What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

High-Clearance Vehicles to Beat Up - Whatcha Got? (1 Viewer)

krista4

krista4

Footballguy
Mr. krista and I are in the market for a used high-clearance vehicle for use on sketchy forest roads to get to trailheads. We've been driving our Subaru, which does great with the crappy roads and potholes and has successfully forded a few water crossings, but I hate beating up a 2015 car and am also worried about continuing to challenge it with stuff like this.

This car will get beat up, so we aren't looking to spend a ton (<$20K) and just want something super-reliable with great 4WD or AWD and high clearance. Mr krista found this oddly specific article, but I know there are plenty of folks here who have experience with these cars.

These are the ones we had in mind so far:

Toyota 4Runner - Everyone in this area has or wants one of these, though, so they can be very hard to find.

Jeep Grand Cherokee - There are so many damn versions of this car, and I don't know how to wade through them and know what is best.

Toyota FJ Cruiser - Based on the above article, we put this on the list. We also liked that it is made of rectangles.

Nissan Xterra - See FJ Cruiser.

Any thoughts on these? Any others you'd put on the list?

Thanks!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
krista4 said:
glumpy said:
Old timer here. Still like the Jeep. Own two of them, along with a truck for hauling.
Click to expand...
Which Jeeps do you have?
Click to expand...
2002 Grand Cherokee is my long time go to, great for work, family trips and pig pickins. Liked it so much when we got an SUV for running the business and my wife said she wanted something which "saved on gas and worked like the Jeep" we got a Compass. It's a four banger mini-Cherokee.

 
I used to have a Ford Explorer, circa 2002 model which lived like the Grand Cherokee that we were happy with as well--drove it into the ground. Both were used for family travel and off road but neither was really used rough terrain.

 
glumpy said:
I used to have a Ford Explorer, circa 2002 model which lived like the Grand Cherokee that we were happy with as well--drove it into the ground. Both were used for family travel and off road but neither was really used rough terrain.
Click to expand...
Really appreciate this. Grand Cherokee going up in the rankings. We would be unlikely to use this car for any travel other than getting to hikes, so the rough terrain ability is the key rather than comfort. Grand Cherokee seems like it's comfortable as well as good with the terrain, though.

 
Jeep Grand Cherokee. Best utility vehicle ever. :) The old style they stopped making 2001, not the 2015 version. Hard to find with < 100k miles, but will go much longer if maintained. And you can beat the crap out of them.

 
WhatDoIKnow said:
Jeep Grand Cherokee. Best utility vehicle ever. :) The old style they stopped making 2001, not the 2015 version. Hard to find with < 100k miles, but will go much longer if maintained. And you can beat the crap out of them.
Click to expand...
I was going to suggest that too.

Something like this can be readily had for $2-4k, will take a beating, and will go for 200k miles easy if you maintain the 4.0L I6 engine. If not, dropping a rebuilt engine in it will run you $3-4k.

They are almost impossible to kill. (great video)

Just throw some 31" knobby tires on it and maybe a front locker ($400 or so installed at any off road shop) and you you'll have a hard time stopping it off road.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Passenger said:
Pre-Tacoma toyota 4x4 with the 22RE 4 cyl. Will last forever, crawl up anything and cannot be destroyed.
Click to expand...
Another great options as well, though the cab space is limited. If looking for an SUV, this won't work as well. If a pickup is okay, these are a great option.

 
Looking at that picture of the rough terrain you're looking at, I would consider a JK wrangler with small lift, 33-35" tires, and a winch on the front. Assuming you're not going too far on the road, the Pentastar engine (2012+) isn't necessary.

Or the aforementioned Cherokee XJ with a bigger lift, 33" tires, and a winch.

Both will have solid on-road manners and will blow your mind off road.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Wow, lots of good info here. :thanks: Really dumb question: differences between a Cherokee and a Grand Cherokee? Had no idea there was the possibility of a decent car so cheap (nor did I know you could buy cars on eBay--I really need to get with the program).

The picture I posted was more extreme than what we'd see 99% of the time, as we are not usually going through snow and ice. We have forded that particular spot when it was just 18" of water, which made me nervous in the Subaru and I probably wouldn't do again.

Re pickups, while I'm not completely opposed, it's probably not ideal for us as we will often have a lot of gear that would be left in the car, and we need some space for it.

 
krista4 said:
Wow, lots of good info here. :thanks: Really dumb question: differences between a Cherokee and a Grand Cherokee? Had no idea there was the possibility of a decent car so cheap (nor did I know you could buy cars on eBay--I really need to get with the program).

