My game is mud.

January 10, 2018 10:05 PM

I am in the market for a new used car. I really like the car I have, but I just accepted a job at a quarry where conditions are often muddy and messy. It pains me when the current car gets as dirty as it gets. What might I try instead?

Here are the deets:

I am close to owning a 2009 Honda Civic (loan almost paid off). I like this car, but the conditions at the quarry are such that mud cakes in the wheel wells if the weather includes precipitation, or if a winter thaw occurs, etc. Assume that mud and lots of dust are constant concerns. In addition, the mud is almost oily-it really adheres to surfaces on the car such that a normal car wash doesn't really get all of the residue off, and as I have discovered, normal car wash programs don't really do wheel wells. It takes a sustained power washing with a wand in a bay...and in the winter, that stinks...(assume also Midwest winters).

I think I may need a more rugged vehicle.

Here are some of the qualities I have in mind:
-Preferably $15K or less
-4WD/AWD
-Borderline beater may work

Additional concerns:
-Really cold winters/road salt

Not major concerns:
-Gas mileage-commutes are generally short

I've been shopping for Jeeps so far...older Cherokees are looking pretty good, but I am also eyeing newer Jeeps. I'm open to all suggestions.

For a bit of context my co-workers drive a wide range of pickups, which are generally the vehicle of choice.

posted by mustachio to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

It would be cheaper to pay someone $75/week to thoroughly wash your current car than to buy another one.
posted by bendy at 1:45 AM on January 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

I don't see why you'd stay away from a pickup. Don't get me wrong -- Cherokees are great vehicles. But pickups can do a lot of things that a Cherokee can't, and I'm guessing you can get into one for a lot less $$$.

Watch craiglist every day, for a while, you'll get a sense of what a good price is on a solid vehicle.
posted by dancestoblue at 4:32 AM on January 11, 2018

Best answer: Jeeps seem relatively expensive. I'd look for a Toyota RAV4 in your price range. I have a Ford Ranger small truck. It's not particularly fun to drive, doesn't handle terribly well, isn't well-engineered. It's good for hauling stuff and will pull a small camper. I had a RAV4 that was not 4WD, which would have been quite nifty in snowy Maine, but it did fine, and we even went off-road a couple times. Higher clearance than the Honda Civic I got to replace it, better handling than my little truck, comfortable and pleasant to drive. Higher clearance, i.e., higher off the ground, will help with the mud.

To help any vehicle stay cleaner, get a good wax job. Pastewax will help dirt slide off. You might be able to find some sort of silicone-based rinse that would help mud rinse out of wheel wells. I was at an auto parts place not long ago, browsing while they swapped my tires, and there are a lot of products to pretty up cars; one or two of them might actually work.
posted by theora55 at 7:38 AM on January 11, 2018

Mudflaps front and rear will also help keep any vehicle cleaner.
posted by Harald74 at 5:28 AM on January 12, 2018