surfperch

High oil prices and a not-so-great economy has me tempted by the far below average prices I'm seeing for some nicely done 4x4 vehicles on Craigslist.

I grew up in a off-roading family but have willfully gone car-free for most of my life since I get a lot of pleasure (among many, many other benefits) out of commuting to work and around town by bike. I don't know why the bug is biting me so hard, perhaps having kids of my own now I want to share the fun I had as a kid with them. Having kids also lends itself to putting a lot more pressure on getting from point A to point B in a time frame that can be hard to achieve on a bike.

I keep trying to tell myself, "Look at the new bike and all the gadgets and gear you can get for half the price and don't even get me started on $4.33 a gallon for gas!" and I'm hoping I'll listen to myself soon.

Does anyone else get tempted away from commuting by bike?

SlimRider

Some Fridays I'd be so tired after work, that I'd just want to beam myself home. I would sometimes find myself thinking..." If I could just concentrate hard enough, maybe I could beam myself home"

Well of course, the very next thought was, " I think I'm going to drive all next week". Needless to say, the following Monday morning, I'd be right back on the bicycle again, commuting back to work!

ThermionicScott 

You bet. The whole 5-day forecast for my area calls for rain.

biknbrian

Temptation, what does that even mean? Sounds to me like you might want a 4x4 but you don’t want to let yourself want one for some reason.

Besides bikes, my other toy is a Jeep. That's right, both it and the bikes are TOYS. I don't have bikes to get in shape or save money or reduce pollution. I have them because I like them. I use them because I want to. I don't owe anything to bikes or bicycling. I don't work for my toys, my toys work for me. They exist to make my life more enjoyable. Since I bought my Jeep I do bicycle less, but I have more fun and to me that's progress.

Ask yourself whether you really want a 4x4 or whether you are just nostalgic. Of course there are the operating costs. Also try to remember how much work they can be if you are really using them. Consider how many places there are that you can actually use it. If after some thought you still feel like you want one then why wouldn’t you buy it?

tarwheel 

I am tempted to buy a new car or truck all of the time, but not for commuting. I really enjoy biking to work, and if I got a new vehicle, it would mainly be for weekend use. Fortunately I have a good truck -- a 1998 Ford Ranger that I bought new and has been nearly trouble free over the years. The cars I would be tempted to buy are all much less practical than my Ranger, which gets good gas mileage (5-speed manual with 4 cylinder) and is great for hauling around our kayaks and doing yard work.

I am satisfying my car urges through my wife's car. She drives a Honda Accord, and that is the car we will replace next because it gets driven the most. That is how I get away with all my spending on bikes. I tell my wife she can have the good car and I'll keep driving my truck as long as she doesn't complain about my bikes.

a1penguin

I test rode a couple of carbon road bikes on Saturday. Oh my! WANT! It was like riding on air. I figure I don't have many more riding years ahead of me so I might as well splurge now. It's not like I can't afford it; the oncall bonuses are outrageous. I'm happy with my 1995 Honda Civic; it still has the original clutch. I hope it lasts another five years.

Grim

Everything in Moderation.
I wheel some. I like Expedition type travel when I can disappear into the woods for a couple days, set a base camp and explore from. I have a Cosmetically challenged 86 4Runner 4cyl on 33's with a TRD Electric locking diff in the back. Everything is rebuilt but it needs paint, Interior needs seat covers and the A/C is out. As a home owner it gets a work out pulling trailers of land scape material. Nothing wrong with it, serves most of needs. Usually one tank of fuel gets me 4-6 weeks down the road. It will honestly get 24mpg on the hwy.

I do wish I had 4 doors. I live in GA and the A/C is missed in the summer. It has a hot rodded 22RE balanced, decked Etc but its still a motor that is not awe inspiring, Its still struggles with my large trailer I sue to tote the lawn tractor to moms when she needs some help.

FZJ80 LandCruisers I keep seeing for sale and its killing me. 95-97 with the factory lockers would be awesome. Did some measuring and with the split bench back seat I could bolt a couple fork Cleats to the floor and carry a pair of bikes upright in the back and still get the kiddo around.

The real problem is the 400+hp convertible 1970 LeMans (same body as a GTO) in the garage. LOL

DX-MAN

I commute by bike; I run all my errands on bike (except for brutal bad weather, when I take the bus). I have kids. When feasible, they go with me for errands.

Activities are few and far between for this town -- at least, ones that are both safe and acceptable. So we do things as a family.

I sold my last car in Sep. '04, and have had only the most miniscule temptation to buy another, and it's been years.

RobertFrapples

I hate driving to work, riding is much more fun. The thing that tempts me is the bus - I could have 2 hours of reading time a day.

tarwheel 

The vehicles that tempt me are cars like the Mini Cooper, new Ford Focus, Mazda 3 or Miata. Not very practical for my lifestyle, but fun to drive with decent gas mileage. However, I can't justify a new car when I consider that my pickup is totally paid off, largely trouble-free, and extremely practical for hauling kayaks, going camping, picking up furniture, doing odd jobs around the yard. So my bikes have become the vehicle(s) I splurge on. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on car payments, gas and other expenses, I spend much lesser amounts maintaining my stable of bikes -- currently 4 with another one on the way.

Stealthammer

I have been carfree for 23 out of the last 29 years so I am never really tempted to commute by any other means, but on weekends and clear weekday evenings I sometimes take one of these out for a putt. I generally try to put my helmet on before I leave the garage though, because I do worry about soiling my cycling rep.

enigmaT120

I converted my '58 Chevy to 4WD and last year I bought an '81 Toyota 4X4 to drive while I restore the Chevy. But I don't really go 4 wheeling. I have them for hauling stuff (firewood, garden stuff, what ever) around my place and to drive to work when I get snow. Even my motorcycles are mainly for transportation. But that's true for my bicycles too. When I don't have to go anywhere I generally stay home.

