Retirement. We all dream of that day when we can take our cell phones and chuck them in the ocean… forever. Some folks dream of painting Tahitian nudes after that beautiful moment. Others simply want to live in a planned community with everything but kids and ‘stuff’. As for me? I just want solitude. A good axe for chopping wood. A nearby library. A garden… and the seasons. Oh, and a car.
Recently there were three cars that seemed to fit this idealistic vision of tomorrow. If I could only enjoy it in the here and now. Car number one is a standby. A 1990 Volvo 240 that had spent it’s entire life in a non-rust, garage kept environment. I would need a trailer for hauling wood in the later years but otherwise, it’s absolutely beautiful in it’s simplicity. Car number two is a 1991 Suburban that still looks showroom new… on the inside. A few outside dents and scratches are there but with 142k and enough space for hauling almost anything, it would inevitably be used in my golden years as a huge pickup with an enclosed bed. Car number three really is no car at all. A 1994 Toyota DX pickup with an automatic and power nothing. It doesn’t have anywhere near the charm of the other two. But it would likely outlast them both. Choose a beater. Or offer a better alternative? The only criteria is that it has to be at least 12 years old and relatively easy to repair.
Jeep CJ-5
1970 Dodge 1/2 ton with a slant 6 tower of power and 4 speed manual. Best features: manual choke and radio. Total reliability in any weather. http://www.mystarcollectorcar.com/
If you don’t want to spend your tranquil days of retirement wrenching on your above choices, may I suggest keeping it simple. Something with a 283,327,350 with points and condenser.
Jeep CJ5.
Ah, I think he wants something useful. Not a toy that doesn’t carry much and falls over.
CyCar, I agree except for that “points and condenser” thing. Slip an HEI into that 283 and do even less wrenching.
There’s something simplistically beautiful about a weathered yet well-maintained 25-30 year old pickup truck. Like it’s going to be your new best friend.
Crank windows FTW.
This…
http://olympic.craigslist.org/cto/1410806975.html
SteveL
This:
http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-SUVs-trucks-vans-SUV-crossover-1972-Chevrolet-Suburban-Custom-Deluxe-10-W0QQAdIdZ158781905
Or you could create another version of the photo accompanying this post. Take a good solid 740 or 940 wagon and make a pick-up out of it. Volvo dependability and the usefulness of a pick-up.
+1 Dave M. for crank windows – no power accessories FTW
You want to haul wood? Get a pickup.
Of the three mentioned, I’d go for the ’94 Toyota pickup.
But one reservation: four wheel drive is important in Maine. I visited an air force base there, and noticed the fire plugs had red four-foot poles attached to them. It was explained to me that the poles were needed to locate the fire plugs when the snow piled up.
folkdancer :
Jeep CJ5.
Ah, I think he wants something useful. Not a toy that doesn’t carry much and falls over.
Chill, We are talking tranquil retirement here.
For me a Jeep Cherokee inline 6 and stick, and manual everything.
I vote for a regular cab full size GM or Ford pickup truck. Regular cab limits the number of passengers that can interrupt solitude and full size supports hauling plywood. Long bed in the country. Short bed in the city for easier parking. Useful with any drivetrain, but I’d want a V8 and an automatic. GM and Ford pickup trucks are easy to repair with parts available anywhere, easy to sell to someone else if you want something different to drive, and they’re easy to climb into and out of with minimal bending. My retired dad owns a beater old pickup to haul wood and trash, a new pickup clean enough for church and safe enough for highway driving, and an antique surburban.
@50merc – 4wd is not necessary in Maine. We have these magical things called snowplows here, and we actually use them to remove the snow from the roads in the wintertime. What 4wd does do is give you a wonderful false sense of confidence, so that when you DO slide off into the woods, we don’t find you until springtime. This is proven in every snowstorm, where ALL the vehicles off the road on I-295 are SUVs and Subarus.
I vote for the Volvo, but make it a 945. The best car ever made by man.
I have an old Ford pickup, not the model of reliability nor thrift. Needs constant repair and upkeep.
my 3rd vehicle is an 88 Grand Wagoneer. It needs constant TLC and fuel. Best beach buggy ever made. Decent utility and can tow 5k lbs. With proper tires, it will handle unplowed roads. KHodes comment about 4 wd being bad in snow is quite true. Going isnt the problem, stopping and turning are.
Why at least 12 years old?
Sounds like you might need some ground clearance? Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4, FWD or AWD, depending on your driveway. Plus a trailer for the firewood.
If you don’t need the ground clearance, get a Vibe. Some of these have manual windows.
I would not be so certain a Toyota p/u would outlive a Suburban. I had a Suburban that had 330K of horribly abusive miles on it (among other things, a golf course had used it to move turf) and it still started and ran when I sold it. As for pickups, they are great for hauling logs or tall items, but are basically useless for any other purpose once the weather turns bad. Keep the rear seat up in the ‘burb when hauling firewood and you will still have a dry warm place for the dogs and library books. If you need to move a table or something nice, you don’t have to wait for the weather to break, and you can leave it in the truck without worrying about water damage.
BTW – while I agree 4 wheel drive is not absolutely necessary in bad weather, it can make a huge difference if you have a steep long country driveway or a poorly maintained gravel road to navigate. Going down a snow covered highway is easy; getting and keeping the car moving uphill or on a secondary road in deep mud or wet snow is a whole lot harder. Not only can 4 wheel drive make it easier, under some conditions it is the difference between moving and being stuck.
I thought Lang had a wife and kids… Is this some fantasy of his?
“I visited an air force base there, and noticed the fire plugs had red four-foot poles attached to them.”
