Hikers Dream Car

[rtrimarc]

Jeep, Jeep, Jeep

2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport. By far the most useful vehicle i have owned or have had experience with. Gas mileage stinks(about 17mpg in mixed driving) but it is a LEV so it isn't too damaging to the environment, has a bulletproof drivetrain(people get 300k routinely on engine/tranny), i can sleep in the back straight out(i am a tad under 6ft). It also has the most convenient and accommodating hatch area. It is a true rectangle and is therefore easy to stuff with stuff.

All these pluses and the power of the 4.0L straight 6, great handling on the road...factory roof racks, and the off road ability goes without mentioning. Mine has 140k and is still like new. Really!

I did buy a 1993 Saturn coupe as a commuter - 35 mpg on my daily commute from Northern Saratoga County to Latham NY for work. But don't underestimate the Cherokee!

 

[sapblatt]

this car works best when crusing for ladies after the hike in downtown north conway

Nah, North Conway is more this speed...your pic is good for El Paso...

http://www.spencer1984.com/image/m207a.jpg

 

[hikingfish]

Another vote for the Subaru Outback Wagon (2005 model).

My main requirement when choosing the vehicule was that I'd be able to put my sled in it

Seriously, gotta love the way it handles in the winter. I remember going up an almost completely iced road for 8-10km to get to the Chic-Chocs acceuil center without any problems (obviously, I wasn't going 100km/h). Plenty of room to put all kinds of stuff in it.

I also liked the fact that it came with the roof rack support bars. I just bought a bike rack for it and it was a breeze to install.

Gas milage isn't that great, but still, it's awesome.

Fish

 

[Remix]

Any serious hiker's vehicle should have built in seat heaters for the butt and back, imho. These things are like jacuzzis for cars. I have a truck with them, but someone told me you can get them installed as after-market equipment.

I highly recommend them...its a great feeling when the muscles loosen up.

 

[Stan]

Every automobile mechanic I've talked with speaks highly of Totyotas, including the '94 4-Runner 4WD which I own. It may be reasonable to question the motive of such a recommendation but I am confident that they had reliability in mind

My only complaint about Toyotas is that they'll rust out from under you and 4-Runner gas mileage leaves something to be desired.

I take mine in all seasons on roads that ceased to exist years ago ... it's been keyed by quite a few alders ... and managed its way over and around boulders and other bumps. It has plenty of space for lots of gear which is important to me and serves my home improvement needs well, too.

One feature I've come to enjoy is that the tailgate folds down, thus creating bar space for those apres-hike snacks and drinks. I thought we'd miss the rain protection of a tailgate that folds up but I learned we don't mind being under the weather at all.

 

[DougPaul]

I'm thinking that the best vehicle would be something that gets over 30 MPG, has full-time AWD, won't roll over, decent ground clearance, hatch-back for gear or dogs, and won't break the bank to purchase or maintain. Preferably also painted camoflage so I never have to wash it. Does that make me a red-neck?

My 2002 Subaru Legacy Outback Wagon almost meets that spec--it "only" gets 29mph on the open road and the paint is a grey-green so it doesn't show dirt too much.

Does that make me almost-a-red-neck?

Doug

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Does that make me almost-a-red-neck?

A Pink neck.

 

[Motabobo]

Toyotas ?

Yeah well Toyota sucks .

I own a 05 Matrix and i've already changed;

• pump fuel (out of warranty of 1,500 miles $$$)
• catalyst (not sure of the english word $$)
• battery $
• what's next with "only" 56,000 miles ?

 

[Adk_dib]

I don't know, I have had good luck with my Toyota Rav4. Cant beat the service. I was driving 2 months ago through the pocono's when my check engine light went on. My sisters toyota dealer in lansdale PA said he was real full but would try to get it in. he had it fixed by 11:00 am the same mourning.

Anyone know anything about the Pontiac Vibe? A little smaller than my Rav4 but my 2 dogs should fit in it.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Anyone know anything about the Pontiac Vibe?

It's the same vehicle as the Toyota Matrix, although I think the roof rack is standard on the Vibe edition.

Ask Motabobo about them ...

 

[John H Swanson]

Agreed

Yeah well Toyota sucks .

I own a 05 Matrix and i've already changed;

• pump fuel (out of warranty of 1,500 miles $$$)
• catalyst (not sure of the english word $$)
• battery $
• what's next with "only" 56,000 miles ?

I needed a off road capable vehicle for the 770 and chose a 4Runner. It was great on logging roads and was excellent for sleeping in. The fuel econony was terrible but the it's the price you pay if you want a vehicle that can climb trees.

The problem for me was the engine reliability. I went through 4 of them. First was a dealer rebuild under warranty. Second was a factory rebuild from a rebuild shop (after warranty), then that one was bad so the swapped it out for a second under their waranty, then when that one went bad I traded in the car for pennys on the dollar.

