What are some of the most reliable old vehicles?

[toy_tek]

Lots of good opinions here.

While there are arguably older/cooler vehicles, I’d vote for a later 80s EFI 22Re Toyota. Simple to work on, very well designed from the factory, very good parts availability, very good support network (online & local enthusiasts etc), and reasonably priced parts. You can even find reasonable prices on OEM parts from Toyota (thanks Camelback!) and know you are installing quality parts that should last as long as they did originally.

You mentioned the buy-in price, but if you find a good deal on a Toyota (lots listed here in AZ for under 4K), you may very well be able to sell it a few years from now for the same amount or more, as prices have definitely bottomed out and in some cases are starting to rise again. This is of course true with a lot of old chevys etc, but since I’m focusing on Toyota it is worth a mention.

I’ve owned & wretched on Chevy, Jeep, Ford, International, and 3 Toyota 4x4s, and while I liked certain things about all of them, when I think about factory engineering & reliability overall, I (in my experience) would always point to Toyota.

 

[Smileyshaun]

A bicycle nothing more reliable than that

 

[Smileyshaun]

I think a lot of it has to do with what your definition of old is, to some something made in 2000 is old to others something made in 1960 is old . It also have a lot to do with what you're comfortable with working on personally give me anything with a small block Chevy and it's going to be reliable to me because I can take one apart in my sleep and repair almost anything on it to others they feel that way about Ford's or Dodges or Toyotas. But for the most part if you want something older make sure it starts out as simple as possible manual transmission manual windows simple fuel injection will take you anywhere you want to go

 

[jaimeruiz3]

This thread is VERY ENTERTAINING!

There is NO such thing as a "RELIABLE OLD" vehicle that meets the needs of Modern Traffic, Speeds and Safety HOWEVER there certainly are a BUNCH of old guy's here that "Think" they know how to work on old vehicles which in their mind makes that old POS vehicle they own and drive "Reliable"!

Post after post continues to have the poster tell us about their "Reliable" vehicle and more importantly how they are able to repair and maintain that vehicle to keep that POS running and driving!

The reality is that modern vehicles are infinitely MORE RELIABLE than that old POS you currently drive that you "think" you can repair yourself. What's the difference? The fact that you are OLD and do not have the knowledge, tools and ability to repair a modern vehicle in NO WAY makes that modern vehicle less reliable.

It's ALL in your damn head!

I had a 98 ZJ 4.0 for 5 years as a DD (2013 I got it and I just sold it on January of this year) , I got it with 230K miles, I did around 80K, besides a piston that had to be replaced, when I got it and which I managed to find on a junkyard in exchange for a beer I never had any issues with it, everything worked alaways, and never let me stranded. I've also had early 90s Geo Trackers as daily drivers, no mayor issues. As long as it's well cared some old vehicles can be reliable. and I didn't spent nearly as much as I would need to for a comparable truck like with solid axles, decent clearance, real transfer case etc... I would had need to go for like a JK unlimited which was completely out of my budget, I might have spent like $2000 on maintenance and repairs and I got the truck for $1000

 

[Easty]

Overall I find that with a vehicle that is mostly stock I can enjoy driving more and wrenching less. With “expedition” style travel in mind, the main goal is “getting there” not “driving over the biggest pile of rocks” so big lifts and huge tires usually cause more trouble than they’re worth. With careful choice of route and line you will find that you can “get there” in something stock!

Careful choice of tire in a near stock size, careful choice of gears to fit your application, a traction aid to fit your applicaion, and perhaps a winch are the best mods one can make in my opinion.

Best advice you could take on in this entire thread. I have had an over-built XJ on 35's with a cammed 4.0 and deep gears that was a LOT of fun, but mildly reliable (due to romping on it and general nonsense associated with a huge lift, huge tires, tons of articulation, and more power) and yet I find more satisfaction in my daily driver 01 WJ Limited that is getting a mild lift, 31's, and skid protection to be able to get out to wherever I want by taking responsible lines in the rocks and having a super reliable 4.7 V8 (I know there are people out there chuckling about this, but it's been my experience with this engine and the routine maintenance that keeps it purring nicely) with plenty of power to get back to work (because I believe that this is about what a good 93% of us here on this forum are actually doing with these rigs). I get more joy out of the smaller Jeep with the peace of mind of knowing I will get there and get back without much headache. Huge lifts and tires don't provide accurate and essential off-road driving skills that most stock 4x4's enable you to possess when properly equipped, especially those built after the mid-1980s.

Get inspired by the high dollar builds, but be able to scope the project within your means of cost, reliability, and actual purpose.

Food for thought.

 

[ClovisMan]

27 years old and I would drive it across the country today...

 

[Buliwyf]

YJ. Once you upgrade the axles, driveshafts, and SYE. Same for XJ's. Simple ride with nothing to break one you get rid of the pathetic axles.

Maybe a manual trans, manual xfer case, manual hub, 2001 Super Duty. Just a bigger version of the above. v10 and 7.3 of course.

Gen1 Dodge, give or take rust. Ok, maybe just in Arizona I guess.

With more axle swaps again, lol. Look at that front toothpic. haha.

 

[Easty]

27 years old and I would drive it across the country today...

This is a great inspiration for what I need to build next....now that I have 2 more bodies to consider with associated gear for adventuring. Sweet rig man!