SuncoastChad

I don't get tempted by SUVs...of course, our family "car" is a 2003 Ford Explorer. We use it to tow the utility trailer, BBQ cooker, and our travel trailer. My vehicle is my Honda VTX 1300R...I got rid of my 2000 Chevy Cavalier and haven't regretted it - except maybe in August with 98 degree and 98 percent humidity!!
We are looking at a 1/2 to 3/4 ton truck next since we will be getting a 5th wheel travel rig - but that's down the road...the Explorer has been paid off for almost two years and that's a great feeling!

SuncoastChad

Love the bobber. The Yamajammer looks like a lot of fun, too!

locolobo13 

To each their own. My motor vehicle temptations would be

https://www.ramtrucks.com/hostc/bmo/C...2TA/summary.do

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_KLR650

Can't afford the first. Don't really have time for the second. I bought a smaller motorcycle (Honda CT90) a few years ago just before I started riding the bicycle again. Haven't touched it in the last year. I'm going to stick with my beater pickup 'til it dies. Then get another beater. Betcha used pickups are cheaper next year.

Rick@OCRR

My weekend car is a '97 Miata, and I do like it a lot and it is fun. It gets 30 mpg, so not too bad. My other car used to be my commuter, an '06 Honda Insight that gets 60-70 mpg, depending on how carefully I drive it. However, since it lost car-pool-lane capability I've been riding my bike to work (with Metro train) . . . so it would seem to be kind of useless.

Except . . . that now my wife drives the Insight to work instead of her Subaru Forester, on the days she doesn't ride her bike to work. And we still need the Forester since it's four-wheel-drive and we have a cabin in the mountains, where it snows a lot! So, we're kind of stuck with 3 cars, which is silly if/when we're both cycling to work and back!

Have been tempted to combine the Insight and the Miata (MX-5 to you Brits) by buying a Honda CR-Z. But, that would be more money out of pocket and it doesn't get the mileage of the Insight, nor does it corner as well as the Miata (plus you can't put the top down). And, all three of our cars are long-ago paid for, so there's that too.

Unlike the OP, I do not lust for an SUV . . . though its arguable that my wife's Subaru is a small SUV (we just think of it as a station wagon - or Estate Car for you Brits).

Rick / OCRR

idc

I'm tempted to order Domino's for dinner instead of cooking/doing dishes. Motor vehicles though, not really.

AdamDZ

I gave in to temptation and, even though I'm not too crazy about dropbars, I picked up a Specialized Rubaix yesterday. I rode home in 30 minutes which included stopping at the shop for some spare tubes. And I wasn't even trying to go fast since I wasn't used to the SRAM shifters yet. My best time on my kommuter is 40 minutes. The thing just glides with little effort and the ride was smoother than my kommuter with 2.0 tires.

TheTreauth

Since I started commuting to work I've given serious consideration to selling my 4x4 pickup and buying another bike haha. I really wish I lived in a city that would make it easier to live car free than the one I live in currently.

CabezaShok

4X4's, rock crawlers, jeeps...when off-road, all end up driving slower than a good cyclist could on a mountainbike...heck i bet i could jog faster than a rock crawler. And for the price of just one SuperSwamper 33" mud tire i could buy a decent used MTB on craigslist.

Grim

[Vadervoice]Welcome to the Dropside.[/Vadervoice]

I've driven trucks places I you couldnt walk forget mountain bike being able to make it. Your assumption about it being about speed is 100% wrong. I can run faster then my truck will go in 1st lowrange 3000 RPM and thats where it is most of the time on anything rough. My intent is not to spin the tires but to ease through it. I'm big into Tread lightly approach to off roading.

There are a lot of throttle junkies out there that give the sport the wrong impression Its quite fun but it can be quite expensive. My last truck had CTM Ujoints and custom alloy shafts in the front axle.....It was over $1000 in parts before we got into the locking differential. Thats why I got out of the hard core stuff any why I stick to bumping down forest service roads and camping. Camping on the top of "Helicopter Pad" at Tellico was some of the best views of a night sky you can find anywhere. If it was still open I'm not sure my current truck could make it to that spot.

As for tires. My bike rides on Gatorbacks, They are $60ish a piece.

My Truck rides on 33x12.50 BFG's that were $167 mounted an ballanced each

I get about 3500 miles out of a set of tires on my bike. I get 50,000 miles out of a set of tires on my truck and I have road hazard that so far has fixed every flat I have got. Its cheaper to drive the truck 50k then it is the bike.

I spent WAY more on my bikes in the last 4 years then I have on my truck even after rebuilding, The engine, Transmission, Regearing to 4.88, 33's with used wheels and the Used Locking diff I installed (not counting insurance and tags) since I do all my own labor. All that I paid for was parts and the machine work on the engine so thats a HUGE savings that many may not get.

Funny thing is I'd about break even on the truck if I sold it tomorrow. I'd still be way in the hole on the bikes.

AdamDZ

Ha ha ha!

ivan_yulaev

I love biking, but I also love driving and riding (motorcycles). I also love wrenching on basically anything with wheels. I definitely know what you mean by being tempted to buy a 4x4 or whatever. If you think you want to get one eventually anyway, don't let me stop you - maybe the time is right!

I don't think there's anything intrinsically wrong with owning a car. Obviously if you do most of your commuting by bicycle you don't put that many miles on it. If you drive infrequently, insurance is typically pretty cheap since your annual mileage is so low. I think I pay about $600/yr as a 23-year old for my car. I fill up about every three months, which costs another $50. Everything in moderation is right




Stealthammer - Based on your bikes, I bet your bicycle has playing cards in the spokes or some other such nonsense, am I right?