Inexpensive 4x4 with a back seat?

Chris Pierce

Chris Pierce

Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
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Currently I drive a 94 Nissan 4x4 hard body with an extended cab. I really like to drive pickups but, I have a 2 year old and another on the way. And there is no safe/real back seat in most pickups. Hence I am looking for an older 4x4 suv with a good sized back seat and hopefully 4 doors.
I'm looking for something that I can trade my Nissan for or maybe something I can put a little money down on. My wife's car will be paid off in a few years and I will probably buy a nicer vehicle for myself at that point. So basically I'm looking for something I can do some light 4x4ing in and that will hold two car seats in the back.
I like the looks of the Nissan Pathfinders and Toyota Land Cruisers. Since I have a family now I don't drive like a crazy-person so I think I would prefer fuel economy over power. A 4-banger would be fine by me.

So what suggestions do ya'll have? Is there anything I should definitely stay away from? Is KBB.com a reliable place to figure a price?

Thanks for the help
-Chris
 
I'm a huge fan of the Suzuki line......Sidekicks/Trackers and the ever famous Samurai. Great little 4x4s, good on gas, VERY solid wheelers right out of the box, lots of aftermarket parts available for upgrades and the Samurai will out wheel a Jeep due to the tight wheelbase! :thumbup::thumbup:
 
ac1d0v3r1d3 said:
I like the looks of the Nissan Pathfinders and Toyota Land Cruisers.
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You're on the right track. Stay away from the nissans. They are passenger vehicles (read: cheaper quality) and not true 4x4, off road vehicles. The land cruiser is a great choice, but somewhat of a guzzler as you said. As a result, what you need is a first generation 4runner. The 22re engine is one of the most reliable ever designed, is stoopid easy to work on, and gets excellent gas mileage not even taken into account its a 20+ year old car. It seats 5, has storage in the rear, and can even run as a convertible if you like. If you're really ambitious get an 85 with the solid front axle and the fuel injection. Its the best of both worlds, although for most purposes the IFS models (86 onward) should be fine.
 
You should check into a Jeep Cherokee (XJ). Pretty cheap to build and wheel compared to many and you should be able to pick up a good shape one with the 4.0L for a good price.
 
I know you said SUV, but take a look at a first generation or early second generation (2005) Tacoma four door 4X4. Look for an O.R. version with the locker. I can't really see much difference in in back seat room in one and say an early gen. 4 Runner. If you go the Dodge/Jeep route, well at least you can find them cheap.
 
SCme said:
You should check into a Jeep Cherokee (XJ). Pretty cheap to build and wheel compared to many and you should be able to pick up a good shape one with the 4.0L for a good price.
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:thumbup:+1 Look for a 97 or 98. They had the larger spline front axle and didn't have the intake problems of the 99-01's. You can generaly find them for under $5000 in great condition. The 4.0 is strong and easy to work on.
 
So I'm looking to spend less then $3500 or so. I don't want two car payments and I only need to keep this truck for 3 years. I don't do very much 4x4ing. Just enough to get to trail heads or to shooting spots. I Really don't care how big the engine is. The Durango is out, Terrible fuel economy and unreliable.

How do ya'll feel about older (90-96) Mitsubishi Montero's? I had one for a short period of time several years ago and I liked it very much. But I don't know how reliable it would be and I don't recall what the MPG was.
The other truck I really like is the Nissan Pathfinder. Are their any down sides to them?

-Chris
 
I have a'95 Nissan XE extended cab I drive. I only had one kid in a car seat at one time and the wife just rode in the back jump seats when we needed to all be in the truck. I think a 90's era Pathfinder would be a decent choise as would be a Blazer or a Cherokee and all would be in your price range.
 
erik the red said:
I'm a huge fan of the Suzuki line......Sidekicks/Trackers and the ever famous Samurai. Great little 4x4s, good on gas, VERY solid wheelers right out of the box, lots of aftermarket parts available for upgrades and the Samurai will out wheel a Jeep due to the tight wheelbase! :thumbup::thumbup:
Click to expand...

:thumbup: +1

Even my less rugged '01 hangs with stock wranglers for the most part, while getting 26-28 highway. The 2.0 its reliable as hell, manual trans is very solid, power is good enough, much better than 4cyl Jeeps, and moves the newer generations better than the old 1.6 did. Suzuki made the 99+ with a 2.5 six and a five speed which is an amazing combo if you can get one, mileage is good, slightly less than the 4 and its got a bit of balls when passing uphill. Having crashed mine pretty good once they are tougher built than they look, and are built on a frame. That said I'll be picking up a six cyl wrangler of some rendition if this thing ever kicks the bucket, so far so good with 150,000 not so kind high revving miles on it.

Just something to keep in mind, as they really don't get much respect but that just makes them a cheaper buy.
 
