Car and Cell phone questions (Denver, Fort Collins: buying, living in, prices)

[ShawnB]

Hello my name is Shawn and I'm looking into moving to Colorado from Orlando Florida. Ideally I would like to live near the mountains, but I haven't settled on a town. I'm open to suggestions, but for now I just wanted to ask for some opinions.
I drive a 2002 Nissan Altima with a 4 cylinder, 5-speed. I doubt it would be the right car for the mountains so I started looking for a small truck or jeep. A friend told me this was a bad idea because a vehicle from Florida wouldn't run well at high elevations. He also said that cars in the mountains are outfitted for the cold with double batteries, block heaters etc. Would I be better of buying a car in near Denver? What types of cars do prefer for the mountains and snow?
Also what wireless phone companies have the best coverage between Boulder and Breckenridge?
Thank you, Shawn

[Vision67]

Originally Posted by ShawnB

Hello my name is Shawn and I'm looking into moving to Colorado from Orlando Florida. Ideally I would like to live near the mountains, but I haven't settled on a town. I'm open to suggestions, but for now I just wanted to ask for some opinions.
I drive a 2002 Nissan Altima with a 4 cylinder, 5-speed. I doubt it would be the right car for the mountains so I started looking for a small truck or jeep. A friend told me this was a bad idea because a vehicle from Florida wouldn't run well at high elevations. He also said that cars in the mountains are outfitted for the cold with double batteries, block heaters etc. Would I be better of buying a car in near Denver? What types of cars do prefer for the mountains and snow?
Also what wireless phone companies have the best coverage between Boulder and Breckenridge?
Thank you, Shawn

Hi Shawn, I'm an Engineer so I know a lot about cars and I've lived in Colorado for most of my life. Your Altima will do fine in Colorado. You will notice a slight drop in power as you go higher into the mountains, but if you just downshift, you'll do well. For winter driving, I'd recommend that you buy a set of 4 winter tires such as Bridgestone Blizzaks. They make a huge difference. In fact, a front drive car with winter tires is more stable than a truck or SUV because it has a lower center of gravity. Your fuel injection system compensates well for mixture change with altitude. I do recommend you use Mobil 1 5w-20 synthetic motor oil and if you have not yet gotten a new battery, a 2002 model might be needing one by now.

As for cell service from Boulder to Breck, Verizon, Cingular, T-Mobile all work well.

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by Vision67

Hi Shawn, I'm an Engineer so I know a lot about cars and I've lived in Colorado for most of my life. Your Altima will do fine in Colorado. You will notice a slight drop in power as you go higher into the mountains, but if you just downshift, you'll do well. For winter driving, I'd recommend that you buy a set of 4 winter tires such as Bridgestone Blizzaks. They make a huge difference. In fact, a front drive car with winter tires is more stable than a truck or SUV because it has a lower center of gravity. Your fuel injection system compensates well for mixture change with altitude. I do recommend you use Mobil 1 5w-20 synthetic motor oil and if you have not yet gotten a new battery, a 2002 model might be needing one by now.

As for cell service from Boulder to Breck, Verizon, Cingular, T-Mobile all work well.

Listen to him Shaun. I have a 4 cylinder 1980 Toyota Corona lift-back. I don't take it much into the mts now but you would not believe where it has been and in bad road conditions too. I happen to like Michalan(sp) all weathers. I use Verizon but I think it important that your phone is not only digital but analog too

[jazzlover]

An un-turbocharged gasoline engine loses about 3-4% of its horsepower for every 1,000 feet of elevation gain. So, for example, a 200 hp engine at sea level will produce about 120 hp at 10,000 feet. That said, your 4-cylinder should do OK--you just won't be a speed demon in the mountains. There are plenty of 4-cylinder cars running around Colorado every day. These days I would drive the most fuel-efficient car that will meet your needs. I think Colorado fuel prices will easily pass the $4.00/gal. mark this summer--I was down in Fort Collins today and they are about $3.20 there, already. Unless you are living in one of Colorado's very cold towns (Fraser, Gunnison, Alamosa), you shouldn't really need a block heater.

As for cell service, for statewide service, Verizon is about the best. If you are travelling in the rural areas of the state, away from the I-25 or I-70 corridors, a tri-band phone with 800 AMPS analog is really good to have. There are a lot of places "out in the sticks" that don't yet have reliable digital service. Unfortunately, most of the new "fancy" phones (pictures, Blackberries, etc.) generally don't have the 800 AMPS analog.

[chilaili]

Hi Shawn, I'm an Engineer so I know a lot about cars and I've lived in Colorado for most of my life. Your Altima will do fine in Colorado. You will notice a slight drop in power as you go higher into the mountains, but if you just downshift, you'll do well. For winter driving, I'd recommend that you buy a set of 4 winter tires such as Bridgestone Blizzaks. They make a huge difference. In fact, a front drive car with winter tires is more stable than a truck or SUV because it has a lower center of gravity. Your fuel injection system compensates well for mixture change with altitude. I do recommend you use Mobil 1 5w-20 synthetic motor oil and if you have not yet gotten a new battery, a 2002 model might be needing one by now.

Hi there,
That's really interesting to me because I was considering getting an SUV this year to replace my 2001 VW Cabrio. My problem is trying to get up those unsealed mountain roads to visit places like Caribou or Gold Hill. Frankly I'm just too chicken to try it in the VW and was hoping an SUV would do it for me.

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by chilaili

Hi there,
That's really interesting to me because I was considering getting an SUV this year to replace my 2001 VW Cabrio. My problem is trying to get up those unsealed mountain roads to visit places like Caribou or Gold Hill. Frankly I'm just too chicken to try it in the VW and was hoping an SUV would do it for me.

If I were you, I would wait until you get here and then decide. That is unless you just want to get an SUV. I am not a car buff But I do know this. The old jeeps that ran all over those mts were only 4 cylinder, They could not be beat. I fact I know of a couple WWll ones that are still at it. Of coarse they don't win races going down the highway. The VW Beetle, the old one did great in Leadville with deep snow bad roads. Don't know about the new ones but some of the old are still at it. I guess what I am saying. If you wait until you get here, see how things are and then you would know better what kind of a SUV you want or if one at all. Just a thought. What with the price of gas and all. 4 wheel drinks more gas even the ones you can take out of 4 wheel.

[ShawnB]

Thank you all for your opinions. I'll be glad to keep my car because its much better on gas than any SUV. And thank you also for the info on cell phones.

[chilaili]

Originally Posted by Nadine

If I were you, I would wait until you get here and then decide. That is unless you just want to get an SUV. I am not a car buff But I do know this. The old jeeps that ran all over those mts were only 4 cylinder, They could not be beat. I fact I know of a couple WWll ones that are still at it. Of coarse they don't win races going down the highway. The VW Beetle, the old one did great in Leadville with deep snow bad roads. Don't know about the new ones but some of the old are still at it. I guess what I am saying. If you wait until you get here, see how things are and then you would know better what kind of a SUV you want or if one at all. Just a thought. What with the price of gas and all. 4 wheel drinks more gas even the ones you can take out of 4 wheel.

Well, I've been living here for 20 months so I do have a pretty good of what it can be like, especially after last year's Winter!

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by chilaili

Well, I've been living here for 20 months so I do have a pretty good of what it can be like, especially after last year's Winter!

Sorry if you thought it for you. I goofed I guess. I meant it for Shawn. Otherwise I don't understand your post.

[BillRadio]

Shawn,
It is almost folklore that you "need an SUV" to drive in Colorado. In the old days it was flannel shirts. The real story is that people use it as an excuse to upgrade to a big, SUV that they couldn't normally justify. Gold Hill? Caribou? Breckenridge? All of them can be accessed with an old VW beetle. A front wheel drive car like the Altima will give you a modest advantage, but even that is not necessary.

The lone exception is when you choose to live in a snowy town with a steep driveway. Otherwise, access to the mountains in winter is critical to our economy, so they keep most of the roads clear.

I was one of the 1st to have an "SUV" in the late 70's, then kept upgrading to larger truck-based SUV's, until one day i got sick of the fact that my vehicle got only 16 mpg (which is actually high among SUV's). Since I DO have a big hill on my driveway I WANTED to keep 4 wheel drive, but I get where I want with my Subaru Outback. I can only laugh at my neighbors who are still in their 'bigger is better' phase. They're the ones who say the feds should 'do something' about the price of gasoline, not realizing they are the problem.

We maintain a detailed web site for cellular service, Mountain Wireless, and have a page specifically dedicated to Colorado. Like your car, you can keep what phone you have now, use it just fine in Colorado, and maybe switch carriers when you want a new phone.