New ride time, Which wagon? (OT)

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Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Dec 29, 2011 - 05:24pm PT

Elcapinyoazz

Social climber

Joshua Tree

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 29, 2011 - 05:25pm PT

Hey Jay, is that the same "trouble free" Saab that was firing tranny codes back in the spring?

TDI...meh. They don't do well with automatics (I've never even seen one with an auto), and around here diesel is usually more expensive than gas to the point the fuel mileage bump is basically a scratch. Engine probably lasts longer, but in reality it's not engines that kill cars anymore.

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Dec 29, 2011 - 05:28pm PT

Yup, needed tranny fluid top off. 20,000 miles back...

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Dec 29, 2011 - 05:33pm PT

doesn't Russ have a great little number sitting in his driveway?
just add a long block, top off the propane "daisy" and off you go!

that is, assuming he'd part with it...

HighTraverse

Trad climber

Bay Area

Dec 29, 2011 - 06:05pm PT

Hey Jaybro
Your speedo shot reminds me.....
'86 SAAB 9000 Turbo. 1 hour flat from Ely Nevada to the city limits of Delta, Utah.
I got 250K miles on that sweetheart 'till I let the 5 speed tranny fluid get low and she froze up at the south end city limit of Coarsegold.
A most excellent vehicle when properly maintained.....D'oh!!

Elcapinyoarse
Speaking of spectacularly reliable vehicles: I got 230K miles on a '92 Ford Explorer 4wd manual transmission. Had to replace brakes, battery, shocks, 2 clutches and the alternator. Sold it when it needed another clutch ($1K) and rebuild of the front UJoints ($1200). Sold it for $1600 cash because I was about to start a 110 mile per day commute. Averaged about 19 mpg town, 22 mpg highway.
I wonder if you could find one "driven only on Sundays by a little old lady"?

johngenx

climber

Dec 29, 2011 - 06:25pm PT

+1 for a Subaru. We're on our third, and they are simple to maintain, durable, and go a lot of places. The 2.5L driveline is used across the various models and there is a great supply of high quality jobber parts, meaning no bucks-up dealer visits. A lot of indies can easily service them thanks to their simplicity.

The automatics in the Scoobs are reliable.

monolith

climber

berzerkly

Dec 29, 2011 - 06:35pm PT

Yer way off there ElCap. Just measured it. With the seat pushed all the way forward, it's 76 inches. You would have to be taller then 6'4" to have a problem. You can dislike the element for other reasons, but roominess is not one of them, particularly when one or both rear seats are easily removed completely, not just folded up.

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Dec 29, 2011 - 06:48pm PT

Will, my little bro has a Jetta tdi wagon with an auto tranny, little over a yr old. Has gotten over 45mpg. , and speeding tickets. In your situation that really is what I'd be looking at.

OT, Saab talk;
Hi T , I think the mid late 80's may have been the golden age for Saab. I've had four from '85 to '90 that each went over 300k miles before expiring. And those were sporty, fun miles! I have a speedo shot from an '89 900T going 115 just west of Ely on that Lonley highway, sigh. My current 2002 9-5t is way more solid at those speeds but less slingshotty!

Back On Topic!
But you don't buy Saabs unless you crave driving Saabs. They are more durable than reliable.

The wagon market is problematic for some reason. An infitley utilitarian design, yet they tend to be expensive (Saab, Audi, BMW), or quirky for the less fun ones; Subaru, Honda, Taurus/ Sable.

Subby's are great if you get a good one, about 50% of the ones I've owned.

Interestingly, like hi T's exploder, I had an 89 trooper, 4 cylinder, real 4wd, that I ran for 250k miles and it almost always got over 20 mpg. Why don't they make those, any more?

Elcapinyoazz

Social climber

Joshua Tree

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 29, 2011 - 06:49pm PT

While you've got the tape measure out there Mono...how about with the front seat halfway...so a passenger can actually sit in there without their knees in their mouth and the bivy can be behind them without additional messing about?

Realistically though, if I were going that route, I'd probabl;y just buy a minivan and call it good...same gas mileage, more room, similar driving.

I agree that Subys are good, my 91 Legacy wagon with the 2.2 was the best car I've ever owned. Drove the sh#t out of it up to 195k or thereabouts and sold it because it needed an alternator, AC compressor and I had a new job in Redlands were it's 105 in the summer. But honestly that Hitatchi 4EAT auto in it had some problems with torque bind in tight turns, although could have been bad speed sensors on the wheels, and the AC compressors in those years sucked big time. Mine had been replaced twice before I bought it and the third went out when I owned it. Luckily I lived in AK at the time, and was thinkging "who needs AC?"

May just drive this Sable until I get stranded somewhere. I can manually put it in 2nd and just drive the first couple of miles until it gets warm enough that it shifts regularly. And in a couple of months it'll stay warm enough that it's not an issue until next Dec or so.

monolith

climber

berzerkly

Dec 29, 2011 - 06:50pm PT

Sure, keep moving the goal posts. Now you have to sleep and have someone sitting in the seat. Hilarious. Yeah, it's so hard to slide a seat.

justin01

Trad climber

sacramento

Dec 29, 2011 - 06:59pm PT

My beloved 2000 CRV on our way to red rocks over thanksgiving, two days before the puppy was stolen.

Got her back now, and just put a new set of tires on. Just maintenance stuff in the last 200k.

I would buy another one, but I don't care much for the newer styles, and I don't have to cause this thing refuses to die.

Elcapinyoazz

Social climber

Joshua Tree

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 29, 2011 - 07:00pm PT

Not moving any goalposts, when I say "able to bivy with min hassle" I don't want to have to be constructing parts of a platform to span the gap when the seat is slid forward, I want to be able to have a normally operating passenger compartment with the bivy sleep-ready, fully assembled.

Kinda moot anyway, as I said if I wanted to drive a box with mediocre gas mileage, I'd get a minivan that does everything better than the Element.

Studly

Trad climber

Dec 29, 2011 - 07:53pm PT

Is it really a bivy if you sleep in the car?

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, CA

Dec 29, 2011 - 08:13pm PT

Just get a truck and quit being a sissy.

Your list of demands of your desired veicle (and ones you can't have) is quite impressive. Good luck!

Car shopping meets Drama-Queening. Why not just start a car company? Seriously. That way we can be blessed with the perfect car for climbers who want low MPG, huge sleeping space, quiet rides, and almost no maintenance.

PM me, I may want to invest in this company...

(you actually have Audis on your list???)

Good luck!!!

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Dec 29, 2011 - 08:20pm PT

Audis could well be he new Saab....too mainstream, though

murcy

Gym climber

sanfrancisco

Dec 29, 2011 - 08:30pm PT

A non-turbo Volvo 850/V70 gets 20/29. If you get, say, a 1995 to 1999 model with low miles, they're inexpensive, quite reliable and if you can turn a wrench the high costs of repair won't bite you. The V70s started having throttle and transmission issues after that and generally those were the last years of relative non-money-pittedness. Roomy in the back, but I still move the front seat forward.