What car do you drive?

[OscarWhitbread]

if you find one let me know. at the moment i am keeping my VX wagon as long as possible as there is nothing to replace her. Stoopid SUV loving Australian public. Where will the "i need to be up above traffic to safely see the road" arms race end...

I'm glad it's just not me then. I keep going round and round in circles, SUV, Dual Cab Utes, Caddy type vans or Mondeo/Skoda wagons, they just don't tick all the right boxes for me.

Maybe I'll start charging rates to my family & mates who always want to borrow my wagon to move shit and they can help pay to keep it on the road!

 

[thatsnotme]

if you find one let me know. at the moment i am keeping my VX wagon as long as possible as there is nothing to replace her. Stoopid SUV loving Australian public. Where will the "i need to be up above traffic to safely see the road" arms race end...

I actually think the rise of Duel Cab utes as family vehicles has to take some of the blame here too. That segment of the market has been going gangbusters, and plenty of them aren't being bought by tradies and farmers. We went from our old Commodore wagon to our Navara - my wife owns horses, so having something big enough for the family, with room in the back for feed, bikes etc, and with the capability to comfortably tow a horse float is awesome. Also helps that our average fuel economy is better than it was with the Commodore.

If we put a canopy on the tray, it'd basically be an oversized wagon. The only real downside is with the ride being a little more wallowy (if that's not a word I'm making it one), and our young fella sometimes feels a bit sick more easily - but he's done that in other cars too.

Certainly not for everyone, but I can't see our family ever going back.

 

[The Duckmeister]

1998 Subaru Outback. Ticks all the OP's boxes - drives like a normal car, handles dirt really well - full-time AWD with low-range transfer case in manual versions, fits two bikes plus a weekend's worth of camping gear in the back without dismantling (but won't take a third person so packed), long enough to sleep in if the need arises, tows well. Mine's getting pretty long in the tooth now, but will definitely get another, newer Outback when the time comes around.

 

[Skydome]

standard 03 camry, but I don't drive like an elderly retiree

 

[wesdadude]

A minute of silence for sensible family vehicles. :sad:

 

[fatboyonabike]

Foton Tunland 4x4 dualcab, 2014
Cummins 2.8l turbo diesel
Getrag 5 sp gearbox
Borg warner transfer
Dana diff
very roomy all leather interior, heated mirrors, full electric everything, tire pressure monitoring
7.8L per 100kms on the highway, and will pull 2 tonne with ease
currently setting up as a family tourer to compliment the trailer
only down side is she's a bit of a pig in tight car parks, but other than that, its a great car at a great price

 

[Hamsta]

1983 Toyota Corolla Sedan that I paid $850.00 for. Little rust, the interior and exterior is very nice and insurance for The Brown Hornet is very affordable.

I'd really like a 335i twin turbo coupe but cannot bring myself to part with that sort of money for a car.

 

[mitchy_]

I have a 2000 Falcon Wagon and its getting to the age where I need to spend some coin on it as shit is starting to wear out. I'd like to replace it with another wagon, but the problem I have is the boot on newer wagons are nowhere near the same size as the older model Ford/Holdens etc, all the ass ends of current models seem to be pinched in with the roof sloping downwards limiting the how high & wide the boot entry is. One of our work cars is a newer Holden wagon and the guy driving always complains about how much the boot is reduced compared to his earlier model Holden.

What wagons are out there that can actually take some junk in their trunk so to speak?

Yeah, it's because the VE generation (and onwards) wagons ditched the longer wheelbase they shared with the utes and Statesmans (etc.) and went to the same floorplan as the Commodore sedan. Pro: Wagon looks sexy. Con: wagon is a bit useless for doing wagon type things, like moving lots of shit.

Interesting question though. I don't even think the current Falcon has a wagon version? And as everyone else has gone SUV mad perhaps this type of vehicle doesn't exist anymore?

i can fit a 160mm 29er with 780mm bars in the back of my VE without removing wheels, etc. that's about as wide and long as they come. can even leave the single rear seat up too, so fits 3 people.

 

[Tubeless]

I am thinking about vehicle choice.

I'd like something that
* can handle a dirt track
* can handle a motorway with reasonable comfort
* can take one bike easily, preferably with no dismantling
* can accommodate 2 people and bikes. 3 would be a bonus.

Currently drive a wagon, but have considered a Wrangler, Defender, Freelander 2, HiLux etc.

What are your opinions ?

Gen4 Subaru Liberty wagon

 

[trickbooter]

i can fit a 160mm 29er with 780mm bars in the back of my VE without removing wheels, etc. that's about as wide and long as they come. can even leave the single rear seat up too, so fits 3 people.

What's a VE? Sorry, non-Aussie non-petrol head here.

 

[slimjim1]

Old VX holden wagon

i am keeping my VX wagon as long as possible as there is nothing to replace her.

Me too, i love mine.

 

[floody]

I actually think the rise of Duel Cab utes as family vehicles has to take some of the blame here too.

