Having trouble deciding

[Jeepmedic46]

I’m not going to be able to buy another vehicle for a few months but trying to make the decision on what to look for. I’m having cervical spine surgery and back surgery to open up some nerves that is causing pain down my right leg. I also may need most of my lumbar spine fused but the surgeon is not sure he wants to do that. My question is what vehicle would be best for my back. I was thinking Toyota Tacoma or 4?runner. I really like jeeps and would like to get a older wrangler. Probably a 02 to replace my 02 sport wrangler. I love driving with the top down. I had thought about a liberty but very expensive to lift. I also thought about a older Cherokee. What would be the best vehicle for my back? Thank you

 

[James Deaton]

I’m thinking you can remove any vehicles from your list that include solid axles. Those will ride rougher than ifs/irs vehicles. Even the Toyotas are a bit stiff with stock suspension. Perhaps make sure you at least budget for new shocks to improve ride quality on whatever you purchase.

 

[JungleSkunk]

If your back surgery is a major factor in purchasing a vehicle I might suggest looking into upgrading to a air ride or suspension style off road seat. Go ahead and get the vehicle youve dreamed of and upgrade to a seat that will work for you.

 

[Anak]

Your seats are probably the most important factor in your choice. And I would not limit things by the seats that come with the vehicles. In fact, I would be inclined to pick out the seats that will work best for you and then figure out what your options are for a vehicle that will fit them.

A field trip or two for the sake of visiting some seat manufacturers would be my starting point. Some travel for the sake of your back is worth it. Particularly before your back becomes such a problem that you can't travel.

Give someone like PRP a call and try to set up a time when you can drop in and try out some of their different designs. I bet you won't be the first they have tried to accommodate.

Once you know what you need in terms of seats then you can start to figure out which vehicles will work with those seats. I can tell you that if you are tall then you are likely to have a hard time fitting a typical width seat in an older Cherokee (XJ). The floor pan on the driver's side has a bump out for the transfer case. Aftermarket seats work around this by raising the seats. That is not a solution if you are 6' tall or more.

You may find that vehicles with a passenger side drop T-case are your best bet on that particular front. But I am sure there will be other details you will run into as well.

Best of luck with both the quest and the surgery.

 

[Jeepmedic46]

Thank you, I never thought in regards to the seat. Really would like to get another wrangler. Unfortunately it will have to be a automatic. My wife can’t drive a standard.

 

[CSG]

A Land Cruiser or LX might work for you but like JungleSkunk pointed out, the seat is everything.

 

[Jeepmedic46]

My wife saw old pictures of my liberty and liked it. It was very capable but to expensive to lift. I’ll definitely look at seats.

 

[Bucksoverland]

I just moved over from a ‘14 JKU to a ‘14 4Runner and it is a much smoother ride.

I have also read that you can add air bags to the rear springs to make the ride even more pleasant. We also had a 2012 WK2 Grand Cherokee and it was also quite smooth (and capable). Good luck!

 

[James Deaton]

It’s easier (and cheaper) to teach someone to drive a stick than it is to rebuild automatic transmissions.

James

 

[Jeepmedic46]

My wife said she tried to drive a standard and destroyed the clutch

 

[James Deaton]

A dirt road, and a patience instructor, and she will learn. The dirt road allows the wheels to slip.

Step 1 is to teach how to let out the clutch so slow that you can make the car move without gas. Once that is learned, move on to using gas while letting the clutch out slow.

James

 

[Anak]

Put her behind the wheel of Cummins with a manual transmission and have her practice letting out the clutch in low. That is an un-stallable situation. Easy to get a feel for the clutch since there is no need to do anything with regard to fuel.

Then move up to letting out the clutch in first gear while adding some fuel. Still a situation where it is unlikely to stall.

Once she gets a feel for it then you can put her behind the wheel of a normal vehicle where fuel matters a bit more.

That is my plan for teaching The Varmints how to drive a stick. I won't turn them loose on the public roads in the Cummins. That is too much truck to be trying to figure out where your corners are and so forth, but it is the easiest clutch situation I know of (other than being a fairly stiff pedal).

 

[James Deaton]

Or, you have a really good excuse to buy a couple dirtbikes...

James

 

[wheelhard916]

If you are looking at 4 runners or tacos. You should seriously consider the Chevy Colorado .

 

[JCWages]

Stay away from trucks IMO unless you plan on building a custom leaf pack to reduce payload and soften the ride. I'd suggest a vehicle that rides on coils like a 4Runner. If you're stuck on trucks then look at the Colorado ZR2 with the DSSV Multimatic shocks and softer leaf springs and if you don't mind a full size then the new Ram Rebel rides nice.

 

[Jeepmedic46]

I just lost my ram. Looking for a smaller vehicle that in a few months I can hopefully pay cash for.i I like the wrangler because of its small size and tight wheelbase.

 

[Arailt]

I’ve owned a couple of Wranglers. If my back health was a concern, that’s the last vehicle I would consider purchasing.

I’ve also owned an XJ Cherokee. XJ’s have a much softer factory suspension.

I had a 2009 Tacoma that was very smooth as well. They have notoriously soft factory leaf springs. They get stiff fast when lifting unless you run really soft leafs, which reduce the hauling capacity.

I have a Lexus GX now. Smoothest of the bunch (no surprise).

 

[Jeepmedic46]

I will cross the wrangler off the list. Your right it wouldn't be a good vehicle for a person with back issues. The cherokee is a good vehicle and would be a better fit.

 

[Dilldog]

I will echo the seat upgrade idea as well. I have driven a few old Peterbilts that will destroy you, but the same spec truck with an air ride seat is quite comfortable, so seats make a HUGE difference. I will also say that a good friend of mine has an OME lift on his new 4runner, and it rides better than stock, so if you lift do your research and it will help too.

 

[Climberbry]

I’ve owned the past 3 gens of 4runners and I cannot say much for the comfort of the front seat, especially gen 5. My .02