Looking for a rig

[Sam wheel man]

Hey there! New user here. I’m in high school and I’m looking to get a rig so I can start overloading and have some fun. My general criteria is:
No less than 16 mpg combined
Max $5000-6000 for a functional base vehicle
Fairly capable off-road
My plan is to get a 3.5-4 inch lift with 33 tires, and mount a roof tent. I will use this through college and hopefully after living in it across the United States hopefully supporting myself through my photography. I’d like decent gas mileage as I will be on the highway a lot and I also don’t want to be constantly stopping for repairs. I’m open to suggestions but my top three are as follows:
1996-2005 4runner
2001-2008 ranger
1995-2001 xj

 

[LONO100]

I was driving around the woods and taking overnight trips to the beach in an old ranger back in the late 90s when I was broke and in high school. They are cheap, very reliable if you can find one that hasn't been abused, and easy to modify. You can go up 2 inches with a shackle lift, torsion twist and a wheel alignment for under 200 bucks. With some wheel well trimming you can stuff 33's on there.

Don't worry too much about building some Instagram rig with all the bells and whistles, just get a solid vehicle that you can learn to work on yourself and can get you where you want to go.

Save your money, concentrate on figuring out what you want to do as a career after you get out of school, and focus on that. You can focus on school/career and have a great time with an old rig if you do it right. Good luck!

 

[M Rose]

Hey there! New user here. I’m in high school and I’m looking to get a rig so I can start overloading and have some fun. My general criteria is:
No less than 16 mpg combined
Max $5000-6000 for a functional base vehicle
Fairly capable off-road
My plan is to get a 3.5-4 inch lift with 33 tires, and mount a roof tent. I will use this through college and hopefully after living in it across the United States hopefully supporting myself through my photography. I’d like decent gas mileage as I will be on the highway a lot and I also don’t want to be constantly stopping for repairs. I’m open to suggestions but my top three are as follows:
1996-2005 4runner
2001-2008 ranger
1995-2001 xj

I would look for an 86-92 XJ with a bad head, swap the head to a late model year head and gain a few HP. Look for one with the NP242 Transfer case. Not as much aftermarket support as the NP231 transfer case, but it gives you the All Wheel Drive option wich really works great in the snow. Another reason to go with the Early years of an XJ is you can find a good non-runner that only needs a head (look for one that says bad head gasket) for $500-800. And then you have 4200-4500 to drop onto repairs and upgrades. I sold my last built 89 XJ for $3500 completely decked out with drawers/sleep platform, lift, new suspension, and junk yard 94 engine. I picked it up for $200.00 and only put about 1500.00 more in parts.

second choice would be a 4th Gen 4runner with the V-8. but be prepared to go over budget by $1,000-2,000 (especially if it needs tires). The only thing I really need to do to the 4Runner is add a 2-3” lift (I don’t like how close to the ground she rides).

 

[MidOH]

Xj

 

[PCO6]

Another vote for an XJ. I'm on my 3rd one since 1990 and I don't plan to ever get rid of my current '89 Limited. I'm not seeing what I used to at the junk yards but there's always someone trying to unload parts or complete parts vehicles for reasonable prices. There's plenty of aftermarket support and they're easy to work on and fabricate parts for.

 

[smritte]

I would go Toyota first if you can budget for it. They will out live you. Second would be Cherokee.
The Cherokee normally has more room inside . Both have great aftermarket support.

 

[Sam wheel man]

I would go Toyota first if you can budget for it. They will out live you. Second would be Cherokee.
The Cherokee normally has more room inside . Both have great aftermarket support.

Do the xjs really have more inside space than the 4runner? That would be interesting because from what I’ve seen the 3rd gen 4runners are much larger than the Jeeps.

 

[smritte]

My Cherokees inside was more square. My sons 4Runner, everything is rounded. I should have specified rear cargo area.

 

[Billiebob]

Best buy as in least $$$, find a good one, keep it running, reliable for the least $$$ ..... Ranger.
Cool factor but hard to find a good one..... XJ.... but very cool if you find one. Capable and compact.... maybe small and cramped.... but, hard to beat a Jeep offroad.
The priceiest choice, 4runner. Lots of aftermarket. They are definitely reliable, easy to service, but likely the most expensive to buy and keep reliable.

Odd to choose between a pickup and 2 SUVs, but if you don't need the backseat, I'd go with the Ranger for space, capacity, separation of the "camping/driving" functions.

ps, forget the lift. Unneccessary expense, adds stress to the driveline. Keep it stock, get that tent, get out and enjoy it. If gas milage is important ... keep it stock. A lift and tires will cost you at least 5mpg.

 

[Sam wheel man]

Thank you guys for all the helpful info, it means a lot to me.
Side note: if you selected other, please specify

 

[grubworm]

Side note: if you selected other, please specify

for 'other', i was going with a frontier. my son is 17 and i got him a 2006 frontier for $5000 and he loves it. a small pick up is nice because it is very versatile and you can haul anything in the back. my oldest is in college now, but he also got a pick up when he was 16 and he was doing pressure washing jobs in high school and making a few hundred on weekends and having the truck bed was nice for him to haul pressure washers, etc and then he used it for moving into the dorm in college, and he camps out now with his buddies and he's the only one with a truck to haul stuff. i had a small pick up in high school and i hauled my dirt bike in it and when i joined the navy at 17, i used the truck for camping and hauling a canoe, etc. you can drop the tailgate and sleep in the back of a small pick up a lot easier than trying to stretch out in a xj
i personally like the versatility of a small truck

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

for 'other', i was going with a frontier. my son is 17 and i got him a 2006 frontier for $5000 and he loves it. a small pick up is nice because it is very versatile and you can haul anything in the back. my oldest is in college now, but he also got a pick up when he was 16 and he was doing pressure washing jobs in high school and making a few hundred on weekends and having the truck bed was nice for him to haul pressure washers, etc and then he used it for moving into the dorm in college, and he camps out now with his buddies and he's the only one with a truck to haul stuff. i had a small pick up in high school and i hauled my dirt bike in it and when i joined the navy at 17, i used the truck for camping and hauling a canoe, etc. you can drop the tailgate and sleep in the back of a small pick up a lot easier than trying to stretch out in a xj
i personally like the versatility of a small truck

In some ways I think a 4x4 pickup is the best choice, at least for camping.

