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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.
Putting in a vote for the CRV. I have a 2005 all wheel drive CRV and recently picked up a 4x4 T100 for ski trips and other outdoorsy stuff, but honestly the CRV can get me pretty much anywhere and it's still going strong with around 340k on it.
If you're looking for cheap and reliable you definitely can't go wrong with a used CRV in decent shape. T100 is pretty fun though.
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
So just buy a 2nd or 3rd gen with all the work already done to it for like 5 grand
s.j.mitchellSo just buy a 2nd or 3rd gen with all the work already done to it for like 5 grand
You talkin subarus? If so, nah dog. I don't trust private parties nonetheless used car dealers to do a proper headgasket job. Too many ways to do it incredibly cheap and wrong.
There's a reason people try to offload them shortly after major maintenance. Time bombs.
Older Subaru drivetrains/AWD systems are immaculate. Like have you ever heard of a Subaru AWD system failing? The frames will go ages with proper undercoat treatment. Look to buy a 2005-07 outback/forester (before they all had oil burning issues) with the head gaskets/timing/water pump recently done, usually around 110-130k miles. You can buy these for around $4-5 thousand and will get decent lifetime and bombproof snow performance
ASSholebomber22You talkin subarus? If so, nah dog. I don't trust private parties nonetheless used car dealers to do a proper headgasket job. Too many ways to do it incredibly cheap and wrong.
There's a reason people try to offload them shortly after major maintenance. Time bombs.
No I would never buy a Subaru that just had a backyard head gasket job lmao (or from a shitty shop) the reason heads re-blow in older Subarus is often misfires. I tracked down a good one fitting this criteria and she’s been going a long time
Did you mean me?
Nobody said German cars were designed wrong and, as I said to schoess, I am well aware they’re Swedish. They outsource a lot of their parts to Germany. It’s just not practical for a company to make every part. I have had Volvos before. I’ve had an xc70 and an s60r. I have had German cars too.
Do any of you guys actually know anything about Sweden or the Nordic mentality/engineering you’re quoting?
LippamaniI 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.
To me this is a no brainer, 2nd gen outback with records of head gaskets/water pump being done in last 50k miles is just the way. You can find them so damn cheap and clean especially around seattle or portland. Manual trans on those is more bulletproof than the auto. They are easy to work on and every mechanic has touched one, so really no big deal if they have to do another HG or something. They are amazing cars
LippamaniThe argument is that you can work on them in your own garage
The issue with older Volvos is that you are always working on your own in your garage.
Idk why this is even another discussion just get a Tacoma and never think about it again. The reason you always see so many is because they aren't in the garage being fixed up constantly and they are incredibly practical for anything. Idk why they even still make other vehicles, we should all just be driving tacomas and maybe hilux's incase you need a turret for aggressive drivers like Jem's.
Practical vehicle with modifications to keep your passengers extra safe (pre Obama administration) and enough room stock for your 210cm Oakley Osama Pros.
A shit box with that won't even fit your sister's 169 keys and enough mods to get you deep into the mountains without enough reliability to get you out of the mountains.
Might be more expensive then you’re looking for unless you can find a lucky deal but I’d recommend 1st gen tacomas and 3rd gen 4Runners. The late 90s - early 00s mix of tech and simplicity combined with Toyota reliability make these unbeatable values imo. Find something with a good frame and you’re set for 300k+ if maintenance is kept up with. They hold value incredibly well (this makes them harder to get into) so if you don’t like it it’s easy to off load. A few small upgrades and you can have lots of new car features as well
CalculatorMight be more expensive then you’re looking for unless you can find a lucky deal but I’d recommend 1st gen tacomas and 3rd gen 4Runners. The late 90s - early 00s mix of tech and simplicity combined with Toyota reliability make these unbeatable values imo. Find something with a good frame and you’re set for 300k+ if maintenance is kept up with. They hold value incredibly well (this makes them harder to get into) so if you don’t like it it’s easy to off load. A few small upgrades and you can have lots of new car features as well
Tacomas and 4Runners are great vehicles, but I wouldn’t consider either “cheap” anymore. The market has blown up for Toyota body-on-frame trucks and SUVs. The only cheap ones are salvage titles, high miles, or rust buckets.
