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What's the cheapest, most reliable car I should look for to use on road trips in the mountains? I'm thinking some Subaru, but let me know if there's a better option out there.
ASSholebomber22You're looking for a honda crv or old ford ranger/mazda B series pickup.
Definitely not a subaru lmao
Meh, subarus do pretty well despite all the hate. They're an easy target and aren't core enough in recent years. Still a reason why you see a lot of them on the road and at ski areas.
theabortionatorMeh, subarus do pretty well despite all the hate. They're an easy target and aren't core enough in recent years. Still a reason why you see a lot of them on the road and at ski areas.
"dOnT geT a sUbaRu"
It's not about being core, its about their reputation for shitting headgaskets and cracking ringlands.
You see a lot of subarus because most the yuppies who ski think a 'cheap, affordable car' is something less than 5 years old with under 60k miles for 29k @ 5%apr.
I'm talking if you want a certified 20+ year old beater with a heater that will never let you down for a price under 5 figures, get an old mazda b series pickup, yota or a honda
ASSholebomber22It's not about being core, its about their reputation for shitting headgaskets and cracking ringlands.
You see a lot of subarus because most the yuppies who ski think a 'cheap, affordable car' is something less than 5 years old with under 60k miles for 29k @ 5%apr.
I'm talking if you want a certified 20+ year old beater with a heater that will never let you down for a price under 5 figures, get an old mazda b series pickup, yota or a honda
meh, I think there's something to all the above mentioned in this thread. Car/truck stuff is always "This is the one, the other one sucks"
Runners and Tacomas are great rigs. They'll go for a long ass time, you'll have to fix shit on them especially if you're getting a cheap one. But subarus will run a long time as well. The head gaskets are an issue but there's a ton of them on the road 200-300k for a reason.
Lol at the yuppie thing, either out of touch or just trying to be a dick.
Just "Ford sucks check out my Chevy" vibe translating to cars.
I would say I would say probably the Subaru Outback, Tacoma, and CRV are 3 or the most popular cars in the ski industry. The first 2 having wayyyyy more out there. Some old volvos creeping in sometimes that seem to do alright. Never had one.
"Something something, Chevy is trash, my ford is sick!!!!!"
I do want a runner at some point, but now all vehicles, even the barbie jeeps for kids are like 10k. I probably gotta get something new in the next year or so. Def hard in this market.
Buddy sold his Tacoma this summer. I wish he'd have hit me up in the spring. I might have bought it. Had the loot. Did not have the loot late in the summer lol.
Idk. there's def some vehicles that are good for the ski life, and some that aren't. Depends what you're looking for and personal preference.
theabortionatormeh, I think there's something to all the above mentioned in this thread. Car/truck stuff is always "This is the one, the other one sucks"
Runners and Tacomas are great rigs. They'll go for a long ass time, you'll have to fix shit on them especially if you're getting a cheap one. But subarus will run a long time as well. The head gaskets are an issue but there's a ton of them on the road 200-300k for a reason.
Lol at the yuppie thing, either out of touch or just trying to be a dick.
Just "Ford sucks check out my Chevy" vibe translating to cars.
I would say I would say probably the Subaru Outback, Tacoma, and CRV are 3 or the most popular cars in the ski industry. The first 2 having wayyyyy more out there. Some old volvos creeping in sometimes that seem to do alright. Never had one.
"Something something, Chevy is trash, my ford is sick!!!!!"
Nah guy, this isn't tribalism. And I'm not sure what you mean by out of touch. It's no secret a majority of skiers are yuppies and have little to no experience with high mileage used cars.
You're not gonna see used crvs/rav4's/rangers advertised with new headgaskets at 150k miles... Because they don't fail as often.
non 3.0 Tacomas and 4runners are great and proven, but very expensive.
Rangers/b series pickups are the most slept on and very reliable.
ASSholebomber22Nah guy, this isn't tribalism. And I'm not sure what you mean by out of touch. It's no secret a majority of skiers are yuppies and have little to no experience with high mileage used cars.
You're not gonna see used crvs/rav4's/rangers advertised with new headgaskets at 150k miles... Because they don't fail as often.
non 3.0 Tacomas and 4runners are great and proven, but very expensive.
Rangers/b series pickups are the most slept on and very reliable.
Empirical data for reference:
Idk man. There's people selling all kinds of shit everywhere. Both people that ski and work in the ski industry have been ripping around in Subarus for ever. Lots of beat up outbacks and foresters out there in the mountains. Def not yuppies. Idk, you can find whatever you're looking for I guess sis all I'm saying. It was more just the normal 100 day skiers, dirtbags, ski area workers running them for years.
I get it you hate them, but there's a reason they're around. This might be my last season in my Forester. But it's getting close to 270k. A lot of friends currently have subarus and they do well. Hate them, whatever but they're a good ski car which is why they're so prevalent. Some soccer mom type, or dude from the city and what they buy to drive to the mountains or what they sell it for is irrelevant to that imo.
But yeah, everyone is a yuppie that drives a car you don't like lol. I agree with a lot of the vehicles listed in this thread, but it's always weird when "That car sucks get this car" happens. And I don't see how that isn't happening here.
I know of a ton of 200k plus subs on the road right now, same with toyotas and old hondas brapping around.
theabortionatorIdk man. There's people selling all kinds of shit everywhere. Both people that ski and work in the ski industry have been ripping around in Subarus for ever. Lots of beat up outbacks and foresters out there in the mountains. Def not yuppies. Idk, you can find whatever you're looking for I guess sis all I'm saying. It was more just the normal 100 day skiers, dirtbags, ski area workers running them for years.
I get it you hate them, but there's a reason they're around. This might be my last season in my Forester. But it's getting close to 270k. A lot of friends currently have subarus and they do well. Hate them, whatever but they're a good ski car which is why they're so prevalent. Some soccer mom type, or dude from the city and what they buy to drive to the mountains or what they sell it for is irrelevant to that imo.
But yeah, everyone is a yuppie that drives a car you don't like lol. I agree with a lot of the vehicles listed in this thread, but it's always weird when "That car sucks get this car" happens. And I don't see how that isn't happening here.
I know of a ton of 200k plus subs on the road right now, same with toyotas and old hondas brapping around.
You're projecting your emotional attachment to subaru and confusing overwhelming evidence of poor engine longevity with biased hatred. But you do you booboo.
I got 3 homies and 2 family members that drive a honda crv (all the same generation). I drive my grandpa’s crv whenever i’m back in minnesota and tbh once my own car craps out im absolutely copping one fs.
Honda CRV
- Relatively affordable used market
- 20+ mpg (i get 22 and am an aggressive driver)
- Great in the snow and mud (if you got the right tires)
- Lots of space in the inside and back
- Honda reliability and engineering
- Anyone is capable of working on older CRVs incase something goes wrong
- Vtec
- I don’t see many third gens with rust yet
I have to say volvo is my first choice. Best traction control in the game for the years they invented the 3point seat belt so there salty game is great and I've been rear ended in a volvo at 40mph and everyone and everything was just fine. Including the skis in the back. And the subwoofer.
Crazy powerful compared to anything else like it. alot of times they look beautiful and yes they are very easy to work on compared to other overseas vehicles. And they are considered a luxury vehicle so there seats are always comfy and roomy for road trips.
My friends and I are all moter heads though I am the least so out of all of them I can rebuild small engines and stuff but I haven't done much with cars. Anyway all of them own volvo or Chevy and I've seen Jonah fix his transmission in his t5 wagon in 2 days.
Volvos are super dope but you need to be careful about which one you buy... For example, the first gen xc90 came in fwd and AWD with about 8 different engines throughout it's life. The AWD for the first half of the run was dogshitnand problematic, and 6/8 engines/transmissions we're problematic with the other 2 being bulletproof.
That being said volvos don't have the Toyota tax on them and can be awesome cars.
Subaru can get fucked, head gaskets and rubber band transmissions plague literally every car. "bUt mYy wRx hHasS a MaNnuAaeL". Yeah the old 5 speeds are hotdog water and you can buy a Porsche 996 911 for the price of a newer wrx.
Something else to think about with "the cheapest car"... Total cost of ownership is a different thing than purchase price. From buying price, to maintainance, depreciation and sale price, it's often smarter to not buy the bottom of the barrel. "Just buy a more expensive car bro" is not the argument I am making here, but you can be smarter about your purchase. Small cars are way cheaper than big cars. Mini vans are also cheap compared to suv's. Toyota has made an AWD sienna for a long time that's the same drivetrain as a Highlander for way less money and way more space. VW Golf's are great and come in manual. Buy base models, get a ski rack, etc. My Audi A3 (it's a mark 5 gti with a different badge) has winter tires on it and a ski rack. I have repeatedly brought 4 dudes and all our ski shit with my camera gear up the canyon to Brighton in shit weather. AWD is preferable no doubt, but 99% of the time fwd is totally fine with winter tires. Oh also I buy all my tires used so the winters weren't that expensive.
LippamaniCrazy powerful compared to anything else like it. alot of times they look beautiful and yes they are very easy to work on compared to other overseas vehicles. And they are considered a luxury vehicle so there seats are always comfy and roomy for road trips.
My friends and I are all moter heads though I am the least so out of all of them I can rebuild small engines and stuff but I haven't done much with cars. Anyway all of them own volvo or Chevy and I've seen Jonah fix his transmission in his t5 wagon in 2 days.
facts mid size nissan trucks are underrated. Except pre 2010 xterras are kinda weak so I def wouldn’t get a first gen but I’ve taken my 2011 thru hell and back and it’s not that hard to make them good, all I did was put a 2 in lift and bigger tires and rims and it will take anything I throw at it. It has 175k Miles and zero light on the dash plus it has a 4.0 L v6 with kinda a small body so it never really has a problem getting up stuff on trails
muffMan.Also xterras are fucking fantastic same with frontiers. Find a pre 2005 one though, the 2nd gen sucked up until like 2010
If you buy a Volvo, you will be paying for German parts. Just keep that in mind. They ain’t cheap. If you buy a Subaru, buy underpowered. All these kids want WRX and modded Subarus and that’s where a lot of issues come from. Toyotas are dependable. Hondas too.
Generally you want Japanese made. Cheaper repairs, cheaper maintenance, and they don’t over engineer their car like a lot of European manufacturers.
-Used car market is high rn but you can still find them for cheap
-K24 engine will run until the end of time
-Lots of them came with a manual transmission
-AWD
-Has a real tailgate
-Super easy conversion for a permanent or temporary sleeper setup
ASSholebomber22Pilots are also goated. Also the Acura mdx for a little more guap. They're zippy mf's with the vtec v6 too
3rd vote for pilot.
got an 05 here and its been amazing for the last 9 years. I wouldn't buy an 09+ model, as you lose a lot of clearance from what I've seen. Put over 100k into the one I bought used in highschool and still treating me mostly* well. GF had one as well that got to 260k with no issues. Gave it to her brother when we moved and now its working as a construction vehicle with no issues. Easy to work on, lots of pep for the size, solid AWD with a 4wd lock. Okay gas milage. Plenty of clearance for offroading. Able to fit 8 people or sleep in the back comfortably. Can put skis inside and still seat 4 people. parts are very cheap.
Also loved my sisters 03 CRV. that thing is a gocart. However I preferred the pilot. A little extra clearance and a lot of extra weight helped it in rough rutted out snow. Got bounced around a lot less.
*mostly well is my fault. Drove it around for a year with a misfire and fucked valves burning oil like a madman. Including a 9 hour drive to san diego/joshua tree and back. Finally admitted I couldn't fix it myself and took it to the shop and now it runs like a dream. Not many other cars can do that.
