All Things Ski Cars

[givethepigeye]

yes, it is.

 

[Bluenose]

Reading about the Saabs and Volvos makes me nostalgic.

Had a 198something Saab 99 no Turbo or EMS but still plenty of power, very good handling and super comfortable. You could easily tell the airplane heritage. Had a 900S a few years later which was a little meh in comparison.

The old "brick" Volvo 245 was followed by a 1995 850 Turbo. Seamless acceleration, both for the gearing and for the turbo. Endless power and, as others mentioned, those wonderful seats. Hit the W button and winter driving was pretty good too. My favourite car by far. The V70 T5 that came after had many of the same qualities; to a lesser degree though.

The surprise ski car was our 2004 Mini. With winter tires it actually maintained the go-cart feeling. Only problem of course was the clearance, more than 6" of snow and you became the snow plow.

 

[AtleB]

Swedish freestyle skier Jon Olsson has had some of the nuttiest ski cars

Here are a few of his others: https://carbuzz.com/features/jon-olsson-s-craziest-cars

 

[Slemers]

Lake Tahoe circa 1989. Back in my Air Force days. One of the pilots in the squadron owned a house and ski leased it to 7 or 8 people during the ski season. My best year was 40 days at Heavenly in 1981 I believe.

 

[Peakviper]

 

[Doug Briggs]

View attachment 181315

What is the function of the scoop on the roof of the cabin?

 

[cantunamunch]

What is the function of the scoop on the roof of the cabin?

Cabin ventilation...without the engine drag and weight of AC.

 

[Posaune]

View attachment 181315

Isn't this a ski car thread? Where do the skis go?

 

[slowrider]

Isn't this a ski car thread? Where do the skis go?

On the rear spoiler?

 

[James]

What is the function of the scoop on the roof of the cabin?

Bird catcher. When you get one, you hit the windshield washer to preserve it.

 

[Bill Talbot]

View attachment 181315

So the added front hood opening allows the airflow through the radiator to leave the engine compartment. And then is sent into the intercooler scoop to heat it up!?
Something wrong here...

 

[crgildart]

125 K miles now on this 09 Forester. This month's been painful. Stalling and hunting issue at low idle sitting at lights or lots had me pull the belts and check the resistance of all the pulleys.. Compressor, PS and Alternator fine.. Cabin air filter was ridiculously clogged.. Added some compressor oil refresh too.. Then the brakes started shrieking, no chirps straight to shrieking and rattling. Every time this thing needs new rear rotors, rusted out even though I give her a good undercarriage wash every time I return from a winter driving adventure. Whelp, 4 rotors and pads every 50K miles like clockwork. Bonus, the rear bearings started howling.. Took awhile to find a shop who would do them.. Knuckles and dust caps are like hen's teeth so if the job went sideways the car could have been stuck at the shop for a month. $2500 in repairs and maintenance but everything is now sound and working pretty much like new.

P.S. original head gasket in this thing... knock knock on wood wood. Hopefully getting another 30-40K out if this without anything else but tires, oil, and filters. Then daddy will get a new whip..

 

[crgildart]

Anybody else tempting fate traveling long distances with bad weather potential in ski cars well over 100K miles? The modern skier demographics tend to be folks who don't keep cars that long before trading up. I would if I could

And will if I have ,,,when this one dies...

 

[Lorenzzo]

Anybody else tempting fate traveling long distances with bad weather potential in ski cars well over 100K miles? The modern skier demographics tend to be folks who don't keep cars that long before trading up. I would if I could

And will if I have ,,,when this one dies...

I’m not in that situation but I would if the vehicle was well serviced and showing below average repair for its model and mileage. Unfortunately Subaru, despite their ad campaigns isn’t showing up on the long term reliability lists. If I had a Forerunner or Tacoma in good shape I wouldn’t hesitate.

Around here, folks seem to have having good luck with Cayennes with age and high mileage. Although if things do go wrong repair costs are pretty high.

 

[wooglin]

Anybody else tempting fate traveling long distances with bad weather potential in ski cars well over 100K miles? The modern skier demographics tend to be folks who don't keep cars that long before trading up. I would if I could

And will if I have ,,,when this one dies...

I'm in the drive-it-into-the-ground camp. But I just started with a new car. Previous recent cars have all lasted well over 150k miles.

 

[Uncle-A]

Anybody else tempting fate traveling long distances with bad weather potential in ski cars well over 100K miles? The modern skier demographics tend to be folks who don't keep cars that long before trading up. I would if I could

And will if I have ,,,when this one dies...

I have done that in the past, now my vehicle is a 2020 with low miles. When I had my GMC I didn't hesitate to drive long distance with over 100K on the vehicle, of course I was good with my maintenance.

 

[dan ross]

Anybody else tempting fate traveling long distances with bad weather potential in ski cars well over 100K miles? The modern skier demographics tend to be folks who don't keep cars that long before trading up. I would if I could

And will if I have ,,,when this one dies...

Honestly, I don’t think a 100 k on a lot of modern cars is that much-Its more about maintenance and what kind of miles they are. Of course here in Southern California people routinely put 20-25k a year in a car. But, if you’re of a certain age, 6 figures on the Odometer was the kiss of death and because I’m of a certain age I wouldn’t buy one unless it was a classic.

 

[Muleski]

We have a Land Cruiser 100 with 220K miles. Last one we retired, due to rust at 350K miles. I am very methodical about maintenance. I would drive our current one from Boston to Seattle…in the winter with no hesitation.

We also own a 328xi 6 speed wagon with 165K miles. Same thing. Would drive it anywhere.

Now, I also am very familiar with both, and carry an extensive tool kit with a good supply of spares, if needed.

One of my son’s vehicles is a 2002 V6 Tacoma 4x4, stick. He is a serious gearhead. 375K and he will drive it anywhere. Just made a “quick” 5K mile road trip.

Now my daughter had a 2005 Subaru Legacy GT wagon. At about 100K miles, it was getting to be a costly problem. And she is good with cars. It was stolen and totaled. She bought a 2008 Outback XT. It was a problem. No faith in that thing on long trips. That was replaced with a brand new VW Alltrack. So far, so good. Debating whether to keep it when it nears the end of the warranty……

The right car…..no issues for us.

Now my wife and I normally have one newer car as well. In the market right now.

 

[Lorenzzo]

The Longest-Lasting Cars, Trucks and SUVs To Reach 250,000 Miles and Beyond - iSeeCars.com

The average vehicle has just an 11.8 percent chance of lasting 250,000 miles, but the latest iSeeCars.com study identified the 23 longest-lasting models...

www.iseecars.com

Note the percentages.

 

[Don in Morrison]

Anybody else tempting fate traveling long distances with bad weather potential in ski cars well over 100K miles? The modern skier demographics tend to be folks who don't keep cars that long before trading up. I would if I could

And will if I have ,,,when this one dies...

I'll be making the 280 mile round trip from Morrison to Monarch with a 160K 2010 Dodge Carry Van if the grandkids are going and with a 125K 2014 Chevy Cruze if I'm by myself. We do all our road trips in the van, because my wife has trouble getting in and out of cars that are too low. The Cruze will probably be replaced first, with a small SUV that's higher off the ground, for that reason.