First I just want to say that I love my Jeep, however I am beginning to think that love just isn't practical enough. So I have started looking on craigslist to get some ideas of what is for sale around here. I am pretty sure I want either a Tacoma or a 4Runner. It will be a daily driver, will have frequent off-road use, and be used for camping/ overlanding. I need something with more space and reliability than my TJ is able to offer now. I am spending more in repair bills than in gas. One advantage of the Toyotas is that they seem to be a fair bit cheaper than the Jeep, so if I sell my Jeep I will have surplus money for Modding the new vehicle.
Now, to the point. Are there specific years or models I should avoid or look for? Will an older model Toyota with high mileage be even less reliable than my Jeep? I am a college student, so I'm not exactly rolling in money or time to be constantly working on a car (despite how fun I find working on them). Would you guys feel confident trusting a late 90's early 2000's Tacoma to go on road trips without significant issues? I suppose what I really want to know is if I am just having "grass is always greener" syndrome, or if a Toyota will actually be a reliability improvement over my Jeep. I know it would be a storage space improvement, but a downgrade in off-road ability. How much money I will be spending on repairs is really the deciding factor.
A lot of these are older than my Jeep, and many with more miles, so you can see why I am curious if they really are that much more dependable. I don't want to trade a truck I love for one I don't with the same problems. I realize I'm probably asking the impossible, for an older, cheaper vehicle to be more reliable than my current one. But Jeeps are sports cars, it is more the spirit and character of them that makes them awesome than their practicality. So maybe it is possible to get a cheaper truck that serves my purposes better.
Some samples of possibilities from craigslist:
http://gadsden.craigslist.org/cto/4761185077.html (< seems to cheap to be true, but if it was (improbably) in good shape, I would certainly have leftover cash for mods... and repairs)
http://bham.craigslist.org/cto/4761534490.html (< seems to be more the normal price, still a little cheaper than Wranglers usually go for. Though it is in a different state, don't really know why it was on the Bimingham Craigslist..)
http://gadsden.craigslist.org/cto/4727897782.html (< has some sort of engine issue, but may be repairable... )
Anyway, I came here for help with this because this community is about the same things I want to be about, and because the people here are usually very nice. That is a rare thing on the internet. Most forums I wouldn't post all this on because I would never get any information, just insults and obscenities. Thanks in advance for anyone who can help me. I am willing to be convinced to keep my Jeep too, if anyone wants to do that. I'd rather do that really, sentimentally speaking.
Now, to the point. Are there specific years or models I should avoid or look for? Will an older model Toyota with high mileage be even less reliable than my Jeep? I am a college student, so I'm not exactly rolling in money or time to be constantly working on a car (despite how fun I find working on them). Would you guys feel confident trusting a late 90's early 2000's Tacoma to go on road trips without significant issues? I suppose what I really want to know is if I am just having "grass is always greener" syndrome, or if a Toyota will actually be a reliability improvement over my Jeep. I know it would be a storage space improvement, but a downgrade in off-road ability. How much money I will be spending on repairs is really the deciding factor.
A lot of these are older than my Jeep, and many with more miles, so you can see why I am curious if they really are that much more dependable. I don't want to trade a truck I love for one I don't with the same problems. I realize I'm probably asking the impossible, for an older, cheaper vehicle to be more reliable than my current one. But Jeeps are sports cars, it is more the spirit and character of them that makes them awesome than their practicality. So maybe it is possible to get a cheaper truck that serves my purposes better.
Some samples of possibilities from craigslist:
http://gadsden.craigslist.org/cto/4761185077.html (< seems to cheap to be true, but if it was (improbably) in good shape, I would certainly have leftover cash for mods... and repairs)
http://bham.craigslist.org/cto/4761534490.html (< seems to be more the normal price, still a little cheaper than Wranglers usually go for. Though it is in a different state, don't really know why it was on the Bimingham Craigslist..)
http://gadsden.craigslist.org/cto/4727897782.html (< has some sort of engine issue, but may be repairable... )
Anyway, I came here for help with this because this community is about the same things I want to be about, and because the people here are usually very nice. That is a rare thing on the internet. Most forums I wouldn't post all this on because I would never get any information, just insults and obscenities. Thanks in advance for anyone who can help me. I am willing to be convinced to keep my Jeep too, if anyone wants to do that. I'd rather do that really, sentimentally speaking.
