What would you buy if you only had...

[fjatheart]

say $4k for a budget and wanted the following....

-18+ mpg
-seating for 4 (prefer 4 doors)
-automatic
-daily driver

If you look at my signature you can see I love vehicles that aren't so great when it comes to mpg. I had a Samurai for awhile and enjoyed it, but as a dd, it was tough shifting as much as I sat in traffic. I also want something my wife and 3 year old son can take to the grocery and back safely.

Lastly, does a vehicle exist that meets the above requirements, but also doubles as a lite expo vehicle, say FS roads and some small water crossings? If I had the $, I would consider a SX4. I'm concerned that Subaru's in my price range might have issues on the horizon, like replacing a HG (just read a lot of folks love the Forester, but spend to keep them going.)

Thoughts?

 

[Deleted member 9101]

4 runner

 

[Hill Bill E.]

Grand Cherokee would be my choice. Cherokee XJ's are a bit more prevalent and more in the $4K range, but the back doors are a bit smaller than the Grands.

The 4.0L's will go for 200K miles easy with proper maintenance, and getting 18mpg is easy if left stock, or mods are kept simple (2" lift and 31" tires max).

 

[Squatchout]

Most any Isuzu Trooper should fit the bill. 1st or 2nd gen. They all get around 17-18mpg if you drive with some sense. Very comfortable for 4 people and more than tough enough stock for what you are asking. A few simple mods and the capabilities go up considerably. Rodeos as well.

 

[gahi]

put the $4k into your 4runner?

 

[Patman]

Early Passat 4motion wagon.

Little bit of a spacer lift and some more aggressive tires. You could go almost anywhere you describe and it would be just another car to everyone else.

Very doable for 4k

 

[Warn Industries]

Four-door Suzuki Sidekick/Geo Tracker. They're easy to work on, get good mileage, can be extensively modified, and the four-door (long wheelbase) versions have good space. You might even be able to get into a Suzuki Vitara/Chevy Tracker ('99+), too.

- Andy

 

[MadMax11]

Subarus..

Have you considered an older Impreza Wagon?
They are a bit smaller than the Forester, in terms of cargo room and rear seating, but they've got great head room and should net around 26 mpg in town. And they've got the bullet-proof 2.2L ej22 which shouldn't need changed headgaskets for a looooong time.
(I'd suggest test driving a manual, as its a much smoother gearbox than my friend's Jeep.) With some 1" spacers and some 205/65/15 tires, you'd have a solid 9" of clearance all around for forest trails and however difficult offroading that you've got the cajones for :smiley_drive:

 

[MotoDave]

Other than not having 4 doors, I'd say my Toyota T100 would perfectly fit your bill. They're not the easiest trucks to find for sale though.

 

[Warn Industries]

Other than not having 4 doors, I'd say my Toyota T100 would perfectly fit your bill. They're not the easiest trucks to find for sale though.

T100 fuel economy is about 15/17 (1995 4x4 auto) 13/16 (1994 4x4 auto), though, and he said he's looking for 18+.

- Andy

 

[fjatheart]

All really good ideas!

put the $4k into your 4runner?

I've been thinking about this off and on for sometime. Ive not done the math, but I see how it could be the less expensive route to go when you think about comparing it to a whole other vehicle purchase, insurance, base lining it, etc.

It already gets 18.5 around town too. The negative in this is, that my wife drives it daily, which leaves me the 10-11mpg Ford (F250, 460ci) and it's a tough vehicle to trail and "run around town" in. I could sell it, but I have those times I need a truck, plus, even though it is super clean, 64k original miles, who the heck will pay me anything for a truck that gets such poor mpg. (Ive done all the mods to boost the mods and maint. to boost the mpg and I drive it grandpa style (super easy on the skinny pedal).

Early Passat 4motion wagon.

Little bit of a spacer lift and some more aggressive tires. You could go almost anywhere you describe and it would be just another car to everyone else.

