Ultimate Ski Car

D

DBabay

Member
Im looking for a new car resonably piced, im not looking to buy off here, but i am just wondering what the best cars would be for an outdoor skiing lifestyle. Any ideas? I was thinking a Subaru WRX or Nissan Exterra?
 
word dude im in the same spot as you i need a new car cuz the timing belt on my honda snapped while i was goin about 60 so that car is totaled more damage done than what i paid for it, the wrx seems good id get the STI personally if i had the $$ it looks so sick in blue, the X-terra is also a great car in the winter a little bigger and less good on gas so id say wrx or wrx sti, im lookin into wranglers possibly gotta see how my skis and shit would fit into those tho
 
snow-cat-09.jpg
 
99 dodge intrepid fits 4 guys and equipment real good and its quick and not bad lookin and there so cheap now, its the only way to go...unless you want a station wagon cause everyone else seems to have soobies
 
they are by far the worst ski car i have to say the best ski cars are wagons, preferably subaru or audi, but any 4wd/awd wagon is perfect, especially the kind with the 3rd row of seats, throw a tule rack up top and you are set. cant tow any sleds, but w/e id rather use my parents car for that then try to pay for the gas/diesel of a truck
 
you obviously dont wanna put the skis inside, if you do get a wagon or a van. but get anything with 4 wheel drive, and get a roof rack.
 
a wrx for skiing? I go Carollin in my carolla in the mountains, but if you aren't driving high mileage there are better choices
 
r32 with a rack is pretty dope. super fun when the snow melts too. people might thing a sporty car like that would suck, but it'll do just as well as anything else that is sub-truck height.
 
its not 100% for skiing, but i definitly need it to work well for that. Also, do bike racks fit well on top ar a WRX? How about the wrx "wagon". Is that any better than the plain wrx as far as space wise, or would an xterra be a better choice.
 
Well they don't make an STi wagon in north america. I've got an 02 WRX wagon. It's pretty good for skiing, but it isn't that roomy. I've got a rack (you need one for sure) and can fit 4 pairs of fat skis on top. If you have a boarder with you that fucks things up and you have to put a seat down. The back seat is ok, but you really don't want to have more than 2 people back there on longer trips. And more than 4 in the car anyways is a lot of gear to fit in a fairly small trunk.

However, it works out well for me cause rarely do I head up with more than 4 people and the WRX has pretty good power for passing, so long as you keep it up in the rev band. Its not great on gas, especially if you mod it, but its a fun car.
 
you dont need a wagon, i fit 4 people in my car with equipment and clothes and food for 2 days in my s4 sedan
 
i drove a wrx and i really didnt like it much, it was ok but it just felt so slow unless you were like almost at redline, if you are under about 4000 rpm it feels soooo sluggish. so if your not in the right gear at the right time going up a hill or something it sucks. for the same price and similar performane id get an a4 1.8t i didnt expect it to be good at all when i drove it but it is actually very fast for a 1.8, and you dont have to be at high rpms to get power. plus everything like the clutch, shifting, brakes and all that feels much better, where the wrx feels kinda cheap. and it has a awesome interior.

if you have the money and money for repairs an s4 would be great, they dont cost a whole lot to begin with, but it costs alot of money with repairs and maintainance.
 
ive never had personal experience with audi but ive heard they have major problems and are super expensive to repair.. i've got a jeep cherokee with sno wtires and it is amazing int he snow.. not too great on gas but its straight
 
any 4 wheel drive car...WRX, Evo (if you can afford such), eclipse GSX, etc. Just make sure the rear seat folds down to the trunk or get a ski rack.

I test drove an Xterra 2 years ago and it was the bounciest ride ever...They may have fixed that but I didnt like it to much
 
yeah the nicer ones do cost a shit load, but an a4 especially with the 1.8t engine is really reliable and pretty cheap to fix.
 
did you drive a turboed WRX? if so the turbo will kick in at higher rpms. It need to spool first then it will gradually force air in when you get to higher rpms.

I would take an evo over a WRX anyday though...(I drive a lancer ES)
 
get an audi, A4 or S4. but definetly get a wagon with a roof rack. they are all wheel drive, handle great in snow with the right tires, and if you get an S4, they haul titties.
 
cars with good gas millage cost more right now so you might be able to save money by buying a car that isnt as good on gas
 
only problem is insurance on the Audis...if turboed alot of places rate them higher. WRX is high as well. I know cause I am an insurance agent....and on that note if anyone in CO wants help getting there own insurance or a deal hit me up
 
yeah it was a WRX so obviously it did have a turbo, i drove 3 of them and they must just have horrible turbo lag, its probably a combination of that and that until the turbo kicks in it probably has like 90 hp, then the turbo kicks in and for a split second you have 220 hp, where other turbo cars only have turbo lag till mabye 2500 or 3000 rpm then its the same acceleration till redline.

my mom even rode in one with me and she complained about how slow it was
 
if you dont have the money for a newer subaru, you should get a 4runner. just make sure you get one with a 22re. i bought mine for 1990 4runner for $2600 with ~200,000 miles. the engine was rebuilt and i havent ever had an engine problem with it. i would recommend knowing some basic stuff about cars if your going to buy a 17+ year old car. i've done lots of little work to it. heres a picture that i found on google that looks like mine-

ken-klecker.jpg
 
I just got a '02 WRX and bought a used thule roof rack for cheap. This has been a great setup for me and my friends every weekend.
 
