Just wondering what everyone drives. I only got into backpacking a couple years ago, and driving a minivan limited some of the places we wanted to go to. I ended up with a Jeep a little over 2 years ago, and it currently has 48k on the clock. I'd have to say 1/3 or 1/2 of the mileage is from driving to backpacking/camping locations. Definitely opened up Death Valley for us. Just got new tires and wheels, opted for 35s, already wishing I went 37s. Just empty every pocket.

I love the unlimited and your's looks amazing.

1994 Toyota 190,000mi. Check oil and water hop in and drive a 6000mi trip. Total cost (not including fuel) over 12 years <$10,000.

Edited by ejcfree on 03/24/2012 07:14:33 MDT.

I have a little 4x4 envy. I'd like, once I get there, to go further down the dirt roads. But I live deep in the sprawl, and it takes some driving to get out there. So, I'll probably keep the Prius until it dies. Currently 103K miles, still getting 48-50 mpg, though I have done better, as when I came back down from Death Valley:

My daily car is a 2010 Town and Country Limited with towing package:


I have 3 kids, so frankly a minivan is the only way to work with that considering the oldest is over 6 feet tall!

Our fun rig:


She is older, a 2000 Xterra, lifted and many mods. She gets horrible gas mileage but is our offroading truck. Just is scary to drive on highways - you can watch the gas gauge go down and she really has to work hard to maintain 70 due to how heavy she is - since there are metal plates under, etc.

We sold our diesel Benz this year sadly - but with 3 kids we couldn't use it. A bummer as it got 40+ mpg and we ran it on bio.....

gets all of 12mpgs! But as i said in my other thread, i still like it. and in 6-7 years total cost is well under $5000.

Honda Civic Hatchback 2000.

Under powered going up mountain passes. Can't maintain speed limit on the way up a pass. Stay in 3rd and 4th gear and redline it rpm wise all the way up. Gets 40mph on highway. Clearance is marginal but smallness of car allows me to get into some pretty rough roads on the way to the trailhead. Noisy interior. Very reliable.

Getting ready to buy new car. Plan to get Toyota Corolla. Wife has a 1998 and has been very happy with it.

Edited by lyrad1 on 03/24/2012 09:15:02 MDT.

I'm a family man with two kids, so we need a solidly reliable family vehicle, the Buick Regal is everything and more for us. Long cruises down the main strip on Friday evenings and off road clearance and articulation enroute to the trailhead, there isn't much this thing can't handle.

"I love the unlimited and your's looks amazing."

Pretty much stock except for a bumper, leveling kit, wheels and tires. I'd prefer a 2 door, but about 5% of the time I need the cargo room. It's also nice just sleeping in the back of the Jeep when I'm too lazy to set up camp at a trailhead late at night.

"1994 Toyota 190,000mi. Check oil and water hop in and drive a 6000mi trip. Total cost (not including fuel) over 12 years <$10,000."

That's crazy, but then it's a Toyota. :P Keeping this Jeep for a while, and the only problem I've had so far was a couple death wobble episodes, but I think it's fixed now. I've read of few of the Jeep JKs making over 100k, but there's just as many with less than 50k on the engine going bad.

"Currently 103K miles, still getting 48-50 mpg, though I have done better, as when I came back down from Death Valley:"

What year? Definitely jealous, I get about 18-19mpg. MPGs are going to take a hit with 35s on.

My vehicle of choice hasnt been made yet. In the meantime I'm making do with a late 2000's Xterra 6cyl 4WD stick shift, so it can accelerate up the hills of central NM I-25 in front of those amphetamine powered truckers, with no electronics whatsoever. Electric windows? Nope. Electric door locks? Not on my watch. Couldn't we have a simpler non-lazy version of the new cars out there (manual transmission, manual windows, manual locks

* My 6 cyl gets 21 mpg - up to 26 mpg with a good tailwind. 4 cyl worked ok for flatter I-10 to Arizona and California, but really stalls out on the many hills to Albuquerque and Santa Fe

Edited by hknewman on 03/24/2012 15:16:33 MDT.

