Needing help choosing a rig please

[Cricia]

Hi everyone, I'm new of course and I need help choosing a reliable base vehicle to build a rig. Things I'm looking for in my new rig is simplicity to work on and reliability. Gas mpg would be a bonus as ease of movement. I'm listing my choices below but don't have any experience with any of them so any advice would be appreciated. I'll be doing a mix of pavement/trail driving. I am going to go with a roof top tent and store gear inside the rig. I have a limited budget. In no particular order, my choices are:

1.) Toyota rav4 awd
2.) Honda cr-v / element
3.) Chevy astro
4.) Chevy suburban
5.) Chevy Tahoe
6.) Lexus 470
7.) Chevy blazer
8.) Ford ranger
9.) Toyota 4runner
10.) Chevy s10
11.) Mitsubishi Montero
12.) Nissan Xterra

Feel free to suggest any other vehicles.

 

[James Deaton]

Here are some questions that may help you narrow that down:

How many people are in your party, and how old are they? This may help you decide whether you need the room of a full sized vehicle, or the compactness of a mid sized vehicle.

Do you want a truck bed, or an suv cavern?

Do you want an American vehicle with a v8, or an import with a v6?

Do you need to tow anything? If so, how much weight?

Do you want something with good aftermarket support for offroad equipment?

Answer these questions then we can help you narrow down. Just copy/paste the questions above, and include answers.

James

 

[Gabriel Bozeman]

If you want to do some real offroading/overlanding, I would suggest that scratch out the CR-V and the Astro. The Rav-4 would really only before a good choice if you got the TDR Off-Road one they are offering now. 7-12 are all good choices. I would also suggest Land Rovers or Land Cruisers. Yes you would be working in the vehicle a lot, but they have tons of accessories that you can add.

It really depends on what you want your sleeping and cooking arrangements to look like. Sleeping on top or in the car? Cooking on a tailgate or away for the vehicle in general? Is it a Daily Driver or a Weekend Rig?

The Xterra, 4Runner, Land Rovers, and Land Cruisers would probably be the easiest and cheapest builds do to the wide variety of parts and accessories available. Also, you can probably find a cheap rig for sale of Craigslist or eBay just about anywhere.


Best of Luck to Ya!
Gabriel Bozeman

 

[madcratebuilder]

The 2nd Gen Chevy Colorado can be a goat. A 15' LT 4X4 with the V6 and G80 rear diff should have a reasonable retail price. 12-14mpg off road and 22-26+ on road. I've seen a few used ZR2's with 60k plus going for 26k-30k or so.

 

[tacoclifford]

My biggest regret in my current vehicle choice is choosing a vehicle with little aftermarket support. No body knows how to fix the common problems. No company really makes upgraded components.

So my best piece of advice is to pick a vehicle that’s been around for a while, something that has a strong aftermarket.

7-12 will be some great choices. They’ve all been around for a while. They all have a big enough aftermarket and people know them. They’re all built strong enough to withstand the rigors of off-road driving.

Hope this helps

 

[Graeman]

If I was choosing a used vehicle 1997 - 2006 I would choose #'s 9, 11, 12 not necessarily in that order. If going on Craigslist the Montero will probably be the best bang for the buck. It will have the most creature comforts, largest interior, and least features available in the aftermarket. In the middle is the Xterra and it is nice to see them on the trail along with the Montero as you will probably be the only one like it. Xterra has a little better aftermarket list and then the 4Runner will be everywhere on the trails and the most aftermarket options. I would take them out for test drives and then decide which vehicle you and your family are the most comfortable in for day-in and day-out use. All 3 will be extremely capable off road.

 

[303JETSET]

Jeep XJ Cherokee. Endless aftermarket support. Cheap to buy. Cheaper to built than almost anything in your list. More than capable off road. Works as a daily, been daily driving mine for since 2006. Not the greatest on gas, but not terrible. I get 15ish and am pretty loaded at all times. If I don’t have gear and my roof box on, I’ve gotten close to 20. Drivetrain is damn near bulletproof. Endless support available on the web. Just my 2 pennies.

 

[BlueLineOverland]

Jeep XJ Cherokee. Endless aftermarket support. Cheap to buy. Cheaper to built than almost anything in your list. More than capable off road. Works as a daily, been daily driving mine for since 2006. Not the greatest on gas, but not terrible. I get 15ish and am pretty loaded at all times. If I don’t have gear and my roof box on, I’ve gotten close to 20. Drivetrain is damn near bulletproof. Endless support available on the web. Just my 2 pennies.

Definitely 2nd this response!!!