The picture I posted was more extreme than what we'd see 99% of the time, as we are not usually going through snow and ice. We have forded that particular spot when it was just 18" of water, which made me nervous in the Subaru and I probably wouldn't do again.

Re pickups, while I'm not completely opposed, it's probably not ideal for us as we will often have a lot of gear that would be left in the car, and we need some space for it.
Click to expand...
Gotcha.

18" of water is nothing for any jeep mentioned in here. I've run more than double that before without concern. Most modern jeeps vent the axles/transmissions/etc up higher in the body for just that purpose. A basic winch ($400-750 + install) on any truck/SUV you buy would be great insurance against any extreme spots like in the photo.

A cheap "lunchbox" locker ($300-400) in the front axle will provide significant added traction when in 4WD as well.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
[icon] said:
krista4 said:
Wow, lots of good info here. :thanks: Really dumb question: differences between a Cherokee and a Grand Cherokee? Had no idea there was the possibility of a decent car so cheap (nor did I know you could buy cars on eBay--I really need to get with the program).

The picture I posted was more extreme than what we'd see 99% of the time, as we are not usually going through snow and ice. We have forded that particular spot when it was just 18" of water, which made me nervous in the Subaru and I probably wouldn't do again.

Re pickups, while I'm not completely opposed, it's probably not ideal for us as we will often have a lot of gear that would be left in the car, and we need some space for it.
Click to expand...
Gotcha.

18" of water is nothing for any jeep mentioned in here. I've run more than double that before without concern. Most modern jeeps vent the axles/transmissions/etc up higher in the body for just that purpose. A basic winch ($400-750 + install) on any truck/SUV you buy would be great insurance against any extreme spots like in the photo.

A cheap "lunchbox" locker ($300-400) in the front axle will provide significant added traction when in 4WD as well.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the 18" was in late summer/early fall; we'll definitely deal with quite a bit more in the spring. This is all excellent info--thanks!

And TRE, no to the Mercedes. :lol:

 
Had a 98 Grand Cherokee from 2000-2005. Used it basically for Northern Michigan trips. Had some rough area to get through and it had good clearance and was somewhat indestructible.

On another note is the Oneida Tribe pressuring Jeep to change the Cherokee name??

 
Last edited by a moderator:
First car I thought of was the Cherokee. Those things are tanks with tires. Just don't expect a ton in terms of comfort/options.

Re: cherokee vs grand cherokee- grand cherokee is the slicker looking one with more bells and whistles and a better road ride. If this is a beater, then IMO that's just more stuff that'll break and need fixing.

Loved my Wrangler TJ back in the day, but seeing you mentioned toting stuff with you it's likely not an option.

 
Nissan Xtrerra (already on your list) Pro-4X -- it's not really that "cool", but it continually rates among the best for offloading.

Despite what those ads on TV may lead you to believe, there are only a handful of SUVs on sale right now that are capable of pounding over inhospitable terrain with any reliability. Rigs like the Toyota 4Runner and Nissan Xterra are the last of a once proud breed of crawlers.

Mid-sized, body-on-frame SUVs with solid rear axles and independent front suspensions were once standard operating procedure for most manufacturers, but the advent of the crossover has seen both buyers and builders scramble away from the design. The Xterra is one of the last holdouts in this segment, which is why I found myself doing my damnedest to put a rock through the SUV's oil pan one cool morning.

Like Linux, the Windows phone, and Battlestar Gallactica, the Xterra is the third mutt in a two-dog fight, and owners take a certain amount of twisted, against-the-grain pride in running something without a Jeep or Toyota badge on the hood. Naturally, I love this.
Click to expand...
If I was going to get a 4WD to go tear up , without a doubt it would be an Xterra. I had a Frontier (built on the same frame and almost identical from the front seat forward) and loved it.

 
Hmmmm...well I guess we'll look at the Jeeps and the Xterras, then. I think the Land Rover is a no-go for Mr krista, but I'll take another look at them just in case.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Pip's Invitation
The THIRD 100 from 1971. #1: Echoes
5 6 7
Replies
310
Views
16K
BobbyLayne
BobbyLayne
Ministry of Pain
Double Feature: MOP vs JP Morgan Chase/Banks in a Steel Cage
2
Replies
57
Views
4K
Ministry of Pain
Ministry of Pain
D
The Hunt for Joseph Kony
Replies
4
Views
655
mquinnjr
mquinnjr

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top