Funny, that you mention driving cars until the wheels fall off. We have an '01 Nissan Frontier. We bought it new with 200 miles on it. It now has almost 200k. It leaks oil, the CEL keeps coming on, but for a 20 year old truck I’m not gonna whine too much.
That said, we’re getting to the point of replacing it. So this convo has been interesting. We’re looking for similar to LA, in that it will primarily be a passenger vehicle, that needs to go in the dirt every so often. We’re leaning to another truck, like the Ridgeline, because it can haul passengers too.
Our reqs, as listed above also include being able to tow a SMALL trailer for motos and occasionally bigger stuff.
I’ll keep following this discussion. It’s been good.
The Bronco Sport is just an AWD and not really intended for much off road. There will be Bronco models coming out that will have all the off road doo-hickies anyone could ever need.
I used to joke that when my wife and I first moved here in 2001 with Vermont plates on a Subaru Forester that we would tell folks we were a lesbian couple…
The last thing you want to do is break down in coal country where the county has declared a state of emergency because their kids are moving away… driving a Mercedes Sprinter van that cost $150K.
Throw in a SUWA bumpersticker… might get some bullet holes.
If you’re in the Salt Lake valley you’re welcome to come take ours for a test drive!
You also might be able to check out the SR5 Off Road addition. It’s likely got a stiffer suspension. When we bought ours we had difficulty even finding one to test drive due to the shortages.
I’m planning on leveling it with Bilstein’s and possibly some springs.
Jeep now has a hybrid and a V8 rubicon model. As for ride comfort, if you have the money put on some Teraflex suspension parts and their sister company’s Falcon shocks and I kid you not you will be driving in comfort. It blew me away. Jeeps, surprisingly, keep their value pretty good as well. Especially if you add quality aftermarket parts.
As for Subaru, I have never owned one but I work up Little Cottonwood Canyon and I’ve seen more Subarus off the side of the road in winter than any other vehicle make. I’m guessing it’s because people driving them think that the subaru is invincible in snow and ice. I’ve been working in the mountains for 20+ years now. Over those years I’ve had 3 coworkers total their subaru in snowy conditions. Not one of them bought a subaru for a replacement. On the other hand, my old boss had an old subaru that last him 20 years with over 250k miles and he never crashed it.
I think you hit the nail on the head with think them invincible. They are not. Our BEST snow car was an '01 Audi S4. It was heavy, mileage was so so at best, it was a PITA to maintain, but man was it good in the snow. Never lost traction in the worst of conditions. We tried, never did.
Thanks! I had no idea I would have trouble test driving one. I may take you up on it.
I’ll also definitely look into the SR5 Off Road version - as you can see from what I’m driving now, I don’t change cars often, so I’m usually happy to pay a little extra, or use after market mods to get what I want
4runners are dinosaurs. Pigs for gas mileage, an ancient 5 speed tranny.
They are that way because the run 4ever. Proven reliability. I owned a 2001 until January of this year. 267k miles. Rebuilt the tranny, did normal maintenance. It is going strong for someone.
I traded it in for a 2016 4runner TRD Pro, (which are next to impossible to find), arguably the stiffest suspension of any since they are their most off road capable. I wouldn’t hesitate to take it cross country comfort wise.
I wish they would have a more up to date drive train. I get about 16.5 mpg. Toyota could easily improve both performance and gas mileage by upgrading the engine and transmission. Still, it can go places I don’t dare take it. Besides Fiat/err jeeps, not much is as off road capable and that’s important to me.
I have a friend that’s had a couple of Foresters, and my nephew has one, a 2018 I think. They’ve loved them. I can add that my 2014 Outback with 105,000 miles on it is by far the most reliable car I’ve ever owned. I have not had to fix anything, just replace normal wear items (tires & break pads). It doesn’t use any undo amount of oil, either. It’s a great car. Whenever I think I’d like to have a new car I think, “Why?”
Once Nissan messed up the Pathfinder in the mid-2000s (I had a 2002 that I really liked, sold it to my step-daughter who still has it, and they love it), the 4Runner and the Wrangler really haven’t had any competition for a real 4WD, truck chassis type of vehicle. AWD is definitely not 4WD, and if you want to be seriously off the beaten path, it’s best not to confuse the two.
