What Off Road Vehicle For Me?

[4D55 Performance]

Well, I don't think you would find too many parts more ubiquitous than for an Explorer...
From your post it sounds like you've become dead-set on something with airbags, so that would certainly eliminate this gen Ex.

I don't know much about the Monteros, however I can tell you they are not popular at all in my area. I would have the same concerns about walking into Autozone/Napa/O'Reilly's/etc. and everything being a special-order-only item you'd have to wait for.

I'd probably lean toward the Jeep XJ in this case simply because it doesn't have the A-arm IFS that is unlikely to satisfy the 1st & 8th requirements spelled out in your 1st post, however IMO it's a pretty crude vehicle compared to most of the others being mentioned here (and is instead unlikely to meet your req. #3, and some possibility of #5 too).


Good luck.

You need to pay more attention, everything is plentiful in SoCal. First, nothing ever rusts, second the population make everything plentiful. I have purchased several Mitsubishi's out of SoCal over the years. They have all had a few issues so , have to go pickup parts from the parts store, junk yard or dealer. I wished I lived in SoCal because everything is so easy to find and there are some great pick 'n' pulls. My favorite is the one in Long Beach, but there is also a really good one in Sun Valley as well.

 

[4x4junkie]

You need to pay more attention, everything is plentiful in SoCal. First, nothing ever rusts, second the population make everything plentiful. I have purchased several Mitsubishi's out of SoCal over the years. They have all had a few issues so , have to go pickup parts from the parts store, junk yard or dealer. I wished I lived in SoCal because everything is so easy to find and there are some great pick 'n' pulls. My favorite is the one in Long Beach, but there is also a really good one in Sun Valley as well.

********, you're telling me to pay attention, and I live here lol

For every Montero I see on the roads around here these days, there's at least 15 1st-gen Explorers (probably 3-4 dozen of them if you include the 2nd-gens too). I see far more Cherokees than Monteros too.
20 years ago Mitsubishis seemed more common (same goes for Isuzu too), but lately I've been noticing far fewer. Maybe it's different in other parts of the state (or country), I don't know, I suspect part of it might be because the dealer network for them around here has shrank I'm guessing.

Very familiar with the junkyards in Sun Valley. There's at least one (maybe two) here that deal exclusively in Ford Explorer & Ranger parts. I know there's also a Jeep-only one here as well. I haven't noticed one specifically dealing in Mitsubishi parts, though I've never made a point to check for one either (often it's all lumped together as an "import specialist" at some places).


Edit:
I did a search on the local Craigslist for Monteros along with Explorers, and I will concede the numbers are somewhat closer than I thought (at least for ones ~10-12 years or so old it's about 1:4, it's wider for ones 17-20 years old, closer to 1:10), however it still leaves open meeting the requirements the OP posted and what it is he wants to do with the vehicle.
I'm assuming from his earlier posts he wants to put locking differentials in it and maybe beef up the suspension... The Montero's IFS is going to make that a costly endeavor compared to what's under the XJ or the Ex (I haven't checked, but are suspension kits and front lockers even made for a Montero?)

 

[Rattlesnake Joe]

Aussie lockers for xj's are $300 and have great reviews. I like my XJ. I am taking it on its first trip in a few weeks. I am 6'3" and would not consider sleeping in my xj, unless I absolutely had to.

That said; I do miss my Isuzu Trooper. Take a look at those also. Though not as many options for upgrades, they are out there. The best part is they don't need much of anything to make it a real adventure vehicle. Maybe a bumper for a winch, extra lights, a roof rack if you are going to sleep in it (I would sleep in a trooper, if a payload could be strapped to the top), tires, a small lift, shocks (shocks are a must, I had KYB monomax from Tire Rack) and tires. Not sure when this article was written, but the price of troopers are far below what he mentions in this article. By the way, this is a great article regarding the Trooper. They are regulars on Craigslist and around here can be found for a few grand.

http://www.expeditionswest.com/vehicles/ewvehicles/Isuzu_Trooper/index.html

You could have a shopping spree at rocky road, get almost everything in one swoop.
http://www.rocky-road.com/isuzu.html

Pound for pound, apples to apples, if I had to choose between a trooper and a XJ jeep, I'd probably go for the Trooper, after owning both. I love my Jeep, love the "lifestyle" that comes with ownership of a Jeep, love how easy it is to get support for it, parts are so abundant its hard to choose what I want, you can walk into a junkyard any day of the week and find several with good parts on them to pull things from, they are capable to go anywhere...but the trooper was unique, had WAY more room, didn't need much, and mine was a great vehicle. I sold it for $500 with over 200k miles on it a year ago and the guy who bought it is still driving it.

