chase vehicle question

[Joshua Nall]

I have a big truck, its an F250 Diesel with 4wd... The reason I chose it is for work. But there is nothing bad about it when chasing, and it even gets around 18 mpg. I might get more if I ever put it on economy mode. If this engine lasts 400,000 miles like many other 7.3s do, I will be pleased. Now if I could get a smaller suv with 4wd that got significantly more mpgs and didn't need a big truck for work, I might go that route.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Having once allowed storm chasing to influence the type of vehicle I purchased (SUV/wagon crossover), I'm of the opinion that it is better to choose a vehicle based on your everyday non-chasing needs. The hours you will be chasing in the vehicle will be insignificant compared to your day-to-day usage. Any vehicle can be a good chase vehicle and be temporarily adapted to the long road trips as needed. For instance, a nice roomy SUV is great on a chase trip, but you pay for the poor gas mileage the other 340 days of the year. 4WD helps with the off-roading, but at a large cost of gas mileage/wear during the rest of your daily driving. If you are able to afford spending months on the road chasing in the spring, that's one thing - but in that case, the extra costs probably don't matter to you.

 

[Jason Foster]

Having once allowed storm chasing to influence the type of vehicle I purchased (SUV/wagon crossover), I'm of the opinion that it is better to choose a vehicle based on your everyday non-chasing needs. The hours you will be chasing in the vehicle will be insignificant compared to your day-to-day usage. Any vehicle can be a good chase vehicle and be temporarily adapted to the long road trips as needed. For instance, a nice roomy SUV is great on a chase trip, but you pay for the poor gas mileage the other 340 days of the year. 4WD helps with the off-roading, but at a large cost of gas mileage/wear during the rest of your daily driving. If you are able to afford spending months on the road chasing in the spring, that's one thing - but in that case, the extra costs probably don't matter to you.

This is true if you chase than only drive a short commute or don't do much of anything else with the vehicle. I found, once I owned my first SUV, the advantages and extended lifestyle I could pursue were well worth it. Got me out of that corporate world and out of the city. Granted I started with a SUV when gas could sometimes still be found for $0.99 per gallon (1997) but I have come to like the ability to haul things for my home restoration projects, the expanded gear for camping, ham radio events and more. I like being able to throw the bike INTO the car and being able to lock it secure. I love that in a pinch, I can sleep in my car and many of the adventures I've had throughout the years. I love capable off-road abilities for when I want to get a little adventure while chasing, geocaching, camping, etc. In fact, even the Subaru I have now...while sure it has AWD, it is a lowered Legacy GT, not the raised Outback style or the even better Forrester (with the superior off-road ability thanks to the shorter overhangs) I find that it's limiting. I really want a full SUV (or a Forrest with the suspension & body lifts). Hell, if I really had the money, I'd go full one with the Ford Raptor (the SVT special edition off-road F-150) because then I would be able to expand the adventure realm even further.

So yeah...If you chase, and only need a box-on-wheels human vessel transport, then get a boring-ass Civic or something, and just RENT a car.

 

[Jarrod Barnett]

I chase in a '06 Trailblazer LS.

4x4, decent MPG, roomy, dependable, comfortable, added a few mods and a tune to help with acceleration. I cant complain.

 

[Seth Price]

I typically chase in a minivan or an '02 Chevy Malibu. I've never been stuck on a chase due to mud. One year, I did take a 4x4 Suburban, which did get remarkably good gas mileage (19mpg), but I never did pop it into 4wd.

The Malibu has been a good vehicle, though I have not driven in hail covered roads. It does not handle well on ice/snow packed roads. However, it gets 25-30mpg, which is what I really look for in a chase vehicle. I do wish it had better electrical management (higher output alternator, less power consumption when parked, etc), but other than that, it's been a tough vehicle that will break 200,000 miles this week.

 

[Bart_Comstock]

Those on here who know me well enough know what opinion I have about The Storm Trooper (my chase vehicle).

I drive a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with a 4.7l V8 and AWD. I bought her on January 7th, 2009 and since then have racked up 100k miles on it. She now has over 200k miles and the motor is still running strong. I paid $3,500.00 for it when I bought it and I am the second owner.

The previous owners who drove it did not know hot to properly maintain an AWD vehicle. As a result I had to have the transmission and transfer case rebuilt but that was 95k miles ago. The alternator went out on me once and has been replaced and other than that the Jeep has not had any other major work done to it.

Very rarely have I gotten this vehicle stuck and all but two of those times did I require someone to pull me out. The first time was when I got high centered right after the Kirksville tornado passed in front of me and the second time was this year in the winter storm when I drove into a hole (pictured below).

She has pushed through several feet of snow covered roads, been through the storm surge of Hurricane Earl, driven in temps ranging from -33 to 112*F, and powers through the muddiest of roads. It has also been through many, many, MANY hail cores and has more craters on it than the surface of the moon. In the bellow image you can see just a few of them. That massive dent in the bottom right corner is also from hail and is just over 1ft wide!

The Storm Trooper gets around 14 in town and 18 on the highways and is a very comfortable ride. The large leather seats are comfortable enough to fall asleep in when a hotel is not an option and she can comfortable seat 4 passengers with each having their own camera equipment and luggage with them.

When I got her the top things I considered were off road capability, comfort, economy, and size. While it is not the most economic it certainly could be worse. It is also the perfect size IMHO. Not too big where I feel like I am driving a boat yet not too small to take multiple people along.

Dependability was not on that list simply because I usually buy a cheap Jeep Cherokee for under 3k, drive it for a season or two till it blows up and then replace it. That said I have been surprised at how well this Jeep still runs and I hope to get another 300k miles out of her.

If I were ever to replace my chase vehicle it would likely be with another Jeep or a Subaru. Having owned both 4x4 and AWD vehicles I can safely say that for chasing AWD is the better choice between the two. I have considered a mini van before but with how aggressive I chase and how often I take back roads and now chase winter storms I don't think I will go that route. If money was not an option for me I would get the new 2011 Grand Cherokee with the Overland package.

 

[Tyler Allison]

nice bit of mall crawling there Bart

 

[Bart_Comstock]

Parking was limited and I always believed this was the proper procedure when parking a Jeep.

 

[J Tyler]

Sound the StormTrack alarm! Bart has both a lightbar AND a Skywarn sign!!! How can that BE?!?!

As for me, I'm another guy running a 4x4 Xterra. Notice in the shot below you do not see a light bar! But what might be hiding???

Oh, but wait a second! From the REAR you CAN see a lightbar! AGHGHGHGH, sound the StormTrack alarm again!!!! And a Skywarn sign too?!?!?! Oh, the HUMANITY!!!!

Now, joking aside for a moment!


The Xterra with the bigger all terrain tires averages 16mpg, so we spend $300 on fuel for a weekend. Good Lord. BUT, last November while chasing near Mt Pleasant Texas we came across a tree down on the road. Backtracking would have meant losing the storm, so I hopped out, rigged our recovery gear real quick and pulled the tree out of the way enough for us to pass. At one point we were on a mud road and came across a low section that was under water. Ignoring the "Turn Around Don't Drown" thing, we went thru it throwing 4 rooster tails of muddy water! Got home, and had 2" of MUD on THE ROOF of the truck! Outstanding. Short overhangs, big ground clearance, and aggresive all terrain tires rock. We drop the side step rails and go rock crawling/off roading on good weather weekends too....It also tows our travel trailer and boat.

Now, I've been looking and considering another chase vehicle. For *ME*, these are MY opinions:

I love the idea of using a Subaru, but the gas milage improvement is not enough for *ME* to give up the more capable true 4x4 Xterra. But, depending on your priorities, it might be a reasonable mixture of car comfort and economy plus capability.

Another good vehicle to consider is the Pontiac Vibe AWD. It gets EPA rated 30mpg and better than that in the real world. It has optional All Wheel Drive, and is a 5 door hatch. Killer vehicle, and a leading contender for me. My concerns are about low ground clearance, and small wheel openings hindering agressive all terrain tire sizes.

Another great vehicle is the 2010 and newer Chevrolet Equinox. Much larger than the Honda CR-V and Toyota Rav-4, a LOT nicer IMO, and it gets an EPA rated 32mpg without being a hybrid. It is available in AWD also. It has good ground clearance, and BIG wheel openings for All Terrain tires.

If your looking for good milage, you can also consider the new Chevy Cruze Eco that gets EPA rated 42mpg highway without the cost/complexity of a hybrid. Its a little bigger than the old Chevy Cobalt, and starts at $18,000. If gas gets toooooo high, this is the way I'm going.

Anyway, good luck.

 

[ericjkelly]

I have a 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid. LOVE THIS FOR CHASING! Its a small suv but has room for all my stuff. It has AWD. Plus it gets 30MPG.

Plus there is a 110 plug on the dash!