Best vehicle type for general outdoor use?

I've got this old beat up pickup that I started to fix up, purely for outdoor use (hunting, fishing, trails etc) and all the tasks that go with it. Long story short, I lack time and patience to finish it. I'm selling it at the price paid, just to get rid of it. In it's place I want to get something that is already in usable condition, then add the goodies as time goes on. I'm just not sure what is most practical. Depending on what I get, it may also become my DD - I'd sell my car to buy the right rig.

What do you think? Small SUV, large SUV, small or large pickup, crossover, etc.

What do you currently use? What kinds of tasks do you use it on? Any shortfalls?

Right now I'm leaning towards a small full frame 2 door SUV with a V6, it would tow a boat, have 4wd and a short wheelbase, and reasonable mileage. I don't need something that can rock crawl, so I don't plan on lifting anything.

I am going thru the same thing right now and pretty much decided to sell my Dodge Ram 2500 (cummins) and replace it with an SUV.. I am seriously considering the Nissan Xterra due to its 'real' 4x4, good ground clearance, good rear storage, and how comfortable it rides..

For my needs I could have gotten by with a crossover, but really wanted 4x4 that I could control.. The subaru forester would have been #2 on my list just because of the value it provides..

brian

here are two thread that I started that are relevent to your post

thoughts on small SUVs

Xterra comments

Brian

I've been looking for an Explorer Sport, I had an explorer xlt a few years back and regret trading it in ever since I got used to over $3/gal gas. I figure I should hear reasonable arguments from others, which is why I am asking before I get buyer's remorse.

I know the foreign made SUVs are well built and dependable, but what about when you do need to repair? Aren't parts expensive? I rarely had to repair the explorer, it was a 93. I've had to pay more for repairs on my 05 Korean made sedan, and it has been out of warranty for only a year

I have a 93 and love the hell out of it.


Explorer Sports are pretty nice trucks, but are very different than 93's.



How much are you looking to spend? Another 1st Gen Explorer could be purchased outright for the cost of a newer vehicles payment (or two) and insurance.

It depends on what you do and what you want to do.

If you want to focus purely on a vehicle for offroad use, and don't want to haul any appreciable quantities of gear or people, then you should probably look into a Jeep, or if it's all by your lonesome, a good dirt bike or ATV. Some of the other SUVs out there may be suitable for your given needs, but I'd urge you to judge each offering based off of what the actual off-roading community uses them for rather than what the ads or magazines say they are good for - there are lots of potential and actual shortcomings in some of those brand offerings that become painfully obvious when you are a long way from the nearest garage, tow truck, or rescue vehicle.

If you want to hunt, fish, camp, drag the family along, and haul toys to and from the wilderness, then you're really going to need a pickup. Bass boat? Camper? ATVs? Hauling out deer, elk, moose? Constructing a cabin on a hunting lease? All of those are going to be a lot easier with a good 4x4 truck.

For me, I'd keep my current pickup and consider hauling ATVs, dirt bikes, or boats to relatively remote areas and then using those to get me to the real backwater.

I should requalify something, the sport explorer I want is the "old" sport - 2 door and short wheelbase. Otherwise the same. Were you thinking those new "sport" types with the bed? My old xlt was also a 93, didn't realize what I had until I lost it.

I'd love to get one with less than 120k, seen many that have gotten to 200k. I figure my budget is about 2k, I'd like to dump the pickup for close to that. It is a diesel, so I should be able to. If the suv is good enough for a DD, then I'd dump the car and pocket the cash.

The closest thing to wilderness up here, the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest expressly bans dirt bikes, and there are very few places an ATV is allowed and a road vehicle isn't.

Off-roading goes as far as crossing a field or driving an unimproved road with possible washout and cobble. The only hardcore offroading up here are the private developments and running the gas pipeline easements, and those are more for the fun of it vs actually trying to access some place.

As much as I'd love to get my pickup to where it needs to be, I need to be a realist here. It ain't happening, no time and no motivation to make it happen. The truck requires just too much, but it would have been a bad ass ride . I want to simplify what I have and still cover all my bases.

