Suburban vs explorer(full size vs mid size)

[bmartin5]

Ok. Im more of a lurker but i would like like the advice of the wonderful people on this forum. So heres my problem(if you wanna call it that...) and i know i might get the typical "Use the search feature" put please bear with me.

I have a 91 suburban. Picked it up really cheap. I can give more info if desired but i feel its irrelevant right now. But im considering selling it to get a smaller rig. After looking around, i feel like an explorer would be great cuz i wouldnt have to worry about being too big, too heavy, or too tall(burb had a 6" lift when bought). So id like to know peoples opinions either way. To be honest, one of the reasons im considering getting rid of the burb was when i wanted to change its tires, i realized that NONE of my jacks or jackstands or anything were strong enough to even lift the tires any height... and im a full time college student thats working odd jobs all the time so i maybe get a couple hundred dollars a month from work and im not sure about saving 2-3 months worth of work just to get a jack and jack stands. But but id really like to hear y'alls opinion cuz the more i think about this, im just hurting my brain xD

Oh and i guess its important to say the purpose of the rig is for road trips(on and off road) and just exploring around the states(already started saving for after graduation). After graduation, ill be traveling the states(alaska to florida) and will need to be able to sleep out the vehicle in walmart parking lot etc whenever necessary. But of course a tent will be on hand.

I guess as a generalized question overall, it would have to be....
Would a full size rig such as a suburban prevent me from seeing much off the wonderous north american continent? Or would a mid size rig such as an explorer allow me to go to ALOT more back roads and paths?

 

[legendaryandrew]

Size wise, the suburban won't stop you from seeing anything except the terminus of trails that the Explorer wouldn't even be able to reach. As for trading one for the other, I'd say stick with the 'burb. It'll go anywhere the Explorer will go, it's far more common and uses most of the same parts as the pickups, so repairs will be cheaper and parts much easier to source. But I'm biased, I have a suburban lol.

 

[justcuz]

I don't think the Suburban will prevent you from seeing anything once you get on the road. Your focus may be more aligned with what is affordable for your current starving student lifestyle. I personally would focus on the earlier Explorers with TTB since they can be made to work off road very reasonably. I also would look at Jeep Cherokees.
They are inexpensive and have a ton of aftermarket so you can improve it as your budget allows. They are also much more plentiful than early Explorers.

 

[hidesertwheelin]

I would stick with the Suburban. It will go anywhere a Explorer will go, unless the Explorer is heavily modified. Go to harbor freight and get a floor jack and a couple of jack stands. If you use coupons or catch a sale, I'm willing to bet it will be under $100.

 

[tarditi]

I don't think the Suburban will prevent you from seeing anything once you get on the road. Your focus may be more aligned with what is affordable for your current starving student lifestyle. I personally would focus on the earlier Explorers with TTB since they can be made to work off road very reasonably. I also would look at Jeep Cherokees.
They are inexpensive and have a ton of aftermarket so you can improve it as your budget allows. They are also much more plentiful than early Explorers.

I second this notion - the Suburban is a simple SUV, without a lot of fancy electronics to complicate a trip. Get on top of the maintenance and it'll carry everything you need. If you were to change out vehicles, I would recommend a ZJ Grand Cherokee or XJ Cherokee over an explorer.

 

[justcuz]

I think you can find a cheap jack at the wrecking yard out of a old GM 4x4 that will raise it enough to change tires. I have one that has a broader base riveted to it and it raises to a height of about 2 feet.
Jack stands can be found at yard sales. Lastly this forum is full of people who live all over that have tools and may be willing to help you out with your repair needs. Make a friend here and you may end up with someone to explore with. Two vehicles are always safer than one.
I recently looked at an old Suburban a young man was selling very cheaply, it had a knock that he could not figure out.
I went to look at it and diagnosed the knock instantly. It was loose torque converter bolts. I did not have the heart to buy this vehicle from him so cheaply when it was so easy to fix. I told him what it was and it was an easy repair. Sadly he was just done with the vehicle and someone less honest came and bought the truck for even less than what he was asking and a week later after repairs and a simple cleanup the buyer was reselling it for 3 times what he paid for it. Still cheap, but if that young man had a mentor and a friend to help him, I believe he would still own that Suburban.

 

[rayra]

jack and jackstands NEW are less than $150, or well less than $100 for something that will work well enough. And a factory jack is what, $25, out of an auto junkyard?

Truck's too tall? Uninstall the lift. Downsize the tires. Reselling those would net you the money for smaller tires AND a proper jack/stands.

You're in CA, the Sub will go anywhere you want to go. See my sig line vehicles. Over 500k mi between pickup and Tahoes plural. The pickup is within an inch of my new-to-me Suburban, and it trucked all over CA from the lowest deserts to the highest mountains.

