Best car to chase in?

[Andrew Clope]

I used an F150 4wd this last season, but did not like the idea of taking a new-ish truck out with the high probability that it would encounter hail. So I picked up a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4x4 for next season. 17-18 mpg, which isn't great, but not awful either, comfortable, and the 4.0L and the rest of the powertrain frankly in those is pretty rock solid for 200K+ miles. Plus, if it get's hail damage, which is likely, who cares?

 

[Todd Rector]

Another Taurus or a Ford Fusion or some of the other similar sized sedans will probably do for this function.

My wife has a 2015 Fusion and it's a fantastic, comfortable car. We average 30mpg in mixed city/hwy driving. I definitely recommend it for a daily driver or road trip car. Can't speak for chasing in it, though - We decided it's best to only ruin MY new vehicle this year.

 

[Russell Jones]

I currently have a Mercedes ML55 AMG with 4WD. I am going car shopping soon because it is falling apart (it's got 106k miles on it, and for those who don't know, European cars start degrading fast after 100k miles, and benz cars are quite expensive to fix).

In your opinion, what SUV/car/van/dominator is the best to chase in and why? I'm not only opening up a discussion, but I am also getting ideas of what to get for my next car.

I created a video of my Storm Chase Vehicle, and it's kinda long, but does have lots of informative ideas. I hope it helps you with your decision:

 

[JamesCaruso]

I live on the East Coast, fly in for annual chase vacations, and just rent a car - an SUV with 4WD if I can get one, but that's not always an option, depending upon what airport I am flying into... One year we ended up with a Toyota Highlander and got stuck in the mud in north-central OK - although the guy that towed us out almost got stuck with his own truck and told us it wouldn't have mattered what vehicle we had on that particular road... So be careful even with 4WD... One year we had a Chevy Tahoe and towed a university radar truck out of a muddy patch of road...

Anyway, I used to fantasize about having a dedicated chase vehicle for when I retire and have the time to drive out to the Plains. But that was in the "old days" when the fantasy included having everything fixed in place on the interior: dash-mounted video camera, laptop stand, etc. None of that seems important anymore, with a GoPro that sticks right on the windshield with a suction-cup mount, and with laptops rendered practically obsolete by an iPad that can sit right next to me easily enough (there is probably some sort of simple mount available if desired). So even in retirement I think I would probably still rent a vehicle, whether I was flying in or even if driving from the East Coast. It is also comforting to have a low-mileage rental vehicle, rather than to be driving a high-mileage vehicle of my own. Getting stranded out in the middle of nowhere, potentially in an area with no cell signal, is one of the things I worry about most when chasing.

If I lived in the Plains, I would choose an SUV with 4WD. I think any one of those recommended here is as good as any other and comparable as to gas mileage; it would be more a matter of personal preference as to style. I would probably choose something like a Toyota 4Runner, Nissan Pathfinder, Jeep Grand Cherokee or Ford Explorer. I would probably avoid the full-size class like the Chevy Tahoe or Ford Expedition - they are nice for chasing, especially for a few guys with a lot of luggage and gear, but overkill for the 90% of the year that is non-chasing use. I have also always liked the Subaru Outback, I think that would be a great chase vehicle.

BTW, I can certainly speak to the expense of maintaining a German car. I get hit with a couple thousand dollar repair (even scheduled maintenance can be $1,500) every 18 months or so, and have blown numerous low-profile tires on potholes in the winter. I have 128K miles on mine. It can probably last plenty more but I am thinking of getting rid of it before the next repair hits me.

 

[Robert Forry]

Brandon, you can't go wrong by going with either a 4X4 extended cab pick-up, or one of the newer, late model crossover SUVs with AWD like the Chevy Traverse/GMC Acadia (I'm partial to those as I'm an Engineer at GM). That said, I've had a great time chasing in my 2000 Jeep Cherokee (the I-6 engine it is the best thing on the road these days IMO), but like a lot of smaller SUVs, it's not very roomy and lacks the larger windshield as found in others like the Expedition or Tahoes. If you do go that route, make sure you get good, all-terrain tires. They won't keep you from getting stuck in the mud, and you can't do 100 MPH down the back roads in the Central Plains, but they'll at least allow you to chase down roads your wouldn't be able to all-seasons.

