What would be the perfect roadtrip vehicle for a four-person cross-canada trip?

May 30, 2008 12:54 PM

In August, a friend and I are planning on driving from montreal to vancouver, where we will meet two friends of ours finishing their summer reservist stints, go camping for a bit somewhere in B.C., and then drive home. The majority of our friends' gear can be shipped home via military mail, but we will need to take all of our stuff out with us, and take our friends' camping + living stuff back to quebec. What would be the perfect vehicle for this trip?

I'm planning on buying a vehicle specifically with this trip in mind, which I will store/sell once I get back to quebec. I am willing to purchase from any quebec/ontario metro area, and am also willing to purchase from anywhere in the states that's less than a 14h drive from montreal.

I'm interested in something fun, and something that may not be particularly practical; I initially thought there would only be two of us on this trip, and was looking into an E30 convertible, but that's no longer practical.

So, given the criteria that 4 full-sized man-boys and all their crap must be able to comfortably travel for over 3000 miles, what are our viable options? I'm now leaning towards an older volvo station wagon, but i'm pretty fickle and am sure I'll have a better idea shortly.


other stuff:

-my budget would be around 10k for something awesome, and 5k as a sort of general target.

-I don't really like SUVs, although something like an older land-rover could be fun.

-The CAF are covering my two friends' travel costs, up to a certain limit, which means we probably don't have to pay for fuel on the trip back.

-practicality is cool and all, but I have all the rest of my life to learn from my mistakes, and only so long to make 'em.

-I'm sure i've forgotten something important, so let me know and I'll try to clarify.

so without further ado, motorhead-mefites, gimme your best shot.

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

I've done almost exactly the same trip, with 3 friends, a couple of years ago. We had a station wagon with a plastic travel case on top. If I had to do it again, I'd go with a small van. Riding a car with 4 people and lots of luggage for such a long trip seems pretty though on the engine, especially once you hit the Rockies. But I would keep the travel case. It's just so practical to have all your camping gear on the top and keep food and useful items in the car. The packing-unpacking operation is much smoother. Just make sure you get a decent case (Thule-type) with good locks. The S/W makes it also easy to get something from the trunk.


Oh and if you plan on visiting National Parks, get your monthly pass for the car; it'll quickly pay itself back.
posted by ddaavviidd at 1:10 PM on May 30, 2008

If you have the cash to get in upfront, one possibility would be a VW Eurovan. Compact, holds stuff, sleeps four if need be. And, while it's not the cheapest option, they hold their value very well - there's quite an active used market in them - and you should be able to get most of your money back out at the other end.
posted by Naberius at 3:30 PM on May 30, 2008

You're in luck, Pinzgauer Canada just happens to be in Laval! Do you know how impressed your friends will be when you show up with one of the most capable all-terrain vehicles ever made.

If nothing else you should as them for a test drive and let them show you what it can do.
posted by furtive at 8:25 PM on May 30, 2008

I should also note that I've seen one parked with a for sale sign somewhere near St-Urbain and Villeneuve up until March (have been out of town since then).
posted by furtive at 8:26 PM on May 30, 2008