Lastly, you'll be losing a huge amount of cargo capacity stepping down to the Explorer. And you can comfortably sleep in the suburban.

The only solid reason for the swap might be fuel economy. Being a broke college student and all. But then again, being a broke college student, where you getting the money for the Explorer in the first place? That you can't get a jack?

 

[bmartin5]

Thanks everyone for the replies. The money for the explorer would come from selling my suburban i bought it for cheap but had to rebuild the steering column among other things. Unistalling the lift is a little more involved because its a full suspension lift without blocks. I thought about an xj but decided against it in favor of a full frame. Plus local xjs are hard to come by 4x4 and manual. I dont mind dumping money in the suburban but i was wondering about more about it fitting down trails over if an explorer would offer me access for more routes. Becuase selling the suburban would allow me to get an explorer and have quite a bit money left to mod it. Ill have to go check out harbor frieght though

 

[Martinjmpr]

I think it depends more on the overall condition of the Suburban. If it's a money pit you need to keep constantly fixing then yes, get rid of it, not because of its size but because it's not reliable enough to get you where you need to go. Most Explorers you find for sale are going to have the soft "soccer mom" suspension so be ready to upgrade that if you go that route.

 

[k9lestat]

Cruise some yard sales for Jack stands too

Sent from my QMV7A using Tapatalk

 

[east_tn_81]

I second this notion - the Suburban is a simple SUV, without a lot of fancy electronics to complicate a trip. Get on top of the maintenance and it'll carry everything you need. If you were to change out vehicles, I would recommend a ZJ Grand Cherokee or XJ Cherokee over an explorer.

Early explorers would fall into the same category of easy to work not much electronic to go wrong and a lot of interchangeable parts. The early explorers were robust and they sold a ton of them so the parts are out there. Good luck.

 

[Ivan]

I second this notion - the Suburban is a simple SUV, without a lot of fancy electronics to complicate a trip. Get on top of the maintenance and it'll carry everything you need. If you were to change out vehicles, I would recommend a ZJ Grand Cherokee or XJ Cherokee over an explorer.

I respectfully disagree. I would actually go with an early third gen Explorer with the V8. It has an abundance of power, it's easy to modify from mild to wild, and it's very reliable. My last explorer took 250k miles before the transmission blew out.

Pick up an 02 with the 4.6, do a rancho quick lift, or if you're feeling spendy, some new UCA's front and rear with some coilovers, 1" body lift, and some stout bumpers and you're gtg.

 

[Buddha.]

I'd have a Tahoe or Suburban over my Blazer but it won't fit in my garage.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

You really need to determine if the Suburban is decent enough to keep. Things like rocker and frame rot are signs that you may want to pass and find something else. Is the suspension lift setup properly? If not, is it a driving hazard? Are you going to blow tie rod ends a lot? How about tire wear?

But an older Suburban that is mechanically sound may be a better route than the Explorer, especially when you can just sleep in the Suburban, haha. Simplicity comes from the simple drivetrain and suspension setup of that generation of Suburban. But they are prone to rust issues. Every vehicle has it's pros and cons. The Explorer is indeed smaller and can fit down Jeep trails and such better than the Suburban. But you'll find that most overlanding people do can accomadate fullsize vehicles. Look at the people with giant Unimogs, Earthroamers, or Man rigs. It all depends on what you want to do and where you want to go. Everyone has individual needs and their vehicles reflect that.

Now if tight diehard Jeeps are your thing, still, the Explorer may not even be the best choice for that, given the TTB or IFS suspension setups even if you modify it. You'd be surprised where a stock Jeep can get you. If casual dirt road driving every once and awhile is your thing, Explorer might work with a RTT. Driving is 95% skill, 5% vehicle.

 

[bmartin5]

Id say the suburban is definately good enough to keep. when i first went to check it out, it was one on those "holy *******!!!! Look at that clean frame!!!" The kid didnt want to get rid of it but his mom was making him lol i even tried to talk him out of it! But this kids moms kinda scared me too... o.o .... but overall theres nothing really wrong with the steering beside some play in the pitman arm but other than that its immaculate for its age!
Definately not a die hard jeep fan. Theyre cool sometimes and great for other people but the cherokees unibody scares the crap outta me and thats the only model i personally would consider whether it be an xj or zj. I like the security of a frame. Even though i do realize that a well taken care of unibody can be easily reinforced and be perfectly fine.
I have seen the earthroamers and unimog rigs but the hermit in me wants to get really really far away from people. Lol thats why i was wondering if smaller could get me farther. But if the number of extra routes i could take would still be limited due to capability, then i can see that its definately not worth it to downsize in rig size.