2200 mile loop

[carlsonjustin]

I have a question the answer to which I'm hoping will steer me toward and economical in mpg, maintenance and initial cost Subaru or truck. I haven't had a car for 12 years as I've lived in NYC and Boston for that time. I took a job in San Diego and for lack of public transportation options and the desire to lug my outdoor gear around I'm buying a car or truck. I'll be getting another off-road bike and/or a street bike, 350 to 500 lbs, a used surf board, 7 ft, sea kayak, 17 ft, snowboard and skis. I need a good way to lug around this gear for adventures in S. California. I'll be going to and over the mountains for snow- sports and desert riding and up and down the coast for surfing, off- road riding and sea kayaking. What type of truck should I get for this light but bulky pay load or should I get a Subaru and a trailer for the rarer occasions that I need to lug my off-road bike around? How much do I lose by towing a trailer. Where and what type of trailer is good for towing an off- road bike, 300 to 400lbs. Fuel economy is of paramount importance for ethical and economic reasons. Initial cost and maintenance costs are also important as I'd like to spend less than $10,000 which means I'm going for a used vehicle. Also, should I buy here in Boston or San Diego. Will either place be better for prices and selection? Thanks for all your help. Enjoy, Justin

[W.V. Doran]

The speed limit in CA is 55 mph for cars towing trailers. Ugh! --- carlsonjustin wrote:

> > > I have a question the answer to which I'm hoping > will steer me > toward and economical in mpg, maintenance and > initial cost Subaru or > truck. > > I haven't had a car for 12 years as I've lived in > NYC and Boston for > that time. I took a job in San Diego and for lack of > public > transportation options and the desire to lug my > outdoor gear around > I'm buying a car or truck. > > I'll be getting another off-road bike and/or a > street bike, 350 to > 500 lbs, a used surf board, 7 ft, sea kayak, 17 ft, > snowboard and > skis. I need a good way to lug around this gear for > adventures in > S. California. I'll be going to and over the > mountains for snow- > sports and desert riding and up and down the coast > for surfing, off- > road riding and sea kayaking. > > What type of truck should I get for this light but > bulky pay load or > should I get a Subaru and a trailer for the rarer > occasions that I > need to lug my off-road bike around? How much do I > lose by towing a > trailer. Where and what type of trailer is good for > towing an off- > road bike, 300 to 400lbs. > > Fuel economy is of paramount importance for ethical > and economic > reasons. Initial cost and maintenance costs are also > important as > I'd like to spend less than $10,000 which means I'm > going for a used > vehicle. > > Also, should I buy here in Boston or San Diego. Will > either place be > better for prices and selection? > > Thanks for all your help. > > Enjoy, > > Justin > > > > > > Archive Quicksearch at: >

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[John Eickerman]

What about bikes towing trailers? I would buy the car in California, as you have to think about emissions issues (they might get angry by you bring in a 'foreign' car). The other reason for California is that the cars won't have seen salt which will rust out the cars, unlike cars on the East coast. John Eickerman Seattle

On May 14, 2005, at 4:15 PM, W.V. Doran wrote: > The speed limit in CA is 55 mph for cars towing > trailers. Ugh!

[Erik]

for smog, it depends on the vehicle. for example, all f-150s are CA emissions (or at least were in 2001). (I love my F-150 for hauling and some mild-moderate offroading, But I wouldn't recommend an f-150 to anyone that cares about mileage) erik

> What about bikes towing trailers? > > I would buy the car in California, as you have to think about emissions > issues (they might get angry by you bring in a 'foreign' car). The > other reason for California is that the cars won't have seen salt which > will rust out the cars, unlike cars on the East coast. > > John Eickerman > Seattle > > On May 14, 2005, at 4:15 PM, W.V. Doran wrote: > >> The speed limit in CA is 55 mph for cars towing >> trailers. Ugh! > > > > > Archive Quicksearch at: http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html > List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com > List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > >

[Eric L. Green]

On Sat, 14 May 2005, John Eickerman wrote:

> I would buy the car in California, as you have to think about emissions > issues (they might get angry by you bring in a 'foreign' car). The

That is actually not a problem. A little thing called the "Commerce Clause" of the Constitution. If you bought the car in another state while a citizen of that state, they cannot stop you from bringing it in when you move to California. They do, however, have some bizarre requirements. For example, for a new car bought in California, they don't require you to smog it, but for a new car bought in Arizona, and you just moved to California, you must smog it. For a pickup truck, not only do they require a VIN inspection, but they also require a weight ticket from a CALDOT- certified weighmaster. WTF?! I've moved all over the United States and never seen such weirdness as when I moved to California...

> other reason for California is that the cars won't have seen salt which > will rust out the cars, unlike cars on the East coast.

