Top 10 Used Overland Vehicles: Do you agree?

p nut

butter
I would like to see the WJ used more for overland travel. Very under rated platform

A friend of mine has a WJ, which actually happens to be an Overland edition, with over 250k miles now. He's had a few issues, but nothing major. Electrical doo-dads like the window regulator. Pretty impressed with the thing.
 
Forgive me for not reading the entire thread and just skimming. Has the pullout of Suzuki in North America affected anyone recommending this vehicle?
 

zooroadbaja

Adventurer
What I want to know is why the Sequoia is in the shadows of a 100 series. Same motor, non torsion. Bolt in aftermarket coilovers, and arms. Also in my area there seems to be more Sequoias for sale with less mile and a lower price.
 

Box Rocket

Well-known member
What I want to know is why the Sequoia is in the shadows of a 100 series. Same motor, non torsion. Bolt in aftermarket coilovers, and arms. Also in my area there seems to be more Sequoias for sale with less mile and a lower price.

Very different platforms. With the exception of the motor there are few similarities. The Sequioa shares more similarities with the Tundra. And the newer 200 Series Cruiser is quite similar to the new Sequioa but the 100 series is quite different.

Much stronger boxed frame on the 100 series, different suspension. The CO/a arm setup on the Tundra/Sequioa is probably preferable over torsion bars typically but the torsion bars have proven themselves very capable on the 100 series for years with good aftermarket options available. Bigger axles on the cruiser too (at least in the rear) and traction control and factory lockers available in the cruiser that are not options on the Sequioa.
Much better aftermarket support worldwide for the cruiser that is almost non-existent for the US only Sequioa.
Those are a few reasons the Sequioa is in the shadow of the 100 Series
 

cepal

New member
To support the merc, here's previous model, W210, 320CDI (last inline-6 diesel from Merc, what an aggregate!), standard (rear air suspension, front coils sitting pretty low, which was a challenge on this unplanned offroad, to not hit the sump)... . I'm sure the 4matic version, with higher ground clearance, and a bit of very low-key upgrades, shall be quite capable, yet staying a motorway mile-eater at the same time... Of course, that's nowhere near an XJ-zone, but some people are happy enough to stay on routes at least slightly reminiscent of a road... w210_on_rocks.jpg
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
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!
Spence<><

Spence, after owning a trail rated Patriot and now a new non trail rated. I advise to get a new sport/north/altitude edition without the FDII package. Get the 6 speed auto instead. It has pretty well the same low range as the FDII CVT but has a higher top gear so to speak. You get much better milage with the new automatic, reliability is 10 fold compared to the cvt and no draw backs of the old non FDII patriots. Add the skid plates, tow hooks, and what not, the non trail rated pat is a much better rig. I love our new one, I only "liked" the old FDII with the cvt. we scored our new pat for 21k on the road. awesome deal! We are adding all our overland gear to it as we speak. Its really capable and comfortable. The biggest thing is that 1. its still a jeep (SOLID), compared to the tin can offerings from the japanese makers, 2. great on gas, 3. looks awesome. even more so lifted.
 

p nut

butter
Spence, after owning a trail rated Patriot and now a new non trail rated. I advise to get a new sport/north/altitude edition without the FDII package. Get the 6 speed auto instead. It has pretty well the same low range as the FDII CVT but has a higher top gear so to speak. You get much better milage with the new automatic, reliability is 10 fold compared to the cvt and no draw backs of the old non FDII patriots. Add the skid plates, tow hooks, and what not, the non trail rated pat is a much better rig. I love our new one, I only "liked" the old FDII with the cvt. we scored our new pat for 21k on the road. awesome deal! We are adding all our overland gear to it as we speak. Its really capable and comfortable. The biggest thing is that 1. its still a jeep (SOLID), compared to the tin can offerings from the japanese makers, 2. great on gas, 3. looks awesome. even more so lifted.

Just curious, kojack. What's the data to support the CVT vs 6-sp reliability? Also the better MPG? I know CVT's have had issues in the past (years ago), but I think the new offerings are pretty good. I don't have any data, either. Just going off of my own experience with a CVT Subaru, which has been great in both reliability and MPG.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
Subaru I guess uses a different CVT than the Jeep products which use the Jatco CVT. The Jatco has been plauged with issues from the beginning, in both jeep, nissan and various other vehicles using them. A little google searching should provide great research. I have owned both the cvt and 6sp auto in the patriot. I get much better drivabiltiy, milage and I have had zero problems with the 6sp compared to constant issues with the cvt. The 6sp auto gets 7-8 mpg better on the highway, and 4-5 better around town than the cvt it replaced.

EDIT, I also own a 2003 audi a4 cabrio with the cvt and that one is crap too. Shuttering issues, and general gear hunting are issues with that one.
 
Last edited:

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
Fuel milage estimates are CVT 20 city and 23 highway...and 6sp auto at 23 city and 27 highway. But I am seeing even better numbers from my 6sp than that. You do not gain with the cvt as the new 6sp first gear is the same low ratio as the cvt FDII package. SO you get the low "crawl" ratio, but much better highway RPM. I know my cvt would rev at about 3k doing 100kph / 60mph and my 6 spd dows about 22-2300 RPM. that makes for MUCH better gas milage.
 

p nut

butter
Holy crap. 7-8 MPG better?? Yeah, they definitely have some work to do. I don't know what CVT Honda used back in the 90's, but those were junk, too. We'll stick with CVT in the Subaru, but I'll have to do my research before buying from another make. Good info.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
188,249
Messages
2,904,499
Members
229,805
Latest member
Chonker LMTV
Top