I use to do delivering, like you kept a great mpg car as a primary (Tdi Jetta) but then made my fun car a snow capable car (05 Evo SSL) I hated using it for work so 99.9% of the time I was in the Tdi and to be honest only a handful of days did I need the Evo the Tdi was great with snow tires and I eventually lifted it and put bfgoodrich all-terrains tires on it.
Unless last winter duplicates this year you will only need awd for like 10 days.
Part of the reason my snow car was worth more then my daily was I wanted it reliable. Nothing worse then being stranded in the middle of the night in the cold.
With a 2k budget I’d say a CRV is out unless you want the one within 100 miles of here that’s on autotrader and it has 200k miles. And that guy is asking 3k.
A 2wd pickup, even with with the best snows money can buy, is going to be terrible out on country roads trying to drive the shoulder before the plows are out so I’d cross Joe’s ranger off the list.
A 4wd Cherokee is probably a good bet. You can get ones where the body is rough pretty cheap and those straight 6’s are nearly bulletproof. The gas mileage is going to really eat into your profits I’m sure but on days the weather just use the Prius.
A FWD TDI is a great suggestion except I don’t think I’ve ever seen one near $2k.
Plus he said the Prius can’t handle the Sunday paper so I’m assuming that means most FWD cars won’t either. The older Prius was basically a small wagon.
A minivan is out of the question. I mentioned that I used to drive a Chevrolet Uplander. It was the 3.9l V6 version that according to fueleconomy.gov gets 16/23 mpg. I actually drove this thing every single day for about 1.5 years. I averaged $30 in gas every night. Thing is, as I mentioned I took a truck out at times as well. It wasn’t a Chevy 3500 but a GMC Sierra that says 2500 hd on it but I cant find mpg ratings for it. Fueleconomy.gov puts a 1500hd at 13/16 mpg. I remember that the days that I took that out, it was only about $6 more in gas so anything better than that would be great!
The reason why the minivan doesn’t work is because I don’t know how many of you have tried constantly starting and stopping in snow that is almost up to the headlights. Once that snow gets packed in, tires start spinning. I drove with a shovel and had to dig myself out on many occasions. Also as mentioned, it wasn’t good when it comes to braking. Always sliding past things.
here’s a fun pic
The main reason for the $2k budget is that after the usual new brakes and rotors, good snow tires or mud/snow tires for a Jeep type of vehicle, I would be over $3k. Not to mention I would rather not be spending $4k+ on a vehicle that will get a beating. I bought the Uplander at 120k, and in 18 months when I sold it, it was at 186k.
Also I would actually try to avoid RHD vehicles because it would be too hard to do “rolling deliveries” and I would have to completely redo and relearn the route. ATM I drive on the “wrong side” of the road. Sure I get the occasional friendly who decides that a vehicle with flashers on in the middle of the night, with a hand sticking out the window holding an orange paper is somehow weird, beeping at me but that’s ok.
For something that is your livelihood and puts food on your table, you might want something a little more reliable and safer than a $2,000 car. I would think 4x4 or AWD is a no brainer.
Well considering the lot of Cherokees, and Subarus and the like that are 4x4 or AWD on Craigslist for around $2k I don’t think it’s unreasonable. The question is how prone are those cars to breaking down. I am also not that well knowledgeable with things like rally racing etc. to know what are the biggest factors in stopping and starting a car in the snow.
I have the Prius for the better days, can’t beat MPG on that. With winter tires it should be fine. For heavy snow like it gets out here on Upper and Lower mountain roads, Mapleton, Lockport rd, Aiken etc., the Saturn would never make it. It wouldn’t work for Sunday deliveries either. I could revise my price up a bit but if I can get away without doing that , that would be great as well. Another thing to think about is that it all depends on the winter. It may be that I will only need it for the 16 or so Sundays of the winter plus another 10-16 heavy snow days , or a whole lot more depending on the weather. I understand I can’t have it all, which is why I’m asking what you think the next best thing is.
It seems like I have most of the answer however.
For instance here’s a Cherokee http://buffalo.craigslist.org/cto/5165910200.html
I just don’t know enough about the car as a brand and model. There are cheap cars that will work if you kick the door right, and there are those that will be in the shop more than on the road. Maybe I am a bit unrealistic with my price
The nice thing about the cherokee is the aftermarket and general parts availability. Many of the parts for the cherokee will interchange with the grand cherokee and wranglers of that era.
Ford Explorer and Ranger wheels will bolt right up as well,finding a set of extra wheels with snows should be easy.
[sarcasm]I know if I was looking for a cheap reliable car with decent gas mileage to use to support my delivery livelihood the first thing I would look for is a lifted Jeep Cherokee on craigslist that every picture in the ad shows it off-roading and being beat on.[/sarcasm]
This thread borders on trolling at times. Time for a reality check. You’re not going to get a super reliable 4wd/awd anything for 2k. It doesn’t matter how reliable the brand or make you end up getting because at that price point any 4WD/AWD vehicle is going to have enough miles that a lot of parts are just worn out.
