Need vehicle suggestions for around $3000

[BIGdaddy]

As much as I'd like a 4x4, I've been considering a Subaru for better mpg on my 20+ mile commute every day. I used to have a WRX and I was amazed at some of the places that car would go without a fuss, even on crappy worn all-seasons.

Probably belongs in another section but I have a couple questions about Subarus vs other 4x4s.
1. I don't want to do any rock crawling or anything, but say comparing a stock Forester to a stock XJ for light trails and such, how well would the Forester compare? Obviously the Subaru will suffer from lack of a low gear and locking transfer case.
2. How much can a Subaru be loaded down with gear, roof rack, bumpers, winch, and still be decent to drive without bogging down that little 2.0 or 2.2 engine?
3. Are there even bumpers and winches available to fit without a ton of custom fabbing?
4. Did they still make any models with a low gear in the 90s?

1. For light trails, and forest services roads a subaru will do great. Add snow, mud or other low traction situations, and AT/MT tires, tire chains, a set of maxtrax and momentum will become your friends. Subaru's are generally very well suited to backcountry overland travel on un-sealed roads, though.

2. With two people, food, water, clothes and camp equipment packed efficiently, I doubt you'll need a roof rack, but if you do, a small $100-200.00 thule/yak roof box will easily swallow tent/bags/pads, etc. As far as a winch goes, I'd go with a black rat or similar hand winch and/or a set of maxtrax strapped to the roof using thule's canoe mounts and a set of their kayak/canoe cinch straps next to the thule box. you don't need the extra weight of bumpers, just good, solid extraction points front and rear.

3. see number 2. Not needed. my jeep has a front bullbar, but it's mostly for the solid extraction points and a light mount. Plus, my kids stand on it when they help me change my oil. it's great for putting beers on, too, I guess.

4. my 1981 subaru had low range, but no, not the Subaru models I mentioned. With a good set of skid plates, good tires, and some sensible recovery gear, I think you'd have a very, very economical, comfortable overland rig. From the places you talk about going, and the uses you have mentioned, an XJ might be overkill. (This is coming from a dedicated XJ owner, understand. I think they're great trucks, but subaru's are simply excellent vehicles, and get tons of use in places like Australia, on unsealed, overland routes where rockcrawling is not the focus.)

Cheers!

 

[phsycle]

...1999ish 4x4 tacoma 4cyl pickup w/ snugtop...

Sorry, but did you mean 1989? No way a 99 Tacoma 4x4 goes for $3k.

To the OP: Is there any way to stretch the budget to $5k? That opens up more/better options, IMO. Even if you have to wait for a little longer, it would be worth it. But for $3k, I'd say a 1st Gen 4Runner, or maybe an FJ60? (depending on how mechanically inclined you are). Those would be pretty cool rigs to build up.

 

[BIGdaddy]

Sorry, but did you mean 1989? No way a 99 Tacoma 4x4 goes for $3k.

To the OP: Is there any way to stretch the budget to $5k? That opens up more/better options, IMO. Even if you have to wait for a little longer, it would be worth it. But for $3k, I'd say a 1st Gen 4Runner, or maybe an FJ60? (depending on how mechanically inclined you are). Those would be pretty cool rigs to build up.

No, I meant 1999 and I said, "ish", as in, in that range of body-style, from around 1995-2004.

Just a quick search yielded these:

1996 - $4800, 4x4, ext cab
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/2867092010.html

2000 - $3500, 2wd, ext. cab with snugtop
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/2866839365.html

1997 - $4000.00, 2wd, ext. cab, flatbed..haha! put a tent up there
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/2861413480.html

Asking price doesn't always equal selling price...

When I see $4000, sometimes I show up and it's a $4000 truck, but usually it's a $2500.00 truck, at best.

That's just my exprience, though. (Just ask my wife, i've probably broken some law with as many cars I've bought and sold )

He might have to wait for the right deal. No problem with that.

 

[phsycle]

Yeah, you can definitely get a deal if you look out for it. But it'll be pretty tough to get a Tacoma for close to $3k (4WD). 2WD, you could all day long. Even Pickup's (gen before Tacoma's) are over that, given they're in decent shape with less than 1/4 million miles.

BTW, that first link--312k miles! And they still want $4,800 for it.

 

[RealJon]

On the Taco / Truck topic, I had a 04 Tacoma and I would MUCH rather drive long distances in the Trooper instead of the Taco. Same note on a Cherokee, I have never rode in such a miserable vehicle before. I am 6'4 so I might have been big for those two. Bonus on the Trooper is throw some 285s (no lift required) and go. If you need a little bit of more clearance you can drop 96 V8 Grand Cherokee Coils in the back ( Zoo mod ) for under 100$ and crank the bars. I was in the same place a few months ago and I went with the Trooper.

 

[BIGdaddy]

On the Taco / Truck topic, I had a 04 Tacoma and I would MUCH rather drive long distances in the Trooper instead of the Taco. Same note on a Cherokee, I have never rode in such a miserable vehicle before. I am 6'4 so I might have been big for those two. Bonus on the Trooper is throw some 285s (no lift required) and go. If you need a little bit of more clearance you can drop 96 V8 Grand Cherokee Coils in the back ( Zoo mod ) for under 100$ and crank the bars. I was in the same place a few months ago and I went with the Trooper.

Funny you mention this. Honestly, my and Mrs. Bigdaddy's only "real" complaint about our XJ is the stock front seating.