I do have one quad, but in all honesty - I wouldn't need to haul it anywhere, most roads in my neck are atv legal. Otherwise I have a simple 16ft aluminum boat, and a canoe I could top on a luggage rack. A pickup just seems like overkill when an SUV has a little more versatility for the family.

I'm not totally sold on the idea, I am still considering a small pickup like a ranger if only because I won't need to haul garbage and such with a trailer.

I have a 99 jeep Cherokee sport.with the 4.0 straight six.

Works very well for my outdoor needs.

I love my XTerra. 4 years and I wouldnt trade it for any other SUV.

Also, what about older 4runners?

I'd suggest getting a used, mechanically sound full size pickup. 4WD, of course.

If I was getting strictly a hunting/farm truck I'd get one with the lowest option package possible.

Jeep wrangler. Any year with a 6 cylinder engine. Tough as nails. Up to any task. REAL off road ability unlike some others posted. The aftermarket is huge. They are easy to work on by yourself. If you have the money buy a new Rubicon, it comes fully loaded with amazing things.

Well, I've been hitting CL hard - found two three possible trades. One for a 94 explorer and another for an 01 explorer sport. Keeping fingers crossed, one reply with pic requests. If these fall through I may expand my search to a ranger or cherokee. How are those straight 6 motors found in jeeps?

I kinda feel bad I am going to get rid of my beastly diesel, but I have to downsize to one vehicle and I don't have the time to finish the work I'd like to do.

EDIT: 3 possible trades now

Just about bullet proof.

Toyota FJ

SMSP

This.. I have a 97 with over 200k... The body will fall off the frame before that motor quits, Ive seen them with over 400k at actions, still fire right up...

Ahhh Got ya. The fist gen two doors are HARD to find! Clean 4 doors under 2 grand are EASY to find, in a quick search on Craiglsit under private sales I found about 50 in my local area under 2000, and one of them was super clean with 77k miles! Under 120k is going to be tough, around 150-170k is average what these things are pushing used. Mine JUST turned 190k.


My daydream is to find a nice 1st gen with a blown engine, and do the 5.0 swap. Faster, more torque, and better gas mileage to boot!

I have settled on a V-6 mid-size full frame mid-size SUV.

I don't haul more than about 1000 pounds of lumber once a year - fits on the roof just fine.
Fits tons of camping gear - I go with my wife for days at a time of dry (primative) camping.
Better gas milage than a V-8 but more power than an in-line 4 - I don't tow often but the thing will do 0-60 faster than most cars.
Truck frame with a locker in teh back makes the bumps and bangs of the rocky trails out here less of a worry.
Shorter wheel base than most pickups makes picking lines on the black diamond trails easier and makes the switchbacks passable.

Not as nimble as a built-up jeep, not as powerful as a V-8/V-10 pickup, not as good as gas milage as a four cylinder mini-SUV it is a jack of all trades but not a master of much.

I went with this while working in the Mojave for a year and when I got it back to WV was really happy in the snow and mud with its performance.


I like it almost as much as my 85 Four runner that my buddy is still driving. It is amazing the places you can go even dragging the skid plates at times I haven’t gotten it stuck to the point it could not get out under its own power with the lockers kicked in.

My wife has one, its the only vehicle she cant kill.

It's the daily driver thing that's killing the best of list. If it were just best all around vehicle I'd go with a tracked Argo and the Rokon






Rokon 2wd motorcycle. I say from experience. It can go more places than you have the cojones to go

I love my 1st gen Durango.

07 4Runner V6 4WD is perfect for MY needs. It kills it in the snow with AWD, tows shit, hauls most things I would with a pickup, sleeps me in the back, keeps my gear dry, and is a serious offroad vehicle stock with 4WD.

I narrowed it down to that vehicle, a Tacoma, and an Xterra, all great choices. Xterra had slightly less capacity and wouldn't fit in my garage with a roof box. Taco had lower safety ratings, no AWD, and I'd end up toppering it in the winter anyway.

