Need vehicle suggestions for around $3000

[life_w_vagabonds]

Could someone tell me more about the Trooper. I've really never considered it before, but I'm hearing its pretty good off-road.

Troopers are in the "Expedition Vehicles: other" section with the bad *ss Subarus.

 

[corprin]

...the bad *ss Subarus.

bad *ss when #4 piston isn't ************* the bed on ya?

The best thing you can do is take each vehicle you are looking at out for a test drive. Try it on the freeway and in town, check your blind spots etc. It's the feeling you get from it that should determine the path in which you take. I really enjoy my $2000 114k old 99 XJ I bought last year, have $3500 all in, including my new welder to replace a rusted out floor pan. Keep your eyes open, and don't feel afraid to low-ball and dicker the price

 

[fatrat]

The best thing you can do is take each vehicle you are looking at out for a test drive. Try it on the freeway and in town, check your blind spots etc. It's the feeling you get from it that should determine the path in which you take.

This is the best advice...I really wanted a 60 series LC however I drove a few & didn't feel any attachment then I drove a 1st gen Montero that I found on CL thinking I wouldn't like it but LOVED everything about it. You will know what you want when you see it / get behind the wheel. :sombrero:

 

[RealJon]

I recently purchased a 99 Trooper and couldn't be happier, I would take it anyway over a Cherokee any day. Its comfortable, very good off-road, and cheap to buy. My 99 cost me 3k with 145k, spent 100$ on some used 285s and then drove it from PA to GA with no issues (that were not my fault). Pop the back seats out, build a platform with storage and a air mattress. If I wasn't so far away I would offer to sell you mine! (No off-road around me)

 

[CLynn85]

I'd go for the Cherokee in a heartbeat. We traded my wife's 01 2wd in 2 years ago and we've regretted it ever since. It's easy to find one in really nice shape still for not a lot of coin and they are SOOOOO easy to work on and trouble shoot. When you open the hood there's a stout I-6 with gobs of space on either side and easily identifiable components. Are they perfect? No! But I'd feel way more confident that I could tackle any issues that pop up on one myself than with a 4runner or Troopy.

 

[scrubber3]

I'd have to say a Generation 2 Montero as well. Very reliable, easy to work on, has aftermarket if you know where to look, comfortable, very inexpensive, and probably the most capable off road vehicle in stock form that you can get based upon my experience. With 3000 dollars you can buy one, get all of the maintenance up to date, modify it to your liking and still have money to go on your excursions. The SR model has a locking rear differential and the drivetrain will never let you down. A 9 and a half inch ring gear in the rear and an Asin transmission coupled with the strictly mechanical 4wd system that can get you anywhere not to mention they come with 4.6 gearing from the factory. These are the best kept secret in off roading out there!

To be honest though, I think you should get a jeep or a trooper.

 

[Revco]

I'd jump on the XJ before anything else. 4-Runner would be 2nd.

A friend of mine bought his '97 XJ about 2 years ago at a public auction for ~$600. It was a flood car so the engine was locked up and it had been abandoned on the street so it was impounded. He swapped in an aluminum LC9 5.3 V8 mated to a 4L60E/NP231 with custom mounts and a custom harness & PCM. He put some name brand lift on it and 35" tires with some aluminum wheels. We fabricated the front & rear bumpers and built some rock sliders and a roof rack. He drives this thing on a daily basis and gets about 25mpg and it's seen some of the roughest offroad terrain in Texas...driven there, and driven home with no problems many times. He's been to CO, NM, AZ, NV and I think it's been on the road for a little over a year. He's probably got less than $5k in the whole thing.

 

[Alaskan1Ton]

Honestly, it sounds like almost any of the vehicles discussed in this thread will do what I want them to do. I just have to figure out which one matches me and my personality. Would that be an accurate assessment?

WRONG. They are all a good choice EXCEPT the Disco 1. I owned a D1 and Im not downing it.......because Im a mechanic. if I was not mechanically inclined this vehicle would have been a nightmare. Very decent off road, but weak axles, you cant lift them very much without all kinds of expensive up-grades to keep them from wobbling and to keep the driveshafts from exploding on you, horrible electronics/wiring. I bought a D1 rover for its off-road prowess and "camel trophy" reliability......I was very uncomfortable in this truck reliability wise, I was constantly waiting for something to go wrong and it was stressful as hell. Get a Cherokee with the rock solid 4.0 motor, lift it 4", run 33's and your good for 95% of anything that a newby is gonna do.

 

[Viggen]

my vote was for XJ. tons of support.

As long as you dont need interior room...or need to try and open and close doors while cross axled...

Get a first gen Trooper. Youll probably not find a nice 4Runner for $3. A Disco is get but it will require upkeep offering only a cheap price of entry.

 

[Haggis]

In the area where we live buying any of the vehicles mentioned in this thread for around 3 grand is a long shot. Sure you can find any of them under that price but you are going to be buying a vehicle that is some clapped out rust bucket, has a R-title, or is pushing well beyond the 200,000 mile mark on the odometer. But all of that comes from living in a rust belt/lake effect snow portion of the state.

 

[BigSwede]

Could someone tell me more about the Trooper. I've really never considered it before, but I'm hearing its pretty good off-road.

Ask me anything... I would suggest a mid-90s Trooper with a manual transmission as a very reliable, roomy, durable vehicle. Stoutly built with fully boxed frames and heavy duty running gear. Of course this also makes them heavy, but they are quite good off road, the rear coil-spring axle offers more travel than most of the vehicles on your list. Front is IFS of course, but I haven't found it to be much of a handicap. The rear axle is nearly into Dana 60 territory as far as toughness goes, the front less so but I have wheeled with 35s for many years without much problem.