I'm more than likely upgrading in the fall to a GMC Envoy Denali with 4WD. I've chased in one a few years ago with Bill Oosterbaan. They've got a lot of room, are comfortable, get decent gas mileage, and they last (I know people who have 250K plus miles on theirs and they still run great!). And don't be afraid to spend a few $$ to get quality. $5-10K will get you a pretty awesome chase vehicle. Best of luck!!

 

[Todd Lemery]

I have a quick question related to this that I was hoping someone could answer. My wife got a new GM vehicle that came with free wifi on it for a limited time. Eventually we would have to pay to keep it. The question is, it seems to work pretty good in my area, but I've never had it in an area with known reception issues. Does anyone know how this system fares in the southern plains?

 

[Robert Forry]

@Todd Lemery I believe the 4G LTE carrier is AT&T, so you may be subject to the same limitations you would be if you were chasing boosterless tethered to your cell phone. I'll look a little deeper into this with corporate to be sure if you'd like man.

 

[Todd Lemery]

Hey Robert, if you have the inside scoop, that would be awesome

 

[Royce Sheibal]

Been rocking an old 2003 Ford F150 for years now, courtesy of my chasing driver. 250k miles, but it's about seen it's time. High clearance and the ability to handle crappy roads is very important to me, thanks to the often HP's we chase in Nebraska. Also having a V8 is nice for whatever situation, kinda hurts the pocketbook for gas, however.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

I'm more than likely upgrading in the fall to a GMC Envoy Denali with 4WD. I've chased in one a few years ago with Bill Oosterbaan.

You should ask Bill about how much money he poured into that thing in May. North of $5k

 

[Robert Forry]

You should ask Bill about how much money he poured into that thing in May. North of $5k

Good point Ben (he's someone I talked to about the Envoy) but so far his case is the exception. There are plenty of people driving them at work who drive them who haven't seen repair bills like that. Honestly, that happens with every vehicle that's high mileage eventually. His problems with that trans taking a dump on him and Tom while chasing kind of sucked, but that dude has the cash..

 

[Mark Blue]

It is so very important to fix issues as they crop up, otherwise the eventual repair bill can grow exponentially over time. I imagine everyone here knows that drill, but it's advice that's worth its weight in gold. Having a dedicated chase mobile is definitely a nice to have. I've often thought about buying a used police car for this purpose, but just haven't gotten around to pulling the trigger. Using the DD for dual purposes often leaves me worrying about hail cores too much and making in situ navigation much harder than it should be.

 

[Shane Adams]

It's odd for me to read through this thread. So many people putting so much thought/stress into what vehicle to chase in. And the idea of a chase-only vehicle isn't even in my universe. All I can add is, I've chased all my life in whatever vehicle I or my partners owned at the time. It never mattered. Granted, we could never tackle standing water muddy roads, but that can almost always be avoided.

What this question really comes down to is chasing style. Because almost everyone is hyper-aggressive these days, I can understand this thread and its detailed analysis of vehicle preference/performance. But if you have decent equipment (heavy tripod/vidcam with infinity lock) and understand storm structure/behavior well enough to anticipate future situations, you can chase in anything. Point being, I don't think about what I need to make a beeline right to the heart of the circulation; I just need a vehicle that will start and run. I can be in the vicinity of a storm and get the shots I need, if the storm cooperates. Forcing the issue has never been my style.

Anyway, just a different perspective on the original question. It's really more about the chaser/storm than the vehicle.

 

[James Wilson]

If you can afford the gas I would go with something like my Toyota Tundra. It has the power to get away from hail or other damagers and it handles muddy roads well with all terrain tires. Plus people tend to get out of your way more than with a car. ;-)

 

[ngjere]

I've always had great success with the Ford Escapes I've owned. Reasonable mileage for a V6 300 (23-26 Hwy) and the AWD has always kept me on the road and gotten me out of trouble when I should have ended up digging myself out of deep mud or snow. Stick with the original design from 2012 back though... Ford decided to make the Escape into their version of a RAV4 in the 2013 model year and took away most of the things that made it such a great chase vehicle, room being number one...