I don't know about all you guys suggesting S4s and shit, they are pretty expensive, even the older ones. Are your parents dishing out this money? Fuck. My WRX is expensive enough to maintain.

Btw, the older 1.8T Audis are WAY more gutless than the WRX. I don't know what kind of WRX you were driving, but once you are above 3000 (not 4000) it really takes off. The older S4s are still expensive and the turbos have been known to go every 12k-15k miles. The new ones are fucking sweet, but christ its got a V8 and still costs like 40k+ used. My friend has a 04 3.0 A4 and while it has more power in the low end my WRX is still a little faster once the turbo kicks in.

And for those wondering how WRXs are off-road, not that good. I mean dirt and gravel roads are ok, but you are still sitting pretty low so if you are hauling you're going to do some damage. Not good on the suspension either. My wagon has an STi suspension as well so it does NOT go off road, you would not have an ass left.

A fucking sweet ski car for decent money would be an older Subi legacy, like 98 and older I think. The ones with the 2.2L engine. Not the most power, but decent on gas, really fucking reliable and a solid AWD system. If you don't need a truck to go offroad or want a sports car/ski car cross, then I would seriously look into this.
 
i'd rather get the outback than the WRX, wagons work better than sedans. and you can fold down the seats and do car camping.
 
Yeah the wrx wagon/impreza wagon would not do so well for car camping. It has decent space with the seats down but definitely not enough to sleep in comfortably.
 
my parents have a durango, and that thing is a beast in the snow, plus it fits lots of people, but its a gas guzzler
 
For road trips: 1995 Plymouth Voyager Van. it has tons of room for gear and plenty of room to sleep in, plus it gets decent gas milage and you can take lots of people depending on the seat configureation.
 
as a general rule, bigger SUVs and trucks tend to get stuck and have less traction and control in the winter, winter meaning lots of snow and ice and shit. lots of people still drive them, and theyre fine by all means, but theres a reason lots of skiers drive subarus and wagons and shit, and its cus they handle really well in crap conditions. and they get better gas mileage.
 
the ultimate ski car is the Honda Element hands down. AWD and a short wheel span means its not gonna get stuck, it gets good gas mileage, and most importantly the interior. The entire floor of the car is plastic mat rather than carpet which means any wetness brought in by skis or boots can easily be dried and doesnt fuck up or stain your car. the other feature that sets the Element head and shoulders above anything else is the way the back seats work. The back seats in an Element are anchored to the side rather than the bottom of the car so you can open up the tailgate and slide your skis underneath the back seats all the way to back of the front seats. very useful. it also comes optional with a roof rack that works great for extra shit. I have an '06 and wouldnt trade it for the world. if you have any other questions just PM me.

Element hands down.
 
a 4 door tacoma or a 4 runner would be dope. or like eveyrone else has said a subaru wagon of any sort if you want better gas mileage. and whatever you get make sure you leave enough money to invest in a roof rack. if you ski and dont have a rack on your car you're doin somethin wrong.
 
A lot of good things have been said here! In my personal experience, I drove a 98 Honda Civic for years back and forth to the mountains to school and work etc. Everyone says you need awd or 4wd in the mountains. Bullshit. I never once had a problem in my Civic in the snow. Sure if there was like 3 feet of snow on the road it might suck but how often does that realistically happen? And the reliability and gas mileage made it so worth it. I got a minimum of 30 miles to the gallon consisitently, and in the 3 years I owned this car I spend $0.00 on repairs, yes you read that right. I never spent a single cent on repairs. I changed the oil religiously and checked up on things and never had one single problem. Not one! And when I decided to sell the car 3 years later I actually made money on the damn thing and sold it for more than I paid. Talk about resale value.

A lot of people have mentioned Wrx in this thread. While they are sick ski cars and I would buy one in a heartbeat, There are some undesirable things about it. Namely gas mileage. Boxer engines get notoriously bad gas mileage. It's a fact. Add a turbo on there, and you have a 4 cylinder motor that gets the mileage of a V-6. Shitty.

