Help me choose my first "expedition" vehicle

[hulk81]

I hope I put this in the right place...... Ok so here's the story. I'm 33 and live in the WNC mountains near Asheville. A years ago I found myself weighting 311lbs :Wow1: (mind you I'm only 5 11) so I knew it was time for a change. I got into a more active life style, camping, backpacking, fishing, mountain biking, etc ,eating better so now I'm down to 235 and still dropping. In my journey I have gotten engaged to a wonderful woman who loves doing all of these things as well( yes including fishing ). so in paring down and getting ready to get married my current vehicle isn't getting the job done. I've got a 1992 ford ranger rcsb 2wd 3.0 v6 5speed and a 2000 chevy 3500 cclb 4x4 454 5 speed and 4:10 gears. The chevy I have to keep for my family's farm and I use it in my business as well(I'm a mechanic) like most guys I have a lot of hobbies(like racing) and she is letting me keep my 72 240z race car, so I cant go out and buy a expedition only rig, so I'm look to replace my dd the ranger with something that will fit all of my needs(I know wishful thinking )It must serve a my new dd, it needs to be able to sit 4 people(even though most of the time it will be 2 people and 2 dogs), be able haul the afore mentioned dogs, carry camping gear, fishing gear, mountain bikes, etc, be able to get to some of the more out of the way trail heads and fishing spots (forest service roads, logging roads, etc, nothing real crazy but 4x4 or awd is a must),be able to tow around 1500lbs or so(that way I don't have to bring out the 9mpg beast to tow a riding lawn mower), handle some snow and stay close to my currant dd mpg (around 20mpg or so). With a house and that goes with it I'm not looking to go in debit for a car at the moment. I'm looking for a 6 grand total budget that could be 6 grand for the vehicle and nothing else, or a 3 grand vehicle and 3 grand left for repairs and upgrades(I can do most everything myself). so in other words I want it all!!! :smiley_drive: So what's my options?

 

[zelatore]

At $6K, I'm not sure what I'd go with exactly. Jeep Cherokee or Grand Cherokee comes to mind as both of them can be found in that price bracket and would serve your needs and offer lots of support for future upgrades should you want to go further with the project later. I'd like to suggest a Land Rover Discovery 1 or 2 since I"m a Rover owner myself, but frankly they aren't for everybody. Lots of personality, and functionality, but they can be ... finicky you might say. Though if you're a mechanic and a racer you should be able to handle anything they would need. And though I personally am not a Toyota fan, a 3rd gen 4Runner might also take care of things for you and they have one of the better reputations for reliability if perhaps at the cost of being a bit bland.
<edit>
The 20 mpg might be a little tough in a full time 4wd, but you should be able to get into the mid-upper teens with any of these if you're easy on them. If mileage is a primary driving factor, you might consider a Subi Forester or Outback wagon. A little un-conventional perhaps, but a more practical DD and more capable than most people give them credit for.

 

[98dango]

For your needs a Cherokee or a Tahoe or expedition would also be on my list

 

[Shocker]

Gratz on the major weight loss!

With your mechanical background you are one step ahead in the game. I echo 98 and zelatore's comments on a Cherokee. Hard to beat platform for the money. Also, I love the first gen Discoveries, but the gas mileage will be less.

You might also find a decent Landcruiser 80. According to many, the best expo rig eveah!

Let's see a pic of the 240. I used to race a 240 a long while ago. Love that platform.

 

[zelatore]

Naturally I was going to suggest an 80; after all, it's the answer to every question on this forum. Now doing an 80 on a $6K budget might pose a challenge.

 

[chilliwak]

I bought this high mileage (350k km) 94 Yukon for $1500. I cost me about $1000 to fix all the loose ends but now I have a great vehicle...



And the previous owner did a sas with a dana 60.:Wow1:

 

[kojackJKU]

Depending on how big you want your rig, a jeep patriot could fit your needs. I still kick my *** for trading mine in on my jk instead of our car. The pat can go in pretty rough trails no issues, and with a few mods are really as capable as a bone stock jk unlimited in most conditions besides deep mud. I am buying another pat for my son in the next year.

Sent from my A210 using Tapatalk

 

[TexasGuidedExpeditions]

Jeep: Cherokee, Grand Cherokee and Wrangler (maybe)

Toyota: 3gen or 4gen 4runner, older T100 pickup (extended), RAV4 (maybe)

Honda: (very maybe) CRV "awd"

Nissan: 1st gen. Frontier, 1st gen or 2gen Pathfinder, 1st gen or 2gen Xterra

Subaru: outback , Forrester

Land Rover: discovery 1 or 2

Mitsubishi: Montero

Isuzu: Trooper

Domestics: F150, 1500 (chevy or dodge), suburban, tahoe, and everything, else not worth a flip....

A lot of choices, just got to find the right one for your needs!






Sent from my lifted UFO!

 

[Nasty610]

I picked up a 96 Isuzu Trooper for $1500 last summer. Most expensive mod so far were tires for $800. I added leather seats, power fading mirrors, lift kit and a bunch of other stuff. All the extras I added didn't cost me more than $300 at my local pick-n-pull. Nice thing about the Trooper is that everything g is pre-wired. So installing my power fading mirrors just required me to find where the ug was taped up and plug it into the switch. Lifting one is extremely easy. You just buy 4" ID springs for the rear and tighten the torsion bars in front. I lifted mine for $20. Mine is an automatic and I get 17-19 mpg on the highway with 33.8" tires the manuals get a little better but are harder to come by. I've owned 2 Cherokee's and 1 Grand Cherokee and would have gladly given them up for my Trooper. The size difference inside is very dramatic. I can put 5 adults and 4 dogs in my Trooper and its only a little cramped like that but none of my Jeeps ever comfortably fit 5 adults. Another good point for the Trooper is it uses an actual frame instead of a unibody. After wheeling both I'll never have another unibody to off road.

 

[TripLeader]

Like a lot of others have said, I would also probably keep an eye out for a Cherokee or Grand Cherokee in the $4k price range. But I wouldn't limit it to that. This was in the classifieds, for example: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/122583-1996-Isuzu-Trooper-LS-173-000-Jackson-WY

 

[daddyusmaximus]

Not sure if the 6K you speak of includes selling the Ranger of not... If you have 6K to invest now, I'd say hold off. then sell the Ranger and the Chevy 3500. Then you'll have a bigger budget to find something that may be able to fill both needs. I like big trucks, but if you want decent mpg out of one, you need a diesel. They are built strong. Turning radius and breakover angle can slow you down if you go in some real nasty places, but that doesn't sound like the plan. A 4x4 crew cab short bed diesel is a wonderful thing in a world of compromises. Yeah it's risky putting all your eggs in one basket, (one vehicle) but if you do it right you can have a much nicer basket. More interior space is real nice in bad weather.

 

[stolz]

Jeep Cherokee!

 

[ert01]

A jeep Cherokee is a quick and easy solution.

They're cheap, plentiful, stout and capable. The downside is the smallish interior size and poor mileage (compared to newer vehicles).

A grand Cherokee might be nicer if you plan to spend many hours on the highway since it has a few more creature comforts but interior size is still limited and mileage is still the same.

 

[haddix]

I vote 3rd gen 4runner or 80 series landcruiser.

 

[98dango]

Cherokee will work but please remember Uni body construction.