That’s not unique to Maine. That’s pretty standard everywhere that gets snow. Ideally after every snow storm someone should dig the plugs out. I know I do, because the last thing I want is the fire department dickin’ around trying to find water when my house is burning down. Just because you know the plug is there because of the stick doesn’t mean you are going to be able to get to it easily.
Segfault:
My wife gets her own car. She won’t care. As long as it’s silver.
I suggest a 1992-95 Ford F-150 or Bronco — either equipped with the old 300-cubic inch inline six-cylinder engine. Either was available with 4WD… but depending on where you live in Maine, that option may not be necessary. Just put a set of good winter tires all the way around once it gets cold.
If you really want a car, any of the Volvo bricks will do.
krhodes1 to 50merc:
…what 4wd does do is give you a wonderful false sense of confidence, so that when you DO slide off into the woods, we don’t find you until springtime. This is proven in every snowstorm, where ALL the vehicles off the road on I-295 are SUVs and Subarus.
Well, maybe not “ALL” vehicles, but I can mostly confirm and corroborate this for the states of Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.
The deeper the snow, the more SUV’s you’ll see in the ditches and highway medians. People should really learn that you’re supposed to keep the inflated black rubber parts DOWN on the ground, not up in the air!
When I retire and move into the gated condo community, I’ll have to sell all of my gardening and landscaping equipment.
At that point, it’ll be like living in an apartment all over again. There’ll be no need for anything bigger than a Miata or a Z4. Enough room for me and one person. Hopefully by then there’ll be “shut-off-at-red-light” hybrid versions of those cars.
Its true that idiots fill the highway medians with big SUVs every winter – but that doesn’t mean they don’t have virtues at 20mph on a bad surface :-)
Sometime in the next couple of years, I got to make a tough decision. When my wife retires,one or two,of my three vehicles has to go.
The 09 Impala I’m driving to the ground. That leaves an 03 4wd gas pig of a Jimmy with a trailer hitch. Very handy vehicle,when you need it. Vehicle #3 is a 2000 basemodel Firebird convertible. Just a fun car,but it spends five months a year hibernating.
I’d like to think, the Jimmy goes first and then the Firebird. But I just don’t know.
Back in the 60s I had a Peugeot 405 which did great in New Hampshire…in fact I pulled several jeeps out of the woods over the course of one winter – dumbly equipped with just Michelins…it’s a matter of knowing how to drive, not how many wheels are doing it.
Now I have an X3 but that has more to do with needing to get up my lane in the winter than anything else (altho it is nice to have that backup on a rainy night on a freeway when this old man is driving too fast) :-)
For me? A good dual-sport motorcycle and a retirement destination with no winter and great roads.
When I retire,I’m not going for practicality. It’s my turn!I have my eye on a 1973 Gold Buick Electra,with a nice vinyl top!..I’m not even gonna drive it..I’m getting one of those Clark Kent hats,and sitting in the back seat while my wife drives,never over 25 mph,and in the center of the road!Look for us around 4:25pm making tracks to the HoJo for the early bird..What the hell,we may go up to 30mph to get that Senior
Menu discount! Boy Howdy!!
Heh heh, My big brother moved to the hills of VT. He drove 2wd PUs forever, noticed it early on. ‘Twas the 4wds upside down on the medians. He did give in finally and has a Chevy 1/2 ton 4wd PU. I once got a GW up to 70mph on a slush covered stretch of 128. Then it dawned on me that it wasn’t gonna turn or stop on a dime. I slooowwwwlly backed off the gas and proceded at a speed more fitting the conditions. I creep the Wags through the beach sand. They have much better weight distribution than PUs. I have idled along hands off the wheel in the tracks of others. If I went slowly enough I could go a mile without having to steer.
+100 aamj50
I’ll take a BMW R1200GS Adventure. And I think I’d become these guys’ new best friend.
http://www.globeriders.com/
A good Audi with the winter package (gotta have heated seats).
Put some good snow tires on and it’s like voodoo in the snow.
I suggest a 1992-95 Ford F-150 or Bronco — either equipped with the old 300-cubic inch inline six-cylinder engine. Either was available with 4WD… but depending on where you live in Maine, that option may not be necessary. Just put a set of good winter tires all the way around once it gets cold.
I don’t recommend one and this is what I have now. Things break and wearout without any effort at all. Rust is a problem. The front end sucks. I’m on the third belt tension-er in 20K miles, Radiators leak where plastic meets metal, water pumps go bad, exhaust system is crap, emergency brake cables break (dealer item), A/C problems galore, and the automatic trans versions all have code 628 in the computer which means a rebuild.
Unless of course you like fixing an F150 in retirement buy something else.
I plan on keeping my Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0L for exactly this point in my life.
It has some creature comforts, it’s mechanically pretty simple, and replacement parts are cheap.
I never liked plastic body cladding until I owned one of these. Those panels sure can take a beating, and they still look good….as good as plastic cladding can look.
-ted
I will most likely buy the farm in my sleep at about 65 (i pray to the lord he meets me at my house and not a hospital)so no retirement for me. I hope when I leave there is a well used, yet well maintained corvette in my garage.
In my retirement, I plan to buy a couple of new cars and dump them on some sucker more inclined to work on them when they reach 12 years old.
Volvo + Subaru (Brat) = Volvu!
Always gets there – regardless the weather. Has great seats!
I’d suggest a jeep cherokee or ford ranger. If we are talking newer than 12 years as well,a 1st gen xB or Honda element might be nice. Is it just me or does this seem like a Paul Niedermeyer question?
I’d take the Toyota. A lot less “charm” than a Volvo, but cheap to keep. The ‘burban will use a lot more gas, but it depends on how much you intend on driving. Personally, I also like to keep the firewood, etc. outside, thus, prefer a pickup to SUV.