Need some ski car options...
 

We need a vehicle for the upcoming ski season. It needs to be 4wd or 4 motion to make it up our very steep driveway that ends up with glare ice on it.

So.... let's say we have $10K to $12K to spend We want pretty good fuel mileage.

Thinking about a Passat 4 motion wagon, or some Subaru.

Any ideas??

thanks,

Eric

Toyota Rav4 or Honda CRV. Both can be had with 4wheel drive. Both are very light, and easy on the gas!

Jeep Cherokee with the 4.0 straight six.

these can be had for a song and that straight six will be going when you are worm food

The Cherokee or Subaru are both fine choices IMO. The extra ground-clearance of the Cherokee might tip the scales if you are going to be out during serious blizzards when you get 10+ inches on the road. Otherwise, the extra comfort of the Subie would be nice. A WRX would double as a fun car toom although I dunno if good examples can be had for $10k

Hadn't thought about the Cherokee....will look at that. Been looking at Subie's a lot... no WRX's fit the priceline unfortunately.

Clearance IS an issue....no question. I found a "lift" kit for the Passat, but it only raises it less than an inch.

thanks,
Eric

96 4Runner cost me $9,000 2 years ago. They are very reliable and have plenty of space.

I vote 02+ Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. great ski car.

Of course, you could also find a really nice older turbo 5 Audi S4/S6 Avant and chip it for a 300 hp winter beast. Well within your budget if you don't mind tinkering once in a while...

I'm still trying to find an 80's URQ but man they are hard to come by and expensive even when beat on.

How about a Land Rover Discovery? Loads of room, very capable off-road, and can be had for about $8k leaving a couple of grand for fixes. I know Land Rover has a terrible reputation for reliability, but my '96 discovery SD ran great (only let me down once and that was a speed sensor) and was the perfect ski rig. I locked the center diff. and pulled rigs back up onto the road with it several times- pretty impressive.

Cheers,

Paul.

Edit: I got 20 mpg in mine...

Cherokee with the 6. My mom has one. Damn near invincible. has close to 300K on it with no major problems.

Ok.... so far some good options, some I hadn't thought of as well.

I probably need to fine tune this a little.... so what's the best one to "drive"? I realize that the Audi is probably at the top, but I don't know if I could deal with the potential "issues". We will probably be doing 150 miles on a close to home weekend, to 400 miles on a long weekend.

thanks,
Eric

When working, the Audi is unbeatable. Simply the best for what you want.

But you are talking about $10k, and that means an Audi would be off warranty. Be afraid.

Had not thought of the 4 runner. That Toyota V-6 is pretty bulletproof too.

Great ski car, but out of warranty :(

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1194893563.jpg

You actually work on yours yourself, right? How hard is it really?

Pretty much any service on the engine (alternator, water pump, AC compressor, power steering pump etc) requires pulling the whole grill/bumper/radiator assembly off of the car. I am capable of working on the car as I bought a Vagcom setup and can do diagnostics with my laptop, but the combination of AWD, twin turbochargers, autotrans etc coupled with things being so buried under the hood makes service a b!tch. It is however a d@mn nice car to take on trips in any weather and is the most stable vehicle I have ever driven on snowy roads at relatively high speeds. The trunk is HUGE.

Jeeps are awesome, and pretty reliable, but not so terrific on the gas. Toyotas, Subarus, and Hondas are extremely reliable. That's why I mentioned the above models for your parameters. Cheap, gas mileage is pretty decent, and they are lightweight which is great in the snow. Another plus is they have a decent amount of room inside!
Happy shopping, as it's a buyers market for used cars right about now!!

AWD wont do squat on glare ice. will need chains, studs, sand or salt for that.

otherwise +1 for the scubby, multiple snow trips, only time i got stuck was sliding into a snow covered parking place at Stevens pass. they had a truck patrolling the lot for pulling idiots like me out of the 12" of snow that had fallen that morning.

Eric - I'm an AWD fan for sure, but tires are probably more important. I just put a set of Hankook iPikes on my TDI Jetta. Had less-aggressive Blizzaks last year and the handling/traction was amazing, particularly under braking. So I wouldn't completely rule out a 2WD vehicle! Maybe a nice midyear 911, lifted Safari-style with Hankooks! :D
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1194911542.jpg

Here ya go .... a REAL rallybastard. Just needs a rack!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-911-Race-Rally-car-Vintage-Roadracer_W0QQitemZ250186284836QQihZ015QQcategoryZ 10156QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1194914148.jpg

Audi, Subie, ppffftt... The VW Syncro vanagon is the best ski transport ever made. And, to quote Roland Kunz "the Porsche of vans."

The skis/boards can be tossed inside (not up on some sanded-slushfest ski rack) the boots can be set next to the aux rear floor heater (toasty for a quick foam fit) AND you can put them on INSIDE the vehical with ease. (I mean the boots ...come to think of it, , with the side door open you could put you skis on in there too!) :D ..AWD, locking rear diff... goes anywhere. (see "swimcro," among others at http://ovaloffice.be/ )

Glen,
Ideally it would be a Syncro with a 911 motor done over by Denny Akers... Heck, I'd even take a Tiico, or SVX motor, but a well done reliable one isn't going to happen for the small budget I have for this rig....

Curt, I've got a 05 TDI Passat wagon.... but we've had to chain it up to get up the hill, we've also had to wait for the plow on numerous occasions, and yes, we've got the current crop of "best" winter tires on it.

I've got a 99' Suburban Diesel with studded Cooper Discoverer's all the way around...but need one more rig during this upcoming season.

I really don't want to sell a "toy" to make this happen, if you get my drift;)
Theoretically this is the car to tide me over till the Tiguan comes in a diesel, or I can get the Toerag with the diesel 6 cylinder. Then I'll re-do the daily drivers....just don't want to sell stuff right now... just a "cheap" car addition to the current crop.

Eric

For a realistic option in that price range: I've heard really good things about the Impreza 2.5 RS. Basically, a WRX without the turbo motor.

We have a 2003 Audi A4 Quattro with the 1.8 turbo and 5-speed. Great ski car. The turbo doesn't care about altitude and the Quattro with good tires don't care about snow. 30-32mpg to Tahoe and back. Huge trunk and the rear seats fold down; we haven't yet needed to put the ski tub on top since the skis fit nicely.

Jim

$10k will buy a really nice AWD Volvo V70 wagon, or a V70 XC for added ground clearance. Not quite enough money for an R, but the high-pressure turbo models are over 200 HP.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1194980085.jpg
:D

Always snow tires. Always. Best safety (and fun) investment that a snow driver can make. I would take snow tires over airbags, ABS, AWD, and nearly any other safety feature. The difference is phenomenal.

put some weight in the rear trunk!!!!!!

otherwise the mid engine wont help get tracition for going up hill.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1194982736.jpg

The winner is still a VW Syncro van.

Best vehicle in the snow I've ever driven -- incl. Jeeps, Land Rovers, Subies, etc. -- is the 325iX (e30). You can get one for much less than $10,000 and put Blizzaks or Hakkepeliittas on it and have no fear. It doesn't have a ton of clearance, though.

JP

Taking mileage out of the equation, I would think a full sized 4x4 truck would be your best bet. In the times that I have been in Tahoe during bad storms, those are the ONLY vehicles on the road besides the road crews. They seem to have the clearance to drive through the snow and the vehicle weight to get the tires onto something that gives them traction.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/k...ofDSCN0415.jpg
My dad is selling that. Little out of your budget tho.
It has the V6 and killer ground clearance not to mention 4wd and the camper shell for haling your gear in.