Hello everyone, I've been lurking this forum for a while now and having been a part of automotive forums for about 15 years, I have to say I am extremely impressed by the welcoming, informative, and thorough posts I have found here. Bravo for having such a fantastic community!
I have been adventuring in my 2009 Tacoma (access cab, 6ft bed) for the last 6 years and 100k+ miles. It has been a great vehicle, but I think it is time to move on and get into an SUV. A truck used to be a necessity for me due to my line of work, though that is no longer the case. The ability to carry more people, having a good amount of space for gear, and being able to comfortably sleep in the vehicle if necessary, all while keeping the off-pavement capability of the Tacoma are currently my priorities with this next vehicle.
I do quite a bit of off-pavement adventuring, mostly mountainous Forest Service roads in Colorado and Montana, but also do quite a bit of desert exploration in Utah. That being said, I do not go beyond mild rock crawling and do not have a yearning to, either. My girlfriend and I currently sleep in the bed of the Tacoma with a hard shell topper and sleeping platform/drawer system, and would hopefully build a similar system in the SUV that can be folded up or broken down in order to use the second row to accommodate extra passengers.
Other than gear storage and the sleeping situation, I would like to be able to accomodate 33"s on the vehicle, and a 3"ish lift to fit those is definitely an option I am willing to explore. Bumpers front and rear (with winch and swingout), as well as sliders are something else I would like for peace of mind in the backcountry
My current vehicle considerations are:
These options all seem as though they would have similar fuel efficiency, similar reliability, and similar availability in my area of Montana.
I do have some questions though:
Thanks so much for reading and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
-MontanaJoe
I have been adventuring in my 2009 Tacoma (access cab, 6ft bed) for the last 6 years and 100k+ miles. It has been a great vehicle, but I think it is time to move on and get into an SUV. A truck used to be a necessity for me due to my line of work, though that is no longer the case. The ability to carry more people, having a good amount of space for gear, and being able to comfortably sleep in the vehicle if necessary, all while keeping the off-pavement capability of the Tacoma are currently my priorities with this next vehicle.
I do quite a bit of off-pavement adventuring, mostly mountainous Forest Service roads in Colorado and Montana, but also do quite a bit of desert exploration in Utah. That being said, I do not go beyond mild rock crawling and do not have a yearning to, either. My girlfriend and I currently sleep in the bed of the Tacoma with a hard shell topper and sleeping platform/drawer system, and would hopefully build a similar system in the SUV that can be folded up or broken down in order to use the second row to accommodate extra passengers.
Other than gear storage and the sleeping situation, I would like to be able to accomodate 33"s on the vehicle, and a 3"ish lift to fit those is definitely an option I am willing to explore. Bumpers front and rear (with winch and swingout), as well as sliders are something else I would like for peace of mind in the backcountry
My current vehicle considerations are:
80 or 100 series Toyota Land Cruiser (obviously) - Approximately $10-15k - This option ticks all the boxes, has huge aftermarket support, has a legendary reputation for off-road capability and reliability, and stock/unabused forms of both are relatively easy to come by. The price of these is my only issue, both the 80 and 100 series seem to be getting increasingly expensive.
1st gen Toyota Sequoia - Approximately $5-7k - Another option that ticks the boxes, is extremely affordable compared to equivalent Land Cruisers, uses the same phenomenal 2UZ-FE, but the aftermarket options are definitely not as vast. It seems very possible to get suspension bits from other vehicles to build up a decent setup (Tundra coilovers, LC100 rear springs, LC80 rear shocks), but things like sliders and a rear bumper are tough to come by unless you go with custom builds. The Sequoia is also bigger than the LC's, but that isn't too much of a worry for me. Stock forms of these are very plentiful.
XJ Jeep Cherokee - Approximately $3-5k - While this option is quite a bit smaller than the Toyotas, I think it still can accommodate my gear storage and sleeping situation well enough. The XJ is much much cheaper, and has an absolutely massive after market that has exceedingly cheaper options than the Toyotas. The Jeep also has a reputation for reliability (outside of cooling and steering issues that are easily taken care of). It is getting tougher to find examples of these that havent been modified or abused, but it can be done.
These options all seem as though they would have similar fuel efficiency, similar reliability, and similar availability in my area of Montana.
I do have some questions though:
Since this vehicle will also be a daily driver, how much of a difference will suspension designs make in terms of comfort and driveability? Such as IFS vs. solid axle, coil sprung IFS vs. torsion bars, and coil sprung rear axle vs. leaf sprung.
How big of a difference does the size of each of these vehicles make? The XJ is smallest by far, with the Sequoia being the biggest, what does this translate to in terms of storage, sleeping, and trailability? Does the Sequoia really feel that huge on the trail?
Are there any considerations I am missing here?
What would you buy if this was your money, either vehicles from my list, or others?
Thanks so much for reading and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
-MontanaJoe
