Hello all,
I am looking to find the right truck and need some suggestions. I would start by saying it will be my daily driver and something used for family camping trips. And off roaring I want something 2008 or newer . I have 2 boys and 2 dogs so need a little room. I would like aftermarket support lifts and winch mounts. Will want to small lift and 33 to 35 inch tires. I would like to find something under $18000 miles and less than 130000 miles.
Would love a Landcruiser or Tundra but that is out of budget. Maybe Lexus lx Fj or a 4Runner Any thoughts on a r51 pathfinder or anything else.
Will be using in Northern California so mountain will be most likely be what we are crossing.
Thanks
Chris
Chris, what's the reasoning behind the hard-stop at 2008? It seems sort of arbitrary.
Fair warning: I'm super-biased and I'm really hooked on WJ ('99-04) Jeep Grand Cherokees, and they hit a lot of the marks you mentioned. For daily driving they are extremely pleasant especially if you get an Overland or Limited with the right options. A small lift and mild trimming will fit a 31-32" tire (I run a 4" lift and metric tires that work out around 31.6") and a little more lift or a little more aggressive trimming will get your the 33" you want. 35"s on a WJ take more work, and are too much for the front Dana 30 IMHO so if your heart is set on 35"s, then I retract the WJ.
What the WJ gets you is something that is basically impossible to find elsewhere: solid front and rear axles with multi-link coil-sprung suspension teamed with a V8, very nice cabin and solid reliability (more on that in a sec). About the only other option (besides the older ZJ Jeep Grand Cherokee) that gets you all of that would be Land Rover P38a (okay, air-sprung not coil) or Discovery II (or Defenders, but they're much more rare/expensive in the States and have more of a spartan interior). Those LRs have pretty poor reliability and an aluminum V8 that was originally engineered by GM in the 50s with, what was at the time, limited experience and understanding of using AL. It's widely agreed that if you overheat one of those Rover V8s it is basically done and will have blown a head gasket (or worse). To be clear, I'm not knocking those Rovers overall, but I don't think I can recommend one wholeheartedly as either a DD or a vehicle you want to depend on way "off grid" unless you're ready and able to work on them... a lot. Anyway, ruling out those Rovers the only other V8, multi-link, solid axle F&R option are the late-model Power Wagons which are a way different size and price-point. You could argue a JKU is a good option with the later 3.6 which has more HP than even the HO 4.7 in a WJ, but it has less torque and from what I've seen any 3.6-era JKU is more than $18k.
The downside of a WJ for you I think will be size. While they are the GRAND Cherokee, compared to newer vehicles they're actually pretty small. Even the WK and WK2 Grand dwarf the WJ. Personally, I like this and it has its advantages offroad. However, for a family with 2 kids, 2 dogs and gear for a camping trip it could be a little tight. You'd def be looking at a roofrack for the majority of your gear. The other downside is it's older than you've stated you want. I have an '03, and for a 17 year old (originally sold in calendar year 2002) Jeep it's actually very nice. It has nice leather/suede, power sunroof, dual zone auto climate control, auto wipers, and obviously cruise/power windows/power locks/keyless entry etc. I'd say it's nicer in a '03 WJ Overland than a '08 Tundra, but again I admit a heavy bias.
Living in Norcal too, we have access to some awesome areas in Norcal and neighboring States, but some of the trails are actually pretty technical. I'm a huge fan of solid axles once you get much beyond just a groomed dirt road. I'm not saying more technical offroading can't be done with IFS, it certainly can, but it's a different experience (often involving 1 tire way off the ground) and often "harder."
Anyway... I'll move off the WJ soapbox now, if you want more info on my WJ, pics, and more of my thoughts on them you will find some here:
New Member, '03 WJ JGC from Lincoln, CA
So, keeping your requests in mind more than my own twisted bias, I agree with Biker Eagle about the GX. With a little negotiation I imagine something like
this could be had at your $18k budget. It's going to have way more room inside than a WJ, and probably even a bit nicer to drive too. It looks like
lift kits are readily available, but I don't at all pretend to be an expert in what is good or bad for this platform.
That's a pretty extreme (read: $$$$$) build with 37"s, but it just proves it can be done. There does seem to be a bit of a Lexus-tax on some aftermarket parts though, like
$3k for a rear bumper.
Anyway, for whatever reason the way used markets work it seems like GX460s are under-valued and you almost pay less for one than a comparable 4Runner. I'd certainly go spend some time on 'yota/Lexus forums before committing, but if I wasn't going WJ and had your list of requirements I think I'd give the GX a hard look...
-TJ
