Climber's best vehicle?

I had three Soobs in a row, but my Outback was a bit of a disappointment, granted I probably should've realized it wasn't a true 4x4, I ended up twisting the front unibody sub-frame on a rocky road, noticed it when I was driving home because I thought I had left the hood open - but it was closed and down 1/4" on the right and up 1/4" on the left, what a bummer.

It was a first year 2.5L flat four and would consistently overheat at altitude, Soob of America wouldn't help even though it was in warranty so they lost my business.

Toyota make good trucks, but the US models are a tad generic and bland. A friend of mine in Australia had a fantastic diesel Land Cruiser 70 with a canvas back.

I have a 2007 Dodge 2500 with a 5.9L Cummins, used to have a Tacoma just seemed like I was loading it to the hilt and the gas mileage suffered. With my camper on I get 16mpg/21mpg unloaded. I spend 50+ days out and just got tired of staying in a tent. I would vote for the Earth Roamer! They start in the low $100,000's

They are still making it just under a new name, they are called toyota caldina's now. I have one here in Japan and they are the best climbing vehicle you can get IMO.

johnL wrote: I have seen some Outbacks get 29-30mpg highway. I see a lot more of them get 24. But hey, all wheel drive and station wagon are nice. It's a crying shame Toyota doesn't make the All-Trac Corolla anymore. My 89 had ample power, same room as a Subaru, AWD + lockout for a 50/50 power split for the gnar, toyota reliability, and I got 32-34 mpg regularly. I got 37 once from Denver to Moab. In town it was 29-30. BTW, it's still running perfect and has not had a repair done on it since I sold it. And I bought it wrecked from a junk yard.

I have tried a few different things. First I had the Wesy, then I moved to the Truck with a carpet kit in the topper. After that I bought a slide in camper for the truck bed. Moved from there to a pull behind camper behind a big diesel truck, and currently I have a full sized converted van. After all of them I am super psyched on my full sized van. You can buy a used westy for a small fortune and wonder if you are going to break down in the middle of nowhere (it happened to me a couple a times so I am a little jaded) or you can buy a really low millage chevy express pretty cheap. I went all-out and had sportsmobile add a penthouse top to mine, then I added a stove sink heater, etc.

'06 Outback has served me well. I looked for alternatives with better fuel economy, but none seem to have the right combination of features and utility. Granted, it's not very exciting to drive. But, with good clearance, AWD, racking & cargo options, and 20-25 mpg, it fills most demands of my various outdoor activities.

These are sweet: sportsmobile.com/ultimate.html

They created the Pop-up camper conversion for VW buses in the 50's. As the guys at Sportsmobile say, "Those Westy's are awesome as long as you don't want to go anywhere in them." Get a high end 4WD diesel E350 for the same price as a 25 year old GoWesty, that will get you where you want to go and with 18-20 mpg to boot.

All those big fancy rigs are nice but no matter what you have your still probably gonna go climbing. Theres been so many times I have been jealous of the old folks in their RVs or camper vans when Im cramming myself into my 2wd Nissan with large canopy. Something about hearing the hydralic levelers work, lights come on and ice cubes clinking into glasses makes me want to retire right now. Those pop up tent canopies look cool but the tent looks worthless in any real weather. Westfalisa are cool to hang out in when the weather is shit but everytime I get behind one on a hill I dont want one. I saw that crazy german guy down in Baja in 99 in his homemade earthroamer thing. What a vehicle!! We were in a 89 Landcruiser with a 14' kayak and surfboard strapped to the top. Only got stuck once briefly.
A fun thread makes me want to drive somewhere and go climbing!

I work in Rocky as a campground ranger and get to see a lot of setups. Everyone I have ever spoken to loves their VW 4wd synchro vanagon. However, there kind of a cult vehicle and in high demand. Expect to pay about $20,000.00 for a good one. Also with any of the vanagons most owners report the high costs of keeping there beloved vehicles on the road and working the bugs out of them. Plus, never heard of one yet that the heads didn't need to be replaced at 70 or 80 thousand miles. Any one have an update on that or something that was improved in after market parts?

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Great topic.. What do you guys think is best in the long run.

A Subaru Outback or a Toyota Rav?
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JLP wrote: You obviously haven't looked much into this. A 25 yr old West-fail-on-ya is about $5-15k, depending on condition. A mint 2003 w/ 'bago conversion, the last year they were made in the US, is around $36-40k, if you can find one that nice, otherwise $20's or so.

You seem very angry.

