Practical (second?) car for transporting parts etc?

Post by **Swampy** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 12:12 am

Just wondering what everyone else has as a 'practical' car for hauling parts/wheels/tyres/camping+fishing gear etc.

A ute/suv/station wagon? I would like to get an older ute or a sedan of a European make.. but that all depends on if they can fit a lot of parts in one go. Wheels/tyres especially. But I'd probably get something like a Toyota Carib or Caldina... or a Subaru dare I say it as station wagons appear cheaper than 4wds/utes on trade me.

Post by **Benckj** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 7:05 am

Imported a 2006 Pajero a couple years ago. Awesome vehicle with plenty of power but rather thirsty on the fuel.

Post by **MIKEP** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 9:06 am

I have a Mazda Mpv 3.0 l v6 and rear drive has 7 seats but plenty of room with them down.pulls a race car on a trailer and fits 2 sets of wheels in it plus tools air tank etc

Has done 330 000 but still going strong.its more of a truck than a people mover.never used it for fishing as it doesn't float

MPV. -Multi purpose vehicle

Post by **Troyhaima** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 12:05 pm

iv got a 1986 nissan patrol. riped out all the seats except for the frount. got plenty of room to store stuff as well as enough room for 4wd gear and recovery gear.

thirsty on gas but not much help when you have 35inch muddies on it

Post by **JasonFriday13** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 1:46 pm

What about a van? I've wanted to get a van for a while now, I would prefer an older Mazda Bongo with a column shifter and manual gearbox, but a Toyota Hiace would also do the job nicely.

Post by **Swampy** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 3:34 pm

Theres a Bongo on TM right now. They could fit heaps but wouldn't they be a bit harder to handle on twisties/gravel?

Post by **JasonFriday13** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 11:33 pm

Swampy wrote:Theres a Bongo on TM right now. They could fit heaps but wouldn't they be a bit harder to handle on twisties/gravel?

Yeah, probably. It's destined for transport duties, not fun duties (that's what the mr2 is for).

Post by **Swampy** » Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:00 am

JasonFriday13 wrote: Yeah, probably. It's destined for transport duties, not fun duties (that's what the mr2 is for).

That's true. Just some beaches/camping/fishing sites etc may have a bit of gravel/twisties. I've seen others in vans etc travelling at 80 and I'd rather go at 100 but not sure how safe a van would go. Was following a van and on the way back saw him stuck in a ditch. My inclination is towards a station wagon like a Subaru Legacy or Caldina/Carib, 4WD and pretty safe and fun but less cargo space. I'll take measurements and compare to other options. There's always the possibility of a trailer for towing cross town.

Post by **Dontcopy** » Tue Jan 05, 2016 10:14 pm

Swampy wrote:
JasonFriday13 wrote: Yeah, probably. It's destined for transport duties, not fun duties (that's what the mr2 is for).
That's true. Just some beaches/camping/fishing sites etc may have a bit of gravel/twisties. I've seen others in vans etc travelling at 80 and I'd rather go at 100 but not sure how safe a van would go. Was following a van and on the way back saw him stuck in a ditch. My inclination is towards a station wagon like a Subaru Legacy or Caldina/Carib, 4WD and pretty safe and fun but less cargo space. I'll take measurements and compare to other options. There's always the possibility of a trailer for towing cross town.

The legacy wagons are pretty awesome, just bought an 04' to replace my MR2 :'( . Took a 2.0 N/A, 2.0T and the 3.0R for a test drive and ended up getting the 3.0R, awesome for road trips and hauling bikes/stuff around.

Post by **Benckj** » Wed Jan 06, 2016 8:08 am

My son recently bought a 2008 Outback turbo for less than $10k. Very nice modern car with plenty of room and power. Insurance was half the cost of the Leagacy's which is something you should look at before purchase.

Post by **ClanFever** » Wed Jan 06, 2016 1:57 pm

Both my carib and hiace are great. I would recommend whatever you get to be awd or 4wd. Helps when you're backing up gravel or grass with a heavy load or with a trailer.

Post by **DravidDavid** » Wed Jan 06, 2016 7:01 pm

Toyota Caldina GT-T. Get the 2000 model. They are quick, and all-round fun to drive. All the perks of the Legacy without the insurance stigma and boxer engine that eats itself. The AWD system is amazing! I could get out of some interestingly muddy situations better than some of the bigger offroad players when tackling airsoft in winter. Never took them through the snow personally, but they love them in Hokkaido and Russia because they do very well in snowy/icy conditions too.

Post by **mknz** » Thu Jan 07, 2016 7:53 pm

Have a L300 at the Bach for getting kayaks, boat, jetski and used to use when building the Bach. Don't care what happens to it because it's worth nothing and it gets abused but won't die even though we have tried

Post by **clawnz** » Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:36 pm

Interesting question and some good answers.
Nissan and Toyota 4X4's fetch stupid money. If they are diesel.
And you should also consider RUC's and higher registration fees.
But if clocking up the mileage then it does work in your favor.
Not exactly that much room inside compared to a decent station wagon.
I have dropped my 1996 Terrano 3.2 as I do not do the mileage anymore and over the extra cost incurred.
Went with a 2000 Nissan Stagea (Skyline wagon). So far very impressed. And already proved it's worth with the amount of room in it.
Fitted a good size fridge/freezer in it. And yesterday fitted 3mt length of wood in it and still closed the back door. Two things I could not of done with the Terrano. It's returning around 180k's per $50.
It may not perform well off road though. Still all it will have to do, is drag the boat up the ramp. And I know it will do that.
And it can turn it on when you stamp on it.

Subs do not press the right buttons for me, and they are one of the highest stolen cars. Which I guess is why the insurance is higher.

Vans do not come with handling capabilities and working on a mid engine can be a pain. And can fetch good money as they are sought out for a good number of reasons, and may have been used commercially.
Just a few of my opinions and comments.

Post by **mknz** » Fri Jan 08, 2016 6:58 pm

They don't but I thought the MR2 was for handling? They have the most space and I don't know about the price but a mate in a band got a tidy one for 1,500 a few years ago. If still not your thing caldina GT-T is probably the best thing followed by the 626 and accord in terms of station wagons (driven them all).

Would recommend Odyssey first gen, there's a reason why it's the number one poly trolley, unlike the rest it was based off the accord chassis rather than a van and was made to enter the taxi market. Parents still have it because it won't die. 300,000kms, '97, the only signs of wear is the paint on the filler cap and nothing except servicing

The MR2 Owner's Club of New Zealand

Practical (second?) car for transporting parts etc?

Practical (second?) car for transporting parts etc?

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