Sub $2000 SUVs

Well... i need to expand the stable again come spring/summer, since the Escort is going to be going under the knife, and will come out too nice/fast to be driven in bad weather.

So... i need a cheap SUV for the girlfriend to drive and i'll just keep fighting through everything with the MX6.

No preference on auto vs. stick, but it needs to be 4x4. I don't care about MPG at all.

Here's where it gets hard: She won't want to drive an utter rust bucket. (Probably ruling out 4runners and Land Cruisers in this price range?)

Here's what i've brainstormed so far:

Pathfinders Cherokees Passports 4runners Land Cruisers

What else SHOULD i be looking at? There seems to be no shortage of Discoverys and Range Rover Classics in this price range, but how terrible is a $2000 Range Rover Classic? There's a 1988 Range Rover right now for $1250 locally that says it only needs a fuel pump, and window motors. Does that sound absolutely terrible?

Any input at all would be great!

Jeep Cherokees tend to be bullet proof and you can get them in 2 or 4 door flavors.

A geo tracker/suzuki vitara might even fit the bill.

Isuzu Amigo?

Samurai! It is the Miata of the 4X4 world!

plus, then you get to work the word Samurai into daily conversation...

it will make your days better, Samurai are like Ninjas on steroids...

Cherokee. Stay away from 2.5 4cyl w/5 speed.

6cylinder auto or stick. Not grandcherokee, just cherokee.

Pathfinders, Passports, 4runners, Land Cruisers: ALL great. But you will get a better shape jeep for your 2k.

I got a '96 4runner for $600. It needs some work but with less than $400 in parts I should have a very usable dog/garbage/bad weather truck.

Suburban, Blazer (Full size and S10), Bronco/Bronco II, Exploder--er Explorer.

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1589164656.html
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1589467813.html
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1589459444.html
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1589281769.html

mtn wrote: http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1589164656.html http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1589467813.html http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1589459444.html http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1589281769.html

The Jeep is right up my alley, probably not up hers, unfortunately. I could MAKE it up her alley, but i'm not looking for a 4th project.

The Jimmy... not bad.

The Yugo, i've seen driving around lately. She won't go for it.

The Exploder, no thanks. No real reason other than i don't like them.

Basically, the hard part about this is that it has to be 20 year old girl approved.

Cherokee is the #1 choice by far (it's the Miata of 4x4's, not the Samurai). Get the "baby" Cherokee, not the huge (and horrible) Grand Cherokee. The original Cherokee comes with the excellent AMC developed 4.0 I6 (the 4 Cyl is garbage) and comes in 2-door or 4-door bodies plus 5-speed manual or 4-speed auto transmissions. It takes a lot to make them rust or break, they are dirt cheap to fix, and they are super reliable. If it's for the lady, get the newest/nicest one you can (they tend to prefer the over-boosted power steering, power seats, working A/C, and more modern interior of the later ones).

Alternatively, look at Grand Wagoneers. The old AMC beasties from the 70's/80's with 360 or 401 V8 flavors, QuadraTrac, and woodgrain. They were the original "luxury SUV" (up your Lexus!!!). Really nice ones can be had for $2K and they still garner attention. Absolutely classic styling.

"Regular" Cherokees were high on my list from the get-go. I've always loved the 4.0 litre 6 cylinder, and they do seem to be really reliable. Also nice that i can get a nice-ish one for my price range.

Grand wagoneers, i'd be all over. I doubt she would.

I think a 2 door 4.0 Cherokee would tickle her fancy.

Basically, i'd be dumb to get in a Land Rover for under $2k, right? This would be a vehicle that would get driven maybe 300-500 miles a month. Something she likes is almost more important that having the most rock solid reliable car. We work different shifts, so i can taxi her around if necessary, or she can drive the Escort unless it's snowing or really crappy out. This vehicle would likely be driven once a week during the warmer 3 seasons.

I'd be surprised to see 5k miles on it a year.

Isuzu Rodeo

jrw1621 wrote: Isuzu Rodeo

Same thing as Passport, yes? Or did i make that up?

She would like a Rodeo i think. They're "cute."

Isuzu Trooper worth looking at in my price range?

What makes the Rodeo a good choice from perspectives other than looks? I know almost nothing about them.

Civic AWD wagon.

Avoid the 91/92 Rodeos, they came with the GM 3.1 V6 and were turds.

V6 Troopers and Rodeos along with the matching Passport and Acura SLX from 1993-1997 are damn near bulletproof. Their only real weak point is valve train noise. (Honestly, it's not so much a weakness as a result of poor maintenance. Regular oil changes around 4k miles prevents that. If you remove the oil fill cap and it's black or real dark red everywhere you look, you would do better to keep looking.) They also drive much better than the Cherokees/Grand Cherokees. The Rodeo was available with the 2.6 4 banger but, while reliable, it's a performance dog.

Pre-1998 Amigos all came with the 4 banger stock. While it's pretty tough, it's slow as molasses in February. You will readily find 98-up Rodeos and Amigos with the 2.2 4 cylinder in your price range. There is a reason for that. Do not walk, RUN away from those as fast as you can. Take my word for it.

1998-2000 V6 Rodeos weren't quite so tough, the Dana rear axles were weak and some of them would develop oil consumption problems seemingly overnight. The Trooper had the good axles but 98- up might be out of your price range.

'01 and up Rodeos and Troopers are good rigs but again may be out of your price range.

Ok, noone has said it outright and you want to hear it.

Yes, a cheap Land Rover/Range Rover is a long term pain in your butt waiting to happen.

For a 2k budget I'd be looking at anything from GM or Ford. Your money goes a long way with used SUVs from these 2, they are cheap to repair, and say what ya want about american cars the one thing they do get right is trucks.

Ive owned...well too many GM SUVs and trucks for me to count right now and none have ever given me large amounts of grief. Most were purchased for your 2k budget range.

Buying a cheap Range Rover would probably be a crapshoot - you may luck out and it will be just fine, but chances are it wouldn't stay cheap very long. My next door neighbor bought one a few years ago and he only had relatively minor problems; one of the exhaust manifolds finally cracked, he didn't want to spend the money to fix it, and his wife couldn't stand the noise so they got rid of it.

stuart in mn wrote: Buying a cheap Range Rover would probably be a crapshoot - you may luck out and it will be just fine, but chances are it wouldn't stay cheap very long. My next door neighbor bought one a few years ago and he only had relatively minor problems; one of the exhaust manifolds finally cracked, he didn't want to spend the money to fix it, and his wife couldn't stand the noise so they got rid of it.

Yeah...

It's this one:

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1580401236.html

I'd like a "County" for all the nifty options, but that's also just more E36 M3 to go wrong.

But that one looks pretty good, doesn't it?

Looking like Cherokee or Passport/Rodeo are taking it right now, though.

There's always Durangos and Explorers for cheap...

Buy the goddamn Range Rover. It's a 7/10 chance that it'll be a flaming piece of E36 M3, but I guarantee that it'll be one of the most lovable vehicles you've ever owned. The road is worth traveling down at least once.

(...says the guy with a half disassembled TR6 in his garage. "Supra motor" blah blah blah, don't go down THAT road)

Nitroracer wrote: Jeep Cherokees tend to be bullet proof and you can get them in 2 or 4 door flavors.

+1

dont know much about them but how about a first gen kia sportage?

There exists an SUV that can be had for nearly $0, any part you could want is but the nearest junkyard away, they can 4wheel, the can be fast, and, everybody has allready done everything

I present you the S10 based blazer/jimmy/bravada a 98-01 is only going to cost you $1000 if you shop smart budget $2000 if you want a special one (BlaZeR2 or Xtreme) the interior is down right nice if you get the leather.

The only real problems are door handles that tend to break (cheap fix) wind noise (the doors dont seal all that well) and ZR2s get uber bad fuel milage (anything with 31x10.50s and a 3.73 rear will)

driver109x wrote: dont know much about them but how about a first gen kia sportage?

I wouldn't. They had issues with the auto hubs that the best fix seemed to be to swap over to manual hubs. Some had really flakey electrical systems. Probably nothing that the average GRMer couldn't deal with, but not something I would turn loose on a 20-year-old girlfriend.

(the 4 Cyl is garbage)

what, its the 6cyl with 2 less cyl! its the same design! DEFINITELY not garbage, just slower. I know at least one guy who did a non intercooled turbo setup on a 2.5 wrangler and went 14.9 on low boost.. cherokee weighs about the same and has same drivetrain.. granted there will always be more power with equivalent mods on a 4.0 but the mpi 2.5 is NOT a bad motor.

Avoid the 91/92 Rodeos, they came with the GM 3.1 V6 and were turds.

What? That's the one id go for! The TBI 3.1/5spd is super damn dirt simple, easier to work on than a cherokee even, and the 5spd makes it tolerable. Ive owned one, but mine was 2wd so 4wd would be slightly slower. But here's the thing.. If you get the isuzu motor, not only will it probably be LESS reliable, it'll be more complicated, harder to work on, parts will be more expensive, and there will be less swap potential. A 3.1 rodeo is ripe for a 3.5 or 3.9 swap which makes yor 4000-6500 rpm power muy bien and overall power... approximately 200%. If you get the isuzu motor you're more likely to be stuck with it forever, and its nothing special by any means. It'll be "Just barely good enough to never do anything to improve". Stock forever=boring.

Oh, and if you're considering automatic at all, just let me tell you that Jeep AW4 1000000% superior to Isuzu 4L30 trans, and getting the tranny out of a 4wd rodeo is a HUGE PITA compared to a jeep. The hardest part of getting the tranny out of a cherokee is having to stop and go get the hex bit you didnt know you needed for the top bellhousing bolts.