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Chockstone Photography
Australian Landscape Photography by Michael Boniwell
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Chockstone Forum - Gear Lust / Lost & Found

Rave About Your Rack Please do not post retail SPAM.

 Page 1 of 4. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 40 | 41 to 60 | 61 to 73
Author
The Perfect Climbing 4x4

Capt_mulch
2-Feb-2008
1:56:08 PM
Due to me scoring a nice full-time job, the Go Anywhere Hyundai Getz is due for a trade-in for a climbers/cross-country skiers (just to get to the ice climbing sites) 4WD. I want something that is economical and tough. Fantini says that you have to be able to sleep in it (like he's been doing in my garage for the last week), but the new addition to the family in a few months has priority over me in the sleeping stakes (and why have I spent all that money recently on Macpac sleeping bags/tent) . All beta considered.

dougal
2-Feb-2008
2:44:33 PM
They've released an AWD Transit van. OOOooooooooooo. Don't know if it's here yet.

http://stadium.weblogsinc.com/autoblog/hirezpics/transitawd03.jpg

Capt_mulch
2-Feb-2008
5:11:49 PM
Hmmm, I'm not sure about those Ford Transits, though I could see baby turning up at the crag in a Jeep Trailhawk. Lucky the Jeep dealer is only five minutes walk down the road...
heydad
2-Feb-2008
8:09:35 PM
recently bought a MITSUBISHI DELICA which is a grey import from Japan. Based on a Mitsubishi pajero
but with a Star wagon body. Luxury plus. 4x4 Tons of room Lots of safety features 1997 model,60K', like
new. 26Gs. Absolutely fantastic.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
2-Feb-2008
8:19:17 PM
>4WD. >I want something that is economical and tough. >Fantini says that you have to be able to sleep in it

Holden cross-track station wagon.

cruxmag
2-Feb-2008
9:27:18 PM
Have a read of CRUX #4 - we did a full car review with tips on what makes the best climbing car.

Consider Hyundai Sante Fe Diesel - big, fast and cheap for what you get. Long term reviews in all the car mags have this standing up very well. Can seat 7 in a pinch. Works as a 'proper 4WD' more thsan any other softroader. I tested one of these for a month and it was great!

Other very good options - new Nissan X Trail. Only comes in petrol, but diesel coming soon acordding to the motor press.

New Subaru Forester comes out next month - always popular, but can be a little small when stuffed with you and your mates climbing gear. Turbo is wicked fun but sucks the gas. Subaru is bringing out a diesel in the next few months.

I have a Nissan Pathfinder - its big, full economical (diesel) and is a real 4WD. Its a bit too big for city driving though. 7 seats.

Avoid anything with a V6 Petrol (or V8!). With fuel prices these days you'll be pissing your money away. The Holden Cross Track Wagon has hopeless fuel economy.

I'm happy to field questions about cars... working in the auto advertising business has me pretty well up to date on what is good and bad!

Neil - CRUX ed

Cool Hand Lock
2-Feb-2008
11:33:51 PM
The perfect climbing 4X4 would have to be the Volkswagon Transporter Syncro
I went around Fraser Island in one. Got to Chambers Pillar in central Australia. And managed to get 9 people + gear into white water wall in tasmainia.
Diesel so it dosn't cost too much to run. About au$100 Melb-Araps return. Plus it sits on 150km/hr nicely if you happen to be going on Auto-barns.
Room for two double beds, if you feel the need.
Plus it's a comercial vehicle so you can park anywhere and rego is cheaper for comercial vehicles.
As for skiing and ice. It out runs those silly little Subaru 4x4's on icy roads. And if you put a set of chains on it, it will pull through 50cm of icy snow.
And think of all the room for a sound system you'll have.
The ultimate climbing and skiing 4X4 is most certainly the Transporter Syncro.

muki
3-Feb-2008
12:27:59 AM
Hey how's it going Cool hand, Don't forget that wicked trip we did to the moon in the Transporter! such a
cruisey ride, and very economical, with heaps of space for all our gear. Go the VW

Phil Box
3-Feb-2008
8:01:32 AM
I reckon my big white metal tent, the Toyota Landcruiser Troop Carrier is awesome as a crag vehicle.

Oh yes as far as getting into White water wall we did it in a budget rent a bus 2wd toyota hi ace thingy. Only scraped once but that was because we had 8 people and the bus absolutely stuffed full of gear.

muki
3-Feb-2008
10:22:15 AM
I've got a Landcruiser as well, but mine is a ute, it was once decked out as a crag cruiser with boxes that
stored all the gear and a steel top that I tied down the tarp onto, but now I live in Nati so only use it for
day trips to Araps and to go camping in the Gramps.
Love the fact that that thing will go anywhere!

cruxmag
3-Feb-2008
11:09:05 AM
I find those VW Transporters a bit over-the-top for day trips though. If you get stuck in the back as a passenger you can't talk with people in the front. I havn't driven a new one, but that was my experience of an older 90s one! Perfect for long trips though... Most of the time a 'true' 4WD is a total waste for Australian climbing. I can't think of any popular crag that you couldn't get a basic softroader into...
james
3-Feb-2008
1:14:00 PM

my old Transporter is a bad example Neil! it was commercial version, & I put the rear seats further back so they fitted behind the door, & also the speakers faced the back seats. The newer ones are much nicer. But awesome vans otherwise, the 4wd is very capable.

cruxmag
3-Feb-2008
1:25:07 PM
Aren't all transporters commercial vehicles?

