help me buy an SUV

[ScottyB]

fix the tranny on the Explorer and have 2 nice SUVs for cheap.

eek i don't need 2, ha! the explorer is a lost cause unless i replace the tranny with a new one. the design is inherently weak and will fail prematurely. tranny + install is some major bucks.

anyway....that's not a bad price on the 4Runner maintainance. if i could find a nice one with that job done already that would be money.

[REED]

My dad had one of these forever and it was an absolute tank

More Jeep Pimpage

How about one of these

5.9 liters of goodness

[.RJ]

You definately dont want a grand cherokee if you dont like repairs.

[PDenbigh]

Somewhat off topic, but I've always like the old Broncos. The fullsize ones, not the 70's or the BII's. They could be ordered with locking front & rear diffs, a 351V8, and with slightly oversize tires and a roof rack they look awesome.

[Mike]

Somewhat off topic, but I've always like the old Broncos. The fullsize ones, not the 70's or the BII's. They could be ordered with locking front & rear diffs, a 351V8, and with slightly oversize tires and a roof rack they look awesome.

+1... when i was stupid and doing tow vehicle "what-ifs" last year, the research led me to them and i was set. i'll take a white one, please.

cheap, huge, powerful, mean looking...

[CaptainHenreh]

i'll take a white one, please.

cheap, huge, powerful, mean looking...

[Mike]

oh i know, i know. that's part of the appeal.

[BLAIR]

my freind has one of those full size broncos for sale. 92 eddie bower, forrest green and tan. rebuilt motor, trans, ransfer case, and rear end all within last 5k miles. new wheels and 33 inch tires.. its a beast I have used it to tow. its not too bad

let me know if anyone is interested? somwhere in the 4k range for it


[img]http://www.homegrownmotorsports.com/gallery/Project-240/240_001[img]

[Kaan]

I've had my moms XJ Jeep for the last 3 days. I've put 80 miles on it or so. I love it to death... other than the SHITTY gas mileage. I actually wouldnt mind owning one.

my mom bought it for $4300 with less than 50k miles on it. She hasnt had any issues with it at all. She traded it in for a brand new jeep... hated the new jeep so much she went back and asked for her XJ back! The ride is rough, but its a fun little SUV to tool around in. And it loved the snow we got... well when it wasnt in rwd lol.

[Evan]

^^ ditto that. i had a cherokee for 4 years that was bulletproof. It had a broken radiator fan that I was too lazy to fix, and it overheated on a weekly basis and kept on going! I sold it to a guy from CA who towed a boat cross country with it and it was fine!

[Feersty]

Scotty does Jenn have a preference of one in particular?

[NTIman]

where do you draw the line between "this is old" and "it's OK that it's old because it will run forever".... i know 'yotas are pretty beast but i just don't know what to expect i guess, since i KNOW i'll have to buy old to afford it.

You definately need to take a good look at it either way. It seems like the older ones would take a ton of abuse, but the newer ones aren't quite as beefy. If you find a Toyota that has been taken care of, and all the maintenance items have been regularly checked, its a safe bet that it will be a decent vehicle. You can tell a ton about them by giving them a thorough lookover. Check for a lot of rust on the frame (obviously). a lot of 4 runners come from up north where rust seems to eat them alive. Also, if you have the chance look at the Transfer case actuator. A lot of times the water and rust will play hell on them, and its not especially cheap or easy to fix. Make sure that if you test drive one, you test drive it for everything, 4wd operation in all transfer case modes,etc... you don't want to forget about something like that, and then pay an assload when you find out its broken the first time it snows.

[ScottyB]

Scotty does Jenn have a preference of one in particular?

not really, but needs to be less than 8 years old and have a real back seat (cherokee is hurtin here)

[BLAIR]

i dont have a problem with a chrokee back seat.. im 6'1 215 lbs and ride in my friends all the time. he also had an explorer.. i thought the rear seat of the explorer was horrible. I have no complaints about the jeeps rear seat

[JustinG]

seats are fine just getting in and out are a pain in the ass

[BLAIR]

seats are fine just getting in and out are a pain in the ass

cry us a river.. i bet getting into the back seats of your car is impossible.. and why would the person buying the car even care.. I dont think i ever get into the back seats of my own cars.. (well.. there are a few times haha)

[Jeff]

we have a 98 Jeep Grand Cher. with a 318V8 and AWD for something like $3500. You should be able to find one down there for something like that. It has leather and all the goods, but has higher miles 120,000 I think. I know the people that had it...its not hurt.

Ever think about a Jeep Liberty? The 3.7 is a badass little V6 and they are quite nice. A friend of mine has a limited with heated leather and all, he loves it.

[JustinG]

liberty = poo for offroading

[Ryan T]

I was dissapointed in the Liberty when I drove one. I actually got to tote around in one for about a week when my moms ex-bf got one from the dealership he worked at. Power was lacking in the low end, felt very peaky to me. 4wd was horrid, my 2wd truck with sandbags in the back was just about as effective. Interior looked nice but wasn't very comfortable. Just my .02 on the Liberty. If your gonna get a Jeep, get a Cherokee or a Grand Cherokee.

[Jeff]

I'm going to be Scotty does little to no "off roading."