Seeing as gas is around $11 a gallon here, i drive a small 1.2 litre Renault Clio. :)

MDT: I've gotten to and from a lot of trailheads in a Toyota Corolla - a 1988 was only 2600 pounds - 800 pounds lighter than the current ones - got 40-42 mpg, and used cheap tires slowly. It needed its first real repair (clutch) at 294,000 miles so I gave it away. Someone has is still driving it around town.

We've got a Prius for fuel efficiency on the paved roads and my wife's daily driver. The au pair uses a Corolla. I'd like something smaller for myself, but we need one bigger, more capable vehicle, so I have a RAV4.

I'm happy with the RAV4 - it's taller, lighter and gets better mileage (26-28 versus 23-24) than the Subaru wagon we had before without being overly large or top heavy like so many SUVs. Its clearance is not huge but fine for us. The differential lock is very nice to have when the fine sand on the beach is dry. There are two jump seats in the way back and seatbelts for 7 but that leaves little room for luggage. A few killer rafting straps from NRS and I can haul lumber or plywood sheets on the factory room rack. I use the factory tires in summer and got studded Hakkapeliitta 1's on a second set of rims for the winter.

After 5 years of cold winter and leaving the dome light on while out of town a few times, I needed to replace the battery. Other than that, no repairs in 80,000 miles.

I'm on my second Prius. Does everything I want it to, has tons of room, and has gone into some places that people didn't think I could get to. I had over 103,000 miles on my first one and it was still in great shape, had it in for a regular oil change and just decided, on the spot, to trade it in on a new one. Nearing 50,000 miles on the second one in about a year and a half so far and still going strong.

I have a Mini Cooper as well, but just for nice weekend fun drives. Less than 5,000 miles on that in about 3/4 of a year. One of my employees calls it my Tonka Toy.

Toyota Diesel Landcruiser, short-wheel base, 1988, 78-series, about 10.5 L/100km, nearly 400,000 km on clock with no overhauls. Winch on front, gets used.

These are pretty 'standard' in the Australian countryside.

Cheers

We had a friend in the Navy and I drove his '87 Corolla from Seattle to Newport, RI in five days. I went 3200 miles and the fuel came to $114.00. I was *averaging* 60MPH/Day and got 38-39MPG.

We have a 2009 Corolla now and my only complaint is that it is hard to get in and out of.

My current trailhead rig is an old 1995 Dodge Caravan. I'd love to have a smaller 4x4 SUV like a RAV4 or a Subaru.

1998 Mitsubishi Montero 4X4, 3.0 ltr. V-6. 18-23 mpg, 25 gallon fuel tank. Other than routine maintenance, no problems. Just topped 190K miles :) Seems to me that buying an older car or SUV, and keeping it running well, is a smaller carbon foot print than getting a new one. Thoughts?

Edited by bigfoot2 on 03/24/2012 15:58:26 MDT.

@Eugene Smith,
No offense, man, but that car is LAME!

M

Eugene is just jealous I used to have an '82 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupe.
Metallic grey, burgundy leather bucket seats, 80 spoke chrome rims.

Guys that wear kilts won't understand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSgH_tJ7elA

I'm still not convinced you were joking Matt, however....touche. ;-)

In reality, my vehicle is a 1986 Toyota Landcruiser, FJ60 series, straight-six, manual transmission. A hair over 312K miles. I'm jealous of Roger's diesel Cruiser, that's whats up, best SUV period.



I still wish it was a Buick Regal slammed to the ground, sitting on 9" Daytons. Yes Craig, I am jealous of your old Cutlass.

Edited by Eugeneius on 03/24/2012 17:15:17 MDT.

Christopher asks what year for my Prius. Mine is a 2005, which is the second year of the second generation. They're on third generation now, and those new models.

(Some above have small diesel 4x4s, which would be nice, but they aren't likely to be legal in California anytime soon.)