That is true. Well, mostly. Vehicles that spend a lot of time on the beach will rust out quickly too. In any event, I think he probably wants to get a small 4 cylinder pickup truck, all things considered. Cheaper than a car + trailer, lower maintenance costs than a Subaru, gutless for sure but adequate when equipped with a manual transmission and will meet his 20mpg minimum requirement. Plus storing a trailer is a major PITA if you're living in an apartment, which he will be doing if he is moving to San Diego (the price of housing down there is *OUTRAGEOUS*, no way that he's buying a house there anytime soon!). _E

[Erik]

> For a pickup truck, not only do they require > a VIN inspection, but they also require a weight ticket from a CALDOT- > certified weighmaster.

Cuz, see, commerical vehicles registration is based on weight. And, despite the fact that most laws refer to GVWR (such as the "vehicles over 6000 pounds" areas), registration is whatever they weigh your vehicle to be (mine, 5300 pounds.). Oh, you say, it's not a commercial vehicle? But, it's a pickup! All pickups are commercial. Pay here. erik

[Jud Jones]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "carlsonjustin" wrote:

> > > I have a question the answer to which I'm hoping will steer me > toward and economical in mpg, maintenance and initial cost Subaru or > truck. > > I haven't had a car for 12 years as I've lived in NYC and Boston for > that time. I took a job in San Diego and for lack of public > transportation options and the desire to lug my outdoor gear around > I'm buying a car or truck. > > I'll be getting another off-road bike and/or a street bike, 350 to > 500 lbs, a used surf board, 7 ft, sea kayak, 17 ft, snowboard and > skis. I need a good way to lug around this gear for adventures in > S. California. I'll be going to and over the mountains for snow- > sports and desert riding and up and down the coast for surfing, off- > road riding and sea kayaking. > > What type of truck should I get for this light but bulky pay load or > should I get a Subaru and a trailer for the rarer occasions that I > need to lug my off-road bike around? How much do I lose by towing a > trailer. Where and what type of trailer is good for towing an off- > road bike, 300 to 400lbs. > > Fuel economy is of paramount importance for ethical and economic > reasons. Initial cost and maintenance costs are also important as > I'd like to spend less than $10,000 which means I'm going for a used > vehicle. > > Also, should I buy here in Boston or San Diego. Will either place be > better for prices and selection? >

I used to think there was just one reasonable answer to your question: F150. More recently, I have become convinced that the ability to stash gear out of the weather makes a van more sensible. An Astro is a nice compromise between a full-size van and a mini, has rear-wheel drive (or AWD) and should be good for 300,000 miles, so you ought to be able to find a used one way under ten grand with lots of life in it. Only about 17mpg, however, with AWD, so you wouldn;t want to commute in it daily. A Subaru ought to be able to pull a single bike on a light trailer. I used to pull acouple of dirt bikes behind a Jetta, which worked fine as long as I wasn't in too big a hurry. If you want good fuel economy, then a TDI Beetle might be the answer. My buddy pulls a DR650 on an aluminum trailer, and gets 50mpg at 70mph. Whatever you do, buy the car in California, where they don't salt the roads.

[BLBacon]

I have a 96 Toyota t-100, which I (my wife really) bought new. This has been a terriffc vehicle for my purposes. It is a 6 cyl and gets decent mpg for a truck of this size and power. It has gotten me out of all the situations it (or me) has gotten me into. I have a Leer cap on it, and haul as little or as much as I like. My activities are hunting and more hunting. Therefore, I store and haul things like plastic bins (rubbermaid type) full of scentfree hunting clothes, treestands (all kinds), and weapons to include bows, handguns and rifles I consider it to good for another 5 or 6 years, maybe more. It will haul a trailer very well. When I check to see what it is worth on the interent. I am always disappointed. It is well below 10 grand, but worth more to me to keep it. It is still absolutely dependable, with over 100,000 miles on it. That's my two cents Brent

[Guest]

What I would do is buy an older Toyota 4x4 pickup with a 22re engine and 5 speed transmission in it, Put a shell on it ,then store your gear in it and get a 3 bike trailer for your bikes, put the kayak on top of the truck. If you only have $10G's to spend, you can find your self a decent Toyota truck with a shell on it, have money left over for a $300 to $500 used bike trailer and money left over for any minor repairs need for the truck. Make sure that the truck is California Smog legal and will pass our smog test program without being tagged as a gross polluter vehicle. Food for thought ! Magikmann [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Eric L. Green]

On Sun, 15 May 2005, Magikmann wrote:

> What I would do is buy an older Toyota 4x4 pickup with a 22re engine and > 5 speed transmission in it, Put a shell on it ,then store your gear in > it and get a 3 bike trailer for your bikes, put the kayak on top of the

Any tips on how/where to store a 3 bike trailer when you live in an apartment, like this guy is going to be living in when he gets to San Diego? _E