Whats a good beach car

There is a saying about the 4 cylinder 22r and 22re engines: Forged from Satan's bung hole in the hottest depths of hell, it will do anything to never, ever go back. ie--you can't kill them.

 

You got links for where to get these? The Haynes and Chiltons have done me fine, and I supplement with forum/tutorial searches from enthusiasts. They're typically copious in deets and photos.

If you've got better resources I'm stoked to learn more. DIY until it becomes cost-prohibitive due to your own time loss or needing a lift or compressor, etc.

 

I've not yet heard that tag line but it sounds catchy. Had some in my inner circle of buds with these whips over the years and plenty of hell was raised in them. Don't recall any fixes needed either.

 

You have to order them through the dealership... usually around $100 but they pay for themselves the first time you do something beyond routine maintenance.

I will say, though, they won't do the work for you--I had a TIME replacing my transmission and rebuilding my transfer case last week. This was also in my buddy's shop with everything you could possibly want on hand. But man, it sure was fun!

 

But think of how many future fixes will be a cinch now that you've literally taken apart and put back together half of what's under the hood. Fun stuff if you've got the time. There's something that makes you feel good about things you've built/repaired with your hands.

Thanks for the tip bouts the manuals. So what's the diff between the MFR ones and the other two brands? More deets and pics?

 

Not all AWD are the same...

what you descrive sounds more like 4x4 limited slip.

 

IN REGARDS TO CARS AND NOT TRUCKS/SUV's, I HAD A TOYOTA MATRIX (ALL WHEEL DRIVE) THAT FIT MY 9'0" IN NO PROBLEM ALONG WITH A SHORTBOARD. GOOD ON GAS AS WELL!

 

Regarding service manuals, I don't know about other manufacturers but I worked at Dodge dealers for decades. Other manufacturers are likely similar. Chrysler stopped printing service manuals on a regular basis about ten years ago. For a time you could still get them as print-on-demand but they were expensive. You were basically paying for somebody to print out individual pdfs and bind them. At first they went to CDs but now everything is done online. There is good and bad to it. The info can be updated as needed but access for the average Joe is next to impossible. Heck, you don't even get a printed owner's manual anymore just a DVD.

Also be aware that as vehicles became more complex, they started splitting the service info into many different volumes. You'd have your basic service manual telling you how to change out this or that. But there would be a separate manual for say transmissions, then one for engine driveability diagnostics, one for body electronic diag, one for ABS system diag and so on. You'd probably end up with a dozen or so books just for one car model.If you go to a Chrysler dealer and ask to buy a service manual they'll send you here: https://www.techauthority.com/en-US/Pages/Home.aspx Good luck!

I'm an old fart and can remember when all you needed for service info fit in one book. The complete wiring diagram for a vehicle would fit on a half dozen pages of that book. Now the wiring diagrams would occupy an entire volume the size of a big city phone book. BTW, anybody seen a phone book lately?

 

I know this doesn't fit the OP's criteria. It's not a 4x4 but an 8x8, it is a truck and fuel economy is not one of it's selling points. But it does have plenty of room for boards and gear and , man, you could do some surf spot exploration with this sucker. When I hit the lottery I'm gettin me one just ta have: http://www.unicat.com/ua-en/info/MXXL24AH-MAN8x8-sh.php

 

given my sister's experience w/ her fiesta, i can't afford to drive a ford! it has been the living embodiment of the the "Found On Road Dead" joke. this week's clincher? she got a flat & couldn't change it b/c the tire iron supplied w/ the car didn't fit the lug nuts on the wheel.
i think ford's quality has gone downhill. i learned to drive in a '92 explorer & the thing was awesome & went anywhere. drove it till it died (cracked block after hitting a deer) w/ just shy of 190k. i doubt any of the new generation explorers will reach that or do what that one did.

 

Yes, bro. In the glove box of the DeLorean.

 

I think it depends on the car/truck... People have good/bad experiences with Ford, GM, Jeep, VW etc...
My friend has a 2006 F150 with 200K miles and has had no issues.

I know people have had issue with Grand Cherokees. I have a 2007 with 230K miles (I drive A LOT) and have not had any trouble.

 

AMC eagle or Unimog [/ end thread]

 

"good beach car" Have to start somewhere so work down from this classic beach car


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http://www.supercars.net/cars/976.html

 

hey gf is that you in the fedora taking the pic? sweet hat

 

good on ya there mate...

"hey you guys!"

to the OP i was gonna write "someone else's car" is the best beach car to have and its true.

 

definitely true. seems like i'm hearing more & more bad stories about fords lately, though. \

& i thought i had a lot of miles on my '08 grand w/ 102k! wow! glad to hear that yours has held up, though. i don't plan on letting mine go any time soon.

 

Oh crap, I wasn't even thinking about that! To clarify--I was speaking in terms of a pre-97 or so... preferably something OBD I. I have a body & chassis (pretty much the general service manual), one for my tranny and another that is only exploded views of components and their associated parts lists with numbers. Probably 400 pages or so.... Funny thing is I also have them as PDF's in my dropbox so I can view them all at my buddy's shop and only print the pages I need... and not feel bad when I use the paper as rags!

Yes

Yes

That woody's giving me a woody.

 

We're on our second 4 runner and both have been great on the beach, even in soft sand. Was driving the wife nuts driving like 40mph on the sand on the core banks last year. Not sure if that meets your requirement for a "car" since it's built on a truck frame and drives like a truck, but we've been very happy with it.