In reply to Tom_Spangler :
Yup! Will be purchasing the vehicle in California to get something that hasn't had a head-start with rusting. I'm currently looking at properties in the area and will definitely keep an eye out for something with less of a slope for a driveway. Thank you! :)
mtn said:KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:4wd truck with a cap on it. Six huskies are gonna generate metric yards of hair and unless you want to regularly vacuum and wipe the entire interior surface most vehicles will quickly look like the dogs that are riding in them. With a capper on a truck they are in their own weathertight compartment.
Too hot in the summer and for most of the trip east.
Agreed. I dont care too much if the interior gets dirty. Mainly because I'll be cleaning frequently and the car will most likely only be a "dog" car. Would like my pups to enjoy A/C and the wind blowing against their faces during the roadtrip.
Side note.
Have the dogs ever seen snow?
If not, be ready for an interesting and cool instinctual reaction from them. Buy a place with a fenced area because when the snow falls, it is very likely the huskies WILL NOT come inside.
John Welsh said:Side note.
Have the dogs ever seen snow?
If not, be ready for an interesting and cool instinctual reaction from them. Buy a place with a fenced area because when the snow falls, it is very likely the huskies WILL NOT come inside.
Yes, this. Very much this. This is Frosty the samoyed mix (also a spitz) giving me a “berkeley you” look when I was trying to get him inside because I had to go to work. It was about 10* at the time. Milo, the Great Pyrenees agreed and didn’t even acknowledge me.
This was after he’d been out for about 5 hours in 20* about two weeks later. Same story.
None of my dogs have ever seen snow before... which hurts me a bit because I've heard about how much huskies/samoyeds/malamutes enjoy the snow.
Really excited to see how they'll react! Me personally, I can count on one hand the times I've actually experienced snow. Southern California is kind of like a curse disguised as a blessing. Our trees don't even know when or how to change color during the fall.
Will definitely be looking for a place with a fenced yard. It's one of my main requirements (and a single garage space).
As far as mini-vans go... What do you guys think about a early 2000's Honda Odyssey? I have never owned a dodge/chrysler vehicle so I don't really know how reliable/easy they are to work on. An Odyssey is somewhat familiar territory for me, however.
In reply to mtn :
Your dogs are extremely lovely. Mine also look at me like this when I tell them to come in during "cold" weather... (like 65 degrees here in California. LOL)
You want an 06+ if you can swing it; 04-05 if you can’t. 03 and earlier had iffy transmissions IRRC. I’d go with the dodge though. That is a LOT of vehicle for the money.
PHAN said:mtn said:KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:4wd truck with a cap on it. Six huskies are gonna generate metric yards of hair and unless you want to regularly vacuum and wipe the entire interior surface most vehicles will quickly look like the dogs that are riding in them. With a capper on a truck they are in their own weathertight compartment.
Too hot in the summer and for most of the trip east.
Agreed. I dont care too much if the interior gets dirty. Mainly because I'll be cleaning frequently and the car will most likely only be a "dog" car. Would like my pups to enjoy A/C and the wind blowing against their faces during the roadtrip.
If it's really a dog-only car, you might want to see if you can track down a Caravan CV or other work version of a minivan. Not sure what the odds are of finding one that isn't completely trashed by the time it was sold off, though.
03+ Montero (not sport)
I think the answer to this question for me is definitely...
Had no idea VW had a badge engineered version of the Town&Country/Caravan. I found the other two to be quite unattractive while this version is a bit more handsome, IMO.
I was going to say minivan but I knew it would get suggested out the wazoo and back.
What about the XC70?
Where in Michigan are you looking to go? I too live in the L.A. area and there is a strong possibility that I may be moving back to the Detroit area (Harsens Island) to take care of my Dad who just had a stroke. I drove there for years and have noticed a big decline in snow levels but the Ice is still there. Your dogs will love it!
I will be bringing my 90 Suburban that I got for free and it will be nice going back to an area free of Smog Nazis.
In reply to Grizz :
I didn't think of that but yeah...! That would be a much "sexier" option than the minivan. I'll have to go test drive a few now!
In reply to MulletTruck :
I'm planning on moving into Detroit as well. Where specifically? Don't know yet. I'm actually in the process of trying to buy a house in the suburbs there. If you have any general tips or suggestions, please let me know!
I have a minivan as a winter vehicle and general all-around utility vehicle. Mine is a 2008 Grand Caravan with stow-n-go. 99% of the time, the seats are "stowed" which is nice since then I don't have to deal with finding a place in my house for the seats. I run generic all-season tires, but I often run snow tires on other cars and will confirm they make a huge difference.
One big positive for the Dodge is they made tons of them - so parts are cheap and any mechanic can fix them, also for cheap. While I do almost all of the wrenching on my other cars, repair work on the minivan is so cheap and so fast by a Pro that it simply doesn't pay to do it myself.
It's a minivan and it drives how it drives. I didn't buy it to be a sports car, so driving dynamics is way down on the priority list.
If a minivan has one big negative, it's they usually can't tow much. 4-5000 lbs at most if you're lucky. The Chryslers are rated at 3600. Later models definitely have the power so I 'might' be able to squeeze it up to 5K with a weight distributing hitch and trailer brakes, but it starts to get into a legal/liability gray area and you're kinda berked should something go wrong.
The problem with the VW Routan version of the Chrysler is they lack Stow-n-Go, which is seriously the #1 reason for buying a Chrysler.
In reply to PHAN :
I wouldn’t buy a California car to bring here to the rust belt. Your prices are too high! Buy when you get here buy a Mid sized SUV but accept one with minor rust and the price is well under your budget. Anything you buy that appears rust free most likely has a quickie paint job covering the rust. One winter will show you what was covered over. This is the rust belt. Accept it use it to your advantage and you will and come out ahead.
Relatively low mileage ones with some rust will be your best bet. GMC Envoy, Chevy trailblazer, Buick and Olds from 2003-2012 versions get really good fuel mileage 21-26 depending on how it’s driven. Winter fuel mileage will be lower than you are used to. The colder it gets the worse your mileage will be. All vehicles.
The GM’s are proper 4 wheel drive. All wheel drive while a step up isn’t as good in heavy snow as 4wheel drive. Ford Explorer won’t get as good fuel mileage But has similar space as the GM counterpart. Dodge will be your cheapest choice and there is a good reason for that. People who choose Dodge seem to accept either things not working or higher maintenance costs.
Toyota , Subaru, and Honda all use AWD which while better than 2 wheel drive isn’t as good as 4wheel drive. In the cold weather/ snow some of their vaunted reliability seems to go away. Not that they are bad, just that cold has it’s cost.
Engines/ trans etc seem to hold up well, so do interiors. But if they aren’t in good shape or properly maintained they won’t get better. Body’s just rust! Doesn’t seem to matter which brand although if the owner runs the car through the wash at least once a week they do better. But 10-15 year old anything will be rusty or hiding rust
Don't mess around with all season tires!!! In the sort of snow common there you will find yourself stuck a few times with all season tires.
Buy real Winter tires. Much more aggressive tread and hopefully high histolysis rubber ( means it works in really cold weather) I’ve settled on Blizzacks by Bridgestone. They aren’t cheap but when other tires have you stuck or sliding into other cars, the money you saved by buying cheap disappears.
Buy a set mounted on their own wheels . Swap the wheel and tire assembly on in late fall as snow starts to fall and pull them off as soon as temps get over 45 during the day. I use Discount tires and they do the swap for free!!! Going on the 5th years on these Blizzacks
Giant Honda fan here, but be wary of the early Oddy.s They have known transmisson trouble till 07 when the upgraded it. Get a 2007 or newer, change the timing belt and you are good to go for 100K. Power sliding doors seems to cause problems over time but are a rather easy DIY fix. Best of luck on your move.
The only thing in Frenchys post that I would agree with is the snow tires. Everything else is (in my opinion) misguided at best, and completely false at worst.
PHAN said:In reply to MulletTruck :
I'm planning on moving into Detroit as well. Where specifically? Don't know yet. I'm actually in the process of trying to buy a house in the suburbs there. If you have any general tips or suggestions, please let me know!
I spent a lot of years in the Utica/Romeo area. When I was there it was considered the sticks. it was a quaint little place. Last time I was there was 2005 and it had started growing then, I bet its pretty built up now.
I would guess it all depemds on where work is going to be.traffic is nothing like it is here but it does have its moments, The roads are rim eaters for sure. The wort place for potholes ever!
If I had my choice I would look around the 32 mile road area, Before leaving there I did buy a house in Hamtramck for 950.00 but I would never recommend that to anyone.
Michigan is VERY flat and the roads are very uninspiring.
Let’s keep it civil guys jeez. OP, please update the thread once you settle on your final choice. I’m sure I’m not the only one who would like to know what you get.
In reply to MulletTruck :
How far away would you have to drive from Michigan to get roads like some of the canyons in SoCal? I knew the roads wouldn't be as fun but I'm concerned with how uninspiring the roads really are. I would like to still enjoy my RX-8 up there.
I am actually considering buying a house through the Detroit Land Bank, it's going to be one of those "1k" houses but I am an architecture nut and I'm moving to Detroit in the hopes of seeing a city turn around. I feel like its harder to make a difference in Los Angeles, I think my skills would be more appreciated in Detroit.
If you don't mind taking this conversation to private messages, I'd like to run your brain on why your 1k purchase wasn't as enjoyable for you. I'm well aware that most of those houses need about 30-60k in rehab costs as well. But I was already expecting that... unless things are much worse.
In reply to frenchyd :
I'm most likely going to buy in SoCal because I need something to drive my dogs there. Also, I think I would rather start with a rust-free car and stave off rust as long as possible. I understand I'm moving to the rust belt but I think there are some rather good ways to rust-prevent a car if you're pro-active enough about it.
I will definitely buying snow tires for all my vehicles when it's winter time.
In reply to Ian F :
I was not aware that the VW version did not also have stow-n-go. I think I'm back on the Dodge/Chrysler van... maybe also the Volvo wagon.
In reply to PHAN :
After a bit of digging, while they were not fitted with stow-n-go from the factory, apparently the seats can be retrofitted from a Chrysler version if you can find the parts.
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