Yahoo Autos We Need A Durable 4x4 That We Can Leave In The Mountains! What Car Should We Buy?
Kari and her wife spend their summers in the Colorado mountains to get away from the Texas heat. They both have European sport sedans that are fun on curvy roads, but aren’t ideal for light off-roading and hauling equipment. They want something durable with four-wheel drive that they can leave at their summer home. What car should they buy?
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Here is the scenario:
My wife and I live in Texas, but spend a good part of the summer at our little condo in the Colorado mountains. While our cars are fun to drive up there (I have a 2019 Alfa Romeo Ti Sport and my wife has a 2021 BMW 330e), neither are particularly well-suited for hauling bikes or traversing unpaved trails. I’m trying to convince my wife that we should get a used 4x4 vehicle to potentially leave up there - either in the condo’s parking lot, or stored at the airport. The parking lot option is way more affordable than airport storage, but it’s unprotected and would leave the vehicle exposed to some pretty wicked elements in the winter. We don’t need anything new or super fancy, just dependable and reasonably capable. The budget isn’t set yet, but it won’t be too extravagant. Let’s say $30k-ish for now. I don’t want to wince when I add my own dents and dirt, you know? (Of note: we can both drive a manual, if that opens up our options)
Quick Facts:
Budget: About $30,000
Location: Texas and Colorado
Daily Driver: Somewhat
Wants: Durable, practical, 4x4
Doesn’t want: Something too expensive to maintain
Expert 1: Tom McParland - A Different Kind Of Driving Fun
I’m sure that condo in the mountains is really coming in handy this year since the high temps in Texas are somewhere around eleventy-billion degrees. Since you already have the right cars for zipping around winding roads, it’s time for another kind of driving engagement that is a little slower-paced but can be just as enjoyable. Light off-roading can be the right balance of keeping your wits about you so you are engaged in the process, especially if you have to row your own gears, but not so risky that you’re going to flip your car off a giant boulder. And there is no better choice for this task than the Jeep Wrangler. It’s the type of car that if it gets dinged and dirty from the trails, it adds character.
There is plenty of inventory for good Wranglers so it all comes down to what kind of configuration you want and how fancy you need it. I would suggest you keep it simple with a soft top, two doors, and three pedals. Here is a nice 2018 Sport model with less than 30,000 miles. This one is no-frills when it comes to options, but it would make for a good balance with your luxury sedans.