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

Is the op still on this thread?

What did he decide?

Did I miss it?

 

[tonnydoodles]

any year trooper with a manual transmission

 

[rnArmy]

I had an 89 Trooper II with the 2.6 four cylinder and five-speed. I miss it (wife got it in the divorce). The thing was a tank - go anywhere and looked good doing it. I liked the 70/30 barn door opening rear doors. I would love to have another one.

Only "bad" thing about them is they don't have a shift-on-the-fly transfer case (and neither does my 46 Willys, but that's a different story).

 

[Mundo4x4Casa]

The problem with old rigs' reliability is....old age. What does that really mean? Having had 13, 4WD's of all descriptions to meet the familial and testosternomical needs of the time, I will point out things to look for with any used vehicle.
1. Has it been stored inside? In a dry (southwest US) state? If not, check for rust by crawling around underneath for a while.
2. Has it been regularly driven to keep the seals lubed with at least a 10-15 mile minimum warm up drive? Some low mileage rigs have been sitting a long time.
3. Has it had regular maintenance with some preventive maintenance? Most people just let old 4WD's go once they're of a certain age.
4. Does it have minimal air pollution controls? The worst era for poorly designed smog devices surely has to be the 1980's...all of them.....every year.
5. Has it ever been driven in salt water or over salted roads?
6. How far away from stock is it? The more stock, the better in terms of reliability.
7. With larger vehicles, is the price point low enough to account for and overcome an extended period of low mpg? I'm thinking V-10 gas motors by Ford and Mopar have been a good buy.
8. Does it fit your needs for the moment. Your interests, wants, and needs will surely change in the next few years.
9. Older rigs are simpler, but old wiring and electrical can be an eternal headache.
10. Some of the best older rigs came as a 'stripped' model from the factory with fewer electronics to go haywire. If you can live with fewer electrical circuits, it may be the ticket. On the other hand, you may take little comfort in driving such an archaic rig.
11. Every make and model has their so called, "Golden Period" or maybe two. These are years of mfgr. that had extraordinary reliability where everything was as good as it gets for that year's technology. In a parallel universe, most makes had their, "STAY AWAY" models that failed miserably even after the mfgr. dumped millions in warranty repair costs.

Warning! the following is all about my personal experience. If this is worthless to you, get to the next thread.
I own two of these "Golden Period" trucks: 2001.5 Dodge GEN II RAM 4WD 2500 H.O. 24 valve Cummins NV5600. With the slow fade of GEN I- 12V Cummins diesels in pickups, with their anemic HP, the 2001-2002 GEN II design with a much sturdier drivetrain has become more desirable. Does it make as much power as the newer D.E.F plagued diesels? No, not by a long shot. But there is that longevity factor. I see it as the diesel warz equivalent of The Tortoise and the Hare. My neighbor across the lane has a 2001 RAM and it just turned 300K miles. Ours has 164K miles. Basically we do an oil change every 7K miles with fuel, air, and oil filter changes. This rig has only a 4" exhaust pipe; and an aftermarket free flow muffler and resonator delete. Any soot bag, pee canister, or D.E.F. tank need not apply. The only downside is the very high noise level from the engine. It's a real rattler.

The other is our 3rd Jeep not-so-grand Cherokee, a 1999 XJ Classic with 3.73 front True Trac and a rear Trash loc. (Formerly, we had a 1989 Limited, and a 1990 mid grade with the O.K. Renix F.I. system.) I bought the '99, 10 years ago and have put 12K miles on it since then and it's worth about the same a I paid for it a decade ago. Hands down, it's the best snow car I've ever owned. Much better than all those ARB's and full Detroits we had.

jefe

 

[Mundo4x4Casa]

BTW, Rachmaninoff, are you any relation to the great Russian Composer Sergei Rachmaninoff? I played a lot of his music when in the bass trombone chair of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and used a lot of his choral music for our Compline Choirs, much of it in translitterated Church Cerilic. He escaped the Soviet purge and died in Beverly Hills in 1943. There has to be a story here.
jefe

 

[Buliwyf]

My aunt could change the cv's on 'burbs and k5's when she was 12.

My grandfather changed them out nearly twice a year. Reliable and durable are 2 different things. Imagine if your cv's and all of your ball joints were shot at 30 000 miles on a modern truck! Don't forget how trashy the metal was on old trucks.

 

[Darren2001]

Just found and read this entire thread. Lots of great options and advice as well. Is the OP still here? What was decided?

Figured I'd throw my two cents in as well. 1st Gen Xterras/Frontiers are great vehicles. The vg33 v6 engine is a bit underpowered and gets 15ish mpg but it's very reliable and strong. The rear axles on the Xterras are strong, there's a good sized aftermarket if you want to modify and factory parts are priced good. Easy to work on for the most part, minus the #6 spark plug (some engineers should be shot). You can get a manual transmission and transfer case. You can also easily add manual hubs if you so choose as well! My 2001 is a 5spd manual, with manual xfer case, has 156k miles on it and I absolutely love it. The best thing.... In my opinion at least, is that they aren't HUGELY popular and thus can be picked up for very cheap. I found mine when it had 140k miles on it, minimal rust, for only $2000.

My second choice would be a 2.5gen Montero. Amazing machines but a little harder to find than the Xterra. They are big vehicles though, which is a plus for me.