If you think I'm abusive or alone then google "4runner and engine problems."

I now have a Forester with 199600 miles on it and I'm relatively happy. 28mpg and you can sleep in it though it's tight. Drove in to Cup Pond last weekend without problem.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Yeah well Toyota sucks .

I own a 05 Matrix and i've already changed;

• pump fuel (out of warranty of 1,500 miles $$$)
• catalyst (not sure of the english word $$)
• battery $
• what's next with "only" 56,000 miles ?

INTERESTING. My wife's 04 Matrix has been very reliable, with no unexpected problems at all.... OK, the tires wore out, but I think that happens with a lot of cars.

 

[dvbl]

Yeah well Toyota sucks ..

Go ahead...start a support group called "Toyota Sucks". The membership of the group will be so small you'll be able to hold your monthly meetings in a phone booth.

Ok, you got a lemon and that's not a lot of fun. But saying Toyota sucks??? Please. Kinda like saying Michael Jordan sucks just because he had one bad game.

My Hiking Dream Car:
40MPG, invisible to police radar, chicks dig it, big enough to sleep comfortably, automated taser system to greet break-in artists, reasonable off-road ability, durable, and 40MPG.

 

[Jay H]

Yeah well Toyota sucks .

I own a 05 Matrix and i've already changed;

• pump fuel (out of warranty of 1,500 miles $$$)
• catalyst (not sure of the english word $$)
• battery $
• what's next with "only" 56,000 miles ?

The cat converter is usually a honeycomb design of some kind of composite that is prone to breaking so the cats failing isn't that unusual but we now have the EPA to thank for very costly repairs due to pre-cat failure!

If the Matrix is built in Japan, I've heard that shipping batteries here is not good on the battery, i.e. extreme heats and/or cold is not good on the life of the battery, although extreme heat is worse. My battery on my MR2 died a few years after ownership, much less than what I would think it should last. Replaces with an Optima yellow-top.

I had a BMW that I thought the fuel pump died after about 60k miles but it turns out the 12v going to the pump was loose and all I had to do was remove the rear seat bumper and clean out the connector and replug it in....

Jay

 

[Artex]

A Toyota that's a lemon? Hell has officially frozen over!

 

[Maddy]

automated taser system to greet break-in artists, .

This would be sooooooooooo good!
Very sad to hear a Toyota failed.
Hopefully, this is an isolated event. I sure do hope nothing like this happens to my FJ.
I have already resolved that if it ever did, I would march right in and trade it in for a new one. I would not invest $$$$$$ in one more "lemon" vehicle. If you have a car payment and are having to do multiple repairs, it just isn't worth it.
For the moment, my Toyota dealer and maintenance crew, trip over themselves trying to keep customers happy. An excellent maintenance and repair department was critical to me.
I had a "salesman" problem this time around and once I had reached my limit, I spoke to the sales manager. Within seconds, I had a brand new wonderful salesperson. They did not charge me for the $3700 worth of "extras" that my particular FJ came with and that I really would have rather done without. I certainly never expected that.
My waning faith was immediately restored. IMHO it's not so much that a problem surfaced but rather how they deal with it.

 

[Rick]

Hmmmmm.... Sludge......? Sludge.......? Toyota.....? Anyone.....?
Does anyone remember all the problems with the sludged up engines in the late 90's and early 00's and Toyota's refusal to cover them??? Everyone has their problems at times and this was a bad time for Toyota.
Just google Toyota and sludge.

Toyota Sludge

BTW, last month I received $5,500 from Daimler-Chrysler under the lemon law for repeat suspension/braking problems with my '05 Dakota.

 

[Neil]

I have yet to require a high clearance vehicle and so my ideal car would get outrageously good gas mileage, be very comfortable to sit in and drive and have a killer sound system for all those thousands and thousands of highway miles. Sleepability would be a very strong asset. The ability to fly wouldn't hurt either.

 

[bintrepidhiker]

I have a 2005 Honda CR-V and it has worked great for me thus far. Its got great ground clearance and the front seats fold down to sleep 2. Discovered placing a jacket or 2 folded up where the front seats pivot makes it flatter so when placing a sleeping pad under the sleeping bag makes it similar to sleeping on a flat surface. Slept very well the last couple times I've been in it. MPG has been between 26 and 28 depending on where i stop for gas and has a very stable and relaxing ride (maybe a little too relaxing as i've discovered coming back from some hikes).

 

[MichaelJ]

High clearance isn't just for off-road or even soul-sucking mud pits on dirt roads. I find it plus AWD invaluable for getting the car out of a snowed-in/plowed-in parking area at the end of a winter hike.