North Star

Hey everyone! I've been looking into getting a good off-road vehicle, and wanted to know what some of you guys with off-road experiance can suggest.

Currently, I've been looking at mid to late 80's Chevy Blazers. I love the convertabile feature of those trucks! Not to mention the hefty v8, 4x4 and good ground clearance right out of the box.

So, I am open to suggestions for other good rigs to check out, since I am new to the off-road scene!

RamVA

AFAIK there's a lot of decent options and it's really about what kind of truck you're looking for and how aggressive you want to be with mods. It's generally true that you're better off buying something that's very common (i.e. no Land Rover Defender), but beyond that there's a wide span of good options. I'd recommend, in descending order of out-of-the-box capability:

'97+ Wrangler (TJ)
Suzuki Samurai
'84+ Cherokee (XJ)
Toyota Tacoma

if you want to get in cheap. A lot of the other options (K-Blazers, Land Cruisers, whatever) are just too big.

Nobody

FJ40

CKit

I'd think twice before wheelin in a blazer.

Jeep, LR Disco, 4runner

They've all been around long enough that you can get a heavily used one cheap.

C6400hp

Why?
I had a 81 full size GMC Jimmy in the early 90's, it was bulletproof and I beat the crap out of it.
As long as what you are buying has been well maintained it should not be a problem. Although if the convertible aspect is important to you your best choice is the Jeep. Once you remove the top on a Blazer it will rattle/squeak until the end of time.

ShifterKart

I agree, old Blazer is really heavy, not always the best for off roading IMHO. What type of off-roading do you want? Rocks? Mud? Fire roads? Sand? If you want rocks get something with a solid front axle because you get better articulation, if your going faster off road like in sand or on fire roads an IFS works well.

Tacomas are pretty good (full disclosure, I own one) and some have a rear locker which helps a lot. Otherwise, I might look for an older Jeep that someone has already modded with beafy axles, front and rear lockers, and other goodies. They are not too hard to find and you will save a lot of money buying one already built (if you know what to look for). Give us an idea of what type of off roading you want to do and it might help steer you in the right direction.

BBY2KS2K

I think the K-5 Blazer is an excellent choice. They are cheap and easy to find as are the parts should you need to repair it. They are also relatively easy to work on. If not the K-5, than a Cherokee with the 4.0L I-6 would be my second choice.
They are also cheap and easy to find and those 4.0L I-6s are damn near bulletproof. Good luck on your search.

North Star

Alright, I got some feedback! Thanks for the info guys!

Yeah, I might be having second thoughts about the Blazer, just becuase the sucker his huge!!! I never realized how big those things actually were!

I've been considering a Jeep as well, but most likely the Wrangler and models of that ilk.

I am a fan of Toyota's though, and have seen a number of great looking Tacoma's and 4Runners.

As far as what type of off-roading I'm looking to do, at the moment all I can think of is all of the above! I think California has a lot of everything, and I'd like to hit up all the trails I can.

Another question, is having a manual 4x4 better than having an auto 4x4? Most American trucks only come automatic, except for the Jeeps.

RamVA

There's no consensus on the auto v. manual thing, and strong camps on both sides. I'd buy whatever you're more comfortable with.

Slamnasty

I'd have to agree that while Chevy K-5s are good off-road, they are quite big, and I've been off-roading in tight situations. Narrower is better IMO, and the K-5 is about the widest thing going other than an 80s-90s Land Cruiser. I'm actually surprised no one here mentioned the Land Cruiser yet, but still, I wouldn't recommend it unless the place you're going to be off-roading in is wide open with few clustered trees. And small and narrow is almost an absolute requirement if you're rock hopping.

This is also the kind of thing where you have to decide if you want to buy cheap and build up yourself, or buy someone else's prepared vehicle. Personally I'm inclined to do the latter, especially if I'm getting started as an off-road enthusiast. You don't get the fun of turning wrenches or the experience that goes with figuring out how to fix your ride, but then you don't have to spend extra cash necessarily, buying mods after you buy the truck, and you can hit the sticks that much more quickly.

I'd shop Autotrader for your area. There should be some nice options there. I was looking last weekend and found a fully outfitted 88 Suzuki Samurai with plenty of mods for like $7000. FJ40s will tend to be more expensive, say $10-12k for a nice one, partly because they are resurging in the enthusiast market. You might even be able to find the odd Nissan Patrol out there, but I have no idea about how easy those are to get parts for and maintain, due to their rarity.