Sub $2000 SUVs

Been a while since I looked at RRs but from memory, the areas you want to check are:

• Tailgates rust badly
• Check the chassis and whatever you can see of the structure very carefully. As mentioned, the inner structure is steel and can rust as if it was submerged in salt water. I wouldn't worry too much about the odd ding, the outer panels are aluminium and dent easily
• Check the L/H gearbox. On both Discos and RRs that have been driven on road all the time, they tend to get stuck in H. You have to occasionally move them between L&H to ensure that it doesn't become permanently stuck in H
• Front swivel joints leak. If they don't, they're usually dry which is (a) worse and (b) can get rather expensive
• If the engine hasn't seen regular oil changes, they wear their cam as if it was a service item. There shouldn't be any noise from the cam area after a couple of seconds, otherwise you're probably looking at swapping out the cam. That said the engines will last a long time.
• Get an FI one. The early carbed ones are very low powered.

Yeah, if i get one, i'm going to make sure it's a 4.2 powered one, and i'd like to find a County jus' cuz, but that's not really a big deal. I just really like the stereo.

I don't care if it's like new, and i doubt she'll care either, i'm just trying to avoid something that looks like a heap of crap. If it drives, stops, turns, all the lights work, and it doesn't leak or burn anything majorly, that's fine.

Good info here.

Interesting dilemma: (And i'm still looking for towing input on the other options as well)

Concerning Range Rovers alone, is it better to

1) Up my budget to $2500-$3000 in an attempt to get a nicer one with more recent maintainence?

Or

2) Buy one for ~$1000 that may need some work, but runs fine?

How are these to work on? Seems to have tons of room everywhere to get at anything engine/suspension/brake related, is that the case? I'm not a real great wrench, but i don't mind doing it if it's pretty simple. These seem rather simple. Am i delusional?

Here's another GRM ADD musing brought to you by 93CelicaGT2:

Which would be the biggest hell? A $2000 Range Rover Classic? Or a $2000 early 90s Audi Quattro of some sort?

Of those, I'd take the Range. There's something very appealing about them. Timeless style that is actually backed by a impressive capabilities.

That said, I've looked at a few and have never been able to make myself pull the trigger.

As a DiscoII owner, I'd suggest finding something on the extremes: something dirt cheap that needs work or something that has had EVERYTHING replaced. All the mid priced ones will eventually need the same work as the cheap one, but you don't get the price break. For the most part they are easy to work on, except the heater core. They built the car around the heater core.

My previous utility vehicle was a 91 Cherokee. I towed with it, semi-frequently, but built it for towing. I made custom leaf packs with 3/4 ton Dodge van springs, Bilstein shocks, and my Limited model came with a rear sway bar. I had 16" Grand Cherokee wheels with good LT rated tires, Hawk HPS pads, and a bigass transmission cooler. They are underbraked for themselves, so trailer brakes for any decent load is a MUST. The 91+ 4.0 HO is such a great motor though.

Would i be unreasonable to try to find a Rangie Classic that HAS had the work done for under $3000?

You said she needs AWD, but since that doesn't help you steer or stop or anything else really... does she actually need really good snow tires on a car that's not overpowered?

Have you considered Subaru Outback Sports?

pres589 wrote: You said she needs AWD, but since that doesn't help you steer or stop or anything else really... does she actually need really good snow tires on a car that's not overpowered? Have you considered Subaru Outback Sports?

She doesn't NEED AWD/4WD, but that's what it's going to take for her to drive herself places in bad weather without asking me to drive her everywhere whenever there's snow in the forecast.

She'd like an SUV, and i could use one for other things as well, so i don't see this as a bad thing. End result is that we're going to need another car/suv of some sort anyways.

I hadn't thought about the Outback Sports, mainly because i didn't think they were in my price range. I could get behind one of those...

Maybe an Outback Sport is a bit too new, but I started looking around here (I just moved) and changed my previous standing search for an RSX to Legacy with $3k as the upper limit. Instantly I found stuff like this;

http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/cto/1590896426.html

Thank me later?

pres589 wrote: You said she needs AWD, but since that doesn't help you steer or stop or anything else really... does she actually need really good snow tires on a car that's not overpowered? Have you considered Subaru Outback Sports?

Yeah, driving through a blizzard a couple of years ago I lost count of how many pickups and SUV's were in the ditch. Even had a Wrangler spin off right in front of me. The neon with snow tires on the front never missed a beat.

pres589 wrote: Maybe an Outback Sport is a bit too new, but I started looking around here (I just moved) and changed my previous standing search for an RSX to Legacy with $3k as the upper limit. Instantly I found stuff like this; http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/cto/1590896426.html Thank me later?

Possibly... you've certainly made the decision harder, that's for sure. Now i just have to think about how badly i need a tow vehicle. (Fairly badly... driving the celica for more than an hour on public roads is bad news)

Im not a terribly big fan of the subaru 4spd auto.. i mean, its fairly reliable, but stupid things do occasionally fail on it, like a pump shaft as thick as your pinkie that doesnt cause any real damage when it fails but leaves you dead in the road.

Im more for the range rover than the outback because of its greater utility value and funky-cool styling. And a modicum of torque.

