CARS that can hold a sheet of 4x8 ply flat? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

CARS that can hold a sheet of 4x8 ply flat?

DemonPig said:
No trucks, no minivans. I know most minivans can do that no problem and I also realize that full size trucks are great for carrying loads but that's not what I'm interested in at this point.

I know my dad's Rendezvous can do it, with the hatch open (I don't care about that). Any other cross-over, wagon, hatchback, etc. vehicles capable of holding 4x8 sheets flat, inside?
Click to expand...

Given that a larger vehicle is more expensive to buy and to operate, you will probably save a lot of money if you get a smaller vehicle that handles most of what you need a vehicle for and then use part of the savings to pay for delivery or rent vehicles that can give you that carrying capacity. I think a lot of people end up buying vehicles that are much larger than they need for 99 percent of what they need a vehicle for. And they pay for it in terms of higher maintenance costs, higher operating costs, higher insurance costs, and so on.

For example, you can get a rental truck at Home Depot for hourly rates that are quite reasonable.
 
Any GM fwd V6 car will need intake manifold gaskets twice in it's lifespan.
And at least one fuel pump at $1200 or more.
Umm no thanks. A Chryco minivan is roomier, more reliable, and fuel pumps are under $300.....and spare parts are everywhere since the market is flooded with them.
 
... except that every Chrysler minivan will eat two transmissions in its lifetime!
 
Sometimes I wonder though, I've owned 4 different generations of Chrysler minivans 3 of them used trade in's and i have yet to experience a failure. Poor maintenance or bad driving habits are those attributing to these trans failures? Or do I have horse shoes up my rear?
 
There have been several incarnations of the chryco minivan in my drive, I hate em but the company car for years was a minivan, I had 8 in 12 years and put 80-90k on every one, 120+ on two and experienced 0 mechanical issues. And believe me leased company vans that I'm giving back regularily get driven like a Nascar.
 
Brian P said:
... except that every Chrysler minivan will eat two transmissions in its lifetime!
Click to expand...


There is an easy fix to this. Never ever one wheel peel. Period.
We have had many FWD chryslers, all having some iteration of the A604 tranny.... and being a turbo dodge guy, I already knew that the diff pin was held in place by a tiny roll pin, and once that slips out, any one wheel peeling will put a bullet hole right thru the trans, or the pin will machine it's way thru the diff housing. Good snow tires, and knowing how it occurs is all I ever needed.

Funny that design flaw that CHrysler would never take accountability for, yet from 2009 on, they put a pair of $2.00 clips on either end of the diff pin.....why would they design a fix for a flaw they claimed wasn't a flaw?
 
Station wagon and roof rack is really the only car option I can think of. Problem is a wagon can be hard to come by here but some of the euro brands made or still make them (Saab, Volvo, BMW, VW). A sedan may be a little tough with a roof rack due to the rail spacing being too close, but I am sure you could rig something safe up.

Not too many cars will take anything over 36" wide inside. With the seats down I would expect 6' max length with the trunk or hatch closed. I have had full size doors in my car with the trunk tied down, very little overhang. Once I get into the 4X8 range I just rent a van or pick-up (you also have to consider weight if it is many sheets). The once and a while rental costs are cheaper than the gas I would waste using either as a DD just to haul 4X8 sheets once a month or so.
 
omnivore said:
Funny that design flaw that CHrysler would never take accountability for, yet from 2009 on, they put a pair of $2.00 clips on either end of the diff pin.....why would they design a fix for a flaw they claimed wasn't a flaw?
Click to expand...

Auto industry standard operating practice. Don't admit fault then quietly fix the issue (although it looks like it took them 20 years to figure it out).

VW had a similar issue with the diff on the O2A manual transmissions.

You know that I've been a VW TDI owner. I will not own any new diesel vehicle with a Bosch CP4.1 injector pump out of warranty unless Bosch fixes the problems that they steadfastly claim are the end user's fault for filling the car with gasoline. Meanwhile, it has happened to long-term (multiple cars) VW diesel owners who surely know better than to do that. But since according to them, the problem has never existed in the first place, how do we know when they've fixed it? (And why are the pumps now on the 3rd publicly-known part number revision - who knows how many other revisions not made public - and still not fixed?)

Back to original topic of 4x8 sheets ... I saw a Nissan NV200 compact van on the road today. Hmmm, might make an interesting, economical track-day bike hauler. Checked the dimensions on line ... Nope! The cargo area is wide enough (54" between wheel wells) and low to the ground (good for loading and unloading) but it's a few inches too short! It won't take a 4x8 sheet behind the driver's seat, if the dimensions online are accurate. I don't know if they are measuring cargo area length behind the upper part of the driver's seat, or at floor level, though. It might actually work.
 
omnivore said:
Any GM fwd V6 car will need intake manifold gaskets twice in it's lifespan.
And at least one fuel pump at $1200 or more.
Umm no thanks. A Chryco minivan is roomier, more reliable, and fuel pumps are under $300.....and spare parts are everywhere since the market is flooded with them.
Click to expand...

I checked online, roughly $300 and ~2h labour, which seems to be the norm. Where is the $1,200 coming from?
That intake manifold gasket is definitely something to watch out for but there is a good chance it has been replaced and if I'm buying a car for under $4,000 I'm willing to take the risk. I don't think a Caravan is any more reliable than a Rendezvous, to be honest. Both, not the greatest and based on outdated tech.

At any rate, thanks for all the replies. I guess that other than minivans, there aren't any options for me, aside from the Rendezvous. Cheers!
 
Last edited:
I was asuuming the fuel pump was the same as the donor vehicle (chev and pontiac minivan)....my brother had one of each , and both needed fuel pumps...parts were over $800 + labour....tax incl each time worked out to $1200 (dealer)
 
I have the Elantra Touring wagon and that thing's got tons of space! Hell I even fit in an oven once. It's pretty good on gas, but boring in every other aspect. I picked it up for $20k all in with 0% financing last year, and now you can get them for low teens with little mileage. I'd look into it if it's something that appeals to you.
 
omnivore said:
I was asuuming the fuel pump was the same as the donor vehicle (chev and pontiac minivan)....my brother had one of each , and both needed fuel pumps...parts were over $800 + labour....tax incl each time worked out to $1200 (dealer)
Click to expand...


You know, I'll double check on that before I commit. It seems to be the fuel pump relay mainly causing the issue. I'll call a mechanic buddy and ask him what would the cost be.
 
mimico_polak said:
I have the Elantra Touring wagon and that thing's got tons of space! Hell I even fit in an oven once. It's pretty good on gas, but boring in every other aspect. I picked it up for $20k all in with 0% financing last year, and now you can get them for low teens with little mileage. I'd look into it if it's something that appeals to you.
Click to expand...
one of my co-workers was looking at one of those. Seems pretty piratical but couldnt get over how horrible it looks compared to the regular elantra.
 
omnivore said:
Any GM fwd V6 car will need intake manifold gaskets twice in it's lifespan.
And at least one fuel pump at $1200 or more.
Umm no thanks. A Chryco minivan is roomier, more reliable, and fuel pumps are under $300.....and spare parts are everywhere since the market is flooded with them.
Click to expand...

Wow, I'd better go out and get a couple of those and a fuel pump for my 2003 Venture then.

Where are you getting your info from?

The only major problem I had was a transmission right after they changed the fluid for the first time, and I think it probably a flaw in the work done, rather than in the vehicle.

Mine seats 8 people and can easily stack 4'x8' sheets, something that was a pain in the rear in the Chrysler.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom