I'm thinking again about buying a camping rig again...

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck) 08/03/2018 at 10:00 • Filed to: you can't get much more unnecessary with this level of car-shopping

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I have had a very chaotic last two years, and as a result have gone camping only four out of the last 760 days. I miss it. Quite dearly. I underestimated it’s therapeutic properties.

But we have some hangups... We don’t have a legit camp/glamp vehicle. I felt... and this is ME talking here... that the longbed was once an exceptional camping vehicle. It was reliable, and half of the bed was still vacant after loading all gear. It was disposable, so you didn’t care about a little gravel.

However, it’s three years later. We have a dog that won’t fit in the single cab with two bucket seats. Admittedly, I took it on some reeeeeally dicey gravel roads north of Skykomish... roads it should have never been on but the reward was the perfect campground so I have no regrets. My wife feels unsafe in the tin can and does not feel safe in it. She doesn’t like that she can’t drive it at all (my wife does not care for three pedals). Moreover, it’s become apparent the last two years or so: she’s getting old. We changed gears last time and took the Vibe. And MAN I did not care for it. We used every cubic inch of our 54 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats down and doggo crammed in somewhere. It was like a cartoon where the guy attempts to close the cargo hatch 50 times. Pushing on it, leaning on it, panting in exhaustion. The seats are okay, but are a total pain after 2 hours of driving. I told my wife I don’t want to take that thing again. And while my IS is soooo sosososo enjoyable, it is the least glamp-worthy vehicle ever. No cargo, lowwwwww to the ground, RWD, and the inside is too clean and smells nice to abuse it with smelly camping torsos.

And on that note... Jumping back to 2017, I inexplicably bought that IS even though I was considering the 4Runner, XJ, T100, and early Tundras (I was also considering the TC, Celica something, E91 that was beyond my budget, and so on. I don’t regret the decision, as I don’t like to DD larger vehicles. But for a while there I considered a T100 as a “do-it-all” vehicle. Ultimately, I couldn’t stomach getting rid of the longbed, nor could I justify owning two trucks (three, with the work truck)... for the second time in my life. Moreover, a decent T100 is freaking expensive. The utility of my current 7.5' bed on a disposable, low-cost pickup cannot be overstated. My fear of buying a passenger pickup (extended cab) is that lost utility. Percentage of drives that require my entire bed: 75%. Percentage of time I wish I had more room for more people/mammals and some stuff in the bed: maybe 10%? But man, that 10%...

And to complicate matters even further, I had hoped to replace the longbed with another... longbed!

So yes, I am thinking about a Dolphin, or XJ, or 3rd-gen 4Runner. But I know if I got a pickup, it would basically kill two birds with one stone. The snag is that either scenario necessitates the sale of the IS and/or the longbed. My wife once offered to get rid of her Vibe to DD an XJ or 4Runner, but that would leave me with a fleet of fuel guzzlers. I don’t want the household to get fucked when gas goes over $4.50 a gallon again. And my wife drives A LOT so that would hurt each day. Still, such a sweet lady. And yet in the midst of all this, some days I wonder if I’d own, like, a GTI in the future. I’ll never live long enough or make enough money to own all the vehicles I want! :(

So I don’t quite know what to do yet... This is my internal debate that I expect to take two to five years to solve.

Chuckles > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/03/2018 at 10:07

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In the meantime, maybe just rent an SUV or minivan to take camping for a weekend.

InFierority Complex > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/03/2018 at 10:10

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You need a Trans-Van

punkgoose17 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/03/2018 at 10:22

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The Dolphin is a good idea. My thoughts are an old Trooper would suit you well. Lots of space in the back for gear and pup, and super comfy.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/trail-rig-1994-isuzu-trooper/6646150774.html

Or these cheap as chips Rodeo that looks brand new.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/1995-isuzu-rodeo/6642917283.html

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/03/2018 at 10:29

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Oh man...you are conflicted. And everything I can think of will just feed the Beast.

Nibbles > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/03/2018 at 10:31

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Do it. We love camping with friends and you’re like my only quote-unquote friend up there right now ;)

Also I’ll be there in October. Wife comes up in December. 

nermal > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/03/2018 at 10:49

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Keep existing truck, get new trailer.

PS Tow ratings are fake news.

benjrblant > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/03/2018 at 11:04

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Dolphin Swap onto a 1985 Hilux 4x4. 

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/03/2018 at 11:12

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vicali > benjrblant 08/03/2018 at 11:29

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Sunraider;

Why not Zoidberg?

vicali > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/03/2018 at 11:31

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2nd/3rd Gen 4runner and a tent.. or build your own platform;

T w o t o f i v e y e a r s i s a l o t o f c a m p i n g t r i p s . .

gmctavish needs more space > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/03/2018 at 11:45

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I’ve found myself wanting a pickup bed enough this past year that I keep going over scenarios of replacing both the Legacy and the Raider with some crew or extended cab 4x4 pickup. Camping vehicle, move strange objects vehicle, and daily. Tacoma would fit the bill, but expensive. Next in line is a first gen Tundra, that’s probably the most tempting since I’ve been around one of those several times and they feel tremendously well put together. Frontiers seem like a good deal, and have a boxed frame unlike the Tacoma.

Most likely scenario: I continue to drive the Legacy, work on the Raider while dreaming of off-road trips, and wish I had a pickup bed. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/03/2018 at 11:52

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I generally call it glamping if I brought any car to the campsite instead of having to hike with all of my gear lol. Why not get a nice van like a Transit Connect or something similar? There are probably older options that can fit into the budget. But the idea is to have something decent to drive, decent on gas, and can fit a ton of stuff. Kind of like having an RV but wayyyyyy cheaper. I know that is the route I would go for a dedicated camping vehicle. 

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > gmctavish needs more space 08/03/2018 at 12:19

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Keep the Raider.

https://whistler.craigslist.ca/cto/d/2006-subaru-baja-awd/6653044742.html

Sawzalls are cheap too. 

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/03/2018 at 12:31

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As much as I would typically advocate for the XJ, it’s not going to be a huge increase in interior space over the Vibe, especially if you can’t fold the bench because of doggos. It’s also not likely to be that much of an improvement in comfort either, with similar seating positions and space... The XJ is not a big vehicle . I’d be looking more at ZJs or even a WJ of comfort was my goal and I was cross-shopping XJs. They’re both in the category of being able to find for cheap in not-bad condition.

Alternatively, want a Jimmy? It took the big prize in a Monterey Car Week event.  It’s auto-magic, 4x4, decent space, heavy as bricks so feels “safe” to normals, and comes with a sweet paint job.