what are my options,  considering a new vehicle to replace my 1998 awd explorer, may be moving to the boston area, so bye bye guns and hello traffic a 5.0 v8 isn't exactly a gas sipper and the bodies rusting out so repairing it is getting to the point of diminishing returns. anyone who was in the northeast this year knows our winters can be a bit on the brutal side so i want AWD as a driver iv'e never not had it, so no i don't know how to live without it.  iv'e also had to park in snow banks, like straight up roll over them, and get out the passenger side. not exactly good for cv joints and ball joints. my explorer handled it fine, but a crossover probably wouldn't be too happy about that situation. would probably be a lease to own situation.

i was originally considering 3 vehicles, all new, a wrangler unlimited, a 2015 chevy colorado, and a 2015 cherokee.  drove the Colorado and was unimpressed. both the 4 cylinder, and the v6 were just unresponsive motors. and the ride was actually rougher than my 98 exploder.  the interior was nice for sure though  and leasing one with 4 doors n 4x4 was $65 a month less than a base unlimited.  the cherokee was a pretty smooth ride with a nice interior, and i could lease a trailhawk fully loaded for less then an unlimited base model with soft top and a manual transmission. but once i learned it was built like a dart, and therefore was probably as durable as a dart, iv'e pretty much wrote it off. my buddy curbed his 2009 accord at about 20mph and it shattered his axle. curbed my explorer doing 45 on a 10 inch granite curb when someone crossed into my lane, and it was perfectly fine, didn't even mess up my alignment

then there was the wrangler unlimited, it's honestly the closest thing to my explorer that i love, the downside is the gas mileage is also eerily similar.and a base model lease is at the very top end of my budget. as opposed to  a fully loaded cherokee or colorado,  makes it pretty tough sell, although it has the want factor and best ride going for it.

are there any other new vehicles i should be considering? toyota 4 runner is out of my budget and has the same bad gas mileage as the jeep, and fuck the nissan xteraa, cause it's just as expensive, with no want factor, or any other gains.

tacoma will probably get some serious consideration as well, although i think i want to wait for the new model if that's the way to go.

and lastly i could always look for and older cherokee and buy it outright and lift it and do some other dumb stuff

physical size and gas mileage are factors to the decision as well but the biggest concern is AWD and it can take some odd parking angles....

Get the wrangler,  it may not have the best gas milage but it will put a smile on your face

Those Honda pickup like things are pretty nice if you're only needing 4wd/awd for snow. The trunk in the bed is awesome storage.

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hadn't even considered a ridgeline, they're discontinued now though.

Look into older 4runners, or just get the wrangler. Check the Jeep forums before buying a new 'cherokee.' Several are on their 5th transmission in under 10k miles

Buy what you want and all that, but I cringe every time I see a Ridgeline.

this was another thing i'd learned about as i started giving it serious consideration, and therefore doing my research.  along with the fact that doing a lift on it isn't feasible.  if i intend to own it, eventually i'll probably want to lift it.

They are ugly for sure, but very functional and comfortable.

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have you considered an older vehicle from the south with no rust? Like another explorer similar to yours. They can be had cheaply.

Run a few calculations and figure out how much that ten miles per gallon worse will cost you when you factor in a new car with associated costs taxes and insurance.

You'll probably come out cheaper by far with an older car you're comfortable with.


I drive a 9year old Avalanche. Terrible fuel mileage but over the last two years my maintenance costs have been four oil changes, a tailgate handle, and next week it's getting a new ac compressor.

Factor in insurance and taxes with the maintenance and it has cost me a little under $140 a month to drive it.

The insurance on a new car is close to that much alone

LOL, no

Get a sierra.



But really, I think if you like the explorer, you should stick to something similar.

you're right,to lease  a base model with 4x4 with the same $3,000 down, the xterra is actually $74 a month more expensive than the jeep the way i would want it..... lulz.

admittedly the final price is $5,000 higher on the jeep, and it has no AC, and the xterra has a nicer interrior, but with it being a lease to own type of deal that i'm going for a $349 lease payment is pretty high. only options i went for on the jeep were automatic transmission, , locking rear differential, and a hard top.  xterra was just the base model with 4x4.

if i were to outright buy the cars, then yes the xterra would have lower monthly payments.

my insurance quote only changed $40 a month going from a 98 explorer to a 2015 unlimited,  NH has pretty cheap insurance prices, because unless you're required to have insurance due to an SR22, or a loan agreement, you don't NEED insurance, it keeps the market much more competitive. MA on the other hand, i'd have to piggyback on my fathers insurance, my explorer is about $1100 a year in NH, my quote for MA was $4400 a year. seems totally reasonable right?

i had considered going for another older car, but the problem is you never know what you're getting into with them, it can look fine and then 2 weeks later the headgasket blows,  had that happen with a pontiac i bought, changed my mind, sold it to a friend cheap, and 2 weeks later he was pissed. that car ran like a champ the month i had it. even the explorer i have now had quite a few  unexpected expenses and 2 years later there are still some electrical issues they were known for i still haven't gotten around to. buying a new old explorer may give me another vehicle on the cheap, but it could also turn out to be a boatload of trouble and a money pit. although admittedly it would be hard to sink $25-30k into an old explorer.

OP, sounds crazy but go try a new 1/2 ton chevy with the 5.3, they get great fuel economy and still have good power when needed....

4Runners ftw

the lease on it would be in my price range, but once the lease pricing ends, i'd be stuck with a truck i wouldn't want to afford. and driving a vehicle that big in the boston area is stressful as hell, and that's putting it mildly.


grand cherokee is out of my price range roughly $30k tops for a brand new lease, with a 3 year lease, then finance the rest afterwards is the plan.

Drive the pickup and see what you think. Single cab shortbed arent that big. I always liked driving trucks in the city. Though a little hard to park there is good visibilty etc.  Everything you are looking at are pretty big vehicles. If you are really worried about parking etc get a subie or take the T. Maybe a rav4 or the like.


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I can't comment on long term reliability or qualify it as "truck like" but the hyundai santa fe sport might be worth a look. Long story short, my daily driver was nearly totaled so I was given this as a long term rental. (3 months so far) I was skeptical at first of hyundai or one of those  brands and just CUV's in general. A week after owning one, my opinion has completely changed. Very spacious, well equipped interior even on a base model. It handles and feels like a car and I think car and driver recorded a 0-60 time (2.0turbo 4 cyl) in the mid to high 6 second range. Which is about on par with a VW gti or civic type r. Not bad for 4,000+lbs pig. I was getting about 19 city and 26 highway mpg.

My glock 17 with a TLR-1S had plenty of room in the center console.