[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I’ve had my Nissan Xterra for years, damn thing just crushes snow. We were buried in NY this past week, didn’t move my car for days, but this morning, just popped into 4 wheel drive and easily drove up and over a nice 2 ft embankment that had blocked me into my spot.
S[/quote]
I have another ex who has one and that thing has the worst handling and hair trigger brakes of any car I’ve ever driven. Do you have any of those problems? She’s had hers know for 5 or 6 years and still likes it so maybe it’s just me being picky.[/quote]
Mine’s an '03, and still handles great. Lot better pickup than I would have expected from a larger vehicle as well (love merging into highways -lol). Maybe she just had crappy brakes
FJs are nice but visibility sucks. Handles nice, though, and I love the interior.
Xterras are great but yes, the brakes are “hair trigger.” That seems to be a Nissan thing (mom’s Altima is the same) and other Nissans I’ve driven had similar brake feel.
4Runner, XTerra, FJ.
I like the XTerra because the chassis I believe is from a Frontier (truck), and the interior design makes it very functional (hah). I’ve used one to move around a lot shit and was always amazed at how adaptable everything was to the situation.
XTerra gets shitty gas mileage, though, like 15-16 mpg. I think FJ gets 17-18.
[quote]Mad HORSE wrote:
I’m rocking an 09 Explorer. I have had ZERO problems all the way into my second Montana winter with it. Pleanty of room for all three kids, the dog, and any cargo I need to move. Gas mileage leaves a little to be desired, but apparently, after talking to other people, I’m actually doing really well.[/quote]
How many miles you working with? I have a Ford now and aside from some minor stuff it’s been surprisingly dependable, but I’m still under 70k.[/quote]
Mine was at almost 300k when I stopped driving it. Was still running strong. I did have to replace the cylinder head somewhere around 250k miles BUT I overheated the engine at least three times before that. Also replaced the radiator around 200k which I have heard other explorer owners say they’ve done as well. And that’s it, only repairs I ever did on it.
Look at the axles in a Honda, they are 3/4". 4Runner is not a car frame made SUV. It’s a solid rig, and is not embarassing like a pilot, escape etc.
[/quote]
My wife drives the Pilot, lol. It is pretty embarrassing I have to admit, to be one of 5 that picks up my son and the only dude driving one.
But what does the 3/4" axle mean? Good, bad, wat?[/quote]
4Runners are just built better, and the rear axles are beefy. Check out the suspension on a honda and look at the pencils that turn the wheels. Not bad for a street rig, but off road you could break stuff easy.
Remember you are talking to a 4X freak so SUV’s to me need to be capable off road as well.
[quote]Vegita wrote:
I’d go 4runner also. UNLESS, you want something more fun.
IZUZU Vehicross
V[/quote]
Garbage…nobody owns them, no after market stuff like the toys …plus they look like an outback with a lift. In 10 years on the rock trails I have never seen one. Anyone considering this should look at the FJCruiser. It has a low gear ratio and rear locking differential standard. The only other in the stock market that is truly trail ready would be a Jeep Rubicon. 4Runner has a rear locker as an option.
But then again I look for trail ready in an SUV VS luxury.
What year was the Grand Cherokee? I had a 1999 Grand Cherokee that was a total piece of crap - something was always going wrong with it. But, I was convinced to buy another one by a friend that had a similar experience, and loved his newer one. So I bought a 2004 Grand Cherokee, and it ran like a top - replaced it last year with 160,000 miles, and never had any significant problems.
Replaced it with a GMC Yukon Denali - beautiful truck, but expensive, with terrible mileage (around 12.4 mpg combined), and it’s had a lot of mechanical problems already.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
I’m moving from Texas to Oregon in the next few weeks and I’m trading my current car in and getting an SUV, or possibly a truck. Both my brothers are mechanic’s and they’re diametrically opposed to American cars, but I have a soft spot for Jeeps. I actually have my eyes on the Wrangler Sahara Unlimiteds. Problem is I had a Grand Cherokee a few years ago and even though it’s my favorite car I’ve ever had that thing gave me nothing but problems. I’m trading in and putting a couple of grand down so my final down payment will be around $6k. I’m buying used and my price limit is about $28k. If anyone has any recs and/or horror stories feel free to post 'em. Thanks.[/quote]
I don’t know what the price is, but I have a Lexus LX570, and it’s a great car. My wife drives a Range Rover with the big engine. It’s very fast, but has weird ergonomics.
I would strongly avoid any Dodge product, including Jeeps. When I was a baby lawyer, I worked a lot of cases for fleet trucks (e.g., Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, whatever). People in Jeeps always died.
This is a Suzuki Samuri, extended 2 feet. Rubicon trail…same spot as the previous orange toy, going up hill. This is “Little Sluice” on the Rubicon Trail.
I don’t know what the price is, but I have a Lexus LX570, and it’s a great car. My wife drives a Range Rover with the big engine. It’s very fast, but has weird ergonomics.
I would strongly avoid any Dodge product, including Jeeps. When I was a baby lawyer, I worked a lot of cases for fleet trucks (e.g., Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, whatever). People in Jeeps always died.
Think about the Toyota Sequoia, also.[/quote]
Am I reading this correctly? You don’t know how much your car costs? Like…the one you drive every day?
Your wife has a Range Rover with the “big engine”?
…seriously?![/quote]
Yes, it’s the Supercharged Range Rover. It was expensive.
No, I don’t know how much the Lexus costs; I bought it through my company, and candidly did not care about cost, as it is pre-tax and aggressively depreciated.
I have a '98 Jeep Cherokee Sport for a daily driver. The straight six engine has been known to last 300k+ miles with just basic maintenance. The Jeep Cherokee (NOT the Grand Cherokee) is known to be as reliable and simple as a stone axe and you can have your pick of some cherry examples for $5000 or less. I get 21 mpg mix city and highway with mine.
My weekend hunting/fishing/trail rig is a clean and much loved '73 Ford Bronco. A great little truck.