I'm 6'-0" and not a skinny guy, and I daily drive my truck, so I think I've gotten used to my 20 min stint before and after work. It's only really after I hop in our Ford Edge for a family visit to Ventura county 3 hours away or Disneyland 1.5hrs away, or even to the coast 30mins away, that I conciously re-establish what a truly comfortable seat is when compared to a "manageably comfy" seat.

To that end, we've recently explored aftermarket options. Probably about a $700.00 investment if we want to do it once correctly.

 

[RealJon]

Back when I rode in my buddys XJ I had a 89 Mazda 929, Extremely comfy car and we took his XJ down to Matagorda beach so it was about a 45 min drive there, I was completely miserable after 10 mins. I did like the I6 HO in the XJ though

 

[BigSwede]

On the Taco / Truck topic, I had a 04 Tacoma and I would MUCH rather drive long distances in the Trooper instead of the Taco. Same note on a Cherokee, I have never rode in such a miserable vehicle before. I am 6'4 so I might have been big for those two. Bonus on the Trooper is throw some 285s (no lift required) and go. If you need a little bit of more clearance you can drop 96 V8 Grand Cherokee Coils in the back ( Zoo mod ) for under 100$ and crank the bars. I was in the same place a few months ago and I went with the Trooper.

Cherokees are not even an option for me, not enough headroom.

 

[Bdiddy11]

BIGdaddy, depending on the year of your XJ you could always go the plush leather ZJ seats route... save ya a few bills and they're supposedly pretty awesome.

I have an XJ and am 6'3". The headroom isn't that great but I manage. Eventually I'll be putting leather ZJ seats in and sound deadening the whole thing.

For an XJ to be comfortable it needs to have the right suspension parts and to be done right. I had an 87 that the PO put a Rough Country lift on with blocks in the back, poor LCA angle and it felt like driving a brick going over bumps. Ideally I'd like OME lift parts + their shocks or Bilsteins and make sure everything is "how it's supposed to be" as far as angles to give me a comfortable ride.

 

[RealJon]

Cherokees are not even an option for me, not enough headroom.

Thats why I went with the Trooper soon as I sat in it. Im a big guy and I can sit in the rear seats even with the front all the way back. Plus I like alot of room in the storage area!

 

[BIGdaddy]

BIGdaddy, depending on the year of your XJ you could always go the plush leather ZJ seats route... save ya a few bills and they're supposedly pretty awesome.

I have an XJ and am 6'3". The headroom isn't that great but I manage. Eventually I'll be putting leather ZJ seats in and sound deadening the whole thing.

For an XJ to be comfortable it needs to have the right suspension parts and to be done right. I had an 87 that the PO put a Rough Country lift on with blocks in the back, poor LCA angle and it felt like driving a brick going over bumps. Ideally I'd like OME lift parts + their shocks or Bilsteins and make sure everything is "how it's supposed to be" as far as angles to give me a comfortable ride.

Yeah thanks for the info, but I'm aware of that mod and sadly its only for 1996-2001. Pre-1996 rigs have a different floor pan, and as such, are precluded from using 1996+ XJ seats, as well as the corresponding bolt-on ZJ upgrade. Seat bases are completely different.

So far option A is going with some PRP daily driver recliners using their XJ specific bases sliders and bases.
Option B is taking a set of 1996+ bases and adapting them to my floor, or adapting my floor to fit the bases, allowing the mod you speak of.
Option C is using a seat that Rugged ridge/4WD/4wheelparts sells that supposedly bolts in to 1984-1995/1996-2001 XJ's, but they're $$ and don't get very good reviews.

 

[Bdiddy11]

Most people with older XJ's just weld in some angle iron to the floor, to be the floor channel that is there in the newer Cherokees. The great thing about modifying the front for some ZJ/WJ seats, is that you could get the matching rear as well and have a 60/40 fold down. That's what I'm excited about... rear 60/40 for storage or hauling stuff, and comfy front seats for long rides.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

I popped in some 2003 WJ cloth seats into my 2000 XJ. I have the fronts in, and the rears go in as soon as it freakin stops raining!! LOVE the rear headrests for the kids in booster seats, and the fronts are exponentially more comfortable than the stock XJ seats. I got a new condition set for $400.00 here, in the US the leather ones I have seen sell for $250 in mint shape.

If you are thinking about an XJ, consider a ZJ/WJ as well. Lots out there, can get the 4.0L 6, 4.7L v8 and the 5.2L depending on your preference? Reasonable prices out there too. Oh and the trans and T-Case in the XJ are very substantial. The NP231 AW4 combo is great, especially with an SYE on the NP231. If you get the NP242 you get AWD as well, but are limited for SYE's and some other bits like skids etc IIRC.

 

[brianf408]

Since I'm such a 5-speed nut, how likely is it to find a 2000ish Montero (non sport) or Trooper with a 5-speed? What are the lifespans of the automatic transmissions on these? I've personally had bad luck with auto vehicles, the few I've owned started slipping and leaking around 180k.

Also, my budget has increased to closer to $5000 for purchase, which opens things up quite a bit. I'd like to try to get a 2000ish+ vehicle for safety reasons and such (wife was complaining about hauling our future children in an older vehicle with lesser safety features). Can't find a 5-speed on any of the rigs I've been looking for (within a reasonable distance) so I'll probably be settling for an auto.

 

[scrubber3]

I am not sure about the Trooper, but the Autos in the Mitsubishi are ASIN which means great quality. My 2nd Gen has almost 200,000 miles on it and it is still performing without any issues and I take it off road on steep trails often. I feel very secure knowing how reliable it is.The trooper may be just as good but I cannot speak for those as I have never owned one.