Arcade Collecting with a Car: Opinions

nerdygrrl

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I got some bad news today about my Pathfinder. After countless dollars in repairs and more on the horizon it seems it may be time to pull the plug on my beloved vehicle. Given the rising costs in gas and the amount of miles I drive in a year I doubt I will purchase another SUV/truck.

I am concerned because I love the ability/freedom to just fold down the seats and throw in a cabinet. I know many of you manage to participate in this hobby without a truck or SUV and I was wondering how you all feel about it and what advice you may have.
 
Frankly, depending on how often it is you're actually transporting cabs, a rental truck or cargo van on an as-needed basis may be a more economical option.
 
Can you find a friend or relative with a suitable vehicle - though that only seems to work if it's a close trip. I've borrowed my friends Subaru Forester for a few of my games, and my sister's Honda Pilot for the rest.

It's been pretty painful for me - I've got a car that I could tow a trailer, but between the short, steep hill down into my garage and the narrow garage door, I don't think i'd be too confident in my ability to get the thing in and out...and I have no other place to store it when not in use. Time for a new house!

Renting a vehicle is pretty harsh - uhaul vans run $20 + .79 a mile, and most vans or large SUVs can run from 70-105 for a rental. I haven't gone this route at all yet.
 
I have a Mitsubishi Lancer and put a hitch on it. I really only pull one cabinet at a time, maybe 2 (but not often). I borrow my in-laws trailer, which I believe is around 4x8. I maybe pull a cabinet or two a month. It's do-able, but after doing this for over a year; I hate it. I've even had the trailer at my house for a couple months now, which yes, does make it more convent and cuts down the driving from picking it up from the in-law. Even with that, I still don't really like the setup.

The trailer is 20 minutes away, so I have to grab that; then drive to where ever I'm going, get the cabinet, drop at home, drive the trailer back, and return home. It's usually half a tank of gas.

I've pretty much decided I'm getting a minivan as a secondary vehicle this summer. It's be enough to carry the majority of cabinets inside. I had a minivan before, but the ECM died. Wasn't going to pay over $1,000 (the quote before they even started and were probably going to find more) to get it repaired when I paid $550 for it and a Centipede (one of my favorite deals). I fit an entire DDR cabinet with pads and marquee in a minivan. They hold a lot, are fairly cheap, and good for road trips.

I've debated about an SUV or pickup, but I like the minivan is larger than most SUV's and the machine would be away from the elements compared to a pickup. It won't be my main driver, so don't really mind getting one.
 
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Yea, your new best friend will be a trailer if you get a car that can pull one. I used to have an Escort with a hitch that pulled my 4'X8' trailer with no problem. And you can haul 3 cabs in a 4'X8' trailer if they are standing upright.
 
Careful on overloading a trailer hooked up to a car. You can overload it and the biggest strain is on your transmission. I can't imagine living without some type of vehicle to move games in, even if you get an economical car and a beater of a pickup truck.
 
Yeah, after you replace the Pathfinder with an economical car you should still try to find a cheap used truck just for transporting games.
 
What's wrong with the Nissan? I've got a good local mechanic and use of a lift any time I need.. Only reason I still drive a 1985 Benz.. Hehe
 
Get a Honda Fit. I don't own one but I have been in one, you'd be amazed how much space it has. Otherwise get a small trailer & hitch. Just about any car can pull 1,000 lbs, thats enough for a couple games. I can tell stories about hauling driving games on a boat trailer pulled by my Mustang again but I think everyone's heard 'em by now.
 
vzwire here has i think an altima with a trailer hitch,he said uhaul was something like $10 a day for the trailer.It can be done,where there's a will there's a way.
 
I looked into getting a hitch and wiring for my intrepid today, thinking it would cost less than renting a van.... cost was around $200 in just parts, and almost $300 installed by uHaul (you can go to their site and get a quote on cost/installation). now i know for a fact i could install this myself, but i was hoping for max $120.

I use to borrow my inlaws van (even used it to pick up a cab from nerdy), but it became a hassle asking to use it even tho i offered my intrepid up if something happened to it (my intrepid was worth atleast 2x as much as his caravan).

Ends up the transmission went in the caravan so even if i did feel like dealing with the hassle of my inlaw it's out of the question lol.

If i end up getting a truck in the somewhat near future i'm definitely going to think about getting another sub $1000 Honda Civic to drive around as a daily commuter :D
 
harbor freight or home depot has those little trailers that would move a game or two around town, when not in use tip it up on its rear and lean it against the side of the house to keep it out of the way...if your really stuck not having a truck/suv.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I have had the Pathfinder for almost a decade. It has done almost everything I have ever needed it to do including countless trips through the backwoods of Canada and dozens of cab pickups. I can't imagine ever driving a car again, but a car makes the most sense economically.

I guess I need to do a bit more research as far as transmissions, towing capacity, etc go. I am thinking about maybe an Audi wagon or some other type of all wheel drive wagon :(
 
That's what I do...

As long as you get a car with a class III hitch, you can tow a small aluminum utility trailer. That's what I do.

Self installed a hitch I ordered online on my maxima. Anytime I move cabs its only 18 dollars to rent a trailer at Uhaul for 24 hours.

I usually use that time to make a run at Lowes or find multiple needs for the trailer while I have it.

At only 18 bucks... No sweat!
 
I looked into getting a hitch and wiring for my intrepid today, thinking it would cost less than renting a van.... cost was around $200 in just parts, and almost $300 installed by uHaul (you can go to their site and get a quote on cost/installation). now i know for a fact i could install this myself, but i was hoping for max $120.

Trailer harness should be under $10 just about anywhere. Even if you have amber directionals they shouldnt be much more. You can probably find a hitch under $100 shipped online somewhere. I've always found them cheap on Amazon or eBay.

Not sure why someone is saying you need a class 3 hitch. If you'r pulling less than 5,000 lbs. a class 2 would work just fine.
 
Keep in mind whatever you get, youll want to add a transmission cooler along with the hitch and possibly some wiring/modules to run the lights if you plan to haul a trailer. Also, some vehicles transmissions simply cannot handle hauling excess weight in overdrive, they have to tow in 3rd, there goes your mileage.

Youll want at least a mid sized car. A chevy cobalt is not going to haul a trailer very well for very long.

As far as trailers light is king. Aluminim would probhably be preferred. An old snowmobile trailer can also make a good trailer but make sure its not falling apart and also keep in mind you wont be able to haul a r-360 with that lol..
 
vzwire here has i think an altima with a trailer hitch,he said uhaul was something like $10 a day for the trailer.It can be done,where there's a will there's a way.
Ha! I didn't realize you wrote this...
Yup- I think I bought my hitch online for around 130, and installed it easily in 30 minutes.

The folks at the Uhaul place now know me by name!
 
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