IdratherbeclimbingM9
3-Feb-2008
1:52:08 PM
>Avoid anything with a V6 Petrol (or V8!). >With fuel prices these days you'll be pissing your money away. >The Holden Cross Track Wagon has hopeless fuel economy.

?
I disagree.
Any 'real' 4WD in a petrol version is worse for economy in my opinion. I drive various of them associated with my work from time to time and they suck juice big time!

The additional cost up front of a diesel engine (vs a petrol one), buys an awful lot of petrol in this part of the world (Vic/NSW border), too. That fact combined with the outrageous price of diesel since the govt subsidy ended would render most uneconomical for short periods of ownership, ie you would have to keep it for at least 8 years* + (total guess), to get your initial investment outlay back?... though petrol/diesel prices in Melb might be a different equation.
Biodiesel / ethanol are becoming more popular in the non-metropolitan country areas as a result?

(*Not that keeping a car that long is a bad thing. I had my last one for 18 years and only got rid of it when the price of registering it was greater than the repair cost to have it in registerable condition).

The Holden Cross-Track is largely 'Australian'; roomy; well appointed; and strong enough to tow a large trailer if necessary. Though I admit the 'ideal 4wd' is horses for courses, personal preference and available $ in the end.
james
3-Feb-2008
2:34:56 PM
On 3/02/2008 cruxmag wrote:
>Aren't all transporters commercial vehicles?

I thought there were passenger versions (?). In any case, Megan's (newer) one was way quieter inside, & the seat position made was as much of an issue as the lack of noise-protection in mine.
Duncan
3-Feb-2008
3:02:05 PM
On 2/02/2008 heydad wrote:
>recently bought a MITSUBISHI DELICA which is a grey import from Japan.
>Based on a Mitsubishi pajero
>but with a Star wagon body. Luxury plus. 4x4 Tons of room Lots of safety
>features 1997 model,60K', like
>new. 26Gs. Absolutely fantastic.

I always wondered what those things were. There's one always parked in Randwick, and every time I walk past it I think what a great road-trip mobile it would be.

The Trickster
3-Feb-2008
3:41:57 PM
On 2/02/2008 heydad wrote:
>recently bought a MITSUBISHI DELICA which is a grey import from Japan.
>Based on a Mitsubishi pajero
>but with a Star wagon body. Luxury plus. 4x4 Tons of room Lots of safety
>features 1997 model,60K', like
>new. 26Gs. Absolutely fantastic.

These things look great.

I was a big fan of the Mitsubishi L300 Express 4WDs. The Delicas look even better.

If I win lotto, I just might buy one.

cruxmag
3-Feb-2008
8:09:52 PM
On 3/02/2008 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>Any 'real' 4WD in a petrol version is worse for economy in my opinion.
>I drive various of them associated with my work from time to time and they
>suck juice big time!

Totally agree. I wouldn't even think about a petrol 'real 4Wd'. They suck down about 15l/100km as opposed to diesels that run about 10l/100km. Thats a $20 saving for a weekend Araps trip even with the difference in diesel vs petrol prices!

>The additional cost up front of a diesel engine (vs a petrol one), buys
>an awful lot of petrol in this part of the world (Vic/NSW border), too.

Yep, i agree. You ususally pay a few thousand more for diesel.

>That fact combined with the outrageous price of diesel since the govt subsidy
>ended would render most uneconomical for short periods of ownership, ie
>you would have to keep it for at least 8 years* + (total guess), to get
>your initial investment outlay back?... though petrol/diesel prices in
>Melb might be a different equation.

About 2 months ago diesel was actually cheaper than petrol at my local servo. It was $1.22/l for about a year. Then it jacked up to $1.42/l and hasn't moved since. Its about 8 to 10 cents more than petrol at the moment.

>The Holden Cross-Track is largely 'Australian'; roomy; well appointed;
>and strong enough to tow a large trailer if necessary.

I've driven one of these quite a bit, and I admit i enjoyed the power, speed and handling. But at 14L+ per litre for something which isn't very rubust in the 4WD departent you end up filling up with $90 of petrol every 400km. Not cheap at all! Thrash it and it really goes beserk!! There is a very good reason this model was a failure and scrapped from the Holden lineup. Petrol prices went up and no one could afford to fill it up. I've done advertising work for Holden and this is what they told me!

> Though I admit the
>'ideal 4wd' is horses for courses, personal preference and available $
>in the end.

Yep, the #1 thing to remember is that a real 4WD is mostly a waste of time for climbers unless you plan to travel through central Australia. You're paying for expensive parts, expensive servicing and loosing a great degree of handling and pleasure from driving due to the un-necessary weight of heavy parts. Buy what you actually need.

>

belayslave
3-Feb-2008
11:25:28 PM
I'll put a point on the board for Subaru Foresters. Just before Chrismtas i brought a second hand
Forester X. Though it's a very new 2nd hand, only 15000 on the clock. Easily throw my bike in the
back. Enough room to sleep with the back seats down. Small enough to be good for city/work driving.
enough capability (with the X model) to do some more serious off road trips (cause the X model has duel
range.) Plenty of power without having the Turbo of the XT models.

Have since hard wired in my GPS and UHF. To come will be a 2" rise kit, new tires (in the long run) and
a bull bar. I've seen Foresters get in to any place where any 'respected' 4WD's such as Troopies,
Landcruisers or Hilux's can go. Plus they have the versatility and economy of a good everyday car.

nmonteith
3-Feb-2008
11:35:59 PM
I've had a Forester in the family for the last 6 years. A great car - and as you said belayslave, it can go anywhere most climbers need to go. They are popular with climbers for a reason. New model comes out next month - slightly larger, and in diesel!

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There are 73 messages in this topic.

 

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