What 4x4 SUV? Daily, Highway & Beach use; $5-7k

I'll +1 the XJ, but I'd also recommend the Suzuki/Geo/Chevy vitara/sidekick/tracker. On road manners and fuel economy way better than the XJ and pretty darn capable off road.

A manual transmission Trooper would be way up on my list too, and leave yourself enough cushion for the timing belt to be done by someone else. Automatic transmission ones aren't bad, and the Acura version is as upscale as you could want, but you would want to budget for transmission work at some point too, and timing belt plus transmission is most of your budget.

Don't overlook a Hyundai Santafe. We recently sold our 2005 with 3.5 v6 and 220,000 miles that were virtually trouble free. Decent towing capacity and 20+ mpg.

Thanks again for all of the good info.

I am definitely going to look into the Santa Fe; I have had some time behind the wheel of those before and was pleasantly surprised at how capable they are.

The safety aspect is definitely moving to the front of the considerations. It seems like some models only really came with a full compliment of features as options which makes shopping more difficult by having to check it all carefully. I am still thinking that an older SUV makes sense for the budget and usage but I have a ton of research to do.

I am almost overwhelmed at some of the badge engineering and marketing of the same vehicle under so many names and slight variations so all this knowledge is helpful.

Jaynen wrote: I wouldn't feel comfortable babying a lot in a XJ. They just feel like tin cans safety wise compared to other options. Especially since newer options will have LATCH anchors for carseats, airbags etc

I kind of feel the same way and the XJ is starting to move down the list a bit since they just do not all have the kind of options I like in a family hauler.

I think everything got LATCH in 2001 but I will need to verify that somehow to be sure. It really does make things easy, especially for the disabled folks like me.

In reply to oldopelguy:

I should have mentioned this early but it slipped my mind: Manual transmissions are not an option. The wife does not really feel totally comfortable with them and I have so much nerve damage in my left leg that I am not comfortable with them at this point.

It sucks but I am probably never going to own a stick again, just the way it is... I am also not looking to deal with a crappy or weak auto box though so I am trying to weed out anything that is known to be problematic in that area. I do not plan on thrashing anything too hard or too often so hopefully I can find a suitable auto trans that doesn't make me hate life.

Kind of surprised a land cruiser hasn't popped up. You could get an FZJ80 with factory lockers with the top end of that budget, and if you wanted something newer, I've seen a few of the FJ100s in your price range as well. The 100s will have much better road manners, and actually get marginally better (but still terrible) fuel economy.

I have a '96 SR5 4runner as the support vehicle for whatever fun vehicle I am driving at the time. Very reliable and 18mpg. I recently looked into upgrading to the middle 2000 era 4runners but they all were very high mileage(200k +) and quite pricey. I spent $300 updating the suspension and kept the '96.

My brother got a newer Santa Fe for his wife. They have two car seats in the back and he is very happy with it. It has done some mild off roading on camping trips and lots of snow and he is very happy with it. I didn't realize that the Land Cruisers had gotten that cheap. While overkill for what you want if fuel mileage was no issue I would take one in an instant, though on my pith helmet and hit the beach a la Commander McBragg.

Ok, I have heard you all and now I need to start looking into Land Cruisers!

After talking with the wife I am pretty clear on what she is looking for. After talk with you all I am somewhat clear on what I actually need. Somehow I am having and internal problem determining what direction I really want to go though so I guess I need some more time to get my head around things.

My mindset has always been to get something cool and cheap, do the required work myself and deal with it being old, quirky and needed attention. I am a cheap ass, diy kinda guy at heart. These days it makes more sense for me to get something with more modern features and much better safety and reliability. I am just not used to spending real money like I should and relying on a real mechanic with a shop to do whatever is needed...

Sorry to ramble but I am trying to think things out a bit. I probably should raise up my budget a bit to get a better car that is more suited to being a dad and doing all the best I can for my family. I just still have that voice in my head that says almost any basic rig will do and I can get by with whatever.

I honestly never in my life thought I would own an SUV at all but I got bit by the bug that wants me to cruise the beach...

Thanks for all of the advice so far and listening to me rant a bit. Last night I was all set to go out and snag a cheap old Toyota; now I feel like I am back to square one (except I am still liking what I see from Toyota just going to start looking a little higher up, maybe).

I had a '98 xj with a 4.0 and 5 speed box. I currently have a 4runner with the 3.0 and 5 speed. The jeep had crank windows, A/C was the only option and it broke. The toyota is loaded; the seat leather in the front wore badly with almost 300,000 miles.

