Yes.
I moved two weekends ago and this past weekend came the inevitable trip to Ikea for a Billy, a Forhoja (add your own umlauts), a Micke, a Stenstorp and a Bekvam.
Having purchased a couple of Billys before (it's a tall, narrow bookcase) and even used one in this comparison test, I knew I would need something quite long to transport it safely. I originally used our old long-term Cadillac SRX, but the box was sitting awkwardly on the center armrest -- not good. Luckily, two of those comparison test vehicles are essentially in our fleet and as the Enclave was deemed Billy-best in that test, I nabbed the Traverse for the weekend to get the job done.
All told, I filled the Traverse's cargo bay with heavy boxes of deconstructed furniture plus various knick-knacks from Target. As a bonus, I did it without needing to fold down the second-row captain's chairs, meaning I could've brought friends or children (shudder) along for the Forhoja-acquiring adventure. I'm not sure if such incredibly infrequent adventures would warrant buying such a big family vehicle, but if you think it does, the Traverse definitely gets the job done.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 10,042 miles
feloniousmonk says:
10:05 AM, 10/12/10
Good job turning such a prosaic activity into an interesting read. I suppose some credit should go to IKEA and their silly-entertaining names. Funny thing about IKEA and GM: one is overpriced simplicity, while the other is often over-wrought simplicity made needlessly complex.
jriz says:
10:16 AM, 10/12/10
Overpriced??? I bought all that for $300!
cruiserhead1 says:
10:53 AM, 10/12/10
Funny title!
Reminds me of Fight Club
feloniousmonk says:
01:25 PM, 10/12/10
jriz says:
10:16 AM, 10/12/10
"Overpriced??? I bought all that for $300!"
Yeah, you can buy the same build-it-yo'self particle board furniture at Kmart or Walmart for like TWO-FITTY! :) I just mean it's all overpriced for what you actually get.
"Simplicity need not be spendy." -H.D. Thoreau (I think).
jriz says:
03:56 PM, 10/12/10
The quality and especially design are just not the same at Kmart or Walmart or Target. Having bought things at both in the past, they are not the same. If they were, I'd save myself the drive time and buy it there. Furthermore, the ability to match all your furniture to one wood color is clutch.
feloniousmonk says:
04:39 PM, 10/12/10
jriz says:
03:56 PM, 10/12/10
"The quality and especially design are just not the same at Kmart or Walmart or Target. Having bought things at both in the past, they are not the same. If they were, I'd save myself the drive time and buy it there. Furthermore, the ability to match all your furniture to one wood color is clutch."
No need to justify your purchase decisions to me; I'm just being facetious. Note the smiley, not to mention the "TWO-FITTY!". BTW, some of that Target stuff is decent, quality-wise, but it's also pricier than the fare at Walmart or Kmart. Anyway, back to my point, it's all overpriced because it's all just sawdust, glue and veneer.
Now for some more facetiousness: since when did 90 degree corners and flat surfaces become "design". I keed, I keed. I dig the Scandinavian aesthetic.
fushigi says:
06:35 PM, 10/12/10
Actually, FÖRHÖJA is made of solid birch - not veneered chipboard - with the exception of the drawer bottoms. From http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80035920: Work top: Solid birch, Oil
Top rail/ Drawer/ Bar/ Frame/ Leg: Solid birch, Clear acrylic lacquer
Drawer bottom: Birch plywood, Clear acrylic lacquer
It's $100 but is not bad at all. We have one and use it as a bar cart.
feloniousmonk says:
07:16 PM, 10/12/10
Hmm, that I did not know. Target and other retailers (like Fred Meyer and ShopKo) used to sell build-it-yo'self solid wood furniture as well, but I think it was mostly pine. $100 for a birch cart-thing ain't bad at all.
87bonnev says:
11:29 AM, 10/14/10
DISCLOSURE: I am a GM suspension engineer. Opinions expressed are my own.
IKEA stuff is what it is. You like it or you don't. I like it. My wife hates it.
"I'm not sure if such incredibly infrequent adventures would warrant buying such a big family vehicle, but if you think it does, the Traverse definitely gets the job done."
For those unlike myself and jriz without access to big company haulers, U-haul (at least around Detroit) offers pickups for rent for about $20-30 a day, plus other fees I am sure. Maybe this is a better option for most folks with occasional hauling needs than buying a big SUV.
fushigi says:
05:09 AM, 10/15/10
"I'm not sure if such incredibly infrequent adventures would warrant buying such a big family vehicle, but if you think it does, the Traverse definitely gets the job done."
*Shrug* I had a '99 Galant for nearly 11 years & 152K miles before buying the '10 Outlander. The Galant's EPA numbers (after EPA revised them) were 17/25. The Outlander is rated 18/24. So the bigger vehicle gets basically the same mileage (one better city; one worse highway). There's no real operating cost penalty and the Outlander added not only space but 35 more HP, AWD, and lots of creature comforts. It accelerates faster and handles better, including having a tighter turning radius which is nice in parking lots.
nwng says:
01:14 PM, 11/12/10
everytime I went to ikea there are always a few uhauls in the parking lot. But then there is always the friend who owns a pickup that you can borrow for a 12 pack.