Vehicle Ideas

[78Bronco]

Well it is time to send off my trusty Pajero and find a new vehicle. It just proved to be too small for the whole family to cruise in comfort. Never let me down, no costly repairs and really easy to drive in a LH drive world. I will miss the smell of diesel.

So now begins a new chapter in the book of cars for us.

So far I am considering the following 4dr SUV in no particular order. Trying to work with a $14K or less budget.

Has to fit a 6'4" tall adult in the front seat and an infant car seat behind in the back seat. The pajero fell short by a few inches and the wife's knees were hitting the dash. I considered removing her knees and the dash. We camp and therefor have to be able to fit the family and gear. Possibly two a small trailer. Something with good visibility, safe, reasonable operating and maintenance costs. Must have leather interior for easy cleanups when the kids makes a mess.

2004-2005 Ford Expedition
- $14-17,000
- Not a huge fan of IRS/IFS but willing to compromise
- Never been let down by Ford
- 5.4L V8
- 4 mode t-case
- Lots of room

2003-2005 Suburban 2500
- $15-22,0000
- Not a huge fan of Chevrolet products, seems the little things always break
- 6.0L V8
- Lots of room
- Solid rear axle
- Proven drivetrain

2003-2004 Land Rover Discovery
- $12-16,000
- Love the look
- Great visibility
- Exceptional all weather performance
- Legendary
- Expensive repair and maintenance costs
- Are they reliable?
- Do they have to run premium fuel

2005 Land Rover LR3
- over $20K
- Same as above

Toyotas
- 4 runner too small
- Sequoia over valued and hard to find

2005-2006 Nissan Pathfinder
- $17-20,000
- Can they fit 4 people 6'4" tall?
- 4.0L engine is small
- Nissan proven reliability
- Hard to find used

Mercedes...too small & expensive

 

[bfdiesel]

If you really want a diesel you could search for a diesel excursion. From the list you have and knowing you may want to pull a trailer I vote suburban.

 

[bftank]

i 2nd the excursion idea. get an early one; '99-2003 with a 7.3l in it, can be had for around $15,000. diesel 3/4t suspension, dana 60 front. same chassis as the super duty.

 

[brussum]

The Expeditions are great. We have three kids and we all ride comfortable on those long road trips. There's plenty of room in the back with the rear seats folded down. We have 140K miles on ours and haven't had a single worry from it. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it cross-country today...it just runs great.

I agree with you about the styling and legendary reputation of the Land Rovers. I thought about buying one, but I didn't want to worry about if it was going to blow a head gasket everytime I started it. There are plenty for sale in my area and they all seem to have something wrong with them (engine, electrical...you name it). I just wanted a more reliable SUV and one that wasn't going to drain my bank account when it did break.

 

[DoMiNiC1]

99-2003 with a 7.3l-This.

I just made the switch to Diesel and I am loving it... I went with a quad cab 02 dmax for 18k.

 

[redthies]

You could get an 03 Disco for around $5000. I still wouldn't. The 7.3 Excursion is the way to go if you want a full size suv. You may have to shop down south of the border to find one, but importing is no hassle. I am starting to look down there again myself...

 

[Becketth]

Sounds like you're going through the same thought process I went through about 9 months ago. I loved the discos and only considered the 03-04s because of the updates and engine. However, in the end I went with something I thought would be cheaper to fix and run for a long time...an 02 Chevy Tahoe z71. The affordability and availability of the parts (at least in America) is huge; on a trip to Florida, I had a clicking front heel bearing, so I stopped in rural GA at a mechanic. This was at about 12:30pm. By 2:30, a new bearing assembly had been located, acquired, and installed to the tune of $180. I'm still in school and foot all the bills, so this was a big buying point for me.

I have 220lbs worth of dogs and I make frequent trips from Chicago to Florida. I'm also 6'3" and I loved the low windows in the disco, but I felt a little cramped compared to the Tahoe.

Mine has the 5.3l and I hate that America can't get diesels, but if I'm "hyper-miling" I can get 19-21 on the hwy. Hopefully you like car shopping as much as I do, I must have driven about 30 cars before choosing mine but I love it. Hope this helps, and good luck and update us!

 

[TheGuyJones]

I have had my 05 Expedition for just over 3 years. I haven't had any issues with it at all and I am just above 95K miles (purchased with 56K). When I was purchasing, I had the dealer backup a Tahoe, a Sequoia and this Expo together to compare. With all three rows up, the expo had more room than the Tahoe (I don't remember on the Sequoia). The better thing was that I love the fold down seats (the Sequoia seemed the most complicated with the fold and tumble action requiring multiple levers to be pulled to complete the action). You can get the power fold down seats for the Expo as well (mine is an XLT so mine are manual, but still super easy). I really like the ride with the IFS/IRS. You can get a 3/2 lift that will accomodate up to a 35" tire. I really like the 4-mode tranfer case. I am usually in 2wd, but when winter weater leaves icy conditions I love that I can switch to AWD and be worry free. I won't agrue that I would love a diesel excursion, but think I have picked a really good, low-cost SUV that I can do a few minor things to and make it a great expo vehicle. Plus, I believe that Mile Marker makes a front bumper winch mount that can house a 12K winch.

 

[Erik N]

2004-2005 Ford Expedition
- $14-17,000
- Not a huge fan of IRS/IFS but willing to compromise
- Never been let down by Ford
- 5.4L V8
- 4 mode t-case
- Lots of room

What's wrong with IRS? Leaf springs/solid axle are an anachronism. I gather you won't be rockcrawling...

 

[brussum]

It depends on your preference and driving situation, but my thought is that the Excursion is too big for a daily driver. I have a F350 that is similar in just about any way to the Excursion. I love it, but it's a PITA to drive every day, especially in the city. It's hard to park in parallel or forward parking spots and I usually end up backing it in. It's just big, big, big. The diesel in my truck is loud and conversations have to be loud too...maybe the Excursion has more sound proofing and more luxuries (and a better 3/4ton ride). For the money and for what it sounds like you need, the 5.4L powered Expedition is great and more than enough SUV...it's comfy, can tow nicely, has a great general purpose 4WD system, and has more than enough interior space (you maybe able to find a used EL version if you need more cargo space). I'd probably give similar comments to the Tahoe/Yukon or Sequoia...they're both nice SUVs as well.

 

[78Bronco]

Thanks for the input people.

I have considered the Excursion but they will be too big for the wife to drive around town. I know she can handle a fullsize but the Excursion is massive. The only reason I would consider it would be for the turbo diesel and drivetrain. Low mileage 7.3L Excursions are rare birds at my price point.

So far I am leaning towards the Expedition.

Land Rovers will get a test drive and evaluation.

Chevy just doesn't cut it for me. My boss has an '08 Suburban with numerous issues. Since day one the driver side window squeels on it's way down, has dropped headlights constantly while night driving thru mountains. Just to change the head lights you have to partially disassemble the front clip. There is a real nice '03 suburban but they are asking $23k which is out of budget.

Not totally opposed to IRS but leery of all the moving parts versus that of the antiquated live axle. The improvement in handling is worth it though.

Definitely going to test drive these

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/ctd/2729875898.html

http://inventory.britishcolumbiaonlineautos.com/web_display/view/5353733

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rds/ctd/2731028393.html

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bnc/ctd/2729318541.html

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/ctd/2725920808.html

http://www.aaautosales.ca/used/Land...eries+II-aaa977060a0a00020051630a2cf44386.htm

http://burnaby.repo.com/details/42697

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/cto/2697319526.html

 

[RU55ELL]

Are you against having anything older? Ramchargers, Broncos and K5 Blazers are also good too. Later year models come in EFI if you are afraid of carbs.

 

[BCHauler]

Hey. 3 BC'ers in this thread.

I would look at the first generation Expedition. You could get one locally fin the $5k range and have lots of money left over for expo-upgrades and/or a generous repair fund. My understanding is that they are pretty reliable, and still had the solid rear axle. I've been eying them as a 3rd vehicle alternative so that I don't have to drive my v10 f250 into the city so often.

 

[78Bronco]

Are you against having anything older? Ramchargers, Broncos and K5 Blazers are also good too. Later year models come in EFI if you are afraid of carbs.

2 doors don't work well with infants and kids. If it was an option I would get the 78 bronco all done up for the wife. Has to have 4 doors.

 

[78Bronco]

Hey. 3 BC'ers in this thread.

I would look at the first generation Expedition. You could get one locally fin the $5k range and have lots of money left over for expo-upgrades and/or a generous repair fund. My understanding is that they are pretty reliable, and still had the solid rear axle. I've been eying them as a 3rd vehicle alternative so that I don't have to drive my v10 f250 into the city so often.

I looked at them and there are a few around. Wasn't too excited about the handling and braking.