Vehicle Opinions

[Dysan]

I am looking for opinions on vehicle possibilities that I am looking into to replace my truck. While I like my truck, with both my kids in band and orchestra(both play Cello), I have found that I need an SUV because of the instruments. I am looking at both 5 seater and 7-8 seater SUVs, the 7-8 seater is only because my daughter is in Scouts, BSA, and is constantly Army volunteering me to help take fellow Scouts to meetings and on campouts(me, daughter, and 2 to 3 other Scouts), but I really only "need" seating for 5. I have driven most of these vehicles except the Lexus, so I know I like how they drive and how I sit in the driver seat. Although I am sure I will like the Lexus since it is basically a Toyota and I haven't gotten into a Toyota that I don't like. I am looking for advice on what I should look out for, what to avoid, possible what to look for, and what may need fixed/ repaired within x miles. I am also looking at this as a long term investment, at least 6 to 7 years if not longer. The vehicles I am looking at will be used and under a certain price point(looking to keep costs down) which does make it interesting where I am at, so I will give a vehicle with a relative mileage range. Here are the list of vehicles I have narrowed my search to:

08-22 Sequoia 100,000 - 150,000
17-23 Armada 80,000 - 120,000
99-07 Landcruiser / LX 470 Haven't seen any
08-21 Landcruiser 250,000 ( The only one I have seen)
2007-2014 Tahoe/ Suburban/ Yukon/ Yukon XL 150,000 - 250,000
2015-2022 Tahoe/ Suburban/ Yukon/ Yukon XL 90,000 - 130,000
07-17 Ford Expedition 80,000 - 200,000
18 - Ford Expedition 80,000 - 120,000
03-09 4 Runner Haven't seen any
10-23 4 Runner 90,000 - 150,000
03-09 GX 460 Haven't seen any
10-23 GX 460 80,000 - 120,000
11-21 Grand Cherokee 45,000 - 100,000

Unfortunately, the Landcruiser, GX 460 and older 4 Runner are hard to find in my area.

Side note, I only drive an average of about 6,000 to 8,000 a year if that makes a difference.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[toolsforwar]

Second gen monteros are also a really nice option. I may be a bit bias towards that idea...95-00 years are great rigs. body on frame, optional rear locker, 200+ hp v6, good gearing can run up to a 35" without regearing..lots of space..later models 98-00 had jumper seats (3rd row)

 

[DintDobbs]

@Dysan All solid options, but if you're going to really take it off-road in the future, go ahead and scratch the Explorer off the list. No hate on the newer Explorers, just they aren't in the game with the others listed as far as hardcore wheeling is concerned. FWD-based means limited towing capacity too, if that concerns you.

Sequoias and Land Cruisers are favorites amongst the full-size community, pricey but have good aftermarket support if that's what you're into, and exceptional reliability given half-decent maintenance.

If you want a hefty beast, consider a 1st-generation Durango. With minimal maintenance, they can reach 200-250k easily. Look for a 3-row if you want to seat 7 (rear seat is tiny). Aftermarket support is limited, but the 5.9L has horses to spare and it can clear 33's with moderate modifications. My family has traded one around for 15 years and besides collision repairs, it has only needed a water pump, tensioner pulley, and oil changes.

Other than that, it's hard not to recommend a Toyota.

 

[Sparksalot]

I’ve been overlanding with a retired cop Tahoe for several years. I’ve recently added a newer Tahoe and added 4wd to the mix. I never really had trouble wit thecopcar but do enjoy the milder ride of the new one.

thankfully aftermarket support seems to be catching up. I’ve had to roll my own for a lot of stuff otherwise. I love both of them.

 

[Dilldog]

Only thing I really have to add is be careful with Expeditions with the V8. The 3 valve 5.4 can be a great engine, but they are known for valve train issues that can destroy the engine. Regular maintenance is critical.

My personal preference would be for a Suburban (I wouldn't go for one with over 150k miles, but that's across the board for me) were I in your shoes.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

I used to overland in a 1970 Ford Maverick.

The car.

Well, I was homeless at the time...

 

[Alanymarce]

Second gen monteros are also a really nice option. I may be a bit bias towards that idea...95-00 years are great rigs. body on frame, optional rear locker, 200+ hp v6, good gearing can run up to a 35" without regearing..lots of space..later models 98-00 had jumper seats (3rd row)

4th generation Monteros are even better, in my view. Ours takes us everywhere and has also taken us around (and through the middle of) Australia.

Thoughts:

Land Cruisers are good but expensive (double the price of our Montero when we bought it),
Fords are not up to the task in my view,
4 Runners are fine, although the Toyota premium still applies,
If you think the Grand Cherokee would work then a LWB Wrangler JK is a better option, in terms of capability and what can be done to it.

 

[Dysan]

Thanks for all the replies.

@toolsforwar I do remember liking the Monteros around the early 2000s but I have yet to see one for sale that is decent shape, but would consider one if I found one.

@DintDobbs While I agree you can not go wrong with a Toyota, they do seem to have a steep price attached to them but sometimes you get lucky. As for the Durango, most that I have seen are wrecked or torn up around here.

@TahoePPV While an ex-law enforcement Tahoe would be nice, I have yet to see any for sale. However I have noticed that most of the regular Tahoe/ Suburban/ Yukon/ Yukon XL that are for sale around here have accident damage and I am not familiar enough to know what to look out for when it come to front or rear end damage, most say minor damage but I have heard that even a minor accident can do irreparable damage to a vehicle . I have seen a few with no damage reported but they are few and far between.

@Dilldog I do remember reading issues with the 5.4 V8, however most of the Expeditions I have seen around here have the turbo V6 which I am still on the fence about because have no real experience with them. I have read that with regular maintenance they can last for 200K or more.

@Alanymarce While the 4th gen Monteros look nice, we don't get them here in the states so those are out of the question. While a JK/ JL Rubicon would be nice, I worry about the space and comfort since I wouldn't be rock crawling with the vehicle. Most of the campouts the Scouts take are anywhere between 2 to 5 hours away on regular roads, so on road comfort is a big factor which is why I did not even have the JK / JL Rubicon on the list. Oh, and for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, I would be looking at the Trailhawk since it is supposed to have all the off-road goodies that you can have on a Grand.

Luckily I am not in that much of a rush to go out and trade my truck, so I have time to figure out which vehicles would be best suited to my needs and of said vehicles what to look out for in terms of packages and issues.

Again thanks for any advice.

 

[DintDobbs]

@Dysan Best idea there, take it slow and easy and do your research. Trailhawk is a good pick for capability, but I don't know how well they will hold up in the long run, being so new.

 

[Dilldog]

@Dysan The EcoBoost V6s are a cool engine. However the earlier v-6s had head gasket issues. The blocks run siamese cylinders and in order to improve cooling between cylinders they drilled a hole down from the deck at an angle that intersected with the water jacket. The problem was that drilled hole didn't leave much meat for the head gasket to seal against so they would fail there. It was a good and bad thing that the engines would run with blown head gaskets in this area, good because well it wouldn't strand you, bad because people would keep driving and the engines would either hydro lock and bend rods, or the oil would get so diluted with coolant that the rod bearings would go. Since Ford has re-designed the block to fix this issue. I'm not sure on the year spans that were really bad.

I will say having driven a 3.2L EcoBoost F150 I am a fan. The Caterpillar dealership I used to be a tech at replaced all of their parts trucks with base model F150s with the EcoBoost. It's hard to argue with 18mpg out of a full sized 4x4 that is constantly overloaded and run mostly in town. Also the acceleration when you get to open em up was very surprising to me.

However all things aside, go with the rig that has the best parts support and is the most popular in your area. One of the biggest reasons I own a Ford Escape and a GMC Terrain is for this reason. They are both great rigs, but I have no doubt there are better rigs out there, but with how popular they are around here parts are easy to get. It really dosen't matter how major a part it is you need, someone in town has it. From repair parts to whole engines, same day. In my book since everything mechanical will fail, availability of parts and support factors very heavily into my buying decisions.

 

[PNW EXPLR]

Why not a van? Plenty of seating, space, and can haul any gear/instruments....

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Suburban - the original motor vehicular people mover. Newer Tahoes are near the size of older Suburbans. Mechanically the same as the Yukons. And most interior parts too.

Obviously the Sequoias are the Tahoes of the Toyota world so they'd be great too.

Hard no to the Grand Cherokee and Armada.

Others have hard no to the Fords for various reasons.

 

[Dysan]

Thanks again for the replies.

@DintDobbs Yup, research is always best but helps to hear from people who have owned said vehicles. This is because with the internet, you only hear 1 out of every 15 good things, but hear every single horror story.

@Dilldog Yes, replacement parts availability is always something to look out for since you can have the best vehicle but if it takes two weeks to get a part it kind of defeats the whole best vehicle. Sad thing is I see plenty of Landcruisers, LXs, GXs and 4 Runners but not many for sale. As for the Tahoe, Yukon, Suburban, Yukon XLs, since they are used so widely for Police and Municipalities, parts are never going to be hard to find.

@PNW EXPLR While I have seen some cool vans in my area, my wife would never allow it. Plus I have never seen any 4wd vans for sale and don't want the hassle of having to either do it myself or pay someone.

@ThundahBeagle I have to ask why you say a hard no to Grand Cherokees and Armadas. I have seen were a few people are taking the Armada out into the backcountry. I have also seen were some people are starting to modify them, albeit just slightly. I know that there will always be people taking anything that is a Jeep and modifying it to do more than the factory intended even if it takes some time for it to happen. Plus they do have quite a bit of aftermarket support, for example, bumpers, sliders, lift kits and such.

I actually made a spreadsheet with each vehicle and then listed what I can find commercially and what must be custom, also seating and towing capacity since I may have the need to tow a small trailer no more than 3500 to 5000 pounds. Forgot to mention that since sometimes I may have to tow the Troop trailer to Summer Camp, I go every year, and will be going for probably the next 5 to 6 years. One reason the JK/ JL is out because of its low towing capacity.

Again thanks for any advice.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

@ThundahBeagle I have to ask why you say a hard no to Grand Cherokees and Armadas. I have seen were a few people are taking the Armada out into the backcountry. I have also seen were some people are starting to modify them, albeit just slightly. I know that there will always be people taking anything that is a Jeep and modifying it to do more than the factory intended even if it takes some time for it to happen. Plus they do have quite a bit of aftermarket support, for example, bumpers, sliders, lift kits and such.

I actually made a spreadsheet with each vehicle and then listed what I can find commercially and what must be custom, also seating and towing capacity since I may have the need to tow a small trailer no more than 3500 to 5000 pounds. Forgot to mention that since sometimes I may have to tow the Troop trailer to Summer Camp, I go every year, and will be going for probably the next 5 to 6 years. One reason the JK/ JL is out because of its low towing capacity.

Again thanks for any advice.
[/QUOTE]

Tahoe/Suburban/Yukons because as others mentioned-parts availability. But also they are actually very reliable if you go by the numbers. Good people, haul, and tow capacity. Literally workhorses. Want to tow a trailer 3 to 5K pounds. You will barely notice it back there with one of these, as you carry 5 to 7 people and full cargo area.

Of course, I'm just one man with his opinion but my hard no for Grand Cherokee and Armada stems from ownership of an older Grand Cherokee and my girlfriend's ownership of a few Nissans.

My Grand Cherokee was older and I really liked it but it took quite a few modifications just to get it as capable as other vehicles were stock. 2 inch lift, pro comp shocks, moog sway bar links, a steering drag link and Wrangler wheels and tires, and after all that, it was just about as capable as a Wrangler., except limited by an odd set up with the rear control arms...Chryselr Jeep stingy on wire lengths. Forever fixing wire bundles in the door hinge area, and many other electrical and other issues

Grand Cherokee really much more concerned with comfort and technology and just not seeming to make it a great reliable workhorse platform in comparison to others.

Nissans: 3.5 liter engine may be good. Or it may drink oil at an exponential rate. High rate of piston ring failure. And early CVT transmissions in older models prone to failure. Not sure the 3.7, though. I will say, the 04 Murana my GF had was very nice. But that's the one the engine failed.

Again, that's just been my experience.

 

[MOAK]

I’m partial: The 100 series LC / LX470 hands down, not even a contest. The vehicle is in a class all by itself, just as the 80 series LC / LX450 is. These vehicles are the vehicles of choice for NGOs, Governments, and cartels world wide for too many reasons to list. The 4Runner is a distant 2nd. End of discussion

 

[MOAK]

Suburban - the original motor vehicular people mover. Newer Tahoes are near the size of older Suburbans. Mechanically the same as the Yukons. And most interior parts too.

Obviously the Sequoias are the Tahoes of the Toyota world so they'd be great too.

Hard no to the Grand Cherokee and Armada.

Others have hard no to the Fords for various reasons.

Actually the International Travel All was the
First 1953 or 4

 

[genocache]

Have you looked at the Rover Defender 130?

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Actually the International Travel All was the
First 1953 or 4

View attachment 251711

Respectfully: No, sir. Chevrolet Suburban. 1934 for 1935 model year. THE longest continually produced nameplate in automotive history (though that's immaterial to the conversation, it is an interesting aside)

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I’m partial: The 100 series LC / LX470 hands down, not even a contest. The vehicle is in a class all by itself, just as the 80 series LC / LX450 is. These vehicles are the vehicles of choice for NGOs, Governments, and cartels world wide for too many reasons to list. The 4Runner is a distant 2nd. End of discussion

Saw a documentary about Iceland volcanos and another on Egyptian archaeology. All they were driving was those Toyota Land Cruisers. Made me wish Jepp would get its head out of its butte and make the grand Cherokee a serious contender

 

[MOAK]

How

Respectfully: No, sir. Chevrolet Suburban. 1934 for 1935 model year. THE longest continually produced nameplate in automotive history (though that's immaterial to the conversation, it is an interesting aside)

How bout that; I do learn something new at least once a day. All these years I, as did many others, thought the Travelall was the first. Thanks- and yes it is an interesting aside, nothing wrong with a tangent now & then