Best Vehicle for Precision Rifle Guys?

[CharlieNC]

To save putting more miles on my 2008 Tundra I've been driving a Kia Soul four years. Great room in the boxy hatch back, good mileage, sporty drive. But after four hours my old fat ass is acheing, and its going up for sale. I'm back in the Tundra for comfort, and don't care about the 17mpg. With 236k miles I believe it will go 500k without issue. Based on experience of family members you could not give me a Euro car due to high maintenance and repair costs. My Soul-Train is more dependable, with speaker lights to boot. Better buy it.

 

[Geno C.]

To save putting more miles on my 2008 Tundra I've been driving a Kia Soul four years. Great room in the boxy hatch back, good mileage, sporty drive. But after four hours my old fat ass is acheing, and its going up for sale. I'm back in the Tundra for comfort, and don't care about the 17mpg. With 236k miles I believe it will go 500k without issue. Based on experience of family members you could not give me a Euro car due to high maintenance and repair costs. My Soul-Train is more dependable, with speaker lights to boot. Better buy it.

For four years or for years? ?

 

[Jefe's Dope]

I hate to admit it, too, but everything you said is accurate.

But, dang, it's a mini-van. Eeewwww ! LOL

It's true. Hauled 4x8 plywood in our Sienna w/ all the doors closed. Hauled a family of 8 to the top of Pikes Peak. FYI, a box of diapers makes a fantastic center seat between the tow passenger captains chairs. ?

 

[Jefe's Dope]

To save putting more miles on my 2008 Tundra I've been driving a Kia Soul four years. Great room in the boxy hatch back, good mileage, sporty drive. But after four hours my old fat ass is acheing, and its going up for sale. I'm back in the Tundra for comfort, and don't care about the 17mpg. With 236k miles I believe it will go 500k without issue. Based on experience of family members you could not give me a Euro car due to high maintenance and repair costs. My Soul-Train is more dependable, with speaker lights to boot. Better buy it.

I've never understood why someone would buy a vehicle and then not drive it. I get it if it's a sports car/specialty car. But for an otherwise daily driver, I don't' understand. I understand it's your life and you can do it however you want but you bought yourself a nice truck just to drive a Kia to save miles and some gas money. You deserve driving the truck full time. ??

 

[Geno C.]

I've never understood why someone would buy a vehicle and then not drive it. I get it if it's a sports car/specialty car. But for an otherwise daily driver, I don't' understand. I understand it's your life and you can do it however you want but you bought yourself a nice truck just to drive a Kia to save miles and some gas money. You deserve driving the truck full time. ??

Hell yeah!!! I bought a crew cab dually with all the options toopullnmy trailer in the summer. Thought to myself, I'll just take the car to work in the winter because it a only 3 miles... Fuck that! I like my heated seats and steering wheel, big diesel and 6 tires! If you're going to buy something and not collect it, drive it!

 

[Geno C.]

For the 3 mile commute!! ?

 

[Thunderhorse]

I've never understood why someone would buy a vehicle and then not drive it. I get it if it's a sports car/specialty car. But for an otherwise daily driver, I don't' understand. I understand it's your life and you can do it however you want but you bought yourself a nice truck just to drive a Kia to save miles and some gas money. You deserve driving the truck full time. ??

Agreed, the only reason I'm not over 100,000 miles on my truck after 5 years is because I spent 14 months of that deployed. My wife's SUV has about 40,000 miles and its 2 years old. There's a lot of maintenance you can do for the cost of even a very cheap car.

I definitely wouldn't be doing a 3 mile commute in a post-emissions diesel though. Be real surprising when it goes into limp mode with a clogged DPF

 

[Geno C.]

Actually never had a problem with the dpf. I did tear it all out at 100k though. Sounds like a really truck now. When you work them hard they clear that dpf right out!!

 

[Thunderhorse]

Actually never had a problem with the dpf. I did tear it all out at 100k though. Sounds like a really truck now. When you work them hard they clear that dpf right out!!

