amongmany

OK, its official. I'm selling my S and buying an SUV or a smaller truck.

Here's what I need out of it:
-$14k max budget; less is certainly good
-need something reliable; I won't have a warranty and I want something that won't cost me much
-need something with plenty of space; I'm taking a 2 month climbing trip this summer and probably more in the future
-must have dual airbags
-must be auto tranny
-must be reasonably comfortable (for an SUV/truck) for distance driving


Here's what I'm not sure of:
-According to a previous thread (by me), I was highly encouraged to get 4wd. Obviously, I don't need it much here in Texas, but there is the possibility of hitting some park/fire roads out west. Nothing that would REQUIRE 4wd. BUT, there's a decent chance (but no guarantee) that whatever I buy might get sold to my brother in ~1.5 years to go to college in Vermont (read mucho snow). SO, do I buy something with that in mind and get a 4wd? Is it worth having even here in TX for some reason? The flip side of the arguement is that he'll live on campus and won't HAVE to get anywhere in snow.

-SUV or truck? There's some pro's and cons to each: SUV may be easier to drive around town where I'll be doing most of my driving (I say may because I'm considering a 4runner vs. tacoma and they're the same chassis). SUV has room for more people comfortably. Truck has more cargo space (duh). If I get a truck, I'll have to put a camper shell on it; this means that I have to buy a truck for less money to keep the addition of the camper shell within budget. I can also put a platform in the bed and have a place to sleep on a road trip which is nice. Trucks are tougher to find an auto 4x4


Here's some of what I'm considering based on research to date, including considerations of the Consumer Reports reliability ratings (all of these were based on the assumption that I was looking for a 4wd, but I don't see why that'd change much if I change my mind):

-Nissan Xterra; liked it, its a little rough around the edges, but I don't mind that
-Nissan Pathfinder; haven't driven one, but it has excellent reliability ratings; also has small cargo space
-Toyota 4runner; haven't driven one, excellent reliability, good cargo space, expensive/higher mileage in budget
-Jeep Cherokee; haven't driven, cheaper, less space, dated look, I'm told its reliable by jeep enthusiasts, but they're biased
-Jeep Grand Cherokee; haven't driven, decent styling, decent space, slightly more expensive, poor reliability in CR, but I've known a number of people who have driven them for years w/ no problems
-Ford Explorer; not really considering too much anymore, drove one for years and it doesn't do much for me; poor reliability ratings but I never had trouble with mine; didn't like the drive anymore

-Toyota Tacoma; liked it, bulletproof, last forever, more expensive/tough to find
-Nissan Frontier; don't love the styling, haven't driven one yet, slightly cheaper, decent reliability ratings
-Ford Ranger; haven't driven, but my roommate in college had one and liked it (I rode in it often); decent reliability ratings


SO WHAT WOULD YOU DO? What haven't I considered? Do I need the 4wd? Should I go SUV or truck?

Yes, obviously I need to test drive everything on that list that I haven't yet. I'm doing more of that today.

Some extra background: I'm a grad student at UT, graduating in May. Planning to stay here in Austin for a while. I do a lot of climbing and other outdoor stuff. I don't care a ton about people hauling, but if I have space its nice to be able to take more than 1 other person.

amongmany

No one??

Just an update from my afternoon test drives:
-4runner: hated it; bounced all over, the brakes were horrendous, build quality was so-so
-pathfinder: not too bad; the one I drove pulled, so it might have had something wrong with it; still on the list, but not my favorite
-Grand Cherokee: felt kind of big, but drove well. My biggest complaint was the fact that I fell into the seat and was buried behind the dash
-Cherokee: Liked the drive, like the price range, size is ok...but the brakes were AWEFUL; I seriously didn't think I was going to stop a couple of times

So, I guess the Xterra and the Tacoma are still my favorites, but the others aren't entirely out of the running. I need to drive another Cherokee and Grand cherokee to get a better feel for them.

dundonr

Well.. I have an 01 Explorer XLT 4x4.. towed a 3500 lb trailer across the US without any problems and had plenty of power with it's 4.0 SOHC and 4.10 gears.. 60K miles and 100% reliable.. nice ride, but off road, the tires SUCK.. I mean 14" of snow and I'm getting stuck.. in the mud it's quite bad.. (Buckshot mudders would take care of that problem)

I'm going to trade it in on a new F150 King Ranch soon though, since I need a pickup..

jankemi

I've got a '94 Cherokee and had an Cherokee-based 1988 Commanche pickup. Both went 140K miles with no major repairs & minimal routine maintenance. The Jeep straight 6 is a real decent motor. I've driven 280K miles between the two & neither has ever left me stranded or not started (even at -35F). I didn't think that the brakes were particularily weak on either of those vehicles. Both stop much better than my 2001 Chevy pickup, but not as good as my S2000. Perhaps you had a bad example?

The Cherokee has a solid front axle, so you have to remember it doesn't handle like a sports car. You can either turn, or hit bumps, but not both at once.

If you get out in the booneys on your climbing trip, an American made vehicle may be easier to fix or repair. Parts will be available & cheap & small town mechanics will be familiar with the vehicle.

Have thought about a Ford Escape? I rented one & drove 4500 miles from MN to NV & UT last summer. It was a real nice vehicle. It doesn't have 4wd low-range though so you may not be able to go wwwaaayyyy back in the rough stuff.

--Mike

amongmany

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jankemi
I've got a '94 Cherokee and had an Cherokee-based 1988 Commanche pickup. Both went 140K miles with no major repairs & minimal routine maintenance. The Jeep straight 6 is a real decent motor.

jankemi

Not much different than a Cherokee. I jammed food & camping gear for 2 weeks for 3 people in an Escape.

Young_R

i cant say from experience since this is first time i bought or even own a first domestic car in the family.
i just got Chevy S10 V6 Supercharge 99' for my work. Like you i needed space and something that i can throw my equipments in. I was both looking at SUV and Truck. I did little bit of thinking and i realize that SUV would be nice but it was not something i needed. I can tell you did a lot of thinking on this. Just think about it again and see what you "really" need and go from there. If i had more money to spare i would of gotten Toyota Tacoma. they are sweet.

BTW i got my truck for 5900 with 58k miles on it. It was good buy and it runs like a champ. I'm drifting everywhere i go...but it has been raining over here too. hahaha.

JohnE

[QUOTE]Originally posted by munckee
[B]OK, its official.

amongmany

I've heard only poor reviews of the Montero sport since they came out. Won't touch it with a ten foot pole. Glad to hear you like yours though!

More info:
-Ranger: hated it; felt like I was driving a Tonka truck.
-Durango: Like the ride and the handling A LOT; feels big (because it is), but for its size, it rode nicer than most anything else I've driven. My only hangup is questionable Dodge reliability; anyone have experience with Dodge?

EDIT:
Further update after more test drives...
The Durango is officially out; too big for what I need. I'm down to the Xterra, and I drove another pathfinder that I really liked this time. I'm not sure what was wrong or different about the first one I drove (a '98 vs. an '01 this time), but I liked this one a lot more.

I liked the Tacoma as well, but I think I'm going to rule it out simply for the fact that for the same price as the durango or xterra, the tacoma will have a lot more miles. Plus I have to pay more for the camper shell which makes it more expensive than the other two.

I'd be willing to test drive a cherokee and grand cherokee again before deciding, but I wasn't thrilled with either the first time around.

amongmany

Can anyone comment on the Xterra or the Pathfinder? Those are my choices at the moment.