descisions- what vehicle?

[1968jeepthing]

since im selling my Jeep/Kaiser im going to need another vehicle. i was wandering what to go with. i want somthing thats cheap to buy (under 2,000) and easy to build up. preferably somthing with fuel injection and decent drivetrain. i dont really want a fullsize. i perfer domestic vehicles. i was thinking of a jeep wrangler yj, a cj-7, an international scout 2, a FJ-40, a cherokee, or an early bronco. does anyone have any suggestions on what i should get? what ones are pretty easy to build up to be a moderate four wheeler plus a decent daily driver. i live on campus at weber state university and i cant really do much work to it. (like engine swaps or custom suspension). thanks.
-Brian

 

[Ryan]

Well, for a pretty stout package right out of the box, it's hard to beat an Early Bronco(even with all my Zuki talk as of late, LOL). I believe it's about '71 and up that have the 44 front. You can get a 302, C4, Dana 20, 44 front, 9" rear, coils in front, and sprung over rear, STOCK. That ain't too shabby. If you get lucky you might be able to find one with power steering and disc brakes as well('76-'77). Downsides? Well, the body is a bit wide(more trail damage), and, well, it's a Ford(okay, just kiddin'). Also, it might be hard to find one with all the good stuff within your $2000 budget, and EFI wasn't a stock option(although you might be able to find one that has an EFI motor swapped in).

My $.02...

 

[Ryan]

...or there's always an '85 EFI Toyota, which would be more in your stated price range, but it wouldn't meet the "domestic" criteria

 

[xjc]

good luck, the only domestic stuff thats small and worth anything off road are jeeps and they are pricey. Forget a wrangler for that price, you wouldn't be able to find a wrecked one for that. Cherokees are cheeper but expensive to lift. Forget domestic, go sami or yota efi, sami is the cheepest, yota with efi comes with the most stuff out of the box.

my $.015

 

[Floppy Hat]

I'm thinking the only vehicle that meets your requirements of being domestic, having FI, and being under 2K is going to be XJ. I've seen some '87's and '88's for around 2K, I believe '87 was the first year for fuel injection.

As far as making it a capable moderate wheeler, you would need to look into a lift kit. I'd say 4 to 4.5 inches with some 31's and 4.10's and you would be able to hold your own on 4 rated trails.

 

[Shawn]

Even though I voted for an FJ40, if you are looking for a cheep rig, This is not the one for you. Eveything about an FJ40 is expensive and Heavy.

My next project is a CJ5.

 

[Ryan]

Well, the poll info so far oughtta help you make up your mind, LOL

 

[Greg]

TOYOTA P/U!!

 

[1968jeepthing]

the FJ-40 is really cool, and i like the body style but i heard that the axles and drivetrain are pretty weak. As for the cherokee, i am a little concerned about the uni-body and i heard the rear window breaks a lot from body flex. i realized 2,000 may be a litle cheap, i think i could spare 3,000 or even 3,500. i heard from one of my friends that the scout 2 has lots of goodies and is pretty decent. as for the toyotas and suzukis, well the thing is back in new hampshire i was raised around domestic vehicles and i would know more about them than the imports. plus parts seem cheaper than imports parts. dont get me wrong i have nothing against imports i just perfer bigger american made rigs. thanks for the input everyone, its really helping a lot. This is a very important decision in a young mans life and i could use all the help i can get. lol.

 

[yellowjacket]

Brian, just give in and get a reliable, descent daily driver/rockcrawler.

Greg, give him some facts!

 

[yellowjacket]

as for the toyotas and suzukis, well the thing is back in new hampshire i was raised around domestic vehicles and i would know more about them than the imports.

That is the worst excuse to not buy a Toyota! You are going to school FOR 2 YEARS to be a TOYOTA MECHANIC probably for a VERY long time!! FORGET what you know about domestics because you are going to know way more about Toyotas and Imports!!!

Obviously deep down you know Toyota's ahead of the game, etc. What vehicle do you honestly think will last longer and hold it's value longer? What vehicle will be able to take a lot of trail abuse but still be a reliable daily driver?

ASK YOURSELF!!

When you take your Toyota back home, all the domestics will wonder why you don't ever have to fix your vehicle. You'll be out on the trail while they are fixing their rig! They just haven't been exposed to Toyota's!

 

[1968jeepthing]

lol, whatever Tobin, i think youve been exposed to the toyota epedemic too long, lol, im going to school for toyota because its a good company to work for, and yeah, maybe toyatas are more reliable but when your off-road, things change a bit. besides, i like working on my domestic truck when it breaks down (unless im on the side of the road in the rain). i perfer good old big, beefy domestics over imports any day. but hey, i dont want to make any enemies here and i think imports are just fine. i just cant imagine myself in one. (with the exeption of the land cruiser)
-die hard american vehicle fan

 

[Greg]

Bahahaha!! "........but when your off-road, things change a bit."

Tell you the truth, I have always been a American vehicle fan. My first 4x4 was a locked up CJ w/ a EFI smallblock Chevy.... Nothing but American Muscle! Next, a SOA'd YJ. Granted, I never finished it like a planned, but it held it's own.

After alot of thinking, I decided I needed a vehicle that I didn't have to swap axles (and everything else) to make it hold some abuse. I wanted to build a capable Rig on the cheap. Know what the next purchase was? A 1985 Toyota Pickup. So far, its been the best 4x4 I've owned. I can drive it to work, to Moab and thru Upper Helldorado. I've never broken anything..... even with 37's! I didn't know jack about Toyotas before I bought mine, but I'm learning!

If you want a vehicle to be as inexpensive as you want, do what you want and go where you want to go, a Toyota will do it without a second thought.

You're right, things do change a bit when offroad. Get a Toyota and be prepared to wheel......!

 

[bobdog]

Keep the M715 They are the coolest truck ever made and they don't come around every day.

 

[Greg]

Just keep an Opened Mind...... I'll get off my Soapbox now. Good Luck making your decision, we'll all support you on whatever you choose.

 

[bobdog]

Greg do you think that the toyota stuff would hold up as well with a built 350 in front of it? Wouldn't the Jeep stuff be a lot more durable with the 22r infront of it? I must say that everyone I know that has owned a Toyota truck has been very happy with it.

 

[1968jeepthing]

alright, i hear you on the toyotas. But what about the Scout 2 and the cj-7? i heard great things about them. i know theyd probably be hard to find here but whats the deal with them?

 

[Greg]

Good Point...... A balanced rig is the KEY to offroad survival.

The weak point on stock Toyotas are the Birfields..... But with the addition of Longfields (Altered stock Birfs), that worry becomes a thing of the past. Toyota axle shafts are larger than Dana 44 shafts and many people have been running a set of Longfields w/ 4.3's and smallblock Chevys without failure. A pair of Longfields runs $250 and they are guarenteed against breakage, no matter what engine you run.

I read about a guy in California with a 4.3 running stock shafts and Longfields in Competition (CALrocs) w/ 38" TLS's. He was doing everything to break parts, to no avail. Frontend 3 feet in the air, coming down with the throttle open and no breakage.....

I'm not saying swap Toyota axles into every rig if you want to be bulletproof. Everything has its limits. But, dollar to dollar, I think you can build a strong Toyota axle cheaper than any American axle. And thats great for me..... since I didn't have to swap them in!

In the future, I do want to swap in a more powerful engine. Hopefully a Supra Turbo 6 cyl, pushing about 260-280hp. That should be about equal to a stock SBC, with a diffrent power curve. I'll let you know how Toy axles hold up then!

 

[bobdog]

M715s are the coolest!!

 

[bobdog]

1and1/4ton with a ragtop.