I've had a couple air cooled VW off road things. I had nearly as much fun in a bone stock Beetle as I did with my sand rail. Beetles really are invincible off road with a skid plate and some increased clearance. The problem is finding one that isn't rotten. And you don't want a Super Beetle which has McPherson strut front suspension.
A first gen Subaru Justy shouldn't break the bank, if you can find one.
Something is not overpriced if it sells.
If all you want is to drive gravel roads then any car will do. If you want to tackle some actual 4x4 trails then the most heavily modified (expensive) Corolla will still be less capable than a stock XJ, Montero, Xterra, etc.
In reply to parker :
No 4x4 trails. That's been established. And it is overpriced if you refuse to pay the price.
Tk8398 said:L5wolvesf said:Class 11 a.k.a. "Stock Bug" VW. My C11 is street legal and has been raced complete with license plate. As the name "Stock Bug" suggests they are mostly stock. The biggest expenses are safety equipment (cage etc), and race entry fees. I could get more detailed if you wish.
What is the suspension setup on those?
Stock type for whatever year your bug is. Mine is a 70 so ball joint front IRS rear. Shocks are Fox remote reservoir, uprated rear torsion bar, cut and turned front beam. It will take a pretty heavy beating. Prior to me it had run and finished the shorter Baja races.
I had a 2wd manual s10 back in the day that was a hoot on back roads. Total POS but I beat the heck out of it and it kept going. Might be a good option...or any Ranger/Tacoma/Nissan for that matter.
In reply to 80sFast :
Think if I got a mini truck I would have use it as a low rider.
My 70ish year old neighbor used to really push the limits of whatever car he had. He was really into hunting for ginseng, digging ramps (a type of wild onion) and just general back country exploration. The car that served him best was a 3 cylinder Geo Metro. He actually took great advantage of its size by using the ATV trail network in his circuitous explorations. I'm not saying it would match an ATV in the rough, but when driven with a healthy dose of common sense it surprised quite a few where he was able to go.
Edit: as for an XJ, I DD one for a dozen years and yes, they're pretty good. Around here however people hold them kind of dear. They are no longer the inexpensive option. Somebody said Subaru Justy and I concur if you can actually find one. It's like a 4x4 version of the Metro I mentioned above.
A friend of mine has a Geo Metro and put the largest tires on it that would fit in wheel well without a lift kit. He's not a hard core off roader looking for obstacles to try and climb over or mud pits to get through but it does everything he wants it to for minimal dollars. They are getting hard to find. Just saw a soft top one a couple days ago that someone had invested a good deal of money in. It was lifted, larger tires, new paint, etc.
In reply to pirate :
The metro is calling to me. Pretty sure I could winch it out of a ditch with an atv winch from HF.
Vajingo said:In reply to parker :
No 4x4 trails. That's been established. And it is overpriced if you refuse to pay the price.
No, it means you have underestimated the market :)
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Still holding to my statement here. I can understand that viewpoint, but "overpriced" and "underpriced" are emotions, not realities or solid truths. And since markets change so rapidly, what you thought was "overpriced" can become worth gold instantly. But you can still think it to be overpriced. It's all emotion. I don't think an ae86 is worth what they sell for. Same with the a80 Supra. It'll never be worth that price. And I'll never buy one because of it. But here we are, thread drifting.
Drifting is the exact reason those AE86s are valued so highly by the market :)
Vajingo said:In reply to 80sFast :
Think if I got a mini truck I would have use it as a low rider.
Vajingo said:In reply to pirate :
The metro is calling to me. Pretty sure I could winch it out of a ditch with an atv winch from HF.
When my neighbor high centered his on an ATV trail (the whole thing could have been avoided with a bit more speed going in), 4 large men were able to lift the entire car off the mound that had it hung up.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Alright you win!
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