Is a station wagon a good storm chasing vehicle?

Nate Weikal

Nate Weikal

EF0
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Messages
33
Location
San Antonio, TX
As severe weather season approaches, I'm going to need a new chase vehicle. My trusty Crown Victoria police interceptor is now my work vehicle and has the company logos on it. I agreed on paper I won't use that vehicle to "bring invasive attention" to the company. I'm looking for a vehicle that is cheap, fuel efficient, reliable, durable, and has enough room for me to sleep in it overnight. These station wagons best match my expectations:
-Ford escort, Focus, and Taurus.
-Saturn Sl series ( the dent resistant panels will leave my wallet happier if I ever run into a whopper of a hailstorm)
-VW Jetta and Golf (diesels, the gas VW's are too unreliable)
-Mercedes 300TD diesel
-Any older Volvo wagon

To anyone on here who chases with a station wagon, is it worth it?
 
If you're looking at full size wagons because you're planning on camping in it, don't overlook minivans. That's a big reason why I drive one as I can fit a twin mattress in the back with additional room for coolers and bags. Having a full bed made up with my own pillows and blankets is often a lot better than checking into some crappy motel and paying money for it. I looked at a few wagons when I was car shopping and in many of them I couldn't lay completely flat or would have to lay diagonal with my feet wedged somewhere or my head coming off the top of a folded over a seat. I went to CarMax and sprawled out in the back of a bunch of makes and models to the amusement of the salesperson.

Beyond that, any car suited for all weather cross country driving is fine for chasing as long as it meets your needs.
 
The first car that I chased with was a Buick Roadmaster Estate wagon. I loved the comfort, power and surprisingly good (27 mpg) gas mileage. The down side to those full size wagons is that they are rear wheel drive with very little ground clearance. I stopped using it because the damn thing would get stuck on wet grass, so I could never leave paved roads, or even fully pull off onto the shoulder. As far as mid sized wagons go, I have owned them also, and I think a minivan would be better.
 
I chased in saturn for a number of years. After you see this photo, you may want to stay away from the hail (your hood and roof will still be dented). Picture is from a hail storm that hit OKC one year. Dentless, yes; Shatterproof, no -



To add to what Skip said, minivans do tend to get decent gas mileage for their size. Even the old 1999 models would get around 23mpg. Nothing compares on interior space. You can always just sleep in the drivers seat, but you wont be comfy. If sleeping in the vehicle is a big deal to you, I would go the minivan route. The sliding rear doors make it easier to get your gear in and out even in the strongest winds. If my wife was not so opposed to them, it is probably what I would be driving now. Also minivans tend to be pretty cheap, since most people dont want them.
 
I started with the same plan (Looked at outbacks, freestyles, Imprezza wagon, Volvo XC70.... I ended up with a 4wd V6 RAV 4...26 MPG and 240hp. Big enough that you can push the back seats down and sleep when needed, way more power than the other options which is a big bonus. It won't fit a full size mattress i don't think. I was just going to use camping gear. My only beef is that it has a tiny gas tank. Only has about 300 mile range. real world gas mileage clocks in at about 24.
 
I had a Ford Freestyle wagon hybrid from 2005 to 2009. Smaller than a full size SUV, but bigger than wagons like the Outback. To date, it was my favorite chase vehicle of all I've driven in terms of comfort, gas mileage (27mpg), handling and interior space combined. My only complaint was its breakdown-prone nature. All of the seats (including up front) would fold flat for lots of stretch-out space, but in practice they were not comfortable enough to sleep on. I tried using roll-up camping mattresses as an overlay, but those weren't thick enough. A full-size mattress would have worked, but not as well as in a minivan (there would be very little space between the roof and the mattress for gear). I always ended up just sleeping in the passenger seat, which would fold just flat enough to barely get comfortable.

If I could get anything I wanted right now and gas mileage was not an issue, I'd get some type of AWD Freestyle/Taurus X again and probably go Skip's route of a full-time mattress during chase trips.
 
As it stands right now, I have my 2013 Fusion for chasing. Great gas mileage, really smooth and comfortable on the road, and with it being relatively new, it's pretty reliable. But I have another vehicle in my arsenal that would indeed make for a great chase vehicle if I so pleased. I have a 1997 4Runner SR5 4x4 with 306k original miles. I've never really made an effort to chase in it simply because it doesn't get great gas mileage. Plus with the miles on it I feel like it could get a random problem while chasing. But the rear seats fold forward enough to make the back a sleeping area. It's very tempting to try the whole chase and sleep in the same vehicle. I may try it this year and hope mechanically it stays solid.
 
S Kalka said:
The first car that I chased with was a Buick Roadmaster Estate wagon. I loved the comfort, power and surprisingly good (27 mpg) gas mileage. The down side to those full size wagons is that they are rear wheel drive with very little ground clearance. I stopped using it because the damn thing would get stuck on wet grass, so I could never leave paved roads, or even fully pull off onto the shoulder. As far as mid sized wagons go, I have owned them also, and I think a minivan would be better.
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Yea, that's the only downside of my crown vic other than the rear seat unable to fold down. Rwd= getting stuck in the mud quite often. I'm just worried how a minivan will handle in high winds. I had a difficult time with my crown vic if I ever got caught in powerful RFD winds. I imagine a taller vehicle like a minivan would be quite tedious to handle in the same situation.
 