If you don't need to tow, haul, or do serious offroading, a Subaru Outback CVT smartly driven will get you a LOT of places, you can even put an ARB offroad bumper on it which fixes the approach problems. It becomes the smart economic choice of the lot at 30MPG and better crash safety features. Old Wranglers are also a great choice.

Alot of people in other countries offroad with Subarus. There is even a forum about it. I don't know if I would personally. I think if I had to buy something for simple offroading, it would be a Liberty with diesel, or a Rav-4 with a 3C-TE swap.Even a little suzuki would get you there, and have decent mileage.

I've owned Ford Ranger 4x4 (3.0L V6), Ford Explorer Sport Trac 4X4 (4.0L V6), Ford F150 4x4 (5.4L V8), Ford F150 4x2 (4.2L V6), Ford Escape 4x4 (3.0L V6) and a Ford Explorer 4x4 (4.0L V6).

My wife now drives an Escape 4x4 (V6). We've had the Escape for a number of years, and it has been a great DD. The only real problem with it is road noise, and it lacks interior cargo space. The space that it does have is very usable though. The rear seats fold down, and allow larger objects to be carried. We've hauled EIGHT foot counter tops INSIDE the vehicle without having to leave the hatch glass open. Our winters include enough snow and ice to test the 4x4's ability, and I have to say...its my favorite of the lot I've owned. Its FWD all the time, and automatically locks in the rear wheels as required. I love the ease of this.

I now drive an Explorer 4x4 (V6). I've not had it long enough to comment on the adverse weather driving ability, but I can say it remedies my complaints about the Escape. It has AMPLE storage space, and the ride is QUIET and comfortable. The 4x4 system is different in that it is always RWD and automatically locks in the front wheels. You can also MANUALLY lock in 4x4 High or Low (unlike the Escape).

While choosing our current vehicles we analyzed the market options and our experience with other manufacturers (Chevy, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota) and decided to stick with Ford products because they have been trouble free. Our Escape is now seven years old, has 90k miles and has only needed: one battery; one set of brakes; one set of tires.

Our "daily drivers" are "survival capable" but look like every other vehicle on the road. The fact that we have 4x4's with us 24/7 means we are more likely to make it home if something happens.

Toyota FJ

If you're looking for something more to carry cargo than passengers, a shortbox pickup. For more than 2 people and their gear, one of the many large or midsize SUVs. I personally would take a midsize like a Cherokee or 4Runner because the woods are pretty tight up here. For getting into and out of difficult places you can't beat a CJ, YJ, TJ, or JK, but even the 4-door models have space limitations compared to other vehicles that are nearly as capable. Plus, used SWB Jeeps sell for more than they're worth, but you can almost always find good Cherokees, 4Runners, etc, at decent prices.

I'm taking a look at what a XJ Cherokee can do, but there seems to be a premium attached to those compared to an Exploader. Looks like the Cherokee is a bit more capable offroad, but I was told they're noisy on the road compared to other full frame SUVs.

I'm also concerned the Cherokee is a unibody design, but perhaps it is a bit more robust than a unibody car? I've always thought of full frame vehicles as being more resilient to abuse, and I've bent a few full frames in my time despite not being a hardcore offroader (I like to play in the snow, but lessons have been learned ). Will the XJ design take a beating as well as a full frame?

Be careful of an XJ from salt country. They're unibody and there's a few places on them that really get messed up by road salt.

I drive a TJ (Jeep Wrangler) and would trade my TJ for the right XJ. They're just as tough as the TJ lineup, and have the same motor. They have a better auto trans, and a better front axle. Their 8.25" rear is better than a D35c, but not quite as strong as a D44. Not that it matters, because 33" tires is pretty big for an XJ. (without significant cutting) The front D30 in the XJ is a High Pinion, which is 30% stronger than a Low Pinion. The front suspension on an XJ is the same as the TJ.

The Chrysler 8.25" rear can handle a full case locker, and be just fine for anything up to 33" tires. Also, if you got one with a D35, Superior makes a Super 35 kit that will work for anything up to 35" tires. Lots of people say don't waste your time with a D35 and to a point I agree. But if you don't plan on hard wheeling, a Super 35 is a great economical alternative to an expensive replacement. There has been 0 reported failures of the super 35 kit.

