Viggen
Just here...
I was thinking about the same thing. I was big into the offroad scene when I was in high school and college (read, had the disposable income and surely enough free time) but when I graduated, I got into cars for their ease of maneuverability, parking ease and better gas mileage and also started seriously biking. I discovered that the more I spent on a truck, the less money I had for my bikes and that was an easy equation for me to solve; eliminate the truck and save $$$. An XJ on 34's wasnt what I really needed in the first place. It was great to look at but was a pain to live with and un needed in almost all situations. I went through a few cars and then ended up grabbing an 09 Outback SE (5mt, limited slip rear, viscous locking center, heated seats, alloy wheels, Harmon/ Kardon sound, fogs, etc...) and am extremely happy with it. It hauls all my bike equipment around in the large hatch area, the Thule T2 handles my bikes perfectly and can handle getting knocked around on trails, low cost of ownership, great mpg, easy to handle around the urban/ suburban area and it really is fun to drive.
I had it out in blizzard like conditions over the Thanksgiving break and it handled it like it was nothing and got me to the trailhead, a rough two track, extremely easily. Is it perfect? Nope, not by a long shot. I would love a little more clearance, a little more AT style tire, and some skid plates for that added security. Does it fit my needs? Absolutely. I love biking and getting out in the woods to hunt/ shoot but if Im being honest with myself, its all the car that I need. The way that land closures are hitting around here, everything is trailhead parking with parks and land closed off to anything motorized. Would I love to have a roof top tent, 34's, an ARB setup with winch and air lockers, sliders, etc...? Hell yeah I would. It would give me a great feeling in the pants everytime I saw it but would it be worth it considering it would be my daily driver and get terrible mpg, not to mention the headache of having to steer it and park it around DC? Not really. My dream would be something like a diesel 4Runner or diesel XTerra (pipe dreams I know). I would keep the room/ size of the Outback, gain a little more offroad prowess and pick up some mpg. That would be a great truck but the $15k it would cost to have someone convert it for me (again, it would be my daily and the time frame for conversion is too long to be without a car and although I have the mechanical ability to do the swap myself, I dont have the time) is a lump I just cant swallow.
Like a post above me said, if you need it, keep it. If you dont and are spending money feeding it and/ or are never actually using it, sell it. For me, the middle ground between need and want is my Outback. Do I dream/ want a more capable vehicle? Absolutely. Do I need said vehicle? Not really. Could I create a need for a more capable expedition style vehicle? Yes I could but it would be a stretch and not happen nearly often enough to justify the money involved in building said vehicle. I take the amount of money that Im not spending feeding a big overbuilt gas SUV and pour it into my bikes (road and mountain that, unlike SUVs, I can take anywhere) and am starting to plan a few biking trips. I love looking at the rigs on this site and am in love with the concept of a expedition rig but on the East Coast, there really arent too many opportunities to use such a rig. I understand your conundrum. I really do. I could pick up a build 80 for not a lot of money as resale isnt that high but the reality is that I live in an apartment, surrounded by the great paved suburbs and am an hour or two+ away from any place where I could use a built rig. As an alternative, I could drive the Outback there on the paved roads, getting great gas mileage, unload the bike once I get there, ride into the woods, come out to the Outback and drive back on the same tank of gas. MPG isnt everything but it sure makes life easier and since life isnt getting any cheaper, a penny saved and all that. I would love a built 80 like yours but I just couldnt use it. You might not be able to use it either so why keep it?
I had it out in blizzard like conditions over the Thanksgiving break and it handled it like it was nothing and got me to the trailhead, a rough two track, extremely easily. Is it perfect? Nope, not by a long shot. I would love a little more clearance, a little more AT style tire, and some skid plates for that added security. Does it fit my needs? Absolutely. I love biking and getting out in the woods to hunt/ shoot but if Im being honest with myself, its all the car that I need. The way that land closures are hitting around here, everything is trailhead parking with parks and land closed off to anything motorized. Would I love to have a roof top tent, 34's, an ARB setup with winch and air lockers, sliders, etc...? Hell yeah I would. It would give me a great feeling in the pants everytime I saw it but would it be worth it considering it would be my daily driver and get terrible mpg, not to mention the headache of having to steer it and park it around DC? Not really. My dream would be something like a diesel 4Runner or diesel XTerra (pipe dreams I know). I would keep the room/ size of the Outback, gain a little more offroad prowess and pick up some mpg. That would be a great truck but the $15k it would cost to have someone convert it for me (again, it would be my daily and the time frame for conversion is too long to be without a car and although I have the mechanical ability to do the swap myself, I dont have the time) is a lump I just cant swallow.
Like a post above me said, if you need it, keep it. If you dont and are spending money feeding it and/ or are never actually using it, sell it. For me, the middle ground between need and want is my Outback. Do I dream/ want a more capable vehicle? Absolutely. Do I need said vehicle? Not really. Could I create a need for a more capable expedition style vehicle? Yes I could but it would be a stretch and not happen nearly often enough to justify the money involved in building said vehicle. I take the amount of money that Im not spending feeding a big overbuilt gas SUV and pour it into my bikes (road and mountain that, unlike SUVs, I can take anywhere) and am starting to plan a few biking trips. I love looking at the rigs on this site and am in love with the concept of a expedition rig but on the East Coast, there really arent too many opportunities to use such a rig. I understand your conundrum. I really do. I could pick up a build 80 for not a lot of money as resale isnt that high but the reality is that I live in an apartment, surrounded by the great paved suburbs and am an hour or two+ away from any place where I could use a built rig. As an alternative, I could drive the Outback there on the paved roads, getting great gas mileage, unload the bike once I get there, ride into the woods, come out to the Outback and drive back on the same tank of gas. MPG isnt everything but it sure makes life easier and since life isnt getting any cheaper, a penny saved and all that. I would love a built 80 like yours but I just couldnt use it. You might not be able to use it either so why keep it?