Very doable for 4k

I didnt know about these. Is there a aftermarket supplier for the spacer lifts or would it be a custom deal? How is the reliability on those VW's?

Four-door Suzuki Sidekick/Geo Tracker. They're easy to work on, get good mileage, can be extensively modified, and the four-door (long wheelbase) versions have good space. You might even be able to get into a Suzuki Vitara/Chevy Tracker ('99+), too.

No doubt, I'm a fan and I recently test drove one from a used car lot. They were asking 5k for a 4 door Sidekick w/130k miles, but it was leaking fluids and had a hard pull to the right. I've still got my eyes on craigslist and auto trader.

- Andy

Have you considered an older Impreza Wagon?
They are a bit smaller than the Forester, in terms of cargo room and rear seating, but they've got great head room and should net around 26 mpg in town. And they've got the bullet-proof 2.2L ej22 which shouldn't need changed headgaskets for a looooong time.
(I'd suggest test driving a manual, as its a much smoother gearbox than my friend's Jeep.) With some 1" spacers and some 205/65/15 tires, you'd have a solid 9" of clearance all around for forest trails and however difficult offroading that you've got the cajones for :smiley_drive:

Didnt know about these either. All the HG issues I've heard about Subbies turned me off from all their products, but I will search around and see what I can find. Thanks for the heads up!

Other than not having 4 doors, I'd say my Toyota T100 would perfectly fit your bill. They're not the easiest trucks to find for sale though.

Funny you say that, I've been looking to see what T-100's are out there. I know the 3.4 has a good track record. Several things keep me from picking one up. The first, like you mentioned, they are SO hard to find, secondly, need a little bit more space for a child's car seat and lastly, most you can find on the market are beat to death.

 

[MotoDave]

Dunno what the official ratings are, but I get a pretty consistent 18 mpg on long highway trips. '96 extracab T100, 33x10.5 tires, auto trans, 196k miles. Good enough for me.

 

[gahi]

I've been thinking about this off and on for sometime. Ive not done the math, but I see how it could be the less expensive route to go when you think about comparing it to a whole other vehicle purchase, insurance, base lining it, etc.

It already gets 18.5 around town too. The negative in this is, that my wife drives it daily, which leaves me the 10-11mpg Ford (F250, 460ci) and it's a tough vehicle to trail and "run around town" in. I could sell it, but I have those times I need a truck, plus, even though it is super clean, 64k original miles, who the heck will pay me anything for a truck that gets such poor mpg. (Ive done all the mods to boost the mods and maint. to boost the mpg and I drive it grandpa style (super easy on the skinny pedal).

sounds to me like you need a small run around car. Keep the 4runner for your adventures, the truck for big truck stuff, and pick up a tdi golf to give you 40-50 mpg.

Also, something I've been thinking of lately.... Cost of owning a newer truck vs. renting one when its needed. That's assuming you can rent something like that in your area.

 

[fjatheart]

Most any Isuzu Trooper should fit the bill. 1st or 2nd gen. They all get around 17-18mpg if you drive with some sense. Very comfortable for 4 people and more than tough enough stock for what you are asking. A few simple mods and the capabilities go up considerably. Rodeos as well.

Not sure how I missed this earlier, but thank you for the suggestion. I've always though Troopers looked stout, I just don't know "squat":wings: about them.

I'll see whats out there. I just saw a 2 door Rodeo, w/106k on the clock. Are those worth looking into?

 

[4671 Hybrid]

I'd go with the Chevy Tahoe. It's roomy, meets all your requirements, and you can get the 2000+ models (newer body style) for your price tag. If you go back to the pre-2000 boxier models, you still have a solid vehicle but one that looks a tad more dated. On top of your requirements, you also get the ability to tow a considerably sized trailer with either choice.

The other plus is that most folks hardly ever put them in 4WD (often used as status vehicles, grocery getters, or soccer mom trucks) so your chances of getting something that has been beat to death on the trail are slim.