The Trooper is very costly to repair. My tranny went out and a rebuilt was $5000.00, it was a 2001 automatic. They are cheap to buy but be prepared to buy another vehicle when something major goes out. I loved it while it worked, very strong 4x4 system. It only had two stars for front end collision too. I bought a Toyota Tundra 4x4 and I'm very happy with it. But it is expensive to buy and only gets 16 to 17mpg hwy because of all my mining gear and camping equipment secure in the camper shell.

 

[78Bronco]

1st gen expeditions are really good vehicles and relatively inexpensive to operate/maintain. They are big enough to fit 4+ people with gear and could sleep two in the back. They share many parts with the 1/2 ton trucks of the same era therefore there is lots aftermarket support for them.


Monteros and explorers are quite small inside. I have owned both.

 

[Erik N]

I have a '91 Exploder 4x4. Worst handling vehicle I have ever owned, downright dangerous really.

 

[4x4junkie]

I have a '91 Exploder 4x4. Worst handling vehicle I have ever owned, downright dangerous really.

Sounds like maybe you need to put some new shocks on that thing.

(or if it's lifted, you need to straighten out your steering linkage angle) :ylsmoke:

 

[Will Riggs]

To the OP: buy whatever you like, most of these options are good solid choices. Make sure it has been maintained properly, or that you are willing to replace parts if the price is nice and low.

That being said and seeing as this is now a preference issue, I absolutely LOVE my 4.0 ZJ! It has 216k on it, the last 15k were from me, and the only "major" repair that has been done was the headgasket when I bought it (for $800!). Since then I've swapped in a manual transmission, lifted it about 4 inches and put on some 33x12.50's. Automatic transmission gearing in the axles made a difference, but I'm getting 18 city and 21-22 hwy mpg in a lifted 4x4 with all kinds of additional weight (bumper, 12k winch, 33x12.50 spare and various other gear). It's dead reliable, extremely capable yet comfortable, parts are everywhere in the world and I probably only have 3500-4k tied up in it. I need to do a build thread.

My two cents.

 

[kelly1450]

Below is my build thread for what worked for me and I had the same criteria as yourself, I have less than 3k into my rig, lots of good deals lots of used parts and lots of favors!

http://www.yotatech.com/f199/kelly1450s-86-4x4-chase-truck-244231/

 

[Erik N]

Below is my build thread for what worked for me and I had the same criteria as yourself, I have less than 3k into my rig, lots of good deals lots of used parts and lots of favors!

http://www.yotatech.com/f199/kelly1450s-86-4x4-chase-truck-244231/


View attachment 121186

^That is an ugly road.^ I once took my Suburban down one just like that, after making a wrong turn. It was several miles before there was even a spot to turn around. Beat the crap out of it, but made it out in one piece.

 

[Fooxremn]

Turbin

It seems to me it is good idea. I agree with you.

 

[Fooxremn]

Turbin

In it something is. Many thanks for the information, now I will not commit such error.

 

[Allof75]

I realize I'm resurrecting an old thread here, but I figure I should take a moment to thank everyone who replied so thoroughly, and helped me to determine what I really want in my vehicle.

I did end up finding a vehicle which satisfied every single one of my requirements (more or less): a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4. Which I picked up for $5900 with 70k miles.

Now I realize that it's a little out of left field, and I don't think anyone suggested it directly, but I could not possibly be more satisfied with it. I've had the chance to use it on and off road quite a bit since I bought it in September of last year, and honestly I couldn't possibly praise it enough: extremely comfortable on and off road, and deceptively capable. Very highly recommended to anyone with similar requirements as I had.

This is its Build Thread- I've done a few mods, and had several adventures already :smiley_drive:

(^Pre cosmetic mods)

Thanks again!

 

[78Bronco]

Pathfinders are solid platforms.

I would recommend laying off the tire shine. That useless crap ends up in our water supply once it washes off your tires.

Anyway nice truck

 

[Allof75]

Pathfinders are solid platforms.

I would recommend laying off the tire shine. That useless crap ends up in our water supply once it washes off your tires.

Anyway nice truck

Thank you! :sombrero:

And I use Meguiar's Hot Shine Spray only, which supposedly is biodegradable, so hopefully it doesn't cause too much damage. So much better than Armor-All, and it keeps the tires from drying out here, which happens frequently in the dry spells.