Hello everyone.
I'm planning a road trip to Alaska and maybe living there for a year or so. (My brother lives there)
I recently sold my S to pay off my student loan and now drive a 2004 Civic. I've visited last year summer and
the road condition was horrible and don't think my Civic with 176K miles will help.
I'll be driving through ALCAN highway and heard many stories of the road conditions.
The Civic would be sold to fund a 4wd beater to take on the Alaska winter.
I've thought of couple cars that would do the job but can't make up my mind.
My requirements:
1. Automatic
2. 4wd or awd
3. No trucks
4. Under $6k

Here are the candidates.
Toyota 4Runner
Nissan Xterra
Land Rover Discovery II
Any Subaru
Jeep Cherokee
Honda CRV

I live in Tennessee so awd was never needed.
I would love inputs from people who live north with snow on a regular basis, and
your winter beater experiences.
Thanks alot guys.

 

Hey I was actually live here in Anchorage,proud owner of an ap1( sebring silver with all red interior) .
Any of these cars that u mention will be fine. However I do lean more towards a CRV or a subaru because of the great fuel economy you'll typically get.

 

i owned a 97' Jeep Grand Cherokee and many subaru's. I would go with either of these as you can find great examples of both for well under $6k. I sold my JGC with 150k miles on it to get a small pickup when i moved. I really miss that truck, had it for 5 years and the only parts i replaced were Starter and Battery. Mine was the 4.0 liter straight six and those are just bullet proof. The 4wd in the Jeep is awesome and would do really well in Alaska. I sold mine for $2,500 with zero issues and fully knowing it would run for another 150k easy, i wish i kept it.

On subaru's, i would look for a Legacy wagon for utility purposes. Listen for Engine knocks and check for oil leaks. Also dont just assume because it is a subaru it has all wheel drive. Some older legacy's were fwd only so be careful about that. In the Jeep i got 15 mpg and you can double taht with a legacy so it is up to you. The jeep is fantastic in the snow and on uncompromising roads. The legacy would cruise better and get better mpg while doing 90% of what the jeep could do.

If it were me (i may be biased) i would get a Kawasaki KLR, farkle it out with baggage, get some heated gear, and ride it to the end of the earth. It would be the experience of a lifetime and one i wish i had time for on my Triumph Tiger 800xc.

Good luck!

 

http://www.expeditionportal.com

Read and learn.

 

I'm a little biased, as I've owned around six Land Rovers, but I say go for the Disco II. You can get them at great prices, if you are somewhat mechanically skilled you can do any of the work yourself (save for the ABS computer), and they are VERY capable in all conditions, and very comfy on long trips. If you go this route, stay away from the 2003 models as they did not have a locking center differential. The 2000-2002 have them (some don't, but I've yet to run across one that didn't), but you have to crawl under the truck to lock it (you can fit Disco I transfer case handle to a Disco II box, and have the ability to lock it from the cabin. 2004 already had that in them, plus the larger 4.6L V8.

 

I rode a stock sport bike to Fairbanks and back from Austin a couple years ago. It's not that bad. Lots of people in Alaska drive civic type cars although a 4wd is obviously better. Getting up there shouldn't be a problem though.

 

4runner without a doubt

 

Jeep (Wrangler) or a Toyota 4 runner/landcruiser are the only vehicles id take to Alaska for REAL fun.

 

Where in Alaska are you moving to? What time of the year are you driving? I lived in Fairbanks for 3 years (with my AP2- that I only drove in summer)

Make sure you buy the Milepost. It shows which gas stations/services operate year round and which ones close in the winter. It also points out every detail of the ALCAN down to every red flag. (frost heave/massive bump indicators.) I would be skeptical about trying to drive the ALCAN in the winter with a older vehicle. Make sure you trust whatever vehicle you have if you are. The Yukon gets quite lonely. But, if you are driving in summer, almost anything will work.

I drove the Alcan in late November a couple years back with my Titan and pulled my S the whole way to NM. I also drove a bit of the Alcan in a Sante Fe. Both worked great.

 

I'll be moving to Anchorage. What I want the vehicle to do is be able to do alot of offroading while being comfy for
every day duty. Gas mileage isn't a issue at all and I'll probably upgrade to a better vehicle in a year if I decide to stay.
This vehicle will teach me how to survive in Alaska.