The Subaru Legacy would be a sick ski car IMO, as would the Honda Element (or any Honda for that matter) my mom's Element is actually kinda cool. It looks like ass, but it has a torquey and smooth I-VTEC engine, great gas mileage, AWD, Reliable, XM Radio, and the interiors are bombproof you could take a shit all over the floor and just like spray it out with a hose and you would never smell it.

Audis are kick ass I love em. But for the average skier, and kid they are out of your league. Repairs cost a pretty penny, and until recently reliability has not been Audis forte.

I could keep going but that is it for now.
 
^werd front wheel drive is purty good in snow, but all wheel drive/4wd would still be better in the even you actually got stuck or snowed in to a parking spot or somethin of that nature. the most important thing in my opinion is clearance, my dodge stratus is great in the snow, but no matter how good your tread is and how much weight you have in your car you just cant go anywhere if your cars belly is laying on top of the snow. (at least not in our heavy gross east coast snow) For that reason I think my ideal ski car would be a cherokee sport (sadly no longer in production) because it's small enough to not get the worst gas mileage in the world, has 4wd so you can rock 2 wheel in dry conditions for better gas mileage, and plenty of room in the trunk to toss shit in there. not a shitload of room, but grand cherokees get such shitty gas mileage the extra space isn't really worth it if you ask me.

oh and my 2000 dodge stratus=least reliable car EVER. granted it's got like 130k on it, but still it's a piece. I've owned it for like 6 months and my rents (yea, I'm lucky/spoiled) have spent like 4 grand on repairs. and thats just for PARTS because my dad ddes all the work on it.
 
I read about halfway through this thread and had to comment...

Yes, and Audi 1.8t will feel nicer than a WRX, but if you sare saying the WRX feels slow, then you need to learn how to drive and shift. As long as you keep the WRX in boost (meaning above 3k rpm where the turbo spools) the WRX will beat the shit out of any stock Audi with a 1.8t in it unless maybe it was a FWD Audi with a 5 speed and a good driver.
 
Yea i think I am gonna have to say that all things considered a Jeep Cherokee is perhaps the best all around ski car you can get.

They are not huge but if you get a rack you will be fine. They have great clearance, as mentioned above you can switch to 2 wheel for better gas mileage and tire wear. They get decent gas mileage. Jeeps also have perhaps one of the most reliable motors ever built. The sixes in these things are bombproof and last forever! Cherokees are everywhere so parts aren't to expensive and there are so many out there you are bound to be able to find one for a good price.
 
word. hondas are some of the best cars ever made. i have been in fwd hondas on 4 studded snow tires that pass suv's in blizzard conditions. hondas work great as ski cars. get a rack, and you'll get great gas mileage with a safe ride. theyre low to the ground and really hard to roll. sure, it has been a little cramped before with 4 people in the car, but its not that bad. one of my friends has an accord and the only problem is the clearance. and thats not really even a problem. there's only one time that i've seen the highway with enough snow to drag on a honda. thats because i work at my home mountain and i was up there late closing the lodge and it was snowing super hard. the only reason why i chose a 4runner over a honda is becuase my dad and i are more familiar with them.

another thing i want to bring up is why does everyone want such fast cars? sure, i'll drive an 02 wrx, but with the inflow of money i have right now, i cant really afford the gas. fast cars are more fun to drive, you can pass easier, and you'll be faster than any of your friends, but i dont see any other reasons. my 4runner was built with 108 hp, and its 17 years old with 340,000+ km on it. it has a 2.4l engine, and 31 x 10.5s (right now). i think sometimes having a slower car helps you keep your speed down sometimes too. any time i have ever slid on the ice is because 1) i was shifting, or 2) i was going too fast. as long as you keep your speed down, you should never wreck on the road. if you crash on an icy road, thats your fault, not the roads fault. 4 studded snow tires are one of the best investments that you can make too. the tires have opened doors for driving faster in worse conditions. if you cant afford them, then buy chains and know how to use them. practice putting them on in your driveway so that when your balls deep in snow on the side of the road, you wont be looking at the instructions and saying "what the shit?". im still a pretty aggressive driver, but i know what conditions my suv can go at. i've driven 30 in a 55 because the road was so icy that i could spin the tires in 2nd if i pressed on the gas too hard. with a 4 cylinder. you just have to pay attention. all the extra power that you can get with a wrx or audi will be useless most of the time. thats why i would recommend for somebody who is on a shorter budget to buy an 4x4 toyota, honda, or a subaru if you could afford the parts to fix it.
 
thats what sucks, it pretty much wont move if your not at high rpms, and in my s4 when im just driving around normally i shift at like 2500 or 3000 rpms cause it has plenty of power before the turbo spools. with a wrx you have shift at atleast 6k to acclerate reasonably fast, and who wants to drive around almost redlining all the time?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top