BradFiAusNzCoCaIf you buy a Volvo, you will be paying for German parts. Just keep that in mind. They ain’t cheap. If you buy a Subaru, buy underpowered. All these kids want WRX and modded Subarus and that’s where a lot of issues come from. Toyotas are dependable. Hondas too.
Generally you want Japanese made. Cheaper repairs, cheaper maintenance, and they don’t over engineer their car like a lot of European manufacturers.
this was something I was gonna say Import car parts are more and if you're trying to get an older wrx rn in good condition and not riced out its gonna cost you a lot. My dad had a volvo xc70 with the backwards seats the only problem he had is after like 20 years the four wheel drive and air conditioning didn't work.
Ooooh this is a fringe suggestion but if you're handy with a wrench you can find e46 x drive sedans and wagons for very cheap and the motors are indestructible. Cooling systems suck but it's a lot less work to repair than flat 4 cylinder head gasket.
And women legit don't know that your car's 20 years old and people think you have mad guap even tho you spent 3k on a used car
LippamaniI have to say volvo is my first choice. Best traction control in the game for the years they invented the 3point seat belt so there salty game is great and I've been rear ended in a volvo at 40mph and everyone and everything was just fine. Including the skis in the back. And the subwoofer.
My Dad bought an element of the side of a dirt road for 500$ with 350 thousand miles on it. We had to replace some suspension and we just had to replace the starter at 406thousand miles the thing just keeps going and its zippy and with awd its great in winter but it has some weird blind spots imo. Also very comfortable with only 4 seats my one complaint is its a little short its hard to fit 189s in the back.
1ukasWhat's the cheapest, most reliable car I should look for to use on road trips in the mountains? I'm thinking some Subaru, but let me know if there's a better option out there.
i once bought a L6 4x4 2009 gmc envoy for $500 in alberta. drove it until 400,000km before scrapping it due to rust. samething as trailblazer or saab 97x
theres no universal law for which car is reliable. take each car as its own case. you can have really bad toyotas/hondas that have never had any maintenance or care because people think theyre very reliable and dont do anything with them. or you can get a subaru that has been loved and professionally maintained. just stay away from luxury brands, because when things go wrong, parts are quite pricey. domestic parts are relatively well priced and abundant in scrap yards.
I've been really happy with my first gen highlander. You can find them with AWD and they have decent ground clearance (7 inches, a same-gen WRX has 6). Perfect for snow in winter and gravel camping trails in the summer. Definitely not as exciting as a subie or german wagon, but it'll never leave you stranded and you can make it to 300k+ miles easily with less-than-regular maintenance. Parts are cheap, plentiful, and it's easy to work on yourself. It's essentially a Camry wagon. Honda and Toyota reliability is a thing.
The best part is you don't gotta pay the Toyota tax that comes with Tacos and 4Runners. You can sleep in the back. You can haul 4 or 7 ladies plus yourself depending on the rear seating config. The 6-cyl gets me 21mpg avg with 220hp, and they made a hybrid too for even better mileage. Here's one that would make a great first car. Use the money you save for some blizzaks and you're set for the deepest of pow days for years to come.
Volvo is swedish my guy. Completely different engineering perspective
BradFiAusNzCoCaIf you buy a Volvo, you will be paying for German parts. Just keep that in mind. They ain’t cheap. If you buy a Subaru, buy underpowered. All these kids want WRX and modded Subarus and that’s where a lot of issues come from. Toyotas are dependable. Hondas too.
Generally you want Japanese made. Cheaper repairs, cheaper maintenance, and they don’t over engineer their car like a lot of European manufacturers.
I can't quote anyone for some reason so I hope he reads this. Volvos are not German which is why they are much better for the American to work on that BMW or vw etc. German cars are designed completely differently. Now it is weird trying to explain this but they are not designed wrong. But the engineer just has a different mind set, they make sense in a different way. I know a guy who lives in Osceola the town across the river and he only works on German cars because they make sense to him in his brain. And he fully understands that he's special also he came from Poland but.
