What kinds of trails do your buddies do? TorqueMaster(s) now offer a rear locker for Subarus as well. There's a few videos of them on YouTube in action. A Forester would have better approach/departure angles, but I like the Outback overall. Subies you gotta keep an eye on weight though, but there some pretty affordable aluminum skids offered by Primitive Racing and some others as well. Warn now offers a pretty sexy looking front winch half-bumper for Foresters as well.
New member looking for vehicle advice.
- Thread starter Nclbny
- Start date
Well the rig should be capable of trails a stock JK wrangler (non Rubicon) would struggle with but complete. I've watched videos but have never been but we have alot of stuff around here that I would think compare to the Rubicon trail.
McLean Creek and Waiparous Alberta are areas around me. They can be YouTube'd I'm sure to give you an idea.
Maybe I'm asking too much out of one vehicle.
McLean Creek and Waiparous Alberta are areas around me. They can be YouTube'd I'm sure to give you an idea.
Maybe I'm asking too much out of one vehicle.
calicamper
Expedition Leader
Ride a dirt bike then you can be BbQing and have all your gear put away by the time your buddies get their GCs and Wranglers winched out of the woods. ?
85_Ranger4x4
Well-known member
It is easy to do.
I have been using my little Ranger. It has a 7' bed so with a topper it can swallow a lot of gear (for us poor ground tent campers) Narrow, nice balance of wheelbase for turning and climbing (not too short or too long) It is is beautiful on a Jeep trail.
We just had a kid... Ranger is a two seater... thus I now have a problem.
Fullsize trucks won't do what I do. Well they might with extensive pinstriping. SUV's (like Wrangler/4Runner) would... but then where do I put all the crap that my Ranger carries with ease?
Midsize trucks struggle with rear facing car seats and typically have dinky beds...
I have yet to come up with a solution that only involves one vehicle.
Looking at just 2 videos, one of each, Waiparous looks like a gorgeous place to visit and the overall trail didn't seem too technical or needing a high end rig. McLean looked like it had a bit more off camber situations though.
If budget is a concern and you'd like to use the rig as a daily as well, trail selection and how far away from stock you take the vehicle should also be a consideration. My Tacoma is a DD so I've refined what all I want to do to it to maintain daily comfort/reliability in the event something happens. It seems like the more stuff you add to an off-roader, the more you might get yourself into a precarious situation that could potentially not end well. I had that happen with the first Jeep Cherokee I owned... saw a hill and thought I could conquer it. Soft dirt and a steep incline said otherwise.
There is a company that also makes a 4x4 conversion kit for Astro/Safari vans as well since you're already knowledgeable with vans. It would be a pretty affordable option, at least down here in the states you can find 02-05 vans for like $1-3,000 with decent miles and not overly beat on.
Attaching a vid of an older Forester with a locker. Also a picture of a beautiful Outback that keeps making me want to jump into one...
If budget is a concern and you'd like to use the rig as a daily as well, trail selection and how far away from stock you take the vehicle should also be a consideration. My Tacoma is a DD so I've refined what all I want to do to it to maintain daily comfort/reliability in the event something happens. It seems like the more stuff you add to an off-roader, the more you might get yourself into a precarious situation that could potentially not end well. I had that happen with the first Jeep Cherokee I owned... saw a hill and thought I could conquer it. Soft dirt and a steep incline said otherwise.
There is a company that also makes a 4x4 conversion kit for Astro/Safari vans as well since you're already knowledgeable with vans. It would be a pretty affordable option, at least down here in the states you can find 02-05 vans for like $1-3,000 with decent miles and not overly beat on.
Attaching a vid of an older Forester with a locker. Also a picture of a beautiful Outback that keeps making me want to jump into one...
I would say tahoe, Suburban, Yukon. They have 5.3 or 6.0 liter platforms. The engines run forever. and if the transmissions are maintained they will last a long time. I almost bought a 2500 suburban for the stronger trans and beefier frame. they can also be found pretty affordably for good example. Plus parts are everywhere
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
As a former 3rd gen 4runner owner, I'll echo what others have said. The 4runner is too small for 4 people + gear + trying to sleep in the vehicle.
You mentioned having 2 people in a RTT and 2 people in the vehicle. So...where does all your "stuff" go? Because the only way to sleep 2 people in the back of a 4runner is to put all the cargo somewhere else. Outside? Also I would point out that neither the 3rd nor the 4th gen 4runners have a flat load deck when the seat is folded down. The seat back slopes up at about 15 degrees which means you either need to figure a way to sleep with that or construct some kind of platform (which would likely preclude you from using the back seats.)
My two 4runners (a '99 3rd gen and an '07 4th gen) were adequate - but barely - for one person and all my gear. When I slept I was able to stack all my gear to one side of the sleeping platform and sleep on the other side. But it would have been impossible to do with 2 people let alone 4.
The 3rd gen also has an Achilles heel in the form of a tiny 18.5 gallon fuel tank. Assuming you get the 3.4 with the slush box, don't count on getting more than about 18 MPG and that's under ideal conditions. With a margin for safety you're talking about needing fuel every ~250 miles/400km or so.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to knock the 3rd gen I'm just saying it's a great vehicle - for a single person or a young couple. On mine I carried extra fuel in RotoPax cans on the roof.
If you want to travel long distances into the back country with 4 people you might want to consider something like a Tahoe/Expedition/Sequoia or even a crew cab truck. As for the sleeping arrangements, if you have to sleep 4 people in the vehicle I think a van of some kind is the only realistic option.
A full size crew- or extended cab truck with a 6.5' bed and a topper with a rack for an RTT could give you the space you want. It won't be as "capable" as the 4runner but it will probably keep your family a lot happier. A Suburban would also work. Unlike the Toyota, GM was smart enough to make the Suburban with a flat load deck when the seats are down. 8' long and 4' wide:
You mentioned having 2 people in a RTT and 2 people in the vehicle. So...where does all your "stuff" go? Because the only way to sleep 2 people in the back of a 4runner is to put all the cargo somewhere else. Outside? Also I would point out that neither the 3rd nor the 4th gen 4runners have a flat load deck when the seat is folded down. The seat back slopes up at about 15 degrees which means you either need to figure a way to sleep with that or construct some kind of platform (which would likely preclude you from using the back seats.)
My two 4runners (a '99 3rd gen and an '07 4th gen) were adequate - but barely - for one person and all my gear. When I slept I was able to stack all my gear to one side of the sleeping platform and sleep on the other side. But it would have been impossible to do with 2 people let alone 4.
The 3rd gen also has an Achilles heel in the form of a tiny 18.5 gallon fuel tank. Assuming you get the 3.4 with the slush box, don't count on getting more than about 18 MPG and that's under ideal conditions. With a margin for safety you're talking about needing fuel every ~250 miles/400km or so.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to knock the 3rd gen I'm just saying it's a great vehicle - for a single person or a young couple. On mine I carried extra fuel in RotoPax cans on the roof.
If you want to travel long distances into the back country with 4 people you might want to consider something like a Tahoe/Expedition/Sequoia or even a crew cab truck. As for the sleeping arrangements, if you have to sleep 4 people in the vehicle I think a van of some kind is the only realistic option.
A full size crew- or extended cab truck with a 6.5' bed and a topper with a rack for an RTT could give you the space you want. It won't be as "capable" as the 4runner but it will probably keep your family a lot happier. A Suburban would also work. Unlike the Toyota, GM was smart enough to make the Suburban with a flat load deck when the seats are down. 8' long and 4' wide:
Okay, so against some advice, I have restructured my plan slightly, I will have plans of making a small 2 person sleeping off road trailer with a goal weight of less then 2000lbs loaded (this may be tough) have a cargo box on top for gear.
I did buy a 1999 4runner, absolutely mint completely rust of free (a real unicorn in Canada). It is running landcruiser coils and a small spacer lift in the front for now. I am really happy with this find and am confident I can find a way for it to work for my family, and work well.
I also want to add a BIG thank you for all the responses, this forum seems great, and to be a wealth of knowledge with genuinely helpful people. I look forward to continuing this adventure. As much as I went against some people's advice, it does not mean I don't value it.
I did buy a 1999 4runner, absolutely mint completely rust of free (a real unicorn in Canada). It is running landcruiser coils and a small spacer lift in the front for now. I am really happy with this find and am confident I can find a way for it to work for my family, and work well.
I also want to add a BIG thank you for all the responses, this forum seems great, and to be a wealth of knowledge with genuinely helpful people. I look forward to continuing this adventure. As much as I went against some people's advice, it does not mean I don't value it.
Kaisen
Explorer
Another guy who asks for advice, then does exactly what he wanted to do anyway. And that's perfectly fine. It's your life. Live it how you want. You want an old 4Runner for any reason at all? Go for it.
Truth is, almost ANY 4x4 vehicle can do what you're asking of it. Yes, even make it up and down "those trails" your buddies choose
Kind of, however I first asked between 3 vehicles, a WK Jeep, a LR3, and a 3rd gen 4runner. Positive notes were made about the dependability of the Toyota, no great things were said or mentioned about the LR3 and only one real comment was said about the WK (it is not as good as it seems to be or should be, underwhelmed) I was open to hear others opinions, but my question was on these 3 vehicles. My decision for the 4 runner was based in the 10+ vehicles I actually went to see and drive, the LR3'S each had some quirk that was not quite working, the WK electronic switch to 4 low would not work so after this I decided to avoid electronic controlled essential things as much as possible and I looked at a WJ grand( I have owned two before and loved them both) as well but payloads on those are terrible and deathwobble is a concern after so many km on rough gravel highways taking there toll. The 4 runner won because everyone I drove actually worked and drove the same, it is just so solid I couldn't deny what I was seeing. I then found one that everything even non essentials works, including the rear window, it is all rust free, so it just needs the basic tune up stuff and used car needs.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Just FYI I had a 99 4runner with the automatic transmission and pulling a much lighter (1100lb) trailer it really struggled, especially climbing hills. Transmission temps went above 220 and MPG plummeted to single digits (which is a big deal when you are talking about a tiny 18.5 gallon tank.) We actually ran out of gas in Oregon because we miscalculated where the open gas stations were (gas stations have to be open in order to get gas in Oregon because it's illegal to pump your own gas there.)
I think a 2000lb trailer is going to be tough for a 3rd gen 4runner to pull unless you keep to low speeds and stay out of the mountains. And make sure you bring extra fuel.
I think a 2000lb trailer is going to be tough for a 3rd gen 4runner to pull unless you keep to low speeds and stay out of the mountains. And make sure you bring extra fuel.
I really appreciate the input, and you'll be glad to know I already have plans of incorporating a fair bit of extra fuel storage in the trailer for this concern. I am going to have to build my own trailer, I know that already, plus I really like building my own things. Because aside from my "stupid" van build, I am also doing a RX8 powered Locost superseven (it is about 60% done). I have felt the underpowered nature of this vehicle already, it will get some time to get used to, but I don't need to rush to get anywhere.