You can lift a Trooper up to 3" with a simple rear coil swap and front torsion bar adjust (you can go higher than 3" but I don't really recommend it). You can fit up to 33" tires without modification. Not a lot of aftermarket support, but enough. ARB and Aussie lockers are available. Crawler low range gears available also.

 

[bansil]

I'll second Swede on his recommendation. 1st gens are awesome and easy to work on but slow and they are 25 years old so they will need some work to get them right. A good mid '90s second gen is a great choice. Manual transmission gets rid of a potential head ache. Parts really aren't a problem and they are comfy and ride decent. Very durable and capable out of the box truck and in most areas underpriced used. A Rodeo/Passport is also a good option. The market is full of nice used ones in that price range. Between the 2 I prefer a Trooper myself. Huge capacity for your stuff. One other great thing is the Isuzu crowd. Great, helpful, un-pretentious folks.

Like said above drive a clean example of everything on your list. Open the doors, sit in all the seats, climb under and check out what you would need to do for oil changes in all the components. Can you get to the shocks to change them or will you need special tools? Does it have decent factory skid plates? The Isuzu's do. Does it have 4 wheel disc brakes or disc/drums? Discs are much easier to service than drums and don't hold mud and gravel the way drums do. The trucks will tell you which one is right for you. It ultimately comes down to which one makes YOU smile when you drive it!

I agree with the 92-96 trooper with SOHC and 5 spd, make sure frame is sound.

I normally roll with the rear seats removed (about 10 minutes total to remove)

They have a ton of room in them,with out adjusting seat,I can setup my cot in the back and use plastic toolbox for a table and I can sit up on the cot and not hit my head on the roof.
All other bags fit under the cot while sleeping.

Rodeos and passports do not have the same type of room.

Check frame, and stay away from the 4l30 auto tranny

and like has been said,sit in and drive each vehicle multiple times on different days.
I don't like the pillar locations in the Cherokees,that sealed that one for me,and the others just didn't "feel" right

Good luck on anything you purchase

 

[BCHauler]

I'm not familiar with the area you will be exploring, and it wasn't on your list, but my suggestion would be a Ford Bronco. They are very common, parts are easy to find, cheap, and the rig is easy to work on (lots of room underneath and under the hood). They are easily available in your price range and can accept many upgrades with minimal hassle (bigger tires, etc). Ford built a bugillion of them, they share powertrains with the most common vehicles of the modern era (F-series trucks), and most any shop can repair them if issues are too much for your expertise.

 

[bftank]

^^^^ bronco is a good suggestion as well.

i was in a similar position to yours.

i wanted something
domestic, for cheap parts
midsize, for size and mileage reasons. tight trails
ladder frame, easier to upgrade, stronger
good safety rating.
large aftermarket support
good forum support
easy to work on
under $3k purchase price


the only suvs that met these requirments for me were the explorer and the blazer/jimmy. we chose the explorer, because we got a screaming deal on a little old lady model. owned it for a year now and are very happy with it.

loaded with two adults, a baby, and enough luggage, toys, baby paraphenelia for a week long stay and the folks house in idaho, we pulled down a 16.5 mpg average over 1500 miles. i was impressed. unladen on the freeway we get 18 mpg 17 in town.

we purchased a 1994 explorer for $1700 from and older woman that used it to commute from az and back. when purchased it had 98k miles on the odometer. we spent $600 on tires, $120 on a radio, and $70 on an egr regulator solenoid. thats it, i am not counting maintence items; filters oil etc. the bumpers i got for free.



i have heard that the automatics are sketchy, but no problems with ours so far. it came with an oil cooler and i installed a trans temp sensor.

i like that the hubs can be unlocked, that gave us another mpg, the 8.8 is fairly stout up to a 35" tire. based on a ranger platform. lots of forums available. the ranger station, explorer forum, dezertrangers, and i am sure i'm forgetting some. plus it's not a jeep.

good luck in your search!

 

[aka rover]

WRONG. They are all a good choice EXCEPT the Disco 1. I owned a D1 and Im not downing it.......because Im a mechanic. if I was not mechanically inclined this vehicle would have been a nightmare. Very decent off road, but weak axles, you cant lift them very much without all kinds of expensive up-grades to keep them from wobbling and to keep the driveshafts from exploding on you, horrible electronics/wiring. I bought a D1 rover for its off-road prowess and "camel trophy" reliability......I was very uncomfortable in this truck reliability wise, I was constantly waiting for something to go wrong and it was stressful as hell. Get a Cherokee with the rock solid 4.0 motor, lift it 4", run 33's and your good for 95% of anything that a newby is gonna do.

I really like it when people pop off on how horible Land Rovers are, keeps them afordable for me to buy them.

The electronics are weak to say the least on the Discos but I wouldnt pick a cherokee over a rig with an actual frame! I would put a stock Disco up against a stock cherokee any day of the week for reliability and durability. Ive owned both while the 4.0 is a great motor it pretty much stops there as far as quality goes.

My son has a 1997 Disco with a rovertyme 3" lift 34" tires a set of castor correction bushings removed rear rotoflex and no expensive stuff to keep it from wobbleing? I forgot to mention the truck has 165k miles on it has been maintained, and in the hands of a 17 year old kid who has not killed it yet. My daughter's 97 140k she put 40k on it in the last 5 years with no major problems besides the window regulator and a door lock not working. I have had other rovers with well over 200k with no major problems but hey these trucks are crap right, I havent broke an axle on the rover yet but then its really not what you drive but how you drive.


I would say all the above are good choices depending on the previouse maintance records as that is what it boils down to in a used rig. The ultimate to me would be a 5spd Disco, I would rather have a range rover classic than a disco as im not fond of how top heavy they feel to me offroad.

Good Luck in your search this is the best part of getting a new rig" THE HUNT"

Cheers Ed