Hiking vehicles

[rally_toad]

What kind of vehicles do you guys all drive when your going hiking? Im thinking about investing in a 4wd high clearance Jeep or something of the sort so I could get to some places where I definitely couldnt get to with what Im driving now (73 mustang):) I saw a Jeep Grand Cherokee today for $2600 and I was thinking about checking it out. What "hiking vehicle" is easiest to drive and which gets the best gas mileage (even though I know most wouldnt be too fuel efficient.)

[CannondaleKid]

@paulhubbard Looks like you park it far enough away from trees so I guess it won't be acquiring pinstripes any time soon. ;)

[paulhubbard]

Dual exhaust in the rear? I love that look

Yep, and it does have a Hemi!

[paulhubbard]

far enough away from trees so I guess it won't be acquiring pinstripes any time soon.

Got a couple from other "more crowded" roads.. It's not a 4X4 if you don't some AZ Pinstripes!

[Alston_Neal]

[Grasshopper]

@Alston Neal Jeeps are built to ROCK http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=336833
(it can be a very expensive sport too..)

[Alston_Neal]

@Grasshopper
When I saw this I thought of you, that's why I posted it. Also for any other stray Jeep owners out there.
Cheers!

[SpiderLegs]

Grew up about a mile away from the Jeep factory, my high school was basically a prep school for future assembly line workers. Assume that it is better now, but 20 years ago my friends who still lived in my hometown of Toledo would tell me about how much beer drinking went on during work hours. Guys would be down in their little cubby with a rivet gun and nothing to do for 5 minutes until the next Jeep arrives. One of my old neighbors told me he generally put away at least a 6 pack every shift.

So if something on your Jeep looks like a drunk guy assembled it, chances are he was.

[CannondaleKid]

Also for any other stray Jeep owners out there.

I'm thinking that sign applies to 4-cylinder Jeeps.

Even with aerodynamics of a brick my Cherokee (with the original 4.0L 6 cylinder) has no problem making well north of 85 on level ground. Heck even my Samurai could hit 75 on level roads.

[Jim]

I need a new vehicle and want to replace my 10 year old Honda Civic which has nearly 160,000 miles on it, with something better suited to my "needs". What can my abilities afford me? Before concerns over destruction to my car on rougher dirt roads crept in, I drove some decent dirt roads, including the Mount Elden Lookout Road, the Bursum Highway in the Gila, and a number of rough dirt roads from Colorado to New Jersey and Florida (low swampy roads you plow through). I am considering a Honda CRV, because my civic was so reliable. Anyone drive one or have thoughts on the CRV?

[CannondaleKid]

Anyone drive one or have thoughts on the CRV?

I loved my '99 CRV but eventually needed something better able to handle the more serious wagon-trails I seemed to have ended up on.

BTW, the reason I bought a 'first-generation' CRV was for more ground clearance than the newer CRV's. Every successive generation they have less clearance and more like boulevard cruisers.

When I sold my CRV, if I hadn't wanted something that could seat four, I would have gone back to a Toyota Tacoma. (I had a '97 2WD that took me way farther than I could with AWD CRV.) For fuel economy both the Tacoma and the CRV were 4 cylinders with an almost identical 27 mpg. Oh yeah, both vehicles were very reliable.

[Dschur]

Most of the newer Crossover vehicles are all on sedan chassis instead of the truck chassis... like the new Escape was the old ranger chassis and now is one of the car ones... they got rid of the small truck line now.. all the other ones are doing the same.. last years RAV4 is a truck chassis and next years is the car.. all lower clearance...

[Jeffshadows]

I'm on to a highly-accessorized D1 now. GEMS not Bosch.

[Alston_Neal]

Too bad this isn't in AZ...
This has to be the best ever...

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/margaret ... 1007827310

[ASUAviator]

@Alston Neal That was a funny description

[beterarcher]

EPIC!

[SuperstitionGuy]

A must read, I must say.

[azbackpackr]

I read it and was puzzled about the reference to "brumby." I looked up the definition. Turns out a brumby is an Australian wild horse. (No, Alston, I'm not starting something, and now we can't use that word any more, anyway!) Anyway, if you look at following ads for other similar vehicles, they also are called brumbies.

[SuperstitionGuy]

Aye mate. Down under talk...... ;) ;)

[Alston_Neal]

@azbackpackr
Those would be referred to as "Spicy Wild Horses"....
Like the Gilbert Riparian "spicy" cats......it all has such a nice Korean BBQ quality to it.....
I'm looking forward to the first person posting up a photoset of the spicy burros out at Lake Pleasant....
Of course I'll have images of little wild burritoes dripping in Sriracha sauce...



Long live Sriracha..
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/sriracha

[azbackpackr]

Consider my tongue firmly bitten.