My previous utility vehicle was a 91 Cherokee. I towed with it, semi-frequently, but built it for towing. I made custom leaf packs with 3/4 ton Dodge van springs, Bilstein shocks, and my Limited model came with a rear sway bar. I had 16" Grand Cherokee wheels with good LT rated tires, Hawk HPS pads, and a bigass transmission cooler. They are underbraked for themselves, so trailer brakes for any decent load is a MUST. The 91+ 4.0 HO is such a great motor though.

I agree about the brakes.. Also, i went from 265/75r15s to 225/60r16s on one of mine and it completely changed the feel of the thing for the better. But, to many people smaller tires on a jeep doesnt make any sense, and if you NEED 4wd i can see why some might feel that way. Still, keeping a large overall diameter but a smaller,stiffer sidewall on a larger rim is bound to make a drastic improvement on a cherokee. Luckily the cherokee has the extremely common 5x114.3 pattern so its super easy to find wheels for. Id get some of those 15x8 or 16x8 diamond steelies for ~$50 a piece with different backspace so they move outboard a bit.. Wider track, wider rim, less sidewall deflection, all would help a cherokee.

Chris_V wrote: then pushed through the snow, with it coming up over the hood, all the way down the street to the main street that had been plowed:

How? does the RR have limited slip/locking diff's?

We got 2.5 to 3 feet up in the mountains here, I did the same thing with my cherokee but it was LOTS of ramming into snow then backing up in your tracks and ramming forward a little more. The snow was about half way up the doors and came over the hood like you described. Tires are great but both axles are open. My results looked the same but your path looks effortless. I always thought this jeep was over kill for snow, but it barely survived this storm.

daytonaer wrote: How? does the RR have limited slip/locking diff's?

curb weight of chero ~3050lbs.

curb weight rr classic ~4500lbs

twolittlebroncos wrote: I wouldn't rule out Grand Cherokees completely. I just wouldn't buy a v8 or full-time 4wd version (this is most of them) Some of the 6cylinder GCs had part-time transfer cases np242 or something like that... They're basically the same drive train as the regular Cherokee, but with a bit more room and better rear suspension (coils instead of leaf springs). Some even came with rear disc brakes (I don't think these were ever available on regular Cherokees). Around here there aren't many good Cherokees, but there are a lot of cheap Grand Cherokees that have been well maintained by grandpa and sell very cheap.

For some reason the 6-cyl Grands get better fuel economy and only weigh slightly more than the comparable Cherokee. Wouldn't hesitate on a 4.0L GC for a second.

gen1 xterra?

daytonaer wrote:

Chris_V wrote: then pushed through the snow, with it coming up over the hood, all the way down the street to the main street that had been plowed:

How? does the RR have limited slip/locking diff's? We got 2.5 to 3 feet up in the mountains here, I did the same thing with my cherokee but it was LOTS of ramming into snow then backing up in your tracks and ramming forward a little more. The snow was about half way up the doors and came over the hood like you described. Tires are great but both axles are open. My results looked the same but your path looks effortless. I always thought this jeep was over kill for snow, but it barely survived this storm.

I've driven one through literally 5 feet of snow before, and it didn't even blink. They're one of the most ridiculously capable SUVs ever made. That path probably WAS effortless.

Autolex wrote: gen1 xterra?

I could go for that... can you tell me about the towing capabilities? If i'm going to end up with an SUV, i'd like it to be able to tow a light trailer with the Celica on it.

If i can't find an SUV that can tow the Celica reasonably well, then i may as well just get an old Audi or something.

That was done with my '01 P38 4.6.

The last Classic did just as well, however.

And yes, I would up the budget and find a good condition '94-95 4.2 liter, like my Last one. Pretty much trouble-free, and when I sold it for $3500, the new owner had used it as a daily driver for the last year with no issues. I'd link you to the thread on Discoweb that I sold it, but you have to be a member to view it. Drat. it had a lot of good pics of the areas to watch out for that were good on mine.

How do you like the added power of the 4.6? The 4L in mine seems a bit sluggish having been used to trucks with big V8s.

The 4.6 is a vast improvement over the 4.2, which was a vast improvement over the 3.5/3.9. The 4.6 tows the travel trailer without really even knowing it's there. no, it's not a drag racer compared to other modern cars/SUVs, but it's faster than you need on the street. I haven't driven a 4.0 of the same year to compare, but I'd bet it feels a bit weaker than the 4.2 in the County LWB I had.

The last truck I had was a scsb Ram 1500 with a 5.9.. so it's hard getting used to the lack of pickup. Heck even my wife's Odyssey seems quicker all around!

Thanks for the input I'll keep my eyes peeled for a 4.6 for when I get some spare time.

93celicaGT2 wrote:

Autolex wrote: gen1 xterra?

I could go for that... can you tell me about the towing capabilities? If i'm going to end up with an SUV, i'd like it to be able to tow a light trailer with the Celica on it. If i can't find an SUV that can tow the Celica reasonably well, then i may as well just get an old Audi or something.

I'm interested in a 1st gen xterra. They are quite good offroad from what I read. However, I've read the 3.3 is down on power.

one more quick thought....

I really hate threads like this.....

I worked for a British company for many years and I now have a proclivity against any British automobile. (Beat into me by my british coworkers)

Buttttttt....

I like this,

and so does the wifey.

and this

and this

and this

I wants one.. but glad I got a civic as a daily driver....