Yeah as long as you get out on the highway for a good amount of time and/or load it like it was meant to be you'll be fine, but just doing 3 mile drives week after week would be pretty rough on it. Like you said, the best option for the engine and reliability's sake is to just remove all that shit

 

[CharlieNC]

I've never understood why someone would buy a vehicle and then not drive it. I get it if it's a sports car/specialty car. But for an otherwise daily driver, I don't' understand. I understand it's your life and you can do it however you want but you bought yourself a nice truck just to drive a Kia to save miles and some gas money. You deserve driving the truck full time. ??

Commuted in the truck and after 6 years had over 200k miles. In great shape, the sales value did not reflect what it was worth. So the soul-train bought me 4 years of low miles on the Tundra which has gone down to Fla fishing and up to Newfy, NM, Co, SD to hunt. Tundra is back on the road full time now, and soul-train will be headed to a new home soon. I must say the kia has been a solid car and handled many shooting trips quite well, excepting my sore ass that is.

 

[HPIguy]

I'm gonna put in another vote for Subies. I do not today, nor have I ever relied on what I drive to define who I am or my masculinity. But it is good entertainment to read. I still have my old paid for Nissan Frontier, but my '17 Crosstrek is a much better daily driver, and makes a helluva road trip rig to get two people and all their gear down to the hunting/shooting property. Plenty of ground clearance, and as others have mentioned their AWD system is dialed. I've put 30,000 miles on mine since December of '16, and I love this thing. It suits my day job, and my hobbies (camping, hiking, cycling, shooting, etc) very well, all while returning a 29mpg average here in the mountains, and 33mpg on the highway in the flatland.

 

[Fig]

I drive my wife’s old Honda Pilot. She gets a new car every few years, and I drive the old one, that’s paid for, till the wheels fall off. I could care less about cars as long as it doesn’t break and I feel I can rely on it. I would like to have something with better city mileage. When she’s sick of her Nissan Rogue I’ll be driving that.

I had a BMW 740il when I started my business, because I had to roll up looking like I had been in the end-zone. I had it 10 years, and it had 250,000 mi when I got rid of it. Best car I’ve ever owned. I will not be buying another vehicle that approaches six figures...ever. I just don’t care.

 

[Dougie308]

This is it.

 

[Flatrock]

No one has really mentioned anything fast, assuming a corvette won't work (they have a surprisingly big trunk) here's my contribution
View attachment 6917447
I can easily fit a match's worth of gear in the back if you've got a folding stock, fold down the seats if not.
fuel economy sucks, (22.5 in mixed driving) but corners are hilariously fun and it's amazing on dirt roads and snow.
relatively quiet, well appointed, and fairly stealthy vs. it's actual capacity for hooning.

Well, I can tell you from recent experience that a Pelican 1750 will NOT fit in a 2017 C7 Stingray. Neither will a Savage 110BA Stealth in 338 Lapua in a Blackhawk drag bag. Just sayin'... However, a Cabela's shooting mat on top of a Diamondback cover on the bed of a Silverado High Country works remarkably well (when safely off of the ROW + about 50 yds or so). Expect around 12 to 14 mpg on road - don't even want to guess at off-road.

 

[Geno C.]

Well, I can tell you from recent experience that a Pelican 1750 will NOT fit in a 2017 C7 Stingray. Neither will a Savage 110BA Stealth in 338 Lapua in a Blackhawk drag bag. Just sayin'... However, a Cabela's shooting mat on top of a Diamondback cover on the bed of a Silverado High Country works remarkably well (when safely off of the ROW + about 50 yds or so). Expect around 12 to 14 mpg on road - don't even want to guess at off-road.

Ever been to SD? ROW is public land

 

[Flatrock]

Ever been to SD? ROW is public land

Yes sir, SD & ND both. Wife is from Devil's Lake, ND. Stayed two nights in Deadwood but never found Al Swearengen. Down here in AL the rabbit sheriff will persecute you for shooting off/from/across a road or ROW.

 

[ajwcotton]

 

[eddahenry]

If you where in Aus you could have sedan mileage with Truck cool lol

 

[Geno C.]

