help me buy an SUV

[Andy]

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

we use our truck. we love the outdoors and typically have to traverse poor roads, logging trails, mud, dunes, small creeks, and deep snow to get to our destinations. in a year or two we will most likely be either towing a canoe/kayak or have it carried on the roof. as such, having things like fat tires, 4WD and low range, a roof rack, and good ground clearance are required.

You lose

[Jeff]

In my opinion the Jeep would still manage that just fine. I will however admit, that in this case, reading > me.

[Ryan T]

I just don't see the point in buying a Liberty when you can get a Cherokee for 1/10th the price, runs just as good and is much less likely to leave you wishing you had a winch.

[ScottyB]

In my opinion the Jeep would still manage that just fine. I will however admit, that in this case, reading > me.

heheh, it's all good. if there's one thing to know about me, it's that i hate poseur trucks, and people that buy trucks with the intention of never using them as anything more than commuter vehicles. if i'm going to be driving an inefficient, sluggish, wallowy, rolling-roadblock you can bet your balls i'm going to thrash it offroad! *end rant*

i personally am all for the cherokee. rock solid engine, real off road ability, huge aftermarket (come on you know i can't resist) and they're actually kind of light (less than 3500 pounds i think). what sucks is that it's kinda tight in the back and according to some info from you guys i want something pre-'00 to avoid tranny problems (i CAN'T be going through that again) and that's starting to get into old/high milage cars -- not a problem for me, but the wifey does not approve so much. since i have my car and she tolerates the crap i put her through with spending money on it i have to concede to her wants/needs a good bit on this one. cherokee may be out of the running

i may need to re-evaluate my terms because i'm starting to get the nay-say when it comes to pre-'00 cars, especially with Xterras being a good value and fairly new.

[ScottyB]

well, after poring over recall/reliability data, forums, and ads for days Jen and I found a solid deal on an '03 4x4 xterra after talking the seller down a bit. we pick it up on saturday. i'm actually very excited, it's not fast or technologically advanced, but it's a neat little truck and we plan to take it over more than just speed bumps :lol: i'll give you guys my impressions when we have it, since maybe some of you may consider one someday.

this was my first time buying a car from someone outside family or friends, here's a few things i picked up:
- do mucho research and don't take anyone's "word" on anything. example: every single person i met except our eventual seller claimed to know how the 4wd system worked and could demonstrate it's operation properly, but couldn't explain how to engage/disengage the autolock front hubs when i told them the xterra had them. that's some important crap considering you can screw up the 4wd system if you leave them locked and drive at high speed.
- get dirty. poke around the engine, under the chassis, open stuff.
- don't puss out on the test drive....drive it and give it the boot if it means finding out about a kooky transmission or weird vibrations at speed.
- give everyone a chance in buying/selling as long as they look legit. i had bad presumptions about carmax but after going there Jen and I have decided to sell our truck through them because they gave us a no-questions-asked fair price. if i didn't give it a shot i'd be stuck, probably for weeks, trying to sell it privately or getting hosed if i felt i had to trade it in.
- bargain anything. if you sound commited and present a good argument you can get anyone to drop the price if you really want to haggle on it.

we also managed to do a little better on a loan after going through our local credit union -- i would definitely recommend checking one out if you have the means.

anyway. i've got an extra MM sticker and it's going on pronto!

[BLINGMW]

we plan to take it over more than just speed bumps :lol:

Atlantians? :wink:

[ScottyB]

we plan to take it over more than just speed bumps :lol:

Atlantians? :wink:

once they leave the safety of starbucks and/or neiman marcus i can't promise anything!

[Feersty]

That's cool Scotty. What color did you decide on?

[ScottyB]

That's cool Scotty. What color did you decide on?

Super Black 8)

it's a pretty dumb color to own down here because it's so hot, but with the grey trim it looks pretty sweet

[.RJ]

IBFAFP!

[Mike]

IBFAFP!

+1

[ScottyB]

I Brake For Any Free Pilsner? :?:

i'm not cool enough to know all interweb shorthand lingo

[ScottyB]

well here she is, probably the cleanest it will ever be:



non-SC'd V6, auto, 4x4, rear limited slip, tow package with tranny cooler, rockford fosgate 300W factory stereo, 32 inch wranglers. some other little knick-knacks too. these trucks have terrible resale these days so there are deals to be had on well equipped ones if you hunt a bit.

overall very very happy with it. i generally hate trucks, but it's not bad to drive at all and if it stays true to reviews, shouldn't need a thing for a real long time. good thing to, the explorer's engine has been knocking something fierce this past week and keeps getting worse! just hold together another week, pleeeaasseee....

the X probably won't see much in the way of m0dz but i might just have to look into a few trail-worthy items :twisted: i've really become interested in the 4 wheeling thing now that i've looked into it and have a decent vehicle to have fun with. don't worry though, it's still motorsports > muddin in my book

[WRXtranceformed]

Sweet find Scott! That's going to be a fun truck for you two =)

[Maengelito]

looks pretty sweet scotty, i hear those can be tough on wheel bearings especially if you're taking it offroad. from what i've read it isnt difficult to repack those bearings, but apparently when i helped my friend with his xterra, i didnt do a great job.

[Ryan T]

If your going to do much off-roading, get a winch. There has definantely been more than one occasion where I was happy I had one.

[ScottyB]

thanks fellas

looks pretty sweet scotty, i hear those can be tough on wheel bearings especially if you're taking it offroad.

yeah the front bearings like a grease re-pack every 40k or so. the big problem is water though....if you drive deeper than the top of the hubs you need to re-pack the grease within 3k miles due to water seeping into the hubs and contaminating the grease. whether i go in water or not i'll have to learn how to work on that soon enough

[Sijray21]

nice lookin' truck Dizzler!

this one looks like you can have some fun with it! :twisted:

[ScottyB]

If your going to do much off-roading, get a winch. There has definantely been more than one occasion where I was happy I had one.

yeah this is a tough call for me. thing is, if i get a winch i'll need an upgraded bumper to support it, and at that point if i'm spending that kind of money i'd better be on the trail alot. and if i'm on the trail alot, it would be smart for me to invest in the proper armor, suspension upgrades, extraction tools, and survival equipment, which costs even more yet....you get my point. i'd rather spend that money on b00st. i want a winch though

nice lookin' truck Dizzler!

this one looks like you can have some fun with it! :twisted:

thanks jray...yeah i'll have some fun, i just better not get too carried away and upset the wifey

[HAULN-SS]

sounds like a risk you're going to have to take.