The jeep died because of rust. Also; the steering box mount cracked (framish). It was all reparable, but I didn't want to any more. The running gear was reliable. The power was great. The brakes were "adequate." The climate control was not great. I never had heater problems, but some xj's do. My AC died because something got clogged (ran super high return pressures, I never dug into it.)

The toyota is underpowered, and the 3.0 is notorious for headgasket problems. The brakes are wonderful. The toyota is way heavier. My 21 year old AC works great (actually I have to manually cycle it off, it gets too cold), the rear heater is neat.

Mileage is actually pretty comparable: however both vehicles I have the 5 speed box in, and I believe they are both actually similar boxes. I have seen high teens (17 or so mpg) for fast highway cruising, low 20's if I can keep it under 60mph.

Grand cherokees are cool, but had a different auto trans which has no where the reliability as the xj, they also are loaded with chrysler electronics which can be finiky.

My take on the split: rust will kill either. The toyota is a better tow rig, but the engine can't pull it. The jeep pulled trailers easier but it was hard to stop it and wasn't as steady. The toyota is way bigger, putting a miniature human in the rear will be easier. The toyota will be more expensive to maintain; but will need it less often (toyota needs cv shafts for front, lower ball joints don't last long, 4wd hubs need re-packed occasionally.... Jeeps use u joints (way cheaper), front wheel bearings are not re-buildable, suspension parts cost way less.)

Both great vehicles; I would own either in a heartbeat.

In reply to daytonaer:

Thanks for the firsthand insight. I hate rust with a passion and plan on a careful inspection of any vehicle I look at. I understand that it is a fact of life living on the ocean and will work against it to the best of my ability.

I didn't realize that the Toyota V6 was wimpy and prone to hg issues, all the more reason I think to look for a V8.

The more you talk the more I say Tahoe. V8, comfort features, and more than capable of going off road. I have the z71 pick up version of it. All I've done is put 33s on it and close off the lower air intake. Been in water up to the hood. Last trip I went out with a decent modified Wrangler and I pulled him out more than he pulled me out. Damn that didn't sound right. But anyway check them out at least.

Stampie

In reply to Stampie:

Good reminder to put them back on the list; I initially thought that it would be too large overall for my wife to really like it but she just isn't used to the wide open spaces of the suburbs. It is probably hard to beat a chevy for ease of upkeep and general usefulness.

In reality though, I am starting to shift my focus from superior off road status to very safe and reliable family hauler that is capable enough in the rough. I really want to have fun with this vehicle but in all honesty I am not going to push anything terribly hard. If I get up to the axles I would call that good enough...

I just called my money girl and she will get together with me later so that she can set me straight. I really do not want to drain away all my fun cash but might have to go a little deeper out of pocket to get the right thing. Honestly, I can afford whatever so there is not reason to be a total cheapskate other than it would make me (by 'me' I mean my wife) happy to just pay out of my pocket money and not dip into savings. Moving costs enough and there are always so many little things that just keep popping up until the money clip ain't holding nothing but air...

Bumping this up again because I am still shopping around. I haven't had enough time to deal with all of the options around and have been vacillating on what I truly want.

What does the hive think about the WK third gen Grand Cherokee? By then they really had all of the little bells and whistles of a modern vehicle which is nice and the limited trim is pretty well loaded. Is the 5.7 'hemi' reliable and such? It makes a mountain of torque, but is it a dog in real life? Any comments on the Quadra Drive II system? Again, it looks very nice on paper but I am always interested in experience and anecdotes; gonna see a couple tomorrow so if there is anything to look for lmk.

Also the first gen Trailblazers have been getting my attention. The 4.2 atlas has a great reputation for enough power and running forever. The LTZ trim is nice inside for use as a good all around car and it should be cheap enough to keep a chevy alive, right?

The explorers and 4runners have fallen out of the running. Ford reliability and longevity just isn't up to par with the others. Toyota makes a great vehicle that isn't real inspiring; the wife had no strong feelings at all even after beating on a v8. Kinda feeling the same about the Pathfinder; they are very much good enough and we like nissans in general but they just don't win us over enough to be at the top of the list.

It sounds more like I am leaning more towards the top end of my projected budget; sorta like the 7-9k range. I know any older car will need upkeep but I am serious about not wanting to fall into a money pit with this... Hopefully I can snag something that still has a lot of life left in it and serves us well in any conceivable situation.

