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Its seeming like a secondary vehicle may be best. One trip with the dog on the trails kinda confirmed it. I dont want to be paranoid about my daily getting thrashed. More to come. But, with that in mind, fuel economy really isnt a concern. Reliability yes. Ill keep you posted!

Thats that im coming to realize. I went out exploring a bit today, and not saying I'm not gonna also try elsewhere, but the places I went today weren't difficult. Honestly a 2WD unibody could make it, granted it has enough clearance (some ruts and potholes etc). I DO however like to plan for bad...

I think so too. This means i can look at more options too, because frequent maintenance isnt necessarily a killer, so long as it can be done in a home garage.

Now a suburban or tahoe may be overkill for what we're doing (2 adults, 1 dog no kids) but ive found a ton of trailblazers, 4x4 in good shape for next to nothing. May be something to think about.

I have seen some MDXs tackle some impressive courses at moab and in the snow etc so there is definitely some capability there. Nowhere near a dedicated off roader, but then again, overland and hardcore off road are two totally separate things. But for the daily that drives 90% on pavement and...

Subarus are a good choice, i have to look into late model foresters some more. The imvt vs shawd kinda has me uncertain, i swore i read there was a bigger difference between the two. More to come!

I appreciate that, you dont want your transmission/ awd system killing itself when you dont need it to. That being said, the SH-AWD system the MDX has is far superior and handles great as a full time AWD system that can put 70% to the rear, and ALL of that to either rear tire if needed. Its more...

What kinda quirks we talkin here? I can do some stuff but I dont have the time to get into internal engine/tranny stuff but I can do cooling system, suspension, basic maintenance, etc. Ill check out WK1 and WJs but Im pretty sure theyre the late 90s/early 2000s era

I WILL say this tho, i forgot about the xterra. My ex had one, thing was decent until it gave us consistent emissions problems. But i think that was as unique circumstance, ive seen many, many others rack miles up on them without issue. Once the strawberry milkshake thing is fixed, anyway

You know, its funny you said that. My daily is a 2014 civic si. Car is fun to wrench on and a blast to drive plus i fill it for $30. The more this thread has gone on I just may do that. Finding a one size fits all vehicle is damn near impossible. But I DO wanna get back on the trails.

As long as its not going to turn into a massive money pit or an oversized paperweight, i could get into it.

What kind of maintenance would I need to be aware of? I've got a decent and growing garage setup and I can a decent amount of work without going to a mech.

Ive worked on a lot of Japanese cars, i know thats different, but Im no stranger to wrenching and i can teach myself just about anything with a write up or youtube video. I may look into these. Although id probably make it a dedicated rig instead of a 20k mile/year daily driver. Just asking for...

OK I'm a bit interested here, what's the maintenance and reliability like?

See, this right here is what makes me think. Sure, 4runner is a good answer. But the only time ive needed to hit 4wd was in heavy snow. It's more to serve as a trail/adventure rig and NOT a wheeler/crawler. Most people don't use their rig to its capacity.

I appreciate it! Its got its pros and cons for sure. I do a good deal of wrenching on my own cars so i try to be partial to honda and toyota.

I definitely agree. I love the styling of the crosstrek, but its pretty small. So it sounds like as modern of a forester as one can get, pre 2019 if I want a manual. Ill do some research!

That had crossed my mind, as did the crosstrek. Still need to explore thar rabbit hole some more, worried about head gaskets and I'd want manual if at all possible

I had a 4runner, i did like it, I am only exploring alternatives for the sake of saving money and leaving no stone unturned!

Good evening all! Before long I'll be back in the overlanding game and wanted some opinions on rigs that could double as a livable daily driver, meaning a realistic compromise between reliability (roughly 20k miles a year, much of which is highway), mpg, comfor and capability. Keep in mind I...