If you want a cheap body-on-frame Japanese truck/SUV, you can find Nissan frontiers, early-gen pathfinders, and Xterras for almost half the price. They’re just as capable and nearly as reliable, but won’t break the bank as badly for a decent one
I rented a killer Buick compact SUV the front seat folded down all the way into a bed and it might have had more leg room than my Navigator I drive at home when I went to Utah and Jackson Hole. Has to be as cheap as anything with AWD.
destroylonelyWhat'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.
Dawg. i gotta tell you to go with a volvo v70 r or xc. Personally I drive a 99 v70 xc which is pushing 200k easy money. Never will stop running i swear.
BnE-AR7-fksDawg. i gotta tell you to go with a volvo v70 r or xc. Personally I drive a 99 v70 xc which is pushing 200k easy money. Never will stop running i swear.
Cool rigs no doubt but transmissions go boom and cost $$$$$
Volvo has 12 yrs of transmissions that have solenoids in the back of tranny telling it to shift at the right time. If you take half a day in your garage you can pull those solenoids off and replace them with clean ones for much cheaper. Same applies if you stuck in gear again this is only most of the time.
As far as reliability goes, Toyota/Lexus has consistently been ranked the best over the past couple decades. There's a reason they keep their value better than any other non-luxury brand and why pretty much all taxi drivers (at least where I am) drive Toyotas. It's the little stuff like using timing chains instead of belts in even their cheapest and smallest cars. If you want to drive a car to 500k+ with as little maintenance as possible then a Toyota is definitely one of the best options.
coronaAs far as reliability goes, Toyota/Lexus has consistently been ranked the best over the past couple decades. There's a reason they keep their value better than any other non-luxury brand and why pretty much all taxi drivers (at least where I am) drive Toyotas. It's the little stuff like using timing chains instead of belts in even their cheapest and smallest cars. If you want to drive a car to 500k+ with as little maintenance as possible then a Toyota is definitely one of the best options.
I like belts better personally. It’s not bad maintenance (100k) and fixing chains is a huge pain.
My xterra had bad timing guides and woulda been like 3,000. Have a tundra with the 4.7L and it cost me like 700, might do myself next time.
anyone in this forum talking shit on subarus has never owned a subaru, or is under the impression that subarus are for granola tech moms
my 08' outback has 222,000 miles and it runs like the day i bought it. never changed the head gaskets, only major repair was suspension based and it only cost me 1k. i have had this car 6/7 years and driven cross country multiple times, and i continue to off-road the shit out of it. AC/heat works, so do heated seats.
if ur concerned about head gaskets get an H6 model. problem solved. if u take care of ur subie it will make it upwards of 200,000 with minimal repairs no problem. just get regular oil changes and replace ur belts as needed.
My girls subie just cashed out at 280,000 miles, she had an 06' forester. Guess what car she's buying? another forester
SchoessVolvos 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.
Yeah I know someone who had a xc90 with a broken awd system so it was fwd. pretty rough, still fast though
Subarus are popular among skiers for a good reason, they’re solid cars with a good awd system. People have caught onto that though so now they’re a bit overpriced. CRV is not a bad option for sure.
muffMan.I like belts better personally. It’s not bad maintenance (100k) and fixing chains is a huge pain.
My xterra had bad timing guides and woulda been like 3,000. Have a tundra with the 4.7L and it cost me like 700, might do myself next time.
The difference here has little to do with chain vs belt, the parts for each are close enough, it's the labour involved in pulling apart the V6 in the Xterra.
Early xc90's with certain engines had weak AWD systems, but that was rectified after 2008ish I believe. Nothing is as reliable as a Toyota but I do think there's a lot of great cars where the total cost of ownership is similar depending on price, year, mileage and getting a good example
MastePoleWhackerYeah I know someone who had a xc90 with a broken awd system so it was fwd. pretty rough, still fast though
