Looking for an expedition TRUCK

[E.J.]

That one might be lifte 1", maybe. I wouldn't say any Subaru would be the best choice for that trail though, would of loved to run it in my old one. Low range used to be available on subarus and can be retrofitted but is a huge PIA to pull off from what I understand. You can get pretty far with an auto and good left foot braking technique.

edit: to get back on topic...I replaced the Foz with a Frontier crew cab, the back seat is pretty roomy. Could see three kids being comfy back there.

 

[Buliwyf]

Lot's of Frontier talk. What about the Titan? A buddy wheels the heck out of his. Works great. A little fragile. Xfer case toast, and one axle.

 

[kojackJKU]

Ran into this Subi on a trail in Colorado and he was having problems with not enough clearence to clear the small rock obsticles that a bone stock 4WD truck could have made on street tires. Talked to him a bit and he said he had like a 1.5"-2" lift on it with oversized tires and he was still bottoming out badly, I didn't even know if it had any skids or anything under it :Wow1: He did eventually make it to his end point but I wouldn't be comfortable taking that car on that trail and it was pretty easy.

TOLD YA!

 

[jaxyaks]

Thanks guys. Budget wise, "around $30k", so if I have to fudge a bit to get a 2016, I can do it. Especially considering the price gap between the 2015 and 2016 may be closed by the difference in MPG. At least that's what I'll tell myself.

The kids fit in the back of our Subaru, so space isn't a problem. For the parents out there, Diono car seats are awesome. Can fit 3 across with bit of wiggle room.

The GMC Canyon looks nice, but my brother in law had some major issues with his old Canyon so I'm hesitant to get one of those.

Another truck I was looking at was a Dodge Ram (gas, not diesel). More room than the Tacoma, better MPG, more comfortable on the road. Not as nimble offroad, but still seem pretty capable. Had a couple of friends with Rams and they both liked them. Neither had them past 120k miles, so I'm not sure about their long term reliability.

I was also going to recommend a new ram, they have a lifetime bumper to bumper warranty available so reliability shod not be an issue

 

[freshlikesushi]

I understand that you want to defend Subaru. They're fine vehicles and we love ours for what it is. While capable, to "extend" our ability to explore, we want a better vehicle. Although I do want a truck, it is more about capability. Please look up "Hole in the Rock trail" and see how extensive a Subaru will have to be modified to get it through that trail. Again, don't want a Subaru debate. Thanks.

not debating
if you want a very well equipped offroad vehicle. don't buy a Subaru.
But the issues you listed are easily remedied.

please buy the correct car the first time to avoid these issues.

 

[freshlikesushi]

Wasn't trying to diss any Subi's but just stating what I witnessed, I didn't get any pics of his wheels but I was suprised they held air in the tires. This is a backwards shot of the obsticle that gave him problems. Right after I snapped this pic he made it over but you can see what was hanging him up. Also it was steeper than the pic makes it look and his tires were wet which I'm sure didn't help. One thing you can't get in the Subi's(Correct me if I'm wrong) is low range. I don't know about everyone else but I'd think wheeling a Subi with out low range and with a manual tranny wouldn't be any fun for me.

the new subarus with CVT (my 2015) have a low range that it engages via the CVT when you engage Xmode (under 10mph) for instances you require it.

 

[Dake21]

Wasn't trying to diss any Subi's but just stating what I witnessed, I didn't get any pics of his wheels but I was suprised they held air in the tires. This is a backwards shot of the obsticle that gave him problems. Right after I snapped this pic he made it over but you can see what was hanging him up. Also it was steeper than the pic makes it look and his tires were wet which I'm sure didn't help. One thing you can't get in the Subi's(Correct me if I'm wrong) is low range. I don't know about everyone else but I'd think wheeling a Subi with out low range and with a manual tranny wouldn't be any fun for me.

Its funny how obstacle always look smaller than they actually are on pictures. These rocks must be over 8 inches high.

the new subarus with CVT (my 2015) have a low range that it engages via the CVT when you engage Xmode (under 10mph) for instances you require it.

Well sorry but thats not low range. Besides, the low range offered in overseas (of North America) are in 1:1.3 ratio. I have 1:2 ratio and its too high to my liking, so I cant imagine a 1:1.3. A true low range vehicle has a transfer case. its not only about crawl ratio, Low range makes your transmission and transfer case work together and that takes a lot of stress off your trans and help it not overheating. You need to drive fast enough to cool down your engine and transmission so the air flow on it. That why I engage low range whenever I go below 10KPH, the vehicle behave much better overall.

 

[phsycle]

edit: to get back on topic...I replaced the Foz with a Frontier crew cab, the back seat is pretty roomy. Could see three kids being comfy back there.

Lot's of Frontier talk. What about the Titan? A buddy wheels the heck out of his. Works great. A little fragile. Xfer case toast, and one axle.

I'll have to check out the Frontier. Wonder how good of a deal I can get on a Pro-4x. Not a fan of the new gen Titans, but the older ones look good.

 

[phsycle]

I was also going to recommend a new ram, they have a lifetime bumper to bumper warranty available so reliability shod not be an issue

Well, still would rather not have to take time to sit at the dealership, but it is reassuring. They've made some improvements over the years which is why I wouldn't mind one. They look really good as well.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Well, still would rather not have to take time to sit at the dealership, but it is reassuring. They've made some improvements over the years which is why I wouldn't mind one. They look really good as well.

.
can you get into a 4x4 Ram crew cab for under $30k though? I thought those big full size trucks were hella expensive? I mean, sure you can get a stripper 2wd reg cab for that price but you need 4wd and room for the family.

 

[Dake21]

I can confirm RAM honor its warrenty. A friend of mine had his engine blow up for an unknown reason but the dealership fixed it at no cost. It was a 2012.

 

[phsycle]

I'm not sure about the price point of Ram's. Haven't bought a domestic new, but they always seem to have really good deals and a lot of incentives. Maybe mid to upper $30's for the way I want it (guessing). I could swing that, if needed, but probably wouldn't feel good about spending more money for mods...

 

[freshlikesushi]

Its funny how obstacle always look smaller than they actually are on pictures. These rocks must be over 8 inches high.



Well sorry but thats not low range. Besides, the low range offered in overseas (of North America) are in 1:1.3 ratio. I have 1:2 ratio and its too high to my liking, so I cant imagine a 1:1.3. A true low range vehicle has a transfer case. its not only about crawl ratio, Low range makes your transmission and transfer case work together and that takes a lot of stress off your trans and help it not overheating. You need to drive fast enough to cool down your engine and transmission so the air flow on it. That why I engage low range whenever I go below 10KPH, the vehicle behave much better overall.

you don't think so?
all low range is, is another selectable set of gears (btw, I had a DSG box in my subie) that gives you a different ratio.

You don't think that an infinitely adjustable ratio box can do the same?

 

[freshlikesushi]

I'll have to check out the Frontier. Wonder how good of a deal I can get on a Pro-4x. Not a fan of the new gen Titans, but the older ones look good.

you can get a decent deal. grab a year used for like 28 is what I was seeing when I was looking

 

[jaxyaks]

If you are going full size Ram would be the best bet on getting a crew cab 4x4 very close to your price point. I would completely ignore the sticker/advertised price on em. I have bought two in the last two years and the final price was nowhere near the sticker. If you find one you like I would go ahead and deduct 10-11k off of what's on the sticker and start from there, if that dealer won't budge walk off and go to another. I managed to find a 14 2500 4x4 crew cab bighorn for not too much more than your price point.

That being said, I would not recommend them (or many other domestic full sizes) for your 200-300k requirement if they did not offer the lifetime bumper to bumper.