The suzuki's look pretty good for offroading but I don't think they are big enough for my needs. I'd really like to have room for cargo as well as kids. I have a pretty large job box I use for work and I'd like to be able to move it with out having to barrow a pick up. I think I have pretty much decided on the Nissan pathfinder. I really like my pick up and these look to be pretty much the same thing with a different body.

Are there any years that I should avoid or anything years/option packages I should look for? How many miles can you get out of one of these motors? I have seen a lot for sale that say "runs great" but have over 200K miles.

Thanks again for the help
 
ac1d0v3r1d3 said:
Currently I drive a 94 Nissan 4x4 hard body with an extended cab. I really like to drive pickups but, I have a 2 year old and another on the way. And there is no safe/real back seat in most pickups. Hence I am looking for an older 4x4 suv with a good sized back seat and hopefully 4 doors.
I'm looking for something that I can trade my Nissan for or maybe something I can put a little money down on. My wife's car will be paid off in a few years and I will probably buy a nicer vehicle for myself at that point. So basically I'm looking for something I can do some light 4x4ing in and that will hold two car seats in the back.
I like the looks of the Nissan Pathfinders and Toyota Land Cruisers. Since I have a family now I don't drive like a crazy-person so I think I would prefer fuel economy over power. A 4-banger would be fine by me.

So what suggestions do ya'll have? Is there anything I should definitely stay away from? Is KBB.com a reliable place to figure a price?

Thanks for the help
-Chris
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Funny im in the same boat as you:D Im looking more at the last year of the Bronco 1996 or mid to late 90's 2-door Tahoe's for the roomy back seat. I know they are not great on gas mileage probly looking at 15mpg or so. I had a 1996 Jeep cherokee sport and ran the hell out of it. Sold it to a kid about 4 years ago when it had 265k miles on it and i see it on the road still driveing to this day:eek: should have kept it!:(:(
 
I like the looks of the Jeeps but didn't know if they were reliable or not. They look really good with a lift and some over sized tires. I hear they are great off road too. Maybe that's the truck for me. I guess it's between one of those and a Pathfinder. I'm just going to have to look around.
 
in the time i had my jeep i put very little maintenance into it. lol might have to find one again. i kept it stock i got around 20mpg out of it
 
I'd be happy with 20mpg. It's only going to be for a few years anyway, unless I really like the truck. I suppose I could always drop a new engine in it as well. My wife wants me to get something "new". But chances are if it was made after 96 or so I'm gonna hate working on it.
 
ac1d0v3r1d3 said:
I'd be happy with 20mpg. It's only going to be for a few years anyway, unless I really like the truck. I suppose I could always drop a new engine in it as well. My wife wants me to get something "new". But chances are if it was made after 96 or so I'm gonna hate working on it.
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I'm telling you, a 4runner is what you want. It fits all your needs, is reliable unlike jeeps, can be purchased cheaply and will hold its value for when you want to re-sell it, can be maintained by a blind one armed monkey... or most mechanics... and should get 22-23 mpg with 50/50 city highway driving.
 
I'd go over to the Mitsubishi section of 4X4wire.com and ask there about Monteros. The folks there are the most knowledgeable of any forum I've been on. I've had 7 MMC 4X4s, and although not perfect, they've been better than the other 4X4s I've owned - Jeep, Dodge, Willys, etc.

The 4X4 crowd will give you their advice on what to look for on particular models.
 
ac1d0v3r1d3 said:
I like the looks of the Jeeps but didn't know if they were reliable or not. They look really good with a lift and some over sized tires. I hear they are great off road too. Maybe that's the truck for me. I guess it's between one of those and a Pathfinder. I'm just going to have to look around.
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One thing that I can tell you about the Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee is that they use a chain drive in their transfer case which isn't very reliable for anything more than driving in snow.I'd look for an older Toyota,they hold up pretty well but unfortunetly,they hold their resale value also.Be careful if you do consider the Bronco that the drivetrain is sound,in the early to mid '90s they were using Izuzu transmissions that aren't easy to find used.The biggest issues with the 1990s 4x4s are the electronics to shift the transfer cases and weak drivelines that really weren't designed for 4 wheeling and at this point are probably going to need some repairs.
 
Let me echo the Toyota 4Runner suggestion. I have a '91 with the 4cyl (22re) that has about 419K Km on it (260K Miles), starts up the first time, every time, even when it's been sitting for 6 months (ie on Monday when I started it last).

You have plenty of room for a car seat in the back if you go 4 door and fuel mileage is alright, although no car fuel mileage seems good to me. I ride a motorbike as my main mode of transportation.

I purchased the truck over 5 years ago, with 100K Km less on it. In that time, the only things I've done are:
-replaced alternator
-adjusted valves
-replaced front brake pads/calipers
-lots of oil changes
-replaced frame crossmember (my fault, a little urban offroading mistake)

Get the 22re, get a manual transmission, and have fun!

Travis
 
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