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Need advice on 4 wheel dtrive cars.

Lemon law

Lemon law

Lifer
Right now my best vehicle is a Honda Oddesy, in basically a 2 car family.

As I basically live in a rural area with a one way 10 mile to town. About 99% of the time, I need another vehicle with the highest gas mileage I can get, Cargo capacity not a criteria which was not prime criteria in buying a Honda Oddesy.

Right now I have a 1990 Toyota Corilla, its in excellent mechanical shape, it gets much better gas mileage, but sadly its rusting away. How much longer I can keep it running as parts now are no longer available is now the near term question.

Then there is the 1% question, which is the focus of this thread, as I live in a rural area with severe snow drift problems. With a flat terrain, mostly farm fields. typical high winds, even a six inch snow can pile up snow drifts of 4 feet or more. If it gets that bad we stay at home waiting for the county to plow us out which can take days.

But usually that 1% problem does not get that bad, but still I really need a high mileage 4WD car. As I have also learned the delimiting factor is in snow ground clearance. Once enough snow piles up under the axles and belly pan, all 4 wheels are elevated off the road, and spin merrily with no traction. All I now know is the Suburu outback has a few inches more ground than the equivalent Legacy, but I need better recommendations on high mileage 4WD cars.

I also have a 99 Ford ranger truck with 4WD in cherry shape, the gas mileage sucks, and sadly it lacks the ground clearance to go in the snow. What good is it?
 
Throckmorton said:
You need a truck, preferably one with AWD so you can leave it on even when you get out of the snowdrift and are on dry/icy/wet pavement. There aren't many options with high ground clearance. Most trucks have part time 4WD only. The Grand Cherokee has AWD and might get decent gas mileage with the diesel, but the diesel version isn't released yet.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f309/wk2-compared-bmw-x5-1234219/
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You can get 2008 diesel Cherokees. I work next to a Chrysler dealership and I occasionally see them pop up on the used lots.
 
What's your budget? 4wd/AWD with good fuel economy is not going to be easy to find, though new Subaru Imprezas with the CVT are rated at 27mpg city / 36mpg highway.
 
With what your describing, what you need is a SUV or Truck. Neither of which will get you decent mileage. But if you want a car I'd look at something like and Impreza or Outback.
 
The Outback has 8.x" of ground clearance. I got 30mpg when I lived in a rural area, down to about 25mpg living in the suburbs. It's been a fantastic vehicle for snow and ice covered roads.

You could also wait for the 2012 Impreza that should be showing up at dealers very soon. It has less ground clearance (5.x"), but is rated at 27/36mpg.
 
jlee said:
What's your budget? 4wd/AWD with good fuel economy is not going to be easy to find, though new Subaru Imprezas with the CVT are rated at 27mpg city / 36mpg highway.
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That or a Suburu outback with higher ground clearance. Our target vehicles is something low overall miles, less than 70K in the about a 2005 year model. But so far I have heard nothing about a Toyota Rav four or a something like a 4WD ford focus.

A manual transmission is fine with me, but its a harder sell with my wife.

My problem is finding the best target vehicle, after that I can put the money in a sock until the best deal comes. But 36 MPG would be fine with me.

As it is, our 4WD drive needs are mainly in leaving home in descent weather, and getting back before the snow drifts really become too deep. As there are times when even a D-9 cat can't get through. As for my drive way, I have a snow blower that can get through 4 foot drifts, but that won't get me through the 1.5 miles to a state highway.
 
You're almost asking for something impossible, if a ranger 4X4 lacks the ground clearance you need, you won't be finding a 4wd car with good mileage that does better.

Also, what is your budget? In any case, a 99 paid off vehicle even with terrible mileage will probably be cheaper to operate than a more efficient car after you consider its purchase price and insurance and what not.
 
What parts does your 1990 Toyota need that aren't made any more? They made a zillion of those things. It's hard to believe you can't get parts. I'm not saying to keep the car, just surprised.
 
Lemon law said:
I also have a 99 Ford ranger truck with 4WD in cherry shape, the gas mileage sucks, and sadly it lacks the ground clearance to go in the snow. What good is it?
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You aren't going to find a car with better gas mileage and more clearance.

As someone else has said, driving that ranger and paying a bit extra for gas will be far cheaper than buying another vehicle. If you really want more clearance, lift the truck a few inches and put on bigger tires. On a ranger you could do that very cheaply.
 
Lemon law said:
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That or a Suburu outback with higher ground clearance. Our target vehicles is something low overall miles, less than 70K in the about a 2005 year model. But so far I have heard nothing about a Toyota Rav four or a something like a 4WD ford focus.

A manual transmission is fine with me, but its a harder sell with my wife.

My problem is finding the best target vehicle, after that I can put the money in a sock until the best deal comes. But 36 MPG would be fine with me.

As it is, our 4WD drive needs are mainly in leaving home in descent weather, and getting back before the snow drifts really become too deep. As there are times when even a D-9 cat can't get through. As for my drive way, I have a snow blower that can get through 4 foot drifts, but that won't get me through the 1.5 miles to a state highway.
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Well the Rav4 won't have any better ground clearance than a Subaru, nor will the AWD system be any better. Focus has never come with anything but FWD, most compact cars are fwd with Subaru and Suzuki being the exceptions.


Check and see if the Forrester has higher clearance than the outback, its quite similar but might be a smudge higher. For AWD cars in your price range, Subarus are really as good as it gets. The AWD system is superior to anything else until you move into higher end Audis.


