Third World Road Trip? Rockton And Roll!

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

VW claims its working on a new MicroBus, but there’s only one sliding-door VW that currently inspires real lust. With a Haldex 4Motion system, 30 mm of extra ground clearance, beefy rims, all-terrain tires, skid plates and an interior that puts the spar in spartan, the Transporter Rockton may have a silly name, but it’s ready to road trip to the most exotic and poorly-paved sections of the world. And with 180 and 140 HP versions of a two-liter diesel available, you’ll make efficient if somewhat slow progress. The only problem: prices start at €34,545 ($45,600+). Good thing you didn’t have time for that third-world road trip anyway…



Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Austin Greene Austin Greene on Dec 03, 2010

    I'm lovin' it. Sign me up for a diesel. They should use this thing in the next James Bond film. It's the perfect counterpart to my Caddilac pleasure craft.

  • Colin42 Colin42 on Dec 04, 2010

    For those of us state side you can get one - albeit a pre 2002 model!

  • TheEndlessEnigma My 2016 FiST has been the most reliable car I've owned.
  • MaintenanceCosts I already set out total costs, so this time I'll list what's had to be done on my cars (not counting oil changes, recall, or free services):2019 Bolt (25k mi): new 12v battery, pending tires & battery cooling service2016 Highlander (from 43k to 69k mi): new front rotors, new pads all around, new PCV valve, 2x 12v batteries, light bulbs, pending tires2011 335i (from 89k to 91k): new valve cover gasket, new spark plugs, light bulbs, pending rear main seal1995 Legend (from 185k to 203k): timing belt/water pump, new EGR valve + pipe, struts, strut bushings, drive axles, tie rods, rear control arms, other suspension bushings, coolant hose & brake lines throughout, belts, radiator, valve cover gaskets, new power antenna, 12v battery, coils, spark plugs, tires, rear pads... it's an old car!
  • VoGhost Consistent with CR's data. I've spent about $150 total on the Model 3 in six years of ownership, outside of tires.
  • VoGhost It's just plain sad that Posky doesn't know that EV batteries are warrantied for 8 years / 100K miles.
  • Jkross22 It used to be depreciation was the most expensive part of car ownership. Seems like those days are over (New EVs and lux cars excluded). Maintenance + insurance have taken over. Dealerships offering 2 years of maintenance means nothing. That's $200 tops. It's the unexpected repairs - a wiring harness, computer module, heater core, AWD problems - that will cost dearly. Brakes can be expensive since many cars now can't have rotors resurfaced. Even independents are charging a lot for this work.
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