Please review the inventory at Go Westy for pricing for the 4wd synchros at 60 to 80K (some over 100K). Now, these are rebuilt with a new engine (GoWesty uses a 2.5 L Wasser boxer with 125 hp & 175 ft-lbs of torque for 15K others place >200hp Suburu or Jetta engines for less) and new undercarriage (toss the viscous coupler) and put it on Dana 40 or equivalent axles (costs 20K). Dream machines even if the frame/body are 20-25 years old. Any westy/snchro/vanagon you buy with original equipment for <20k you better be ready to wrench on it. I have had 'em and loved 'em and hitch hiked away from 'em. Just saying. The late model E350 (Powerstroke 6.0-liter turbodiesel V8 with 235 hp and 440 lb-ft torque) conversions are pretty amazing actually, handle remarkably well, have full airbags, anti-lock brakes from the F450 and have adequate power for exploring or pulling. 18 mpg is possible and that engine regularly gets 300K miles. Been there. It is the closest thing to a tricked out GoWesty or Earthroamer (200k) available in the US. We know they are not for everyone (ergo the price) but they rate for discussion and you can find tricked out 4wd ones with moderate mileage in the 30-40k range (gas) and 50-60K (diesel). Agreed, the Sprinters are an excellent platform (3.0 Liter Turbo Diesel Mercedes-Benz engine with 188 hp and 325 lb-ft torque) but 2wd and low clearance maybe a non starter. Yet, here is a one of a kind 4wd conversion dream beast



Honestly, these big things are too much carbon footprint to haul around as an everyday driver. I agree with the other choices for the pavement/forest road slacker+1 sled. But if you wish to get out and away with 3 boys, the better half and grandma for a month...the SMB is hard to beat for a domestic off-piste tourista.

Peace,
Mike

i picked up an awd '03 element about 4 months ago, and it has proven itself as quite the climbing vehicle. it has a truck-style tailgate which is incredibly handy, and crazy amounts of room inside. it's so much more spacious inside than you would guess from looking at it. you can fold the seats up out of the way and sleep on the floor, or fold the front and rear seats together and create a decent 'bed'. it seems to be car, truck and wagon all blended into one. plus it gets good gas mileage (about 22 city, 25 hwy). you just have to get past the fact that it looks like a toaster on wheels.

After seeing the monster Icelandic Benz, and imagining the cost, just head down to the Ford or GM dealer and order a diesel full size van in 4wd, and cut the roof. I'm sure it would be half the cost.

i have had great luck with full size ford trucks. just a straight shell is best, although i love my pop up, overhead camper I had on a 2004 ford f250 powerstroke diesel. just to bulky to be practical when not living out of it. the gas milage is great with diesel but the operating costs are high. the overall dependability is great, they do last. I owned an f150 too and the dependability was superb. The gas milage was terrible though. i owned a tundra too, super sweet. I have also had the dodge cummins, sweet motor but the truck is not as nice as the ford. chevy diesels suck! I owned a gmc safari van that was sweet. very fast and all wheel drive. had to work on it though, more than i wanted. i have also owned a 76 vw van with the porche fuel injected moter, sweeeeet. but as with all vw/audi the performence is great but takes alot of work to keep on the road. definatly want AAA.
Now i drive a toyota 2wd truck that is a piece but it is dependable and i dont spend alot of time on the road climbing anymore so bivying is tollerable. we also have a vw passat wagon that is sweeeet too but still is expensive to fix and believe me it has to be fixed.
The Ford ranger is a Mazda b2000, so it cant really be called a ford. good little truck though, cheaper than a toyota.
i am selling my overhead pop up. It is older but i completly restored the inside and the canvas is in good shape. It will fit a full size truck with a short bed, but the long bed is desirable. email if interested. $1000. dougmetcalfbldg@msn.com

"I saw that crazy german guy down in Baja in 99 in his homemade earthroamer thing. What a vehicle!! We were in a 89 Landcruiser with a 14' kayak and surfboard strapped to the top. Only got stuck once briefly. A fun thread makes me want to drive somewhere and go climbing!"

He goes down every other year or so. The camper is a semi trailer. The interior is amazing. Fine wood work and a loft. I thought I was in a Bavarian chalet. Anyhow these photos were taken last year. I also drive a Landcruiser and believe it's the best and most dependable of trucks. Too bad about the mileage.

Jason Flaster wrote:Great topic.. What do you guys think is best in the long run. A Subaru Outback or a Toyota Rav?

outbacks are a little more car like. Ravs put you a little higher off the ground, but I actually think the subaru has better clearance.

There were some years of the outbacks that tend to have headgasket problems around 100-150k due to an anemic cooling system.

Personally, I like the subaru setup better, but my family has had better luck with toyotas. Its really personal preference.

My choice would be a not the latest model years Honda CRV or, even better, an ELement. We have an element and it is the best all purpose car I've ever owned. It beats my Tundra on all but the gnarliest terrain.

Cheers,
Evan

I like the responses a post like this generates. As with all things money, what is your budget range? That would narrow the the list of likely vehicles.

+1 for tacoma with a camper shell. they are tough, can go about anywhere, and reasonably priced compared to the other options listed here. i get 22mpg on the highway with my '06 V6, and that's fully loaded with gear. i suggest getting a camper shell that rises higher than the cab for more headroom.

-1 for the honda element. the ground clearance is poor, and they are a bit anemic when loaded with gear. i only got 22-23mpg on the highway when loaded down. though they are very reliable and well built, it just didn't work for me as a climber car.

Paul Hunnicutt wrote:really is it that hard to put up a tent? get a Subaru Outback, sleep under the stars, don't carry so much sh*t with you. reduction is better than consumption.

What works for you might not work for everyone else; I do, however, like your vehicle choice, since I get paid to fix cars (and I fix a lot of Subarus). Thanks to everyone else for some great pics and design ideas! Safe climbing, mates....