Beach truck: Landrover vs. 4runner

if you're talking pre-2000 model year, then i might agree w/ you. i had a '92 explorer as my first car when i got my license & the thing was the perfect vehicle for that time of my life...lots of room for boards, gear, & friends, 4x4, 6 cylinder 5-speed manual, etc...& the thing was unstoppable. it finally kicked the bucket when i hit a deer while i was away at college & cracked the engine block. it ran for another week after i pasted bambi, & it had 184,000 miles on it. i'm convinced that it would've run another 50-75K easy.

now, almost 7 years later, i'm back to an suv-type vehicle & couldn't be happier...i got my '08 jeep grand cherokee back in april & it has proven itself more than capable in everything i've thrown it in. kinda makes me hope for another winter like the winter of '09-'10 so i can see how she handles the snow! (not to mention the surf was pretty darn good). so yea, i'm pretty sure i'll be a jeep guy from now on.

 

2010 FJ CRUISER Love this vehicle so far! only 10,000 miles but quality wise is head and shoulders above a Jeep! have always been a domestic truck guy and this is my first foreign vehicle and wish I had done it sooner. The thing will pulll a Hummer out of a swamp, and rides smooth on the highway and can get up and go! All water proof interior, rockin stereo, rugged good looks, 20 MPG and the same price as a wrangler! Can't beat it!

 

im actually getting my moms 2002 explorer eddie bauer edition and basically the explorers suck we have had to replace the transmission last year and the dealership said the engine was in good shape so about 6 months later a valve spring broke and my dad took it into work and put it under the high powered microscope and it had a stress fracture before it broke so fords quality of parts arent good.

currently im driving my dads 2003 chevy silverado extended cab z71 edition very nice. has so much bed space to fit my 8'0 diagonally. also since it has 4wd im able to go on the beach and drive around on. plus th auto 4wd came in handy last week with all the rain we got in wilmington plus it helps that it does have offroad tirs on it. i would defiently reccomend it as a great car. plus it has a v8 so it does have enough power to tow my boat.

 

If you want it to run forever, get an 85 4runner. It's the first year in fuel injection and last year with a solid front axle. The 22re engine is incredible. I've pulled one apart with over 200,000 miles and the machine marks were still on the cylinder walls...meaning there was virtually no wear. It has a removable hardtop, too. The only problem is you can hear it rust on a quiet night.

I'm a CJ guy, myself. I have a Scrambler, but I wouldn't drive it on the beach regularly. You may get away with that in a Wrangler, but the older Jeeps will rot away.

 

I got a 95 Landrover Disco1 184k on it and will drive it till they stop making parts for it . The truck handled in all types of situations well, Sand , Snow , Mud , Rock Ect. I never have gotten stuck anyplace in it yet and I have had it up the to the headlights in mud. Locking Diffs are what sold me , Its better to have 4 wheels digging and moving than one spining on each axle.
Down side LR are really complex to fix and diag and they parts are expensive and hard to find at you AutoZones and Advance Auto parts. I usually just order all my parts from a LR store online so I knwo I am getting the right stuff

Other than that I think my LR is awsome if I had the cash I would get a Series1 LR from the 60 those things were unstopable

 

sand & Snowmageddon, too

What he said.

Watched the Toyota.com site as the FJ made its way from project car.....Ordered my FJ as soon as it evolved from concept to reality. March06 it was delivered to me. Awesome ride. I've done Assateague w the OSV permit every summer many, many times every summer since 06. Also OBX this year in many spots like the cove, Avon, et. al. Great truck, lotta pop, nvr gets stuck. And that includes the friggin Snowmageddon in Arlington of 2010.

Interior is a mancave. Can hold a 9'6 longboard with the windows locked down, wtf. A beastly amount of room inside. This vehicle is all that.

 

yeah i saw the whole video. hilarious. I think its due more to the fact that the engine is a diesel and not a gasser. I don't think a gasser would have survived that. And yes, the name DaMook originates from a drunken night of japanese beer and Mean Streets. See my avatar?

 

For strictly sand and pavement driving any 4x4 will work. The bigger consideration is room. and comfort. If you are going to drive on the beach alot and surf, I would not get something with alot of comfort features. All the sand and salt water will ruin the inside just as quickly as it will the exterior so bare bones would be the way to go. I would get something easy to work on since if you drive in the sand alot you are going to be clean and replacing wheel bearings among other things!

Land Rovers are the gold standard for sure and the Wranglers are good for ANY offroading especially if you modify them (there are a HUGE amount of mods you can do).

The FJs are intriguing but so far 99.9% of the yuppies who buy them really don't put them through their paces off road. There is a Dr. in my 4x4 club though who has one and takes it in the most critical sh!t and it does perform.

 

this is in your area:

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/1964185499.html

i love these trucks!!!

 

I like jeeps - I had a 76' cj5 with the I6 then sold that and now have an 01' grand cherokee - it is the compromise of off-road ability and creature comforts for the wife.
I have some decent tires on it and it does great in the sand and snow - I'm out on the beach with it constantly and never have a problem, and pulled people out left & right during the snows last winter.
But if I had my choice and the money I'd go with an Icon truck - hand built and tough as they get. Check em out here
http://www.icon4x4.com/

 

those ICONS are sick, but seriosly if you drop 130k on a 4x4 you dont deserve to drive it,

 

niceee. are those street legal?

 

Yeah, I miss my CJ7, I had an '85 and beat the hell out of her...some woman pulled out in front of me and it was raining, I tried to piece it back together, but it never ran the same, should have dropped a new motor in it, but I needed a vehicle and traded it in on a little truck...still freakin' kills me, I only got like a grand for it....should have held on to it, it would be worth a lot more now!
Damn, those ICON's are the sh*t!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCj21SHH0d4&feature=related

Let's Go PHILLIES!

 

i've never seen ICONS before! they look like the old fj's, which are my favorite these trucks look incredible!! wow

 

this is a toyota helux vid from top gear, its custom and presumably very expensive. however, its nice to dream eh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMyVU4yDXJM

 

4x4s

I live on the OBX. I drive off road a lot, gnarly mountain trails to 60mph on the beach. I have owned an 86' 4runner with a fully modded 22re(4cyl). I got a 99 4runner w/ V6-5spd combo after that. Now I drive a 92' range rover classic.
The first generation toyotas are tough, easy to fix light trucks. Something like the jeeps in class. The scrambler and 4runner with the top off are very similar in weight. I liked the 864runner better than my 77CJ-5 due to the increased stability of the longer wheel base.
I have to say that my 994runner V6 was a beast. Excelled in every condition. I never got stuck. It had 32inch tires and went 85mph and crushed everything in its path without even having to air down.
I like my Range Rover I have now. Its more complicated and I have to say outdated compared to the 3rd gen 4runners. Stay away from explorers.