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Nothing CHEAP about an ATV... Get a Samurai and stick in a VW diesel = ATV with HEAT, Economy, and RADIO. Kits readily available ~$2000 for WHOLE package, vs $10 - $14k for 'Open air ATV'.[/quote]
Nothing CHEAP about an ATV... Get a Samurai and stick in a VW diesel = ATV with HEAT, Economy, and RADIO. Kits readily available ~$2000 for WHOLE package, vs $10 - $14k for 'Open air ATV'.
Excellent idea SR! [/quote]
Not all people who live in rural areas have either the training or interest to perform mechanical work. What do you suppose it would cost to have this done?
There's a reason why there's an ATV industry and why cobbled conversion kits are almost unknown specialty items.
I do understand your point here HW....but all conversions are not cobs...and some of us do have the knowledge and ability to do them. We have a 914 Porsche with a V8 in it and it is beautiful and tons of fun. Some of us do enjoy re-inventing the wheel...
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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The Sami kits can be very complete and done WELL for you, for ~ $2000. (labor / conversion charge) ICYI
Nothing is cobbled together, cuz these are "OFF-ROAD" (tough to retrieve). Speaking of which.... I witnessed the 'fetching' of a Prius from a remote NM campground (that was an all day event and took several tow vehicles / carrying options) They finally got it to town, to find out that Denver was the closest dealer to be able to fix (~ 7hr drive from 'town')
The Sami kits can be very complete and done WELL for you, for ~ $2000. (labor / conversion charge) ICYI
Nothing is cobbled together, cuz these are "OFF-ROAD" (tough to retrieve). Speaking of which.... I witnessed the 'fetching' of a Prius from a remote NM campground (that was an all day event and took several tow vehicles / carrying options) They finally got it to town, to find out that Denver was the closest dealer to be able to fix (~ 7hr drive from 'town')
We are going to look into to the Sami conversion. We are rather fond of diesels. That is just a bummer for the Prius owner. But one has to think about these things when one starts out on their adventures. Sometimes MPG should not be the top priority.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,783 posts, read 58,251,797 times
Reputation: 46278
Quote:
Originally Posted by noihoforus
We are going to look into to the Sami conversion. We are rather fond of diesels. ...
9V battery will keep a VW Diesel running. The samis get about 30-35 mpg, BUT you need 2 Toyota transfer cases running back to back to ideally set-up gearing for tall enough road speed. (gives you LOTS of gears for crawling).
I have farmer friends that like the Sami VW combo as a spray rig (with a heater !!!)
There are MANY rust free Samis in NM, TX, AZ, CA, NV
for me.... I'll just keep driving my $35.00 "StealthRabbit"50mpg since 1976, no OPEC or Dinosaurs required
Certainly been a good Rural car for me... Built lots of houses, barns, hauled feed, calves, sheep .... very versatile for $35 bucks. 3 million fleet miles in VW diesels (That is A LOT of saved fuel over 36 yrs)
I lived in a rural area for over a decade. I believe the cost of living was cheaper. If you are moving to a place with seasons, utilities may be higher. It can be expensive heating up home in the long winters and cooling it off home in the hot summers. But it depends on the size of your home too.
If you're on a fixed income then you won't have to worry about staying employed. Jobs can be hard to find in small towns and the salary less.
There can be a bordom factor too. We ended up spending a lot of money travelling because we pretty much saw and did everything there was to do within the first couple of years we were here. The good news was housing was affordable so we had money to spend.
Taxes may be less as well.
I think rural is a little cheaper in general but of course that can vary. Some cities are cheaper to live in than others. And some rural areas are so rural, it may very well be more expensive. If you really live in the sticks, you may HAVE to have a 4-wheel drive vehicle just to get around in bad weather, and/or if your road is really rough certain times of the year. That will cost more in insurance, gas and vehicle wear-and-tear. You will have to travel further for shopping, entertainment, etc. But on the plus side, rural living generally has cheaper taxes. We have less fixed utility costs (by that I mean, I pay nothing for my well water - assuming the well doesn't run dry - I pay nothing for sewer - assuming my septic doesn't have problems). Some folks in rural settings chop their own wood and have a wood stove in the winter - therefore, low or no heating costs. Housing in general is usually cheaper.
pll makes a good point; for those of us who need to work, it's harder to find a job in a rural area, you may have to commute further, and pay may be significantly less than in an urban setting.
I can personally vouch for the fact that living in rural MO is cheaper than living in the NJ 'burbs, even with the lower pay.
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