things about Isuzus for a budget SUV, but it seems the OP is looking for a better ride for more money. Same thing with an Aerostar, maybe a good choice for a low budget ride, but a break down on a road trip when you have limited free time isn't worth the savings for many people.
Another option is two vehicles. A daily driver and a road trippin vehicle. You can get a newer full size 2WD van like a Chevy Express pretty cheap they'll go a long time and you can beat on it without much worry.
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kev
climber
A pile of dirt.
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Leo,
The Tacoma is great but you're really gonna miss the space you had with your flipped rig. I've got a taco with a shell, pull out drawers, lights, etc. Although I really like it I'm pro van. That said avoid the VW unless you want to become a Volkswagen mechanic. Also whoever said you can get a vanagon synchro with a subbie motor for 10k is smoking lots of stuff that is apparently highly hallucinogenic. The 4 wheel comments about the minivans and such are rather silly. They AWD not real 4x4 with granny gears (4lo and 4 hi). You may or may not need it the real 4x4 but clearance is key (as is not flipping your rig...still can't imagine flipping it at Cochise...glad you're ok but damn). Bigger vans are nice but unless you get a diesel your mileage will suck. There are a few companies that do or you can do a real 4x4 conversion on the minivans and lift them as well. The clearance isn't great but better than a Subaru.
I use the 4x4 but I think I'm one of the few. It takes more than Cochise to need it as I'm sure you know.
What's your budget?
Also there is a company that makes nice fiberglass cabover shells for the taco and some other trucks. These are not the Lerr, A.R.E etc crap but actual industrial quality rigs. Let me know if you're interested I can hunt down a link.
I vote van but I have van envy.
Good luck!
kev
PS Rokjox,
Those giant pics are a bit of a buzz kill.
EDIT thanks for fixing that RJ!
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John Moosie
climber
Beautiful California
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Real 4wd with manual hubs. (still 4wd in reverse)
What??? Have you driven a vehicle that was 4wd that wasn't 4wd in reverse???
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enjoimx
Big Wall climber
SLO Cal
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I've heard great things about Isuzus for a budget SUV, but it seems the OP is looking for a better ride for more money. Same thing with an Aerostar, maybe a good choice for a low budget ride, but a break down on a road trip when you have limited free time isn't worth the savings for many people.
Another option is two vehicles. A daily driver and a road trippin vehicle. You can get a newer full size 2WD van like a Chevy Express pretty cheap they'll go a long time and you can beat on it without much worry.
This thread is too funny. Just when someone says their Isuzu gets 300k + miles and its a sweet ride, people discount it because it isnt DOPE enough of a ride.
So yeah, go ahead and get an Audi or a Eurovan. While you are driving around looking DOPE, we will be climbing.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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What??? Have you driven a vehicle that was 4wd that wasn't 4wd in reverse???
Most all auto lock hubs use a roller clutch. That means when you back up they unlock. No 4wd in reverse. Having manual hubs has got me out of trouble several times.
I've been parked next to newer fancier 4wds in the snow.
I put it in reverse and backed out. They ended up shoveling. I was on my way home.
I'm looking for a replacement for the faithful beast.
I am considering a Tacoma.
After all isn't Toyota's new slogan;
"Buy a Toyota. You'll never stop!"
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kev
climber
A pile of dirt.
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I've got a 06 Tacoma 4cyl 4x4 access cab bought new in Sept 06. Now has 86k on it. Prolly 1000 or so with the 4x4 engaged.
Only mechanical problem was my cat went at 48k. That kinda sketches me out but we'll see how it holds up. I think I replaced the pads around 65k.
kev
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John Moosie
climber
Beautiful California
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Most all auto lock hubs use a roller clutch. That means when you back up they unlock. No 4wd in reverse
Dont know where you heard this, but it isn't true. I have a nissan pathfinder that had auto lock hubs. When they wore out I put manual hubs on it. It had 4wd in reverse with the auto lock hubs. As long as the transfer case is engaged, it will stay in 4wd. The auto hubs unlock when you take it out of 4wd and you back up. I also had an 84 subie with hi and low and auto hubs and it had 4wd in reverse.
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DonC
climber
CA
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I've got the same Tacoma rig as kev, with around 45k miles. No problems to date. I really like it. Totally reliable.
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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For low gear deep snow or mud, maybe you'd want 4WD with lockers instead of AWD. But for normal snow/dirt/gravel, AWD is better. There's a reason all the big rally car companies use AWD, typically with computer controlled differentials.
Having at least the clearance of a Subaru is nice. But if you're careful and don't go too fast through the roughest areas, you can do alot with that level of clearance. It's not as if most climbing areas take serious rock crawling to get to.
My vote would be a converted AWD minivan. Decent mileage, sleeping in it is better than a small truck. A diesel big truck with camper is another good option.
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