I need a go anywhere vehicle..

[Massimo]

Toyota Troop Carrier. They will last a million miles and can go anywhere plus enough. room for anything.



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[Ratbastage]

Any experience with Volvo?

XC90? XC70?

Sure, if you dont mind getting stuck in wet grass.

If your not going to entertain my suggestion of a lx450/land bruiser take a look at the following but understand what you are getting into.

Taco, good truck, rack and pinion, no front travel, frame rustout problems in certain climates (clean the frame out and add a hole in the inner at the curve in front of the front leaf hanger) 3.4 is almost bulletproof but slow and not too thrifty.

Range Rover hse/classic/county 3.9 aint bad, 4.0 aint too bad. ALL leak oil and have those wonderful Lucas electrics. The plainer the better. (this coming from someone who owns a Disco and works on the things) Headgaskets leak, air suspensions are a joke, little shit like wondows, climate control and all that have off the wall problems with the electrons falling out randomly.

3rd gen 4runner. Smallish truck piss poor mileage, 3.4 is good, axle seals in the rear, frame rust and its a timing belt engine. Slow to boot due to the weight. Good little trucks really. (this coming from a owner of a 1st gen runner and again, work on them)

All the pretenders, ANY suv or pickup running a transverse mounted engine is just that, a pretender that will not hold up to anything more intense than driving through the grass in the rain. You want a rear drive based truck with a 2 speed transfer case and either no center diff or the ability to lock the center.

Jeep, not a bad idea but, the XJ, ZJ and WJ platforms are unibody. Not a deal breaker persay but, with I went 44/60/Rustys/35's/arb and so on, the first thing to give was the rear hatch exploded in the XJ. :D Shit happens. The WJ is much more car like, the ZJ and XJ are capable but small inside (runner territory) the V8's are kinda a PITA to work on. The 4.0l is one more tough POS that likes to leak oil and bust exhaust manifolds. Neither is a real problem to fix. The real weak link on the Jeeps is the 30/35/44 axle setups. ALL of them have issues with things ranging from C clips letting go the shredding pinions. On 30's or 31's and a light right foot they hold up, add 33's and some skinny pedal, they break. The 8' and "8.75"" (misnomer) Toy axles are much tougher except for the seals leaking. I've run 36's welded on both ends and dual transfer cases in 3500 pound truggies with lots O skinny pedal and rarely broke anything beyond a birfield.

Full size Chebby. Not a bad choise but, late models may or may not have 2 speed transfer cases, use electric servos for range and front diff, have weak front doffs, weak tie rods and the 10 bolt rears do not like big tires and lockers. Left stock or close, they aint bad but are not that capable but pretty rugged and dependable.

Frankly for a Expo type rig I like my Disco even though it likes to leak shit and you never know when the heater blower is going to work or what vital fluid is going to escape. The damn things are almost rolling EPA superfund cleanup sights. However, it goes where I point it and aint seen a flatbed yet. It also rocks a rooftop tent, gennie, hot water system, lots of storage and its ugly enough to never be stolen. My 1st gen runner is the tough pig of the bunch, 465K on the original 22re, barely runs 70 on 33's and 4:30's, goes where its pointed, spends more time with one tire a foot in the air than with all 4 down, has rust, its cold as fuck in the winter, hotter than hell in the summer but it always runs. Its the bugout truck. When SHTF thats the one Im crawling into and going zombie hunting in. Its small enough to where I dont get in so much as put it on but has enough room for gear and ammo. Plus it runs, even on its side it runs.

[M Dialed]

The Saab 9-5 wagons have depreciated down to very low prices.

does anyone here have one?

[Bglad]

Jeep Cherokee.

[ajackz]

With a little more money your in FJ Cruiser Territory.
My biggest mistake was selling mine to get a scion xb. Only to be selling the scion in a year to buy another FJ.

I made several trips across country. From California to Tennessee,Tenneseee to upstate New York. Up and down the California coast and into the desert.
Completly stock on Street Radials I never got stuck ANYWHERE.

We slept in the FJ 70 percent of the time. Temps ranging 15 degrees to 80(with the back door open) The power outlet in the rear make blowing up an air mattress a piece of cake. Want warm food? take along a small sanwich maker,cheese, and deli meat.

Roof rack makes for easy storage for the larger Items that can hang out over night to clear some sleeping room.

I could go on and on. Here is a link to help you with your decision.

http://forum.ih8mud.com/fj-cruiser/1...cruiser-3.html

[slammin.e28]

XC90s eat transmissions.

XC70s aren't bad, just keep them maintained, and flush them transmissions.

[M Dialed]

Any experience with Volvo?

XC90? XC70?

[slammin.e28]

Ive been looking at Saab 9-5 wagons.

are they reliable?

No.

older range rover?

Yes.

[kamotors]

older range rover?

[M Dialed]

Ive been looking at Saab 9-5 wagons.

are they reliable?

[der affe]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=US&ie=UTF-8&source=android-browser&q=unimog+pics#miuv=1

Unimog....done deal!

[wikkid]

Of your choices, I would go with a 4runner. However, here's a bit of divergent food for thought: a kitted out Tacoma: http://www.bajataco.com/Camper1.html

Never underestimate the odors and other funk that will permeate the interior of any vehicle you plan to sleep in.

You will have zero bug-free ventilation sleeping in a SUV.

You and your (expensive) equipment will be visible to all in a SUV (not so, if you store your gear under a sleeping platform).

Many other advantages come to mind, not least of all the way-cool factor.

[Mlarsen]

It's too bad all 4Runners are beat to shit.

Edit: Nevermind, I thought you were talking about older 4runners. The newer ones in your price range are awesome.

[z31maniac]

Yes , I now understand.

I was recently driving a base model Sequoia (First generation) with a badly worn drivers seat.

I thought, 'Damn it would feel nice to get out of this and get into a Land Cruiser Limited'.

are they super reliable?

GO read the link I posted and the accompanying forum.

[Vtec?lol]

The reason I WOULD NOT go 4runner is :
the rear ends and u-joints die almost every 10-20k miles. I've tried many of different brand u-joints. they all do the same and this will leave you stranded!
The rear ends need the seals replaced as well. They leak all of the diff fluid out aand will lock up and leave you Stranded!
The interiors are very small!
also, the wheel to truck size ratio is way off leaving the truck very dependent on it's tires. A blow out on the highway will cause you to flip. Rare, but i've seen 3 cases in a year. That's enough for me.

I would go with a 03-05 Tahoe z71 4x4
Extremely reliable and comes with many comfort features. the 5.3 is pretty decent on gas and can have mid to high teens in the city and 20-24 mpg on the highway. They also come with large fuel tanks.
The parts are stupid cheap. The interior is so damn plush and large. Most of them came with rear seat entertainment so you can bring dvd's and watch tv while you nodding off.
the suspension is a little soft but cheap to maintain. You never get any trouble from the power train and the 4wd is air/electric actuated. Sometime the lines go bad ans leak air but they're a stupid cheap fix and wont leave you stranded.