Look for damage if it came from salt country. As the person before me wrote, they have a few bad areas that salt is not kind to them. Also, don't let water get into the transmission, but there is a mod for that.

www.jeepforum.com

Just Empty Every Pocket

Typical damage from road salt and insufficient cleaning (in this case by the previous owner.) I considered a frame swap but ended up getting rid of the Jeep instead. It was a 2000 TJ, only about 130K. Clean the inside of the frame THOROUGHLY after every off-road trip to avoid this!

I've owned the following list of 4x4 vehicles and my 4 door Toyota Tacoma is the favorite one I've ever had. It gets decent mileage, goes almost anywhere, is comfortable inside, and has Toyota reliability behind it.

1984 K5 Diesel Blazer
1995 2 Door Diesel Tahoe
1998 Dodge Durango
2001 GMC 2500 Ext Truck
2003 Z71 Tahoe
1976 FJ40
1989 Chevy Suburban 2500

Grove

1984-89 model Toyota 4runner
My 89 is built like a brick, solid, 270k miles and it still runs perfect, very good off road, has come in very handy in our fields when its been raining 3-4 days straight and your shoe sinks an inch or three into the ground when you walk, heck, it does better then my dads F250 most of the time

It's too bad they don't still import Land Rover Defenders to the US.

I would not hesitate to take one of those just about anywhere.

ETA: my 98 Land Rover Discovery is pretty damn capable as an offroad vehicle (will be more so when I get done modding it the way I want to). It's British, so it's got some quirks, but it's way more reliable than non-LR people will lead you to believe.

FJ, trail teams to be specific. Stock blistein's, BF Goodrich KO's, and locking rear diff. This years is army green and last years (which I have) is a sand color.

I still love the XJ, plain ol' boxy Jeep Cherokee. Parts are everywhere and their easy to fix.

+1000
I've had many cars and trucks. You just can't beat Jeeps. Very versatile, reliable and excellent 4x4 platform. Myne is a 98 Grand 4x4 with a 6 cyl. inline engine. Bought it almost new with 3,000 miles back in 1998. It gets 23 MPG highway and can easily tow 5000 lbs trailers.

94 cherokee with 268000 on it and drives everywhere.

You really can't beat an older Nissan hardbody or Toyota Pickup/Tacoma for a GP fireroad/trail and road legal vehicle.

Go to any third world no-road hellhole and you will see Toyota and Nissan pickups crawling all over it.

Personally, I stick to American companies, I know I', gonna get jumped on about how the plants for this is here and the plant for that is there, the main profit still goes overseas. I have to Jeeps, a Wrangler and a Cherokee. The two of them are fantastic. The Cherokee is an 01 with under 100K (around 85) and the Wrangler is beefed up a bit (I set it up, I bought the base model because I did all the mods and have a better vehicle than the Rubicon which was 10K more I've spent about 5700). My wrangler is no pavement princess either, I use it for what it was intended for. I also like the fact I have interchangeable hard/soft tops and removable doors.

I'm a fan of Ford Rangers. I've had two...a 94 and now an 04. Both with the 4.0L and manual 5-sp. They have 4wd hi and low. I bought the 94 used for $3,000 with 97,000 miles, replaced the tires and clutch and ran it until just short of 220k miles on only oil changes. It still ran fine the day I traded it in. The 04 I bought used for $7,000 with 89,000 miles, bought new tires, and I'm at 112k miles right now. I'll run it until it hits about the same mileage as the last one. Both were/are used heavily off road and for commuting to work. Neither have had any issues. Rangers are great little trucks (yes they are pretty darn small inside) but unless you're a big dude you wouldn't have any issues. I've had both burried pretty good and have always been able to self recover as long as the tires have some decent tread on them. Just my experience. All in all you can find them for cheap, they work great for the off road stuff, and they're still comfortable enough to use as a daily driver.

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