michel77
Adventurer
True, might be a good bet. I will say, from experience, that parts/service for Montero's are not as easy as for Land Cruisers or 4 Runners. They're reliable enough if well maintained so still worth checking out but just an FYI.
WTB: AWD/4x4, Light Off-Road / Camp Rig, <$8K.
- Thread starter jmeb
- Start date
True, might be a good bet. I will say, from experience, that parts/service for Montero's are not as easy as for Land Cruisers or 4 Runners. They're reliable enough if well maintained so still worth checking out but just an FYI.
Ludobreizh
New member
Hey. You replied to my post about the sell of my Chevrolet Express, asking for pictures.
You contact me
dulciny g mail com
You contact me
dulciny g mail com
Very cool van, and at 10K reasonable price. However don't think the SO will stand a RHD vehicle for something she'll be driving occasionally.
Right now I'm leaning towards hunting down a late model Gen 2 Trooper or Gen 3 Montero with reasonable miles. As I see it:
Pros
- More off-road capable than an AWD van to expand where I can get to in CO/WY/Utah for camping, hiking, climbing.
- With decent tires (31" should be plenty) and maybe OME springs (Trooper) should be more than capable for the sorts of trails I would be interested in (overland/adventure, not crawling.)
- Higher initial build quality and more reliable than the Astro platform (maybe I've just had a bad experience)
- Enough space to build a convertible platform inside to sleep 2.
- Can carry 5 or 7 adults when need be.
- Nicer interior amenities than a van.
- Reasonable MPG (17-20 combined). Similar to AWD Astro/Express and better than Land Cruiser.
- Resale value is lower than Toyotas. Think I should be able to find a lower mileage version in clean shape for my budget.
Cons
- Troopers have known weak-link auto transmission, and gen 2 is hard to find with manual.
- Troopers will eat a bit of oil -- doesn't seem to big a big problem if you keep on top of it (or find the last couple model years.)
- Both Montero and Trooper have less after market support (not a big issue as I would be staying close to stock) and limited/no dealer network. Repairs may be more costly than Toyota.
- Less space for hanging out / sleeping than a van platform.
Are there other vehicles that should be on my list to compare with Montero / Trooper?
Things I have crossed off the list for now:
- Land Cruisers: too low MPG, more off-road than I need. Very high resale in my market.
- 4runner: smaller interior. For the same price, looking at 2x the mileage on a Toyota vs Mitsu/Isuzu.
- Rodeo/Passport/Pathfinder/Xterra: Affordable and reliable, but too-small interiors to be comfy camping in.
For reference this will be a weekend driver / road trip vehicle (~7-9K per year) with about 70% highway miles, 10% stop/go city driving, 15% Forest Service / Fire Roads, 5% easier 4x4 trails.
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