Bogley

[goofball]

so i'm wantign to go high again. clearance, that is. besides toyota anyone have any experience w/ other makes ? isuzu, suzuki, nissan ? short of a 00 tacoma or newer (which are a little high for my budget right now), any recommendations on what is good and what i should run screaming from ? durability and reliability (in a good way, not something i can rely on to bust regularly) of course are what i am looking for. fuel economy as high as is possible. doesn't cost overly much for parts if needed. doesn't matter if ti is a truck or a suv type. 4x4 not critical.

thx !

[JP]

How high are you planning? Lifting IFS high makes for an uncomfortable ride, I understand why you keep thinking Japanese, gas mileage thing. But if you lift something high, bigger tires are what you need to get the clearance and if you do not regear the axles, your mileage will suffer anyway. What are you looking to do with this? Mall cruiser, daily driver or actually looking to wheel it?

[goofball]

JP wrote: How high are you planning? Lifting IFS high makes for an uncomfortable ride, I understand why you keep thinking Japanese, gas mileage thing. But if you lift something high, bigger tires are what you need to get the clearance and if you do not regear the axles, your mileage will suffer anyway. What are you looking to do with this? Mall cruiser, daily driver or actually looking to wheel it?

it'll be wheeled, primary purpose will be to go those places my passenger car won't. it might be a daily driver as well. am not interested in gettign radical though. just need high clearance for the occasional raod that demands it and to ease access. NO higher than 31's.

[JP]

Depending how old/new you want to buy, I like the Toyota’s and Nissan’s. The Suzuki Sidekick/Geo Tracker aren’t bad little machines especially with the 1.6L 16V engines in them. There are a lot of aftermarket stuff out there for them. The Samurai is not a possible daily driver, but they do work well with a little work off road. The Nissan Pathfinder’s (Box style ones 89, 90…) I like or even the hardbody pickup’s with the x-cab. The older Toy’s have that rotten frame issue as well as their beds, the newer Taco’s seem pretty stout. I’m not an IFS fan by any means, so I’ll stick with the Jeeps. I don’t know if you’re into them, but you can probably get some nice deals on the 98 TJ’s now and the 95 ZJ’s and stuff. But, those Japanese rigs look pretty nice sitting on top of 31’s. What are you leaning towards or maybe haven’t thought of?

[goofball]

JP wrote: Depending how old/new you want to buy, I like the Toyota’s and Nissan’s. The Suzuki Sidekick/Geo Tracker aren’t bad little machines especially with the 1.6L 16V engines in them. There are a lot of aftermarket stuff out there for them. The Samurai is not a possible daily driver, but they do work well with a little work off road. The Nissan Pathfinder’s (Box style ones 89, 90…) I like or even the hardbody pickup’s with the x-cab. The older Toy’s have that rotten frame issue as well as their beds, the newer Taco’s seem pretty stout. I’m not an IFS fan by any means, so I’ll stick with the Jeeps. I don’t know if you’re into them, but you can probably get some nice deals on the 98 TJ’s now and the 95 ZJ’s and stuff. But, those Japanese rigs look pretty nice sitting on top of 31’s. What are you leaning towards or maybe haven’t thought of?

at this point in tiem i am not really leaning towards anything. would love to get a 07 tacoma, better yet a new fj cruiser ! but alas, i am poor... i had a buddy tell me isuzu's were best avoided, although i have heard decent things regarding them. and i liek the way jeeps look, and there are a ton of them out there for sale, but imports are just such better vehicles all around. not averse to a jeep but it is definitely 2nd class in my mind. i'm probably too domestic averse, don't get stupid and maintain it and most vehicles will last a good long while. jeeps i would be more interested in a cherokee, something w/ a little more room adn not so square a wheel base. but really, just want something reliable and capable of getting rocked around on teh "roads" i woudl take it along. places like behind the rocks, canyonlands, and the powell, roost, and swell areas. and something that if it does need work parts are reasonable and readily available. and although i am anti-mechanically inclined, something that is easy to work on woudl be nice. maybe i could finally learn what makes vehicle go !

thansk for teh input jp, appreciate it.

[accadacca]

TOYOTA! :2thumbs: :haha:

[JP]

You're welcome :nod:

I used to wheel in Toyota’s and Suzuki’s for just about ever. I can’t complain on how they did, for what they were. Then I got into Jeeps and I can’t complain at all. And again, they offer the solid axle which the Japanese markets do not. I have two Grands, the 95’ you see rolling over in the videos and a 97, which is my daily driver. No complaints with that 97 and with 2” coil spacers the 31” tires off the Rubi (Goodyear MT/R’s w/ Moab rims) fits nice. I do like the SUV’s over pickups due to the fact you can keep stuff inside and not bouncing around in a bed. I also like the room the Grands have in them even compared the Cherokee.

If you like the Taco, buy a one a few years old. They’re pretty reliable; I’d just get one with an extra cab. :nod:

[Scott P]

What is your budget? I am selling a 99 Pathfinder, but live out in the boonies so it's hard for me to sell.

All those on your list will do, but be aware that some Izuzu's have been good and some not. Keep in mind Isuzu has basically gone out of business in the USA. Since 2005, they only sell one or two GM products and they are probably pulling out of the US market. Parts could get hard to find.

[goofball]

our fleet mechanic told me the grand cherokees are good vehicles. he mentioned a motor tyoe but i forget... he said avoid all tthe others but that one.

my 1st truck was a 87 fj60. loved it ! plenty of room to streetch out in the back adn not even have to caddy corner it. buried it in some river in oklahoma once, water was flowing thru the cab. came back to jerk it out next day and it started right up. that vehicle rocked. then i had a 4runner that i burnt the bearings up playing in it. always loved teh fact that my stock toyotas went almost everywhere the hummer's, radical jeep's and toyo's went. it wasn't moab, but there are some fun trails in oklahoma.

i have heard good things on teh pathfinders and like the look, but there are plenty of trucks around here to choose from. sorry.

[JP]

goofball wrote: he mentioned a motor tyoe but i forget... he said avoid all the others but that one.
There is the 5.7L Hemi option now, the 5.2L and in 1998 the Grand Cherokee Limited package had an option of the 5.9L V-8 (360ci). That was the fastest production SUV at that time. I would not doubt that taking the Hemi of today.

The most popular engine in the Grand Cherokee's was the 4.0L I-6 which was produced right up to 2006. They were in everything, the later YJ's, TJ's, XJ's... You can't really go wrong with these engines. 200,000+ miles is not uncommon.

[greyhair biker]

JP wrote: goofball wrote: he mentioned a motor tyoe but i forget... he said avoid all the others but that one.
There is the 5.7L Hemi option now, the 5.2L and in 1998 the Grand Cherokee Limited package had an option of the 5.9L V-8 (360ci). That was the fastest production SUV at that time. I would not doubt that taking the Hemi of today.

The most popular engine in the Grand Cherokee's was the 4.0L I-6 which was produced right up to 2006. They were in everything, the later YJ's, TJ's, XJ's... You can't really go wrong with these engines. 200,000+ miles is not uncommon.
My Cherokee has hit 167,000 and its purring like a kitten :2thumbs:

[JP]

greyhair biker wrote: My Cherokee has hit 167,000 and its purring like a kitten :2thumbs:
My Grand is at 201,000 with the same kitten like qualities yours has :2thumbs: