Geocaching vehicles

[Guest el10t]

I saw a thread on one of the general forums about the best vehicle for geocaching. Most of the responders in the States seemed to have 4x4 offroaders.

 

These don't seem as appropriate in the UK where one can often get within quarter of a mile of a cache using tarmac roads.

 

So, what do people use and why is it good for geocaching in? I have a Toyota Rav4 GX which I like but am thinking of changing it to something else.

[Guest Rich_Ella_Polly]

I use an Audi A4 1.8 T Sport.

It's good for geocaching because I can't get both kids in the Caterham 7 :-)

 

Rich

[Guest el10t]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rich_Ella_Polly:

I use an Audi A4 1.8 T Sport.

It's good for geocaching because I can't get both kids in the Caterham 7 :-)

---

 

You should talk to jeremyp - he is an Audi fan (I think)!

 

I entered a competition to win a Caterham but luck passed me by that day.

[Guest LazyLeopard]

Here I just use whatever car I happen to have. At the moment it's a Citroen ZX/SX diesel. The next one probably won't be a Citroen...

 

In Australia over Xmas a 4x4 would have made a difference, as there were quite a few caches that aren't really walkable from where the normal road ends. I did do one 6km bush walk to log a cache, but a 4x4 would have drastically reduced the distance I'd have had to walk, saved me from getting some monster blisters, and I probably wouldn't have had my lunch stolen either...

 

------------------

Purrs... LazyLeopard http://www.lazyleopard.org.uk

[Guest LazyLeopard]

Here I just use whatever car I happen to have. At the moment it's a Citroen ZX/SX diesel. The next one probably won't be a Citroen...

 

In Australia over Xmas a 4x4 would have made a difference, as there were quite a few caches that aren't really walkable from where the normal road ends. I did do one 6km bush walk to log a cache, but a 4x4 would have drastically reduced the distance I'd have had to walk, saved me from getting some monster blisters, and I probably wouldn't have had my lunch stolen either...

 

------------------

Purrs... LazyLeopard http://www.lazyleopard.org.uk

[Guest jeremyp]

I use an Audi A3 1.8T Quattro sport. It is a 4x4 but my owner's manual specifically says I should not use it for off-roading due to its almost zero ground clearance.

 

I haven't done any caches that remotely needed a real off-roader. The furthest I ever needed to walk for a cache would be SP6 and that was about a mile from the carpark (if you do all the SP caches, it is a much longer walk).

 

IMHO, the only requirement is that you don't care too much about getting the inside covered in mud.

[Guest Nicky]

We usually use an Alfa Romeo 156 V6. However, it does have very low ground clearance as I discovered at "in memory of my toe". The full (hilarious) story is below. We've also used our Nissan 300ZX which has more ground clearance then the Alfa! I've even taken it down mud tracks.

 

[We will remember this cache for a long time, but not for the right reasons. We read that people had driven quite close and followed a road marked on the Emap (Lanham Lane). The tarmac ran out, the hard surface turned soft and then deep mud . . . and finally the car got stuck.

 

Alfa Romeos are not famous for off-roading ability and all the pushing, using car mats to drive on and letting the tyres down didn't help.

 

Finally a White Knight in a Toyota Land Cruiser appeared and pulled us out. We then did the cache (well, we were so close) and retired exhausted.

 

The moral of this tale - don't drive up Lanham Lane unless you're in a 4x4, and don't trust every road marked on the Emap.]

[Guest chris n maria]

We Use a Mondeo,

 

Fold the back seat down and insert two mountain bikes & two sets of walking boots and then no cache is too far away

 

------------------

Chris

 

We are not lost, we just don't know where we are..

[Guest chris n maria]

We Use a Mondeo,

 

Fold the back seat down and insert two mountain bikes & two sets of walking boots and then no cache is too far away

 

------------------

Chris

 

We are not lost, we just don't know where we are..

[Guest Beth]

We have two Ford Fiesta's at the moment, although the Canadian caches we did were in Beth's Dodge Dakota pick-up.

 

I have to say a special thankyou to Dave and Nicky for getting their Alfa stuck, meant that I knew to park my car just before the dead end and walk....

[Guest Beth]

We have two Ford Fiesta's at the moment, although the Canadian caches we did were in Beth's Dodge Dakota pick-up.

 

I have to say a special thankyou to Dave and Nicky for getting their Alfa stuck, meant that I knew to park my car just before the dead end and walk....

[Guest GAZ]

We had a Shogun for a while, but it cost too much to feed it!!!, we use my Cavalier 1.7TD

now,as I can get as much as 54mpg!!!

 

GAZ (Carlisle)

[Guest The Northumbrian]

kes remain the property of the author

[Guest The Scout]

We've just bought a new VW Sharan MPV, nice ride height, plenty of room and economic. would recommend it to anyone! Good for towing too.

[Guest jeremyp]

quote:

---

Originally posted by The Northumbrian:

 

no servicing for 2 years [/b]

---

 

Two years? How many miles? Mine has an automatic sensor in it which can tell when the engine needs servicing. Although I think the algoritm is "has he done 20,000 miles yet?"

[Guest jstead]

Reading this topic I was beginning to feel very small carwise until the Yaris popped up. You see, I mainly use an MCC Smart, there are those who suggest I hide it as a cache! But its great fun and so easy to tuck into any corner for parking. I suppose if I want to carry two mountain bikes I will have to borrow my wife's Honda, but for myself I do have a folding Bickerton bike which goes almost anywhere, even if the rider gets a few strange looks. But then what Geocacher doesn't from time to time!

[Guest Kimrobin]

Until the middle of last year we had a Discovery but it used too much fuel so I bought an Audi A2. Total opposites.

 

It is just as well I did because there is no way that we would be doing geocaching in the Land Rover at 20p a mile.

 

The A2 has the service indicator too, which at the moment shows it will need its first full service at 32,500 miles.

 

I must admit that there are times (Limestone Arches) when the Land Rover would be more suitable, but as for the economics of it, the A2 is great.

[Guest lemdip]

...two legs and a Gunmetal Specialized Rockhopper Comp A1 (1996 model). Yes, it's a bike!

[Guest The Northumbrian]

quote:

---

Originally posted by jeremyp:

Two years? How many miles? Mine has an automatic sensor in it which can tell when the engine needs servicing. Although I think the algoritm is "has he done 20,000 miles yet?"

---

It should have had a service at due march , I have clocked up a lot of miles since Geocaching and have 32,0000 on the clock, It made a big difference to the price they offered me , I lost about £900 on it , still I like these Verso'sand get my next one on Friday , something else I noticed is the fact that I normally only do about 10,000 miles a year how it affected my new insurance premium ,when I told them yesterday that I will be doing about 13 to 15 k per year, this Geocaching mileage soon mounts up.

I have a merc pick-up as well , so I might put a few Caching miles on it to save the car

 

Local one's anyway

 

------------------

The Northumbrian

[Guest Monz]

Used to be a 350bhp 170mph Supra but at 10mpg with brain engaged and god knows how many with silly button pressed

Now have a 50mpg Ford Orion that has a volume control for an accelerator... well it must be, all that happens when you press it is the engine gets louder... it never goes any faster (PS Commute 500 miles a week)

[Guest Monz]

Used to be a 350bhp 170mph Supra but at 10mpg with brain engaged and god knows how many with silly button pressed

Now have a 50mpg Ford Orion that has a volume control for an accelerator... well it must be, all that happens when you press it is the engine gets louder... it never goes any faster (PS Commute 500 miles a week)