Yes sir, SD & ND both. Wife is from Devil's Lake, ND. Stayed two nights in Deadwood but never found Al Swearengen. Down here in AL the rabbit sheriff will persecute you for shooting off/from/across a road or ROW.

Had an awesome game warden tell me all the cool rules of road hunting in SD. Let me follow his tail lights to the state campground we were staying at too but that's a whole other story...

 

[huntsman22]

A ZL1 will get you there as fast as the 'vette AND has a back seat.....

 

[TheGerman]

Tomcar with 2 M240s on it.

Obviously.

 

[PDXGS]

Tomcars rock.....just carry extra ball joints....just saying.

 

[CaptNemo]

Can’t believe that no one mentioned the Landmaster from Damnation Alley[/img]

 

[Sheldon N]

Doesn't it depend on where you set your practice targets?

Yep, and also on when you try to go shoot them.

My strategy is to masquerade as a tree hugging liberal lesbian, no one suspects guns in the car.

 

[1clicktrick]

An older model Lincoln Town Car. Smoothest ride you'll ever feel, enough trunk space for all of your guns and ammo, and 25 MPG highway.

Done deal.

Plus add some headers an x-pipe and flow masters and your set!

 

[1clicktrick]

Enough said

 

[1clicktrick]

Tacomas get about the same mileage as an F150 or Ram/GM 1500 (assuming its a V6 Taco). Tundras will get about 4 MPG less, the rest of their line is pretty fuel efficient (prius/hybrids) so they don't really do anything to help their trucks' MPG like Ford/Ram/GM do.

I have to agree that a truck is the most useful vehicle you can own though. Other than hauling more than 6 people it will do anything an SUV will (with a camper shell), and the ability to add a trailer means you'll likely never be short on space.

Unless you are pulling a trailer that really needs the power though I'd recommend a gasser over a diesel. It sounds like a half ton will do it for you, but if you do go HD then maintenance and initial cost will never be outweighed by their fuel savings compared to a gasser. Aside from not having to worry about emissions equipment related issues, 3/4 ton diesels don't even make sense; they add about 1000 lbs to the truck's weight, so that gets cut out of payload capacity (which is GVWR-curb weight)-someof the higher trim 3/4 ton diesels have lower payloads than some half tons, like 1800-2200 lbs. If you are actually towing a trailer that you need a diesel to pull, then you realistically are going to need a 1 ton to handle the pin weight along with any passengers or cargo. IMHO most people who get 3/4 ton diesels just want a diesel and get the lowest class they can get one in, not because they need it.

Anyway, you probably would be best served by either an extended or crew cab 1/2 ton. Take your pick of brands, I don't want to start a pissing match, they're all pretty good anymore. Some offer a little more tech or a few more incentives.

One thing to remember about a diesel is they are way more fuel efficient if you are towing a heavy load. I have a toy hauler that is roughly 10,000lbs loaded. My half ton was rated to tow 10,200. My fuel mileage was 5.5mpg. My 3/4 diesel got 12mpg with power to pass if I need to. I have a 1 ton drw now, Lil more stable. Newer diesels are more efficient than my 7.3 is. Something to think about.

 

[doctordoctor]

I drive a Ford C max. I actually like the car. It handles well and has tons of room. I use it for everything. Surfing, shooting, biking etc. I wish I had a truck for off roading but I'm in the same boat as you. I think the perfect car would be a 4x4 sprinter van. Or maybe a Subaru. I will always have a hybrid for the gas mileage though. Its only weak point is the off roading.

 

[GuinnessNM]

Ford F-150 Raptor

 

[Mr.BR]

One thing to remember about a diesel is they are way more fuel efficient if you are towing a heavy load. I have a toy hauler that is roughly 10,000lbs loaded. My half ton was rated to tow 10,200. My fuel mileage was 5.5mpg. My 3/4 diesel got 12mpg with power to pass if I need to. I have a 1 ton drw now, Lil more stable. Newer diesels are more efficient than my 7.3 is. Something to think about.

