advice on a "rugged" outdoor vehicle

I wouldn't trade my Ford for one, but the Tundra trucks are nice. The upgrade V8 tows well, the engines run smooth, decent stock clearance. We use them at work for towing a cargo trailer. Practically no maintenance issues ever. You could stick a shell on there, haul tons of gear and keep it dry, pull a cargo / bike trailer, and even sleep back there if necessary.

What I'd really like, a crew-cab F250 with a gasoline engine. The supercab is too small, I generally dislike diesels, and the suspension of the F350 is much too stiff.
 
Sucks Nissan discontinued the X. I've been driving a Frontier for over 6 years now and it's been a decent vehicle. Certainly more reliable than the Honda we got for my wife, all sorts of suspension issues rather than the electrical issues Chevy is known for. Personally I'm done with buying new vehicles for myself. Once I finally kill my Frontier or get sick of it I will probably replace it with a used truck. Perhaps by then the 4cyl 4wd mini trucks will be back in style.

Anyway with the choices you have I'd probably go for the 4runner. Only problem I have with them is that they are God awful expensive, but their reliability is supposed to be excellent. The Sequoia IMO is too big to be taking down narrow fire roads, but your local might be different from my own.
 
Other than an XTerra which I'd also suggest, Have you looked at the new small size trucks?

The Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon have great fuel efficiency and handle really well off-road. Plus they have plenty of space for you're camping gear, bikes and other gear. Once my 2004 Volvo station wagon dies (If it ever does) I'll most likely pick up a diesel Chevy Colorado.

There's also the Toyota Tacoma which gets decent fuel efficiently but that thing is absolutely amazing for off-roading. It also would have more than enough space for your gear.


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The Ford Ranger is supposed to making a come-back, if you might like a small pickup. They have become quite popular in Australia after the Ranger was redesigned (the same year they were discontinued in the States). The Rangers seem to perform reasonably-on-par with the famous HiLux ute, but hopefully without the HiLux's sadistic ergonomics and thoughtless interior layout.
 
If I get a truck it will be a full size four door with a camper she'll. I used to be a construction worker and have owned 3 pickups. An f-250,3500HD and a z71. I swore I would never own anything but a z71. However I became very big in cave diving. which requires very expensive gear. I never felt safe leaving it in a truck bed as I was under water for hours. That's when I found the value of an SUV. Now that I have dogs I like the fact that they have A/C back there.

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For instance we just took a trip to the mountains in my Yukon for a backpacking trip. The dogs went in the back, all the packs and valuable gear was in the back seat and I put two bikes and a kayak on the roof. Also we did not on this trip but previously I have layed down the back seats in the Yukon and the wife two dogs and myself have all racked out for the night on long road trips. Not sure if the 4Runner is big enough for that and I am not sure I would be comfortable doing that in the bed of a truck.

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I don't know anything about any brand other than Toyota but I have two Tacomas and would never drive anything other than a Toyota.

One is a 2002 and the other is a 2014. My 2002 (bought from the original owner) has about 180k mi. on it and it's never been in the shop for anything other than normal wear and tear stuff (seals, timing belt once, gaskets, stuff like that which is designed to be replaced due to normal use and time). I use it like a tractor. I pull trees out of the woods with it (I don't mean cut them up and put them in the back, I mean I cut them down, wrap a chain around them and pull them on the ground out of the woods to where we can hoist them up as deer stands), I pull a disc tine, and I pull other people out when they get stuck. It's mostly stock (TRD 4WD) other than a mild suspension lift (OME) and some decent rubber (BFG KM2's). I love it and will never sell it, no matter how many people ask if it's for sale.

2014-11-24%2016.16.15-X2_zpsgbvue9ku.jpg


My other one is a 2014 which I drive to work and back everyday. It's been great so far (just bought it used from the original owner who barely put any miles on it, less than 16k in over two years). It's a TRD 4WD also, but it has, in addition to the locker of the '02, all the electronic doodads like A-TRAC and all the other assist modes. It's impossible to get stuck. I've buried it to the axles so all four tires were spinning free and used A-TRAC to just back out. Incredible.

This is what it will look like (exactly) once I get the suspension and tires under it. It's stock right now w/ some decent ATs on it.

14%20Tacoma%20Lift%20Tires_zpsi3vaapje.jpg


So if you want my two cents, buy a Toyota. You may regret not buying one, but I don't think you'll ever regret if you do buy one.
 
I'm late to the party on this but thought it might be helpful to share my experiences. I got a trail edition Toyota 4Runner and like it a lot. It rides great on and off the highway, has ample room in the back (I put a 100 lb dog, a 50 lb dog, and a couple duffel bags back there), and has all the off-road doodads you could want. Other positives: drive train is relatively low-tech (lever-engaged 4wd) as is suspension, not a ton to go wrong there. Speakerphone integration works great. Resale value is also sky high (I got a shockingly good deal on it brand new and 2.5 years later trade in value is something like 80% of what I paid).

Disadvantages: Mileage is "meh", factory tires suck, and the gas pedal location bothers my knee a little on drives >1 hour.
 
Looks like someone bumped an old thread but if the OP is still following the issues with the 04 yukon on the first page are easily fixed. The DIC is due to bad solder, you can disassemble the instrument cluster and resolder the bigger surface mount resistors in the center and fix it.
The ABS IIRC is due to rust where the sensor is mounted, so a bit of time to clean it up fixes that. Pretty inexpensive fixes for a 12-13 year old vehicle.
 
I'd look at a Toyota Land Cruiser. I have a 1996 80 series and a 2004 100 series. The 96 has a solid front axle and is triple locked meaning that the front and rear axles will lock so that the tires turn at the same speed. The third lock is the transfer case which is called the center diff lock. Locking this makes the front and rear drive shafts turn at the same speed. Do some research on the 80 series Land Cruiser you can not go wrong with this vehicle.
 
I say toyota....my 2000 Tacoma has 196k miles and the only thing to ever go wrong has been a starter. Have buddies that have twice the miles and still going.
Get a canopy and a non slip bedliner for the dogs.......no wet dog and mud in the cab is a bonus and they like the room and side windows
 
I've got a 2015 tacoma. Great truck. Gets me anywhere I need to go. Fits my family (me, wife, two kids and 35lb dog) in the cab just fine. But I'll either need to purchase a canopy or trade it in for a 4runner pretty soon.
The open bed was great when I needed it for work, but not so great now that I need secure storage for camping/hiking gear.
 
Vote for 4 runner!,,, we also have an FJ !,,, my son takes his FJ to some real wild places and has even had to put on heavier skid plates!,, Toyotas are tough!
 
How about a previous generation Jeep Grand Cherokee with the Mercedes V6 diesel or even the current one with the VM Motori diesel if you can afford it? Also, the VW Touareg is supposed to be a very competent off roader and you might he able score a used one with the Audi V6 diesel for a bit cheaper what with the recent controversy. ;)
 
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