Besides finding a way to plow that yourself I'd say you are probably out of luck as I can't think of a vehicle that could get through such snow drifts without it being a very off-road oriented vehicle.
 
Subaru Forester? I wonder if anyone does lift kits for those?

Lemon law said:
snow drifts of 4 feet or more.
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No normal vehicle can go through that. You can get something to go over it, but then we're talking snowmobiles or snow cats - something with treads that can go on TOP of snow.

Lemon law said:
I also have a 99 Ford ranger truck with 4WD in cherry shape, the gas mileage sucks, and sadly it lacks the ground clearance to go in the snow. What good is it?
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Plenty good, with a lift kit and bigger diameter tires. Maybe get a plow attachment for it. Can drive it with the plow raised a foot or two so that it helps get through the deeper drifts.
 
NutBucket said:
Basically this. Maybe you should buy a snowmobile instead!
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Or put a snow plow on one of your vehicles 😀
Cost $1000 - $2000
snow_sport3.jpg



If I lived in a rural area and snow was a problem, I probably would do such a thing.
In the city, people often use their snow blowers on the road to clear a bit of path because the residential roads are the very last roads to get plowed. If the road in front of your rural house is too long for a normal snow blower, then maybe a plow on your van would work. Remember to get winter tires....
 
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Bignate603 said:
You aren't going to find a car with better gas mileage and more clearance.

As someone else has said, driving that ranger and paying a bit extra for gas will be far cheaper than buying another vehicle. If you really want more clearance, lift the truck a few inches and put on bigger tires. On a ranger you could do that very cheaply.
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this
 
Maybe I was a little wrong to emphasize 4 foot drifts, when tend to be mostly localized. Not all that wide, so often it only takes a little speed and momentum to go from one side to other. And then one might hit a long patch of shallow snow before hitting another such drift.

But I can still remember the day I lost any faith in low ground clearance 4WD cars and trucks. The evening before it snowed about 4 inches of light powdery snow. In the morning a 15 MPH North wind was blowing and as I looked out there were no apparent drifts by my house. My main problem was to go the .6 miles to my nearest paved road. So I warmed it up a bit as I got it out of my garage, and the first 2/10 of a mile was easy as I went east bound in four wheel drive high. The next 1/10 of a mile was seemingly easy as I went past a large wood lot to the North and entered an area where there were nothing but a few barbed wire fences on either side with a few scattered trees to break that north wind. It looked like the snow level was uniform and it was, except in kept getting deeper and deeper. As the snow depth kept getting deeper and deeper. And by the time I lost forward momentum if was a good 12 inches deep. And kept getting deeper further forward. I tried reverse and that was hopeless. And finally a neighbor with a high ground clearance truck pulled me 50 feet back. And I could limp home in under my own power. I had to go 1/10 of a mile in reverse before I could even turn around.

Nor is it me I worry about, I have wife who is diabetic and even more reckless, and I don't want her stranded out in the middle of no where. Maybe that is what I need is a lift kit on the ranger 4WD truck, but the wind can kick up at any time, and even without any new show, the back roads can become impassible in just a few hours. And depending on wind direction, its hard to tell which way is the best way home.
 
Sounds like you need a vehicle like your neighbor's truck that pulled you out when you got stuck. On the other hand if you have a lighter vehicle with wide tires that will float on top of the snow you may not need as much ground clearance as long as you can maintain forward momentum and stay on top of the deep snow.

What does everybody else in your neighborhood drive?
 
Lemon law said:
Nor is it me I worry about, I have wife who is diabetic and even more reckless, and I don't want her stranded out in the middle of no where.
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You can start by making sure she has a car charger for her cell phone. My phone always seems to die when I need it the most. After I was in a car crash, I had to stay tethered to the car because that was the only way my phone would work! Stupid crappy lithium batteries that don't last more than a year....
 
Diesel truck 4x4 3/4 ton. They can get 25MPG with proper deletes done. They have 8" of ground clearance stock. If you put 35" tires they have 9". 6" Lift and 38"s give 11" of ground clearance. Tires can be bought in every aggressive tread you're driving conditions warrant. And of course they can pull and haul anything.

I recommend an older 5.9 cummins if you don't mind used. Best lt truck motor ever and will last 500,000 miles at least before rebuild.

I have a F350 by ford and get around 22 MPG computer says but the dodge is even better.

I have no idea why people buy gas trucks they and gas SUVs drink the gas like no tomorrow and have less power.

FYI my truck gets better mileage than my town car and weighs 3000lbs more.

BTW - if you put ARB lockers front and rear which locks the open differentials you can drive straight through 4 feet of snow. Can't do that on a car. You also can't hit an unseen rut w/o breaking an a-arm. No problem with the heavy duty straight axles.
 
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What does everyone else in your area drive?

You can always get a new grand cherokee with their adjustable suspension. Turn a knob and your ground clearance can go from 6.5" to 10.6". The cheapest grand cherokee its available on has a $32K MSRP.
 
Bignate603 said:
What does everyone else in your area drive?

You can always get a new grand cherokee with their adjustable suspension. Turn a knob and your ground clearance can go from 6.5" to 10.6". The cheapest grand cherokee its available on has a $32K MSRP.
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I thought that was only available on the high end Overland? Is their transfer case full-time or part-time?
 
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