Diesel is always way more efficient than gasoline engine ,due to inherent torqe advantage of diesel hauling something just amplifies the difference between diesel and gasoline engines, first diesel fuel has cca 15% more energy to burn second its working at much higher compression ratio ,higher compression ratio means more efficient fuel use ,long piston strokes +higher compression + combustion energy produce torqe levels that dwarf those of gasoline engines . Its quite common that same size diesel engine has 50% more torque and 30% less fuel burn than gasoline engine that might have slightly more HP (curtesy of diesels low RPM). Due to engines being much more heavy duty design to handle the compression and torqe ,combined with inherently low RPM diesel will typicaly also out last a gasoline engine by considerable margin

But remember there is no way to measure horsepower , dyno measures torque on the wheels, horse power is a funny, man made number not measured but made ((torque x RPM)/5252 )

due to compresion combustion cycle that doesnt requre electricity for spark , diesel engines are generaly far more insensitive in regards to electrics ,fording rivers in 4x4 . altough with newer vehicles that i not likely the case .That is why for 3rd world older gen toyota pickups rule.

 

[Mike_Honcho]

Thank you Mr BR. I learned some things from that.

 

[IronicTwitch]

If you fit in a Tacoma, then it's a great option. I'm 5'11 and 210 and any bigger I'd want more room. If you're a big guy, it gets tight. Plus I couldn't for a full size truck in my garage, they get too long. Getting 20mpg combined, 24mpg highway so I'm pleased.

 

[DRichardson]

I just bought a used Toyota FJ cruiser and have been really enjoying it so far. The biggest downside so far is I have the urge to do some modifications to it. Had it for less than a month and already have been looking at bumpers, tires, winch, and level kit. But so far it has good space ( slightly cramped back seat), good power, very capable off road, and decent mileage ( 18-20 mpg mixed driving so far).

 

[1clicktrick]

Diesel is always way more efficient than gasoline engine ,due to inherent torqe advantage of diesel hauling something just amplifies the difference between diesel and gasoline engines, first diesel fuel has cca 15% more energy to burn second its working at much higher compression ratio ,higher compression ratio means more efficient fuel use ,long piston strokes +higher compression + combustion energy produce torqe levels that dwarf those of gasoline engines . Its quite common that same size diesel engine has 50% more torque and 30% less fuel burn than gasoline engine that might have slightly more HP (curtesy of diesels low RPM). Due to engines being much more heavy duty design to handle the compression and torqe ,combined with inherently low RPM diesel will typicaly also out last a gasoline engine by considerable margin

But remember there is no way to measure horsepower , dyno measures torque on the wheels, horse power is a funny, man made number not measured but made ((torque x RPM)/5252 )

due to compresion combustion cycle that doesnt requre electricity for spark , diesel engines are generaly far more insensitive in regards to electrics ,fording rivers in 4x4 . altough with newer vehicles that i not likely the case .That is why for 3rd world older gen toyota pickups rule.

Exactly! My peak torque is 1600rpms. My gas engine pulled it great with my foot through the firewall and with about 5000rpms. I think peak torque on my gas was 4200rpms. Plus I work at the airport and my 7.3 ran fine off JetA. I added a bit of oil to it. JetA doesn't burn quite as hot as diesel so little performance and fuel mileage was lost......but I didn't care because it is $000.00 a gallon.

 

[Thunderhorse]

Diesel is also far more sensitive to fuel quality than gasoline engines are due to the higher compression

 

[Mr.BR]

Diesel is also far more sensitive to fuel quality than gasoline engines are due to the higher compression

Actualy no , the modern high end diesels are somewhat sensitive, but not due to compression but due to 'fancy' injection with common rail even this is because the tech was designed in Europe where diesel is much cleaner to what is sold in US , so initialy there were bunch of issues with getting them to work on fuel sold in US.

Common rail injection was a revolution in diesel , engine preformance went next level and brougth diesen from high economy into high preformance cars, but form this point forward you have an electronic heavy engine


These kind of comparisons would have not been posible pre common rail diesel tech. An engine to match a high preformance gasoline one while being on whole other level of fuel economy.
Alpina D3 Biturbo
Price £46,950 0-62mph 4.6sec Top speed 173mph Economy53.3mpg CO2 139g/km Kerb weight 1660kg Engine 6cyls in line, 2993cc, twin-turbo, diesel Power 345bhp at 4000rpm Torque 516lb ft at 1500-3000rpm Gearbox 8-speed automatic

BMW M3 DCT
Price £56,175 0-62mph 4.1sec Top speed 155mph Economy34.0mpg CO2 194g/km Kerb weight 1635kg Engine 6cyls in line, 2979cc, twin-turbo, petrol Power 425bhp at 5500-7300rpm Torque406lb ft at 1800-5500rpm Gearbox 7-speed dual-clutch automatic






Pre common rail diesel on the other hand can burn just about every quality of fuel you can find , again that is why for 3rd world travel people tend to use older gen toyota pickups over new stuff.

 

[Deleted member 10043]

 

[tsu45]

View attachment 6919111

That a nice stance. How much lift is that?

 

[ajwcotton]

6 inch on 35's had to add a helper spring to get the back up. All the lift kits leave the trucks nose high.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Had an awesome game warden tell me all the cool rules of road hunting in SD. Let me follow his tail lights to the state campground we were staying at too but that's a whole other story...

Sorry in advance for the slight derail.
Geno,
Were you hunting west river? What unit?
I lived in SD for 12 years and I'm not familiar with ROW and what it means.
Most of the game and fish guys are very helpful and will not only point you in the right direction. Some will even make calls for you and help you find private land to hunt if you haven't already done it.

BTW, I really liked my 96 diesel Suburban as a shooting and varmint hunting mobile.

 

[Geno C.]

ROW righ of way. You can stand in the road and shoot. If your bird or whatever ends up on private property, just set your gun down and go get it. Very hunter friendly rules there.

We were way up in the northe east corner. Waubay (I'll have to look up how it's spelled)

 

[Hundo]

Chevrolet 2500 HD 4wd 6.0 engine and suck it up.

I work for an Oil and Gas company

 

[Keyst0ne]

Tactical Minivan FTW. Got rid of a pickup truck for it because I wanted more secure, easily accessible, climate-controlled storage than I could get from a capped pickup bed. The seats all fold into the floor so I basically just have the one seat up and the entire middle area between the doors is flat and open. Could deploy 3 more seating positions at any time if I needed to. Rifles go along the right next to the seat or I can move them into the middle and put my feet there if I want to sleep. Tailgate goes up and provides shelter from light rain.

Windows are heavily tinted so nobody can see in and I have a two-way security system that will alert me if, say, it gets broken into while I'm in a nearby hotel or motel room.

Only thing I wish it did better would be handling rough range roads and mud, but it hasn't gotten stuck yet.

Minivan haters can suck it. I keep my man card every time I open the back.

 

[Thunderhorse]

Tactical Minivan FTW. Got rid of a pickup truck for it because I wanted more secure, easily accessible, climate-controlled storage than I could get from a capped pickup bed. The seats all fold into the floor so I basically just have the one seat up and the entire middle area between the doors is flat and open. Could deploy 3 more seating positions at any time if I needed to. Rifles go along the right next to the seat or I can move them into the middle and put my feet there if I want to sleep. Tailgate goes up and provides shelter from light rain.

Windows are heavily tinted so nobody can see in and I have a two-way security system that will alert me if, say, it gets broken into while I'm in a nearby hotel or motel room.

Only thing I wish it did better would be handling rough range roads and mud, but it hasn't gotten stuck yet.

Minivan haters can suck it. I keep my man card every time I open the back.

We had a 92 Plymouth minivan that had substantially more ground clearance than newer models-it was great for going camping and stuff like you're talking about. Had over 275,000 miles on it when we sold it in 2006

 

[Jefe's Dope]

We had a 92 Plymouth minivan that had substantially more ground clearance than newer models-it was great for going camping and stuff like you're talking about. Had over 275,000 miles on it when we sold it in 2006

 

[Dai Bando]