In just under 3 weeks, I'll be hitting the road living out of my Vibe, with a roof box and big cargo hitch box.
When wiring up the Hopkins circuit-protect powered tail light converter (the hitch box has trailer lights since it covers the car's rear lights) I noticed that the battery is starting to look pretty aged. The manufacture date is over 5 years ago (5/11). Despite it giving no problems yet, I don't want to set out on the road with a 5 year old, lead acid battery with no warranty. It's an Energizer that claims 8 years pro-rated, but it was in the car when I bought it last December. I got no receipt so it's without any warranty. They tend to not transfer, on such batteries. The last thing I want is to be stuck someplace with a dead battery. Sure, I have jumper cables and roadside assistance but it's not at all fun to have to wait until roadside comes in an hour or two...or longer even!
I found the Optima Yellowtop D35 for $168.99 with a "we pay the sales tax!" promo AND free 2 day shipping on 4WheelParts.com. Can't possibly beat that price! They are $200+tax at AutoZone/$240+tax at O'Reilly.
Why a deep cycle in a Vibe you may ask? Well, I have my Android head unit that is nice to watch videos on without having to hold a phone or tablet up. It's just an in-dash tablet after all. Plus, I will want to keep my cell phone and tablet charged up under heavy usage as well. Being able to use the built in inverter for very short amounts of time without cranking the engine will also be super handy.
I thought about a 15W solar panel (instead of a D35) but it's only good in the day and it's something else big (and fragile!) to store. So yeah, I think this was a good investment. It's only about $65 more than a Wal-Mart "gold" 5 year battery with no deep cycle usage and will probably last twice as long. They claim "3x life" (of a lead cell) but even assuming it only lasts 2x as long, that's 10 years. Heck, the D35 will probably outlive the car. It may get transferred to my next vehicle even haha.