 

[the_rockies]

Hey Sam, welcome to the forums! I selected other because I currently drive a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. It's kinda a forgotten vehicle because Ford stopped making them in 2010 but I love mine. Its a great daily and I use it all the time for offroading and Overlanding. Sadly there's not a ton of mods like jeeps and 4-runners but it is what you make it. I've had mine since I turned 16 last year and I wouldn't trade it for the world! It does great in the Colorado snow and I have never gotten stuck in the snow or gotten stuck while offroading. it shares a lot of the same internal parts as a ranger but has a crew cab and you can get parts off a regular explorer for it so there's no shortage of parts in local salvage yards. If you have any questions, let me know. I hope to see you on the trails soon!

 

[the_rockies]

for 'other', i was going with a frontier. my son is 17 and i got him a 2006 frontier for $5000 and he loves it. a small pick up is nice because it is very versatile and you can haul anything in the back. my oldest is in college now, but he also got a pick up when he was 16 and he was doing pressure washing jobs in high school and making a few hundred on weekends and having the truck bed was nice for him to haul pressure washers, etc and then he used it for moving into the dorm in college, and he camps out now with his buddies and he's the only one with a truck to haul stuff. i had a small pick up in high school and i hauled my dirt bike in it and when i joined the navy at 17, i used the truck for camping and hauling a canoe, etc. you can drop the tailgate and sleep in the back of a small pick up a lot easier than trying to stretch out in a xj
i personally like the versatility of a small truck

Gotta agree on the small truck part! I love my small truck and its so versatile. Plus on trails its better to have something small if you're worried about pinstriping from the skinny trails.

 

[LONO100]

Hey Sam, welcome to the forums! I selected other because I currently drive a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. It's kinda a forgotten vehicle because Ford stopped making them in 2010 but I love mine. Its a great daily and I use it all the time for offroading and Overlanding. Sadly there's not a ton of mods like jeeps and 4-runners but it is what you make it. I've had mine since I turned 16 last year and I wouldn't trade it for the world! It does great in the Colorado snow and I have never gotten stuck in the snow or gotten stuck while offroading. it shares a lot of the same internal parts as a ranger but has a crew cab and you can get parts off a regular explorer for it so there's no shortage of parts in local salvage yards. If you have any questions, let me know. I hope to see you on the trails soon!

Sweet Trac! I think it's the most slept on vehicle for overlanding. I've owned mine for about a decade and it's been bulletproof solid for me and my wife. My Trac had been featured in Off-road magazine years back and still runs as solid as she did way back when. Not a lot of aftermarket support out there for them but they don't need much to make them capable. A 2" lift, some trimming, 33's and a locker in the rear diff turned mine into a true beast. I've used mine to explore the Sierra mountains, the desert, the redwoods, and everywhere in between im CA.

 

[the_rockies]

Hey Sam, welcome to the forums! I selected other because I currently drive a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. It's kinda a forgotten vehicle because Ford stopped making them in 2010 but I love mine. Its a great daily and I use it all the time for offroading and Overlanding. Sadly there's not a ton of mods like jeeps and 4-runners but it is what you make it. I've had mine since I turned 16 last year and I wouldn't trade it for the world! It does great in the Colorado snow and I have never gotten stuck in the snow or gotten stuck while offroading. it shares a lot of the same internal parts as a ranger but has a crew cab and you can get parts off a regular explorer for it so there's no shortage of parts in local salvage yards. If you have any questions, let me know. I hope to see you on the trails soon!

Sweet Trac! I think it's the most slept on vehicle for overlanding. I've owned mine for about a decade and it's been bulletproof solid for me and my wife. My Trac had been featured in Off-road magazine years back and still runs as solid as she did way back when. Not a lot of aftermarket support out there for them but they don't need much to make them capable. A 2" lift, some trimming, 33's and a locker in the rear diff turned mine into a true beast. I've used mine to explore the Sierra mountains, the desert, the redwoods, and everywhere in between im CA.

Its true you don't need a lot to make them into a beast, I don't have massive tires yet because I'm starting to save up for college but they definitely are coming down the line. My truck has been all over the Rocky Mountains and I've never had a problem with it, I've even chased some of the new 2021 Bronco test mules up a mountain and did the exact same obstacles they did with no problems!

 

[Biker Eagle]

Other- Lexus GX470. Twin of a 4Runner except better interior, V8 engine, center locker, Toyota Atrax system...all standard. And, GX's generally go for less than a 4Runner and are usually former mall crawlers in very good condition. I had a Ranger years ago and no way would it go the remote places I've been with the GX. GX is competent off-road stock with some good all terrain tires. Put a Dobinson lift kit and go up a couple of tire sizes and there aren't many places it can't go.