Many Thanks, always!

I was looking pretty hard at WK's a few years back, I liked them. For the stuff you are talking about doing I think the Quadra Drive II system should be fine.

In reply to tb:

You seriously need to drive an FJ80. I looked pretty hard at one earlier this summer, but ended up walking away and ultimately bought an XJ. I REALLY liked the LC, it just didn't fit my needs as a young single guy as well as the xj (fuel economy and auto trans being the deal breakers.) Given your needs, I think it would be a great fit.

Your budget would get you one with the factory lockers, which would get you out of just about any situation you could possibly get into, but may not be needed and tend to tack on quite a premium. Up until 93 I think they had the 4.0 liter 3fe I6, 94 on got the 1fz 4.5 liter which was more powerful but has a supposed headgasket problem (that may be somewhat overblown.) Check the front axle birfields for leaking or soupy grease. Milage isn't a concern, they run forever, so buy on condition and service history. Somewhat expensive to service, but once something is fixed its good for another 200k miles. They're stupidly overbuilt and the most solid feeling vehicle I've ever experienced, bar none.

In reply to Jaynen:

I am sure that the Quadra Drive will be enough for whatever I do. I am very unlikely to venture off the beaten path without friends around and will carry a full kit to help get myself out of trouble. My only real concern is with something so advanced and full of parts that I cannot fix myself that it could be an issue if they are not durable and reliable.

In reply to Furious_E:

I have driven an FJ80 in exactly the way that I need an suv for myself... but that was many, many years ago. I think that my overall needs mean that something newer and more modern would suit us better. They are a great answer for almost any situation but I am not sure that it suits the family best for general auto usage.

I definitely will not ignore any exceptional examples that I come across but my search has shifted towards more modern vehicles with all of the little features that make them safer and more enjoyable for regular old driving around.

I think the Santa Fe would be a good option. You could probably find one for a good price.

I've been busy but I still remembered you guys; here's the update:

'05 GC Limited

All of the bells and whistles you could ever want (I personally love the real Redwood trim), plus a few I don't even know how to properly utilize yet...

Just over 100k on the clock (yeah, it's got a 'hemi') and just under $7k total out of pocket with all of the paperwork and a full tank. The wife actually decided to pull the trigger on this one despite the mild lift making it a little tough for her ingress/egress. I owe her some step bars installed asap and gotta get that monstrosity off of the front end, too.

After a couple hundred miles in the past week we are liking it pretty well. It needs a short list of minor items addressed to be considered perfect but it still moves us all around nicely. Big enough to get the job done but small enough to actually be comfortable. By far the largest (5.7 liters!) and most powerful stock (375 torques!) engine I have ever owned; in fact my first V8 (and 17th? vehicle to date). The tiny stock exhaust even sounds very nice! The Quadradrive II system can put everything to just one wheel if needed and low range seems adequate to move medium sized houses (class V hitch is way beyond overkill for me). Doesn't handle terribly well above 80 but I plan on limited highway use and any faster than that would be far outrunning the braking capabilities...

While not a wrangler I have gotten a few 'thumbs up' notices from the large Jeep population on my tiny island. It is pretty cool, especially since I am looking down on them from up high! I was also pleasantly surprised that several lady friends reacted viscerally at first sight and had lots of good things to say about such a masculine piece of machinery.

First round of stuff starts this weekend, hopefully. Just maintenance and some little personalizing. Power and performance will wait until spring (got an e30 to turbo over the winter!) and I might even have time for a build thread by then... If anyone in South Jersey needs help with a tow or just wants to spend a day cruising the dunes don't hesitate to get in touch.

I really appreciate all of the input and insight that I get here from the large and trustworthy community that we have cultivated. I do not always obey, but I do always listen and consider.

Many Thanks.

Since your Cherokee is both Grand and Limited along with a hemi, I think we could grant you Aristocrat status if you so desire! Exhibition style, due to $7k price.

Nice buy!

In reply to JohnRW1621:

I am indeed solidifying myself firmly in the ranks of the aristocracy these days. I try to avoid the new money pitfalls all too commonly displayed these days, so rest assured the paint will not stay shiny for long.

My biggest concern might be to get the little issues with this out of the way quickly so that I can prepare myself for the upcoming festivities in Gainseville. It will be awfully difficult to rent the biggest, most luxurious and conspicuous vehicle available at JAX but I do have some experience...