Let's talk back country capable daily driver options - used SUV market in 2012

[nasko]

Xterra's are nice, not all of them came SC, they were available with the SC option in 2002-04. I really liked mine, it was SC, rode quite well, plenty of power, was capable off road but... the MPG sucked. I just sold it, pretty much in your boat right now, won't be used as a daily driver in the city but I need a truck that will take me, the family and the dog fishing, camping, road trips etc... I have a seriously hard time to decide what truck to buy next. The Gen3 Monteros look great, looked at one and was impressed how beefy the suspension parts were. That being said I am not sure what MPG they get, especially on the highway. My other options are manual 2nd Gen Xterra or 3rd (possibly 4th) 4Runner, but he 4th gen was not available manual, and I would prefer the 5speed transmission and not the V8, which brings me to 2005 and they are expensive. Cheers and good luck with your search.

[BIGdaddy]

Ok, cool. (I feel the same way about my MIL's fjcruiser. Claustrophobic is a great adjective. I feel like original fj40's are actually roomier and brighter inside than FJC's in a lot of ways...haha)

So to reiterate what you want:

1. feels like car inside with day in/day out comfort
2. tough drivetrain
3. good mileage
4. no pickup bed.
5. realistically priced
6. real 4x4 capability


So, I still say these are my top choices:

3rd or 4th gen Montero
2001-2002 Trooper
First gen 1997-2002 or 2nd gen 2003-?? ford expedition

EDIT: I do have to say though, I know several people who own the honda pilot who absolutely love them. They're very reliable and very safe. If one of these with AWD, a good set of agressive tires, some custom skid plates, and maybe a few off-road farckle additions like a roof rack would serve your needs, I see it as being a very good choice...

Reliability, comfort, and adequate storage space, (having just been on some trips recently) are at the top of my list. I'd rather take a hit in the "perceived cabability" area and carry a winch and some bridging ladders, than sacrifice those three items.

If you can have all four, great, but Honda makes an excellent product.

[BIGdaddy]

Xterra's are nice, not all of them came SC, they were available with the SC option in 2002-04. I really liked mine, it was SC, rode quite well, plenty of power, was capable off road but... the MPG sucked. I just sold it, pretty much in your boat right now, won't be used as a daily driver in the city but I need a truck that will take me, the family and the dog fishing, camping, road trips etc... I have a seriously hard time to decide what truck to buy next. The Gen3 Monteros look great, looked at one and was impressed how beefy the suspension parts were. That being said I am not sure what MPG they get, especially on the highway. My other options are manual 2nd Gen Xterra or 3rd (possibly 4th) 4Runner, but he 4th gen was not available manual, and I would prefer the 5speed transmission and not the V8, which brings me to 2005 and they are expensive. Cheers and good luck with your search.

Montero's get surprisingly good mpgs. They tend get around 18-21 on trips and get down into the mid/high teens when working hard offroad.

Much, much better than their toyota counter parts who tend to average 13-14mpgs on trips and can get down into the 10-11mpgs around town.

[nasko]

It will probably come down to the best deal I get. Montero's seem to go for around 9000 CAD give or take for a 2003-05 with roughly 100-150K km, Xterras are slightly bit more for the 2005 onwards and Toyota's, well I have seen 3rd gen anywhere between 3000 to 11 000. Biggest problem here in TO is rust if the trucks are not oil-sprayed yearly.

[stioc]

What kind of Monteros are you guys talking about? The Sports? I don't really like those, they seem like the stripped down version of the real Monteros, not sure what the last year was for the real Monteros and what are the good years to buy, can someone provide a quick summary please

[Expedition_Bound]

What kind of Monteros are you guys talking about? The Sports? I don't really like those, they seem like the stripped down version of the real Monteros, not sure what the last year was for the real Monteros and what are the good years to buy, can someone provide a quick summary please

Their talking about the real Montero, not the sport. The last year for the US was 2006. I'm in the market for one myself.

[nasko]

I am looking at the Montero's, not the Montero Sport. There was a nice write up about them on a thread somewhere by one of the Mitsubishi forum regulars. Here in Canada they were sold till 2006 I believe, most that I see for sale are 2003 to 2005. Here is one example of the ones I am looking at

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...AdIdZ383401491

[hillbillyjake]

this may go against the expo grain a little bit, but i like my tahoe. MPG is not the best, but if i keep it at 65 in the interstate i can get 15. thats with 285's and 3.73. the gov-bomb aint the best but works decent off-road. plenty of room for kids, gear, dog. chevy-cheap to work on. chevy-simple to work on. 11" to front diff from the ground, 13" to the frame under the door, 8" to the rear diff. 5.3 has decent power. i bought it 2 years ago this summer with 107k for $6600. i had to put a fuel pump init at about 135k. other than that it has been very reliable

i don't beat on it offroad, i drive it like its a half ton, ifs equipped suv that has to get me to work on monday and have had great service. hope this helps. after bragging about itfor this whole post, it willprobably never start again. good luck

[IdaSHO]

Dont worry, those v6 4x4 Monteros dont get much better mileage...

16-18mpg on the highway, on a good day.

[Singbush]

I drive an '02 Suburban. I bought it for $5500 with under 100k miles. Coil springs in the rear, ice cold a/c and the 5.3L are my favorite aspects. I lifted it slightly and put some 295's on 17" wheels. It's so smooth. It has tons of aftermarket support. The only requirement on your list it doesn't meet is the mpg's. I average about 12.5. YMMV.