Newb here starting on my bucket list. I've loved the thought of capable expedition vehicles since I was child watching safari shows and movies and drooling over FSJs, Land Rovers with the tire on the hood, and old Army Jeeps traversing the trails out west. Being a central Illinois native my experience is severely limited to farm fields, muddy country roads, and blizzards.
I've seen owned numerous 4x4s over the past 30 yrs including FSJs, Ford and GMC trucks, big Broncos, and most recently Jeep TJs.
At this time and ive narrowed my hunt to late model Jeeps. We are going. To have to travel extensively to find trail running shoes to get our feet wet. We're thinking of making the rounds of Camp Jeep for the first year or two before tackling the Rubicon and Moab then on from there.
I'm thinking late model low mile Liberty, Patriot, or a slightly older WK even though their reliability frightening ens me. Looking for the most bang for the buck Jeep and at this point is its most likely a Liberty or Patriot. My questions are 1 is the Trail rated Patriot worth the trouble of finding one? They seem to be extremely rare on the used car mkt wheras the 4x4 is an easy find and not saddled with a CVT. The Liberty seems to be screaming deal but not sure about long distance comfort, mpgs, and aftermarket support. Is the Patriot wtout enough to handle the easier paths over the Rubicon and Moab? I'm sure they're fine for camp Jeep but the Trail rated vs FDI debate has me scratching. My budget is preferably sub 20k including tires, tow points, and equipment and this rig will need to be a daily driver/grocery getter as well.
Any thoughts/advice are most welcome!
Thanks!
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