Dual cab utes have outsold 'large cars' for years now.

It annoys me because I like single cab, styleside utes which are now all but extinct so my new/last decade car choices are close to nil.

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

What's a VE? Sorry, non-Aussie non-petrol head here.

Holden Commodore model numbers usually have a lettered prefix. VE is your more recent slightly Battlestar Galactica / Galactic Empire looking design

 

[redbruce]

A minute of silence for sensible family vehicles. :sad:

+1. My old girl VX 6 auto at >300,000k still going strong (roof racks for my bikes and touring kayak plus home reno building supplies) and still with< 1 L/10,000k oil consumption (like my >260,000km Honda VFR800 moto).

My mates in the trade tell me that although common for local cars, that mileage remains very, very much the exception for a Euro (quite a few Asians can do it though) and non existent for small displacement Euros (a few Volks/Audi specialists in that mix), and just forget auto's. There is a real cost to that.

Previous 30 years was all Euro (brainwashed but still love Alfa's) and have come belatedly to appreciate the value of Aussie metal (cheapest and most reliable vehicle I've owned, and tows my camper).

Also don't agree with Haakon (based on experience with work vehicles) that mid SUV's are inferior to basic small commercial vans. But I guess it is relative to what you are happy with.

They (vans) are less civil (noisy), practical (passengers anyone) but now only marginally less roadable than current mid SUV's (Territory and Kluger are simply barges by any measure) like Captiva, Outback, RAV, Forester, etc.

Have also found the med 4x4 utes I drive for work reasonable. I do maybe 15,000km a year in them and wile I'm not convinced of their practicality around town but they drive much better than Haakon aludes.

Personally I'm no longer a fan of the Ford Ranger (but was). We have had issues with front suspension failures (broken springs mainly) and the close gate of the six speed is really annoying around town (we only get diesel manuals) . My preference is the Colorado/Isuzu overall (not withstanding there are trim quality issues).

 

[The Duckmeister]

I actually think the rise of Duel Cab utes ....

I know they can be big, but big enough to have sword-fights in?

 

[ducky1988]

1998 Subaru Outback. Ticks all the OP's boxes - drives like a normal car, handles dirt really well - full-time AWD with low-range transfer case in manual versions, fits two bikes plus a weekend's worth of camping gear in the back without dismantling (but won't take a third person so packed), long enough to sleep in if the need arises, tows well. Mine's getting pretty long in the tooth now, but will definitely get another, newer Outback when the time comes around.

I am looking at new cars and have one of these currently. Nothing else can match them. They do everything

 

[Dales Cannon]

i can fit a 160mm 29er with 780mm bars in the back of my VE without removing wheels, etc. that's about as wide and long as they come. can even leave the single rear seat up too, so fits 3 people.

To fit the Bronson in my VF saloon I have to remove the wheels, drop the seat post and cut the frame in half. The one thing that really pisses me off with it.

 

[stirk]

My only advice is don't by a 1st or 2nd gen Toyota 4runner, they are shit, you'll hate it, old rubbish only worthy of selling for parts. Can't put a bike in the back and certainly can't sleep in the back. Avoid these 4runner things.

Sounds like you need a dual cab ute 4wd. But they are versatile and limited at the same time. Good for hauling your friends fridge or multiple bikes and people.

Then you can't sleep in the back if the weather is shit and you can't pitch a tent.

4wd Vans rock for many many reasons, if wifey would drive one I'd get a big van, just be prepared to be the Removalist, or kit it out with cargo cage so you won't be.

 

[mitchy_]

To fit the Bronson in my VF saloon I have to remove the wheels, drop the seat post and cut the frame in half. The one thing that really pisses me off with it.

That's what you get for calling it a saloon.

 

[dej]

2010 subaru impreza rs (auto!)
it's 'orrible (wife and i say the RS stands for "rat shit"
uses massive amounts of fuel, struggles up hills. I had a 1987 porsche 911 in germany which used less fuel than this car and it was 25+ years old
An overall dull car to own..
There are however, a few good points:
I can fit my bike in the back (after folding the rear seats) without taking off any wheels, can even fit two bikes.
It has a spare tyre
Servicing hasnt been too expensive
Insurance is fairly cheap

My previous car was a 2005 mini
Very fun to drive, used very little fuel (750km was not uncommon on long freeway trips) - this compares to about 460-520 on the freeway for the subaru, same size fuel tank
Couldnt fit the bike in the back unless i took both wheels off and was very careful loading it in, certainly couldnt put two in there
Servicing was very expensive, pretty much once a year, pretty much had to fix random broken stuff each time. Never left the shop spending less than 2k
No spare tyre, wife got a flat about 1km from work. She kept driving I had to leave work to go try fix it, tyre sealant stuff they provide was useless

Next car i'm looking at will be a renault clio or megane. Just gotta also convince the wife to put racks on as im tired of loading the bike in the back of the car