Stewartb109
Member
- Messages
- 13
- Location
- Virginia
So I really need your help guys on deciding what direction to go for a vehicle within a few criteria. Any input would be great since the more I research the more confusing / frustrating things get (MPG, Cost of upkeep, repairs, problems, ect)
1. I need 4x4 and I would like to stay within the SUV class. I have looked at Land Rovers (I like Discos / LR3's), Hummer (H3), Jeep Wrangler (Prefer Unlimited), and FJ's. Are there any others I should be looking at since I am not rock crawling?
2. Cost -- I am looking at used (or new if its within reason) and would prefer not to spend any more than $25,000. This is so my monthly payments will be manageable at or under $300 a month with about $8,000 down. I will put more down if its the right vehicle.
3. Reliability. Hummers and Land Rovers come in at the cheapest out of all of the vehicles I have looked at, but apparently the cost of repairs and frequency of stuff breaking is high. Here is where most of my frustration comes into play. When I first started looking at these vehicles they came highly rated in capability and reliability. However the more I looked around and dug deep into forums, it seemed they where cheap to buy, but broke a lot and repairs are insane in cost. How true is this? Should I avoid both?
4. Fuel / MPG / Engine. I am looking for something that will last (my civic has 154K miles on it), and preferably get an alright MPG. Again, when I first started looking into the H3, it was looking like most where getting 20-25 MPG once they replaced the Cold Air with something like AirDoc / K&N, however digging deeper it looks like on average its 13-18 tops even stock (I plan on going 35'' tires, MAYBE a roof rack, snorkel, brush bar, spare, with weapons / ammo / ect). What vehicle is getting the most out of the MPG with the add ons?
5. Add Ons. I would like the ability to add a Brush Bar (I hear ARB is the best), Roof Rack, Snorkel, and bigger tires without the need of a lift kit. So aside from the Wrangler, do they all have a good variety / ability to mount these things? It seems Land Rover has some of the smallest pool of options.
Thanks guys for putting up with my newbie questions. I appreciate any and all input / feedback. :cheers:
1. I need 4x4 and I would like to stay within the SUV class. I have looked at Land Rovers (I like Discos / LR3's), Hummer (H3), Jeep Wrangler (Prefer Unlimited), and FJ's. Are there any others I should be looking at since I am not rock crawling?
2. Cost -- I am looking at used (or new if its within reason) and would prefer not to spend any more than $25,000. This is so my monthly payments will be manageable at or under $300 a month with about $8,000 down. I will put more down if its the right vehicle.
3. Reliability. Hummers and Land Rovers come in at the cheapest out of all of the vehicles I have looked at, but apparently the cost of repairs and frequency of stuff breaking is high. Here is where most of my frustration comes into play. When I first started looking at these vehicles they came highly rated in capability and reliability. However the more I looked around and dug deep into forums, it seemed they where cheap to buy, but broke a lot and repairs are insane in cost. How true is this? Should I avoid both?
4. Fuel / MPG / Engine. I am looking for something that will last (my civic has 154K miles on it), and preferably get an alright MPG. Again, when I first started looking into the H3, it was looking like most where getting 20-25 MPG once they replaced the Cold Air with something like AirDoc / K&N, however digging deeper it looks like on average its 13-18 tops even stock (I plan on going 35'' tires, MAYBE a roof rack, snorkel, brush bar, spare, with weapons / ammo / ect). What vehicle is getting the most out of the MPG with the add ons?
5. Add Ons. I would like the ability to add a Brush Bar (I hear ARB is the best), Roof Rack, Snorkel, and bigger tires without the need of a lift kit. So aside from the Wrangler, do they all have a good variety / ability to mount these things? It seems Land Rover has some of the smallest pool of options.
Thanks guys for putting up with my newbie questions. I appreciate any and all input / feedback. :cheers: