I paid $1000 3 years ago for my current Pontiac Montana. The parts that would most often make it not go are available from pretty much every car parts store and scrap yard in the country. This is my 3rd or 4th, I know them inside out and backwards and I can do most repairs in less than 1hr. The only downside is that it does consume more gas than some of the newer and fancier work vans. Would I prefer to be driving the Mercedes? Honestly no, not even if I had the money to throw at it.
A number of my past photo trips out west were done with an F-150 (driven from back east) with leer cap and raised suspension. Great vehicle for almost anything out there. Then again, sometimes flying out and renting...whatever. I think of our tragicomedy in a rented Chevy Lumina racing a rainstorm through the narrows of Titus Canyon - being confronted by a washout right where a family had been caught out (with fatalities) the previous month.
Here in New England...my wife's Subaru Forester is basically the perfect vehicle for the broadest range of what the weather throws at us here. Good "grab an go" trunk-bed logistics also.
My very favorite vehicle...at least when the weather isn't too horrible is (don't laugh...well maybe go ahead and laugh) my 1987 Porsche 944, whose large rear hatch size/storage capacity/layout/deck height, to say nothing of the car's small size, great handling (never boring!) and great 360 degree visibility, makes this car the absolute easiest I've ever worked out of. Then again...it did conk out (dead fuel pump) last fall near the Canadian border. But I had planned to rebuild the engine (now in pieces in my basement) anyway, so all is good.
A friend did the veggie oil conversion and found it worked well for him. Got waste oil from a few restaurants and used it, doing the straining and whatnot himself. Did discover one oil never to be used again - when he got a 55 gallon barrel from a seafood restaurant. For a month or more you could smell it and seemed as if every cat within 20 miles would follow that VW around.
” Never attribute to inspiration that which can be adequately explained by delusion”.
My favorite is the bicycle ;p.
My Youtube Channel - Darkroom and large format tutorials
Definitely a lower carbon foot print that my photo vehicle, which I mentioned in post #6. I have been tempted to get a bicycle trailer, as I really don’t want to give up the big Ries.
Roger
Be careful with the shaking if you have old lenses. I don't have hard evidence, but since when I started to take my lens on the bike two of them started to show issues (an older Dagor and perhaps also a Fujinon). I think they were due for a CLA and the increased shaking might have accelerated the decay. Maybe it is just a coincidence.
My Youtube Channel - Darkroom and large format tutorials
marcookie, I’ll keep that in mind. One trailer that I was looking at has a suspension and shock absorber. Also if I do end up cycling with a trailer it will be pretty tame.
Roger
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