Wesley Luginbyhl said:
I chased in saturn for a number of years. After you see this photo, you may want to stay away from the hail (your hood and roof will still be dented). Picture is from a hail storm that hit OKC one year. Dentless, yes; Shatterproof, no -



To add to what Skip said, minivans do tend to get decent gas mileage for their size. Even the old 1999 models would get around 23mpg. Nothing compares on interior space. You can always just sleep in the drivers seat, but you wont be comfy. If sleeping in the vehicle is a big deal to you, I would go the minivan route. The sliding rear doors make it easier to get your gear in and out even in the strongest winds. If my wife was not so opposed to them, it is probably what I would be driving now. Also minivans tend to be pretty cheap, since most people dont want them.
Click to expand...

Oh wow, I thought Saturns were better made than that. Thanks for showing me this. I can scratch the saturn off that list. The only problem I have with minivans is that they're taller vehicles so I'm worried how they'll handle in high wind.
 
I chase with a 2007 Subaru Forester. I'm 6'4 and can sleep in it, although I don't tend to sleep stretched out completely. Can get a little claustrophobic and if you really need to take a leak in the middle of the night, it can be a bit awkward getting out. Averaging in the low 20mpg-wise, so not too bad for AWD and 225ish HP.

As Skip mentioned, minivans really are up there with the pros vs cons for their capabilities. I've been watching craigslist with a possible 2016 chase vehicle being a late 90's early 00's AWD caravan/town & country that I can get on the cheap and replace/repair (myself) all the typical gremlins found in those earlier models. The real draws are great visibility, lots of interior room, and for me in particular, since I shoot so much lightning, dual sliding doors to be able to set up a tripod and chair inside when its raining. Sitting in the back of a forester with the camera under the open hatch works, but not for long with a bad back and sketchy knees. Throw on some grippy tires and a FWD or AWD mini should be able to get wherever you need to go, being smart of course.

As far as cross winds, minivans really aren't that big. A lot of people here chase in small to full size SUV's and their cross section is comparable. It's not like you're going to go out chasing in a full size work van or a u-haul.
 
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Other than the back seat not folding down, the only problem with my crown vic is the rwd. I got stuck in wet grass before just mere inches from the road. Other than that, excellent vehicle. Mine has almost 200K miles but still runs great. Never ever failed to start on me. Very durable too. I would buy another one in a heartbeat for a chase vehicle if they made a wagon version.

The other vehicle I really like is the Mercedes 300TD wagon. They're older vehicles but they're immortal and built like a tank. Plus it's a diesel. Those engines have been known to last for a million miles and a are a favorite to convert to run on FREE veggie oil.
 
Marc R. O'Leary said:
I chase with a 2007 Subaru Forester. I'm 6'4 and can sleep in it, although I don't tend to sleep stretched out completely. Can get a little claustrophobic and if you really need to take a leak in the middle of the night, it can be a bit awkward getting out. Averaging in the low 20mpg-wise, so not too bad for AWD and 225ish HP.

As Skip mentioned, minivans really are up there with the pros vs cons for their capabilities. I've been watching craigslist with a possible 2016 chase vehicle being a late 90's early 00's AWD caravan/town & country that I can get on the cheap and replace/repair (myself) all the typical gremlins found in those earlier models. The real draws are great visibility, lots of interior room, and for me in particular, since I shoot so much lightning, dual sliding doors to be able to set up a tripod and chair inside when its raining. Sitting in the back of a forester with the camera under the open hatch works, but not for long with a bad back and sketchy knees. Throw on some grippy tires and a FWD or AWD mini should be able to get wherever you need to go, being smart of course.

As far as cross winds, minivans really aren't that big. A log of people here chase in small to full size SUV's and their cross section is comparable. It's not like you're going to go out chasing in a full size work van or a u-haul.
Click to expand...

If I'd buy a minivan, it'd be a Ford Aerostar, Freestar, Honda Odyssey, or the Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth vans, although the latter have been known for their many issues including the transmission. But then again, I see a lot of those with high miles (200K+), so I figure it's a good engine with a mediocre transmission.
 
I do the Subaru Outback wagon as well, and use a crib mattress along with extra comforters for building a sleeping in the back. I'm 6'4" and pretty fat, but the crib mattress covers all the pressure points down to below my knees and provides enough support. There just wasn't room for a twin or air mattress, and comforters/sleeping mats weren't making it comfortable enough.
To lay flat out at 6'4", you do have to do an angle, but there are plenty of comfortable positions in the somewhat narrow sleeping area(head at the back hatch). Plus the angled sleeping area leaves room for a cooler in one corner and other items in the other corner.
 
Marc R. O'Leary said:
As far as cross winds, minivans really aren't that big. A lot of people here chase in small to full size SUV's and their cross section is comparable. It's not like you're going to go out chasing in a full size work van or a u-haul.
Click to expand...

I'd have to agree here, I spent 10 days driving the massive COD vans, which fared fine in gust fronts, dust storms and the RFD. When I jumped in my minivan when we got back it felt like I was sitting in a low to the ground compact coupe. I haven't had any issue with control or stability in high winds. I put some all terrain Geolandar tires on it which, along with the big engine and skid control, seem to help quite a bit on mud and wet surfaces. The T&C had the largest engine of the minivans in '10 and it makes a big difference, accelerating from a stop on the side of the road, or recovering yourself from the mud. The engine made a big difference when I went from my '99 Chrysler Voyager to the T&C. Gas mileage is comparable to many wagons and crossovers too.

Size comparison on the full size and mini:
14062001.jpg


I've taken it completely off road and camped in the undeveloped plains with it. A truck would probably be recommended for that, but I was able to get the van in and out without issue.
10549278_10101070409143511_1462953848246105174_o.jpg


A perk to the Town and Country and Caravans are the stow and go seats. All the rear seats fold completely flat into the floor inside of little bins, which makes transitioning from camping solo with a bed to taking 5 people with you a snap.
 
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