Off-road/daily driver

[mellamoPOUND]

hey, even though I do really love my CRV, I have a huge interest in 4x4 off-roading and my 2wd isnt going to cut it anymore. What would ya'll reccomend for a great modded trail rig and daily driver: 4runner, Wrangler, Cherokee, or Grand Cherokee? Thanks!

[freelance1000]

Around here people prefer the larger 4X4s due to the distances travelled off road and the fact they like to carry lots of gear. The following are the most popular, Toyota Landcruiser (incl. Prado), Nissan Patrol, Toyota Hilux Dual Cab ute, and Toyota Troop Carrier (4X4 people mover).

The 4Runner is considered underpowered and has poor suspension. Cherokee and Grand Cherokee arn't large or strong enough, and have insufficient ground clearance. The Wrangler is too small and expensive (around here) when compared to the Toyota's and Nissan's.

Just checked one of my 4X4 magazines which compared and tested the Jeep Cherokee, Kia Sorento and Nissan Pathfinder. They rated the Cherokee last, it was the best on the dirt road, but the worst off road.

IMO use of the 4runner, Wrangler, Cherokee, or Grand Cherokee for heavy off roading will require them to have several modifications.

[Varmint]

I'd go with the Sorento or Liberty. If you are looking at modding the vehicle, then stick with the Jeep brand. There's a huge aftermarket cullture for those rigs. But I have to say... as soon as you mod these, they won't be much fun as a daily driver.

[mellamoPOUND]

hey, actually, the huge suvs arent that good for my kind of off-roading at all. I am planning on doing some pretty tuff rock crawling and would need a smaller more nible suv. The 3rd generation 4runners are not underpowered with their 3.4l engine, it was the 2nd generation 4runners that have the 3.0l engine that was awful. Also, the suspension does not suck on them, it just has a Independent Front Suspension (IFS) that doesnt flex that much off-raod. Also, I am planning on heavily modifiying the vehicle including suspension lift, bigger tires, differentail locks, and much more. I think we have a different veiw of off-roading, but i hope its more clear now. I really just wanted to know about reliability difference between the cherokee, wrangler, and 4runner. Thanks though.

[bluemonster]

Hey mellamoPOUND, haven't seen you around in a while....

Since you're a young man, think about a wrangler if you want to spend time doing mods and serious off-road. Like Varmint said though, it wan't be great on the road....

Otherwise the 4 runner seems reasonable, you can put 30+ inch tires on them. Definitely get the V8 according to Consumer Reports

[Red Wagon]

Rock crawling? Go w/ a Wrangler. A co-worker enjoys that hobby. He's got one (not a daily driver though) that he uses for that. I've seen pic's. Unbelievable what he can get that thing to do. He's one of the leaders in the local Jeep Jamboree's down here.

[bobrobin]

The Wrangler is probably your best true off road vehicle. But, not a real smooth daily driver. The 4runner is actually an excellent off road vehicle and a very capable daily driver. Plus, you add that old Japanese reliability. The Jeep brand while being a great off road vehicle is just not very reliable in my opinion. So, if your looking for recommendations, I recommend the 4runner.

[mellamoPOUND]

awesome, thats what i needed to hear!

[jeeplikens]

If your not going to spend 50% of your time offroad, look at the Liberty. It's cheap, above average in reliability (it's the most reliable vehicle DCX has on the market) and it shows it's Jeep side offroad and it's mild manners onroad. If you wait till late summer, you can get a CRD diesel. It will be able to tow 7400lbs, gets 28 city, high 30's on the hwy. Right now, the gas gets 15 city, 22hwy (that's the V6). I've had one since Oct and we love it. It's heavy 4100lbs but it drives and handles very well. It's on a re-enforced unibody. It's not a real unibody nor on a "truck" frame. It's got rails but it's body is also built onto the frame. That's why it's does so well in crashes. I know of one incident where it got T-boned at 40mph by a Envoy. The Jeep driver walked away. The Envoy gal spent a week in the hospital. The Liberty didn't even have the optional side curtain airbags. It's one tuff little 4x4. Only recall they have had since 2001 was for 2002 and some 2003 models, ball joint problem. Not knocking the CRV, it's a great wagon but it's not made for moderate to heavy offroad use. It wasn't designed for that.

CNNMoney just gave it the node as best small SUV of the year.

http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/bestcars/

[Cadd]

Hummer H1

[mellamoPOUND]

hey, i liberty will be a little too expenisive for me because I am still in college. Good suggestion though! H1.... HAHAHAHA

[rangerj64]

Keep the V for the daily driver and buy an older land cruiser, land rover, or jeep. You don't want to be breaking stuff on a daily driver, and believe me if you are actually doing some true rock crawling, you will break something eventually.

[Red Wagon]

Keep the V for the daily driver and buy an older land cruiser, land rover, or jeep. You don't want to be breaking stuff on a daily driver, and believe me if you are actually doing some true rock crawling, you will break something eventually.

Agreed, my co-worker tells me after every Jeep Jamboree, someone was pulled out of the woods due to something getting broken.

[mellamoPOUND]

yea.. thats always a good idea. But then i would need to pay insurace on that also, or I could put it on a trailer, but my crv cant pull it.

[Advanex]

Get you a 4x4 Honda 4wheeler. Put a winch on the front. Then you could go off-road, and still pull it with your V. :wink:

[mellamoPOUND]

hahaha yea that would be cool, but i like a 4x4 suv that i can take people with me and go camping or somthing also.

[bluemonster]

Get you a 4x4 Honda 4wheeler. Put a winch on the front. Then you could go off-road, and still pull it with your V. :wink:

A great idea. My 2 kids and I will be doing that soon.....much less undercarriage damage!

[CRIANA]

I'd go for the 4Runner, for the reasons bobrobin said. And look at the Wrangler if you can't get a 4Runner.

[Advanex]

I'd go for the 4runner too. Jeep is good if you are strictly off-roading, but for daily driving and taking others with you, the 4runner for comfort, durability, and the Toyota reputation. JMO

[rangerj64]

Don't let the insurance keep you from having both a daily driver and the off-roader. A second or third vehicle as long as it is not your primary driver is much less than the daily driver. The insurance on my S2000 is not even close to the insurance on my truck, just because I don't drive it as much. You really also only need liability only on the off-roader unless of course you have to finance it, so liability only on a second or third vehicle is dirt cheap. I would look into it before I counted it out.

[bobrobin]

If your not going to spend 50% of your time offroad, look at the Liberty. It's cheap, above average in reliability (it's the most reliable vehicle DCX has on the market) [/url]

Now, I do not want to offend anyone, I know these Jeep discussions can get pretty heated. And I do want to say the Liberty is a nice vehicle. I seriously considered one myself, but I really don't do much off-roading. So, I stuck to the car like CR-V. But, I do want to point out that the Liberty model is only what 3 years old. It's just too hard to judge reliability. Heck, my (traded in!) Ford Ranger, my wife's Saturn SL2 and my brothers Kia Rio had no trouble for the first 3 years. But, based on these personal experiences, I would not call any of these vehicles reliable. I want to see how it does when it gets to be 6-7 years old. Until then, I would not recommend it. For someone in college with not alot of disposable cash, and a future career seeker starting at the bottom of the pay scale, I can see reliability being a pretty high priority.

I wish you luck with whatever you choose.

[Soosie&Joe]

hahaha yea that would be cool, but i like a 4x4 suv that i can take people with me and go camping or somthing also.

I'd recommend a 1st generation 4Runner, 1984-1989 since it sounds like you're on a budget and want something reliable. Plus the top comes off. :)

The 100" wheelbase = nice daily driver (if you don't have Swampers) and space inside for 4 + gear and it's about perfect for all types of wheeling, esp rocks. Clearance with stockish tires is exceptional at 10" or more, and stock gearing is excellent - up to a 36:1 crawl stock w/ the factory 4.88's.

The 1985 4R is the most desireable, it has the solid front axle and the legendary fuel-injected 22RE 4cyl. 85 was the last year of the solid front axle.

A 1988 or 89 V6 with 5spd would also be a great choice. The V6/5-spd combo = decent performance since this 4R is several hundred pounds lighter than the 1990-95.

Don't get one with an auto, while it's an extremely reliable transmission it does rob the meager power.

The Toyotas are seriously overbuilt for the power they generate. The frame, transmissions, and axles are extremely stout and the rear easily handles 36-38" tires w/ a locker w/o problems. The front, even solid axle, will require beefing up for tires of that size + locker.

Jeeps are decent, but if you want real trail ability and reliablity, plan on 2X the purchase price to replace everything that breaks.

With the 4R, you can regear to 4.88 or 5.29 and have lockers in both diffs for around or under $1k, depending on which lockers (ARBs will be a ton more). You can achieve a 227:1 crawl ratio for under $1k. Suspensions are inexpensive, there is a vast amount of knowledge on how to do it right, and cheap.

I have a 1994 V6 Toyota truck that has been beat on and has 120k. I had to replace the idler bearing ($40) on the front of the engine and one rear wheel bearing ($12) - those are the only parts that have failed. Other repairs have been self-inflicted, such as letting mud and ice encase the calipers for weeks at a time. This truck has been absolutely amazing and defines reliability and toughness.

joe

[mellamoPOUND]

hey, yea 1st generation 4runners are awesome! The only thing is that I am not that mechanically inclined yet and worry about having such an old car. Are you ever on www.yotatech.com because it seems you have a huge amount of toyota knowledge and that is a great forum to be on. Thanks for your info!

[Soosie&Joe]

I wouldn't worry about an older 4R. First, they are extremely reliable; they are very easy to fix if needed. Since I am the admin of 4x4Wire.com (http://www.4x4wire.com), I tend to spend all of my time on there. :) Check out our Toyota section and forums.

joe

[jeeplikens]

Bob, I agree. If you take a Liberty, pit it to any already in production vehicle (suv) and look at the 3 years. How many recalls? How many trips to the dealer to fix little issues. I think 3 years for a vehicle who's past still haunts them is enough to say the Liberty is a very solid, well built vehicle. Time will tell.. Time will tell..