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Old 11-03-2009, 10:24 PM
 
Location: Southern Calif. close to the ocean
380 posts, read 1,142,433 times
Reputation: 125

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I have seen with my own eyes a V.W. bug baja -big tires in the back lifted a little, go where a truck dared not try! Look on the bottom of a bug, there is nothing to get hung up on, it is a giant skid plate. I have been told that a 4x4 is something you dont want to use unless you get stuck-put it in 4 wheel drive and get the heck out of there. That rule really applies if your a single vehicle. Always tