Reliable daily driver help

[PrecisionX]

I am in the market for a cheap daily driver 4x4 with some space. I need something that isn't prone to anything catastrophic. I have owned both XJ Cherokees and 5.0L 2nd Gen Explorers which are both bulletproof but hard to find in good shape now at a reasonable price so I am considering a Montero sport as an option but how reliable are they? Are they any good off road? What should I know before considering one?I am in the market for a cheap daily driver 4x4 with some space. I need something that isn't prone to anything catastrophic. I have owned both XJ Cherokees and 5.0L 2nd Gen Explorers which are both bulletproof but hard to find in good shape now at a reasonable price so I am considering other options as but what are options to fit the bill? I have heard troopers are very good but anything I have searched I havent found out which years to go for or not go for. Other options are up for discussion too, any hidden gems would be great

 

[BigSwede]

Troopers are highly underrated off-road/expo vehicles. Rugged, with tons of room, easy to lift and fit bigger tires to.

But they do have an Achilles heel or two. First off, the auto trannys are OK if serviced regularly...but it is always tricky to find one that you know has been maintained. If not serviced regularly they are suspect. OTOH, the manual transmissions are stout. Secondly, the 3.5L can burn oil due to inadequate drain-back holes in the piston oil rings (other engines have had this problem too, like the Toyota 2.4L). If you don't mind checking the oil at every fill up, they can do well.

In my mind, the sweet spot is a mid-90s manual tranny Trooper (95-97). There you avoid the above issues, get the wider track than the 92-94 models, and get the newer interior with air bags.

LMK if you have any questions, happy to help.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Love my Trailblazer. Many variants and cheap to buy these days plus parts are cheap as well. Options of Rainier, Bravada, 9-7X, Envoy, Trailblazer with all being basically interchangeable.

Fully boxed frame. 2.7:1 Transfer case in Voy or TB. 270-300HP reliable motors. Solid transmissions. Available factory auto-locker. Well appointed interiors. First SUV without need for rollover warning. Good MPG.

At least consider one...offroadtb or gmtnation has lots of builds to look at and info on them. Or see my build thread on here. I have done many stages of building and with 35s and 15+ mpg it still works well, but you can go milder and have better DD and mpg.

 

[PrecisionX]

I thought trailblazers were drivetrain ticking time bombs like any other GM SUV or Truck? At $2-3,000 they're obviously going to have higher miles too

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Not even close. Many of us have couple hundred thousand miles. I know of several at 300K with no major issues. At 170K I would drive mine anywhere without issue. I consider it my Go To vehicle in any aspect.

At 2-3K any SUV will have higher miles.

 

[Martinjmpr]

You want something "cheap" that isn't "prone to anything catastrophic?"
.
Those are pretty much contradictory requirements, depending on your definitions of "cheap" and "catastrophic."

 

[PrecisionX]

You want something "cheap" that isn't "prone to anything catastrophic?"
.
Those are pretty much contradictory requirements, depending on your definitions of "cheap" and "catastrophic."

No it's not...

2nd gen Ford Explorer 4.0... Cheap and prone to catastrophic failure (transmission)

2nd gen Ford Explorer 5.0... Cheap and prone to no catastrophic failures unless someone never changes the oil or rust takes over...

It's almost a guarantee that a Subaru will need a head gasket replacement... It's almost a guarantee that sooner or later a 2nd gen Turbo DSM will experience crank walk...

I stay away from vehicles with a history of issues that will leave me with a hefty repair bill, stranded or both.

 

[Hodaka]

Don't assume that spending a little more will leave you without big repair bills either. Most people I know that have owned late 80's to mid 90's Toyotas, for example, have had to put a steady stream of cash into them.
In many cases, it comes down more to how good the previous owners were with regular maintenance. I know someone who recently bought a Subaru with relatively high mileage. All maintenance was done on schedule at the dealer, and there is no sign of external head gasket leak. Another person has the same car, lower mileage, questionable history on maintenance - and they are looking at head gaskets. (Not to mention a whole list of other neglected items.)

 

[4x4junkie]

2nd gen Ford Explorer 4.0... Cheap and prone to catastrophic failure (transmission)

Not if you put a good external auxiliary cooler on it (heat is what kills the transmissions on those, the factory in-radiator cooling setup sucks a big weenie). Or if it has a stickshift.

Don't assume that spending a little more will leave you without big repair bills either. Most people I know that have owned late 80's to mid 90's Toyotas, for example, have had to put a steady stream of cash into them.
In many cases, it comes down more to how good the previous owners were with regular maintenance. I know someone who recently bought a Subaru with relatively high mileage. All maintenance was done on schedule at the dealer, and there is no sign of external head gasket leak. Another person has the same car, lower mileage, questionable history on maintenance - and they are looking at head gaskets. (Not to mention a whole list of other neglected items.)

^
That.

 

[PirateMcGee]

Camry?

 

[BIGdaddy]

Troopers are pretty awesome. My 2001 has 180k and is still going strong. Uses oil, tranny's noisy, but it has driven 1000 miles a month for the last 2 years without fail.

My 1992 XJ and my 1986 4runner were my two most favorite 4x4s. Both were owned for about four years and really didnt have ANY major issues. I'd buy another clean xj, 4runner, or 5speed trooper like Steve mentioned (1995-1997) in a heartbeat.