Used Cars in America

[Rare Breed]

I think I own an ecoboost. A 2015 expedition EL with a 6 cylinder? All I can say is that its a total suck car. No balls. Even with the turbo, it struggles up hills. I believe it would have been even worse if it was a year earlier model in which case it would be a V8 Triton 3-valve, probably the worst engine of the 21st century.

SO RIGHT!!! I spent $7,000 on repairs before selling it! I like the look of the new Bronco but not with its Eco Boost. I love the FJ you have!!! They also seem to hold their value incredibly well. Just look up one over 10 years old and see how high they are…great vehicle

 

[rookhawk]

That explorer isn't designed for off road. I have a 2016 and it is a pretty good road vehicle but it is nto worthless once you hit the dirt other than improved dirt roads. Don't even think about their worthless 4x4 system

Never shy of causing a scandal, I’d go a bit further. Ford doesn’t make a credible off road 4x4. Neither does Ram, nor Chevy. Especially not Jeep, as much as have owned more than a half dozen of them.

Toyota? 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Tacoma, all solid off road body on frame designs with a good V6 engine.

The costs in customization to nullify my claims above are extraordinary. Trying to modify a big-3 into an off road is really hard.

 

[cash_tx]

That explorer isn't designed for off road. I have a 2016 and it is a pretty good road vehicle but it is nto worthless once you hit the dirt other than improved dirt roads. Don't even think about their worthless 4x4 system

Agreed. I probably should have said "dirt road", not "off road". Even a moderate washboard on a gravel road makes you feel like the thing is about to turn sideways on you. I've never done any actual 4X'ing with it, and now wouldn't even consider it.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

A lot more people want own off road vehicles than people who take them off road. Therefore the 4x4s have evolved into primarily road vehicles, with four wheel drive. For instance how many pickups do you see with the most open treaded, singing mud tires that can be had, that have probably never been off of a paved surface.
I don’t even know enough about half ton trucks to have a good conversation about them, no use for them. When it come to 3/4 to 1 1/2 ton trucks I think a solid axle is absolutely necessary. So that rules out GM. The control arm suspensions have too many moving parts, and don’t seem to have any more travel. They are also weaker.
Dodge has trouble with ball joints and track bars depending on the age
Ford my knowledge is the only brand still putting on lock out hubs. I think that is advantageous, allowing better fuel mileage and eliminating any 4x4 vibrations at highway speed. Ford also has the best fender clearance for use with tire chains.
This was probably too much of a rant. I apologize.

 

[Cheesehead]

SO RIGHT!!! I spent $7,000 on repairs before selling it! I like the look of the new Bronco but not with its Eco Boost. I love the FJ you have!!! They also seem to hold their value incredibly well. Just look up one over 10 years old and see how high they are…great vehicle

Not all ecoboosts are created equal. The concensus from the F150 forums seems to be that the 2.7 eco, that is used in the F150 and Bronco, is a much more reliable engine than the 3.5, particularly the early 3.5s. My ford tech friend agrees. He said he sees far more 5.0s and 3.5s getting major repairs than the 2.7. Considering the 2.7 is the top selling engine in the F150, that says something. It's just anecdotal evidence but something to consider.

 

[cash_tx]

A lot more people want own off road vehicles than people who take them off road. Therefore the 4x4s have evolved into primarily road vehicles, with four wheel drive. For instance how many pickups do you see with the most open treaded, singing mud tires that can be had, that have probably never been off of a paved surface.
I don’t even know enough about half ton trucks to have a good conversation about them, no use for them. When it come to 3/4 to 1 1/2 ton trucks I think a solid axle is absolutely necessary. So that rules out GM. The control arm suspensions have too many moving parts, and don’t seem to have any more travel. They are also weaker.
Dodge has trouble with ball joints and track bars depending on the age
Ford my knowledge is the only brand still putting on lock out hubs. I think that is advantageous, allowing better fuel mileage and eliminating any 4x4 vibrations at highway speed. Ford also has the best fender clearance for use with tire chains.
This was probably too much of a rant. I apologize.

I don't think of this as a rant, so no worries. You touch on an important distinction between on-road vehicles with 4WD added vs. purpose built offroad machines. I see "off road" capabilities and features as a spectrum, and nearly all manufacturers design towards the milder end of that spectrum. Most manufacturers get some things right, and no manufacturer gets all things right.

 

[baxterb]

I've seen several here in Idaho. They are most definitely popular among the G-Wagon/Sun Valley/Never-touch-a-drop-of-mud crowd, but they are neat looking machines

Funny enough just got back from Kayaking and what do I see...

 

[Deni81]

Currently not available in the US to my knowledge.

There is a dealer that just opened up in ST Pete, FL.

 

[Rare Breed]

There is a dealer that just opened up in ST Pete, FL.

The Roxor is off road even though it looks like a jeep. nothing street legal available in US

 

[Scott CWO]

At CWO, we have four Fords and one Dodge. I won’t own a 2004-2010 Ford diesel. Ours are 1995, 1999, 2016 and 2017. I also had a nice 2012 that I traded for the 2017. After a guide totaled a 2000 Ford, I was forced into buying the Dodge on short notice. As @Wyatt Smith mentioned, Chevy’s don’t have enough fender clearance for big chains.

The pictures are of our newest acquisition. It’s a 2016 diesel that had a blown motor. I bought it for $5600 and put a different motor in it for another $18k. The box is a bit banged up but I will put a flatbed on it anyway so that we can load two ATVs sideways. Judging by the undercarriage, it’s never been off-road. Not bad these days for $23,600 I thought! My neighbor is the best mechanic I’ve ever known and he changed out the motors for me. I also had him cut more than half of the plastic air dam off of it that attaches to the bottom of the bumper. That way, it won’t get mangled when driving over sage brush and yucca.

 

[Doug3006]

Currently not available in the US to my knowledge.

Nope. They’ve been selling them in the Us for over a year. There’s a dealer in Chicago and several other spots.

 

[BourbonTrail]

Nope. They’ve been selling them in the Us for over a year. There’s a dealer in Chicago and several other spots.

Well times change, and I live under a rock. Not surprised that my info is stale. I haven’t seen any here, but I did see one cyber truck

 

[Rare Breed]

I saw two of these last year Lon and was impressed especially for the money. I live just 11 miles from one of their US corporate region offices. The problem is they do not make a street legal anything in the US

just checked again. Mahindra only makes Roxor for US and no it is not street legal

 

[roklok]

All my vehicles are from the last century. I know how to repair pretty much any component on them and have. My truck is a 1992 Dodge with the 12 valve Cummins, and I plan on driving it the rest of my life. I also have a 1993 Jeep Wrangler with the rock solid 4.0 that I have owned for 28 years. I love the older Jeeps but would not own a newer one. In my opinion the EPA, modern electronics and soft urban buyers demands have ruined what used to be reliable practical vehicles.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I thought it would be fun to create a thread since many of us are car guys.

I've been watching "the Car Wizard" videos for the past year on Youtube. The guy is a genius mechanic that evaluates every used car to buy, never buy, and every story in between. Feel free to comment or post.

The other thing I've been observing is the untimely demise of 2024 Toyotas. A billion dollar recall on failed v6 Tundra engines. Problematic transmissions on their V4 turbo equipped 2024 vehicles. My conclusion is there has never been a better time to overpay for a low miles, vintage Toyota with a known-good powertrain. We now live in the era of unreliable new cars. Feel free to comment or post.

@rookhawk
An easier fix is forget Toyota completely and but a 4x4 that's even better, more reliable and cheaper. BUY A NISSAN. Mine has 180,000 miles on it at still ticks like a fine Swiss watch and goes like the powers of piss. Plus it a diesel
Bob

 

[HuntingGold]

After 23 years as a "game warden" and another 7 as a biologist plus my recent 6 years as a security patrol for timber companies in Southern Oregon, I always marvel at what people "need." Through my career I've driven all makes of "US" 4x4s. They all had their pluses and minuses.

I think one of my favorites was a half ton Dodge pickup from the mid to late 80s. It wasn't comfortable at all but it went everywhere. Damned thing loved to be in the mountains with snow. I remember patrolling central Oregon mountains during elk seasons and just bee bopped everywhere. Ugly as hell but fully capable.

The latter part of my game warden years were in Chevrolet Silverado type trucks. Very comfortable but the back end was so light that they were squirrelly even in light snow. I just didn't like them at all for any serious off pavement, mountain and desert patrols. I just don't have a desire to drive another.

The Fords I drove in my mid-career were utilitarian but worked OK. Think early 2000 models. I didn't mind them at all and they served my purpose.

In my mountain security business, I tried a 2008 Nissan Frontier. I thought I'd run it a year or two before moving on. It currently has 240,000 on it and is for sale. Damned thing went everywhere I asked and then some. It handled snow and mud very well. It just seemed to keep going. I was so impressed that I recently bought a 2018 model to replace it. After looking at the new models, I decided to go back to the last few years Nissan made this model as they are nearly identical to the 2008 model. It was a good choice and I hope to run it 10 years or more and will have no qualms taking into any hunting situation.
My wife has had 2 RAMS in the last 10 years. We use it to tow our camp trailer from time to time. Occasionally, I've used it in the security business. It gets through the day, but never take the ongoing abuse those Nisans had.

Just my personal experience.

 

[Rob404]

My Detroit Iron, the 98 Town Car had 233000 when I sold it to my next door neighbors kid he has since put another 40k on it and has turned it into Turd. The other is my 2009 Impala LTZ with 85K on it

 

[Safari Dave]

I've seen several here in Idaho. They are most definitely popular among the G-Wagon/Sun Valley/Never-touch-a-drop-of-mud crowd, but they are neat looking machines

I've seen a couple in Georgia.

There is a dealer in Atlanta.

New & Used Grenadier Dealer | Serving Roswell, Alpharetta & North Atlanta, GA | Grenadier Base Camp in Roswell, Georgia

Building a serious off-roader from the ground up is no easy task. Discover the bold idea behind the original concept. Watch the hard work going into the design and engineering. Learn how our parent company and partners are playing their part. See how we’re tackling creating the Grenadier like...

www.regal.ineosgrenadier.com

I would like to give them a couple of years to work out any issues, but I'm definitely interested.

I'll actually get mud on one and probably even throw a big-game carcass or two into it.



They are nowhere as expensive as a G-Wagon.



MSRP about $80K+ (less than an American diesel pickup truck)

 

[rookhawk]

@rookhawk
An easier fix is forget Toyota completely and but a 4x4 that's even better, more reliable and cheaper. BUY A NISSAN. Mine has 180,000 miles on it at still ticks like a fine Swiss watch and goes like the powers of piss. Plus it a diesel
Bob

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen Nissan are not particularly good in the USA. I was quite impressed with the Nissans in Africa. I think Oz gets the ones we cannot get that have better reliability. As you may know, the US has onerous crash safety requirements, fuel consumption requirements, and emissions requirements. It’s why many of the best cars in the world were never legally sold over here.

For example, this is the latest rankings for most reliable American cars. (Please take no insult if the list is vastly different than Australia that may have access to better versions from these makers)

 

[BB416]

My 4x4s are old. 1965 series 2a station wagon and 1980 unimog 416 Doka. I agree that vehicles of the last century are incredibly easy to work on and maintain. I also have a 1995 daihatsu hijet 4x4 kei truck for around the property (though it is street legal in NC). None of these make a good commuter, as they won’t do over about 60 mph , so I have a newish Mazda hardtop convertible mx5 Miata for going to and from work. Also a simple car, but it does have some electronics that someday will fail. Wife drives a 2018 Subaru Outback with 120k miles and never an issue .
When in doubt, go old!