i have a 05 ranger edge with a 3inch fabtech lift on it, and i took it offroad. it works well, but it is my daily driver and i cracked my engine block from overheating. She went to repair shop and is all better now, and i dont want to take her offroading anymore... so i want a vehicle just for offroading and i wanted some suggestions on what would be the best vehicle for me to get. i want something that is around 2000 that i can build on.

 

What kind of offroading??

 

Suzuki Samurai......or a '94 Wrangler YJ.

 

Samurai fo sho... I love mine!

Or an old toyota truck... I want one bad =P

 

i wanted to stay away from the deep mud, and start to rock crawl, but still go on the trails

 

First gen Toyota pickup with either a 22R, or 22RE 4cyl. You are going to have a hell of a time blowing up that motor. They are cheap, reliable, and an excellent platform for building. If you can get a pre-84 I believe, they already come with a straight axle from the factory.
A good friend of mine just picked up a 79 with a rebuilt 22RE, rebuilt tranny, rebuilt dual t-cases, 35's, and ARB lockers front and rear for only 1000 bucks. He got really really lucky lol, If he didn't jump on it, I would have in a heart beat.

 

basically...you want a front axle. lol. I'd say '84-85 yoda with the 22re and 5spd. solid axle. timeless looks and dependable. dirt cheap. iloved mine. wish i never got rid of my 85. IMO..the perfect wheelbase is a reg cab long bed, then bob the bed.

 

Suzuki Samurai, Jeep YJ,TJ,Cherokee,Commanche, Isuzu Trooper/Rodeo, Dodge Raider, Nissan Hardbody 4x4, Nissan Pathfinder, any 80s-90s 4x4 Toyota pickup, 4Runner, 88-98 4x4 GMC/Chevy CK pickups & 2 door Tahoe/Yukon, big old squarebody Chevy Blazer and the later S10 based ones, S10 ZR2 4x4....

should I keep going, or are those enough choices to spark your interest for now?

 

I'm going to go different and say ZJ with a 5.2 or 5.9 V-8. You can find them for really cheap on craigslist. Lots of inside room, can find parts for them cheap and have tons of power.

 

I have heard bad things about these once you get some 35+ tires on them. Drive train ain't so strong.

Only problem with them, off-road wise, they are almost as bad as the rangers in terms of aftermarket support.

But beyond that, what about a ranger? Anything under 97, and you'll be good.

 

get a 93 to 97 ranger there easy and cheap to lift

 

early toyota truck. Hands down.

 

X2 on this one !

 

SFA if you want to crawl.

ie...go yota or Jeep or go home.

 

A samurai would be sick, I've been looking at a few lately. With a few cheap bolt-on upgrades they become very capable trail vehicles.

 

This is why you should get a Samurai....even though this looks like a Sidekick/Tracker in the vid


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM3vO...eature=related

 

Nice video Mike. Wasn't expecting it to go that smooth.

 

Get a sami or an old yota.

 

you can find a jeep XJ for pretty cheap as well. thats my plan pretty soon. mid 90's xj, rock crawler!

 

and as for the sami, they're good little trucks, but idk, theyre so ridiculously small, and gutless.

one of my buddies up here has one, and its built pretty nicely, pretty much crawls over anything. but yeah. idk.

 

They are gutless unless you have the proper gearing, as with anything. And remember they weigh a fraction of what our trucks, or any truck does. A properly built Zuk will out crawl a lot of things, and their small size is lovely in small tight trails. I saw a stock 88-89 sami go through a mud pit that swallows 44 inch tires. Funny thing, it went in between the 2 trenches and sat on top of the middle part. That short track width was brilliant.

Put some Toyota axles under it, some 37's dual t-cases, and you are set, or just start with a pre-85 Toyota pickup.

 

Call me biased, but is there a contradiction there?

Dollar for dollar, you can't beat a sami or an old yota. If you want to run mostly trails and some rocks, a spring-over-axle lift, 31s, and a lock-rite in the rear will take you nearly everywhere you want to go! You could probably put the whole thing together for under 2k! Plus you'll get about 28mpg!

 

oh without a doubt. i wasnt trying to knock them. they are great little rigs when built correctly. but i personally couldnt drive something that small though. idk why. i've always drove bigger cars. it was annoying when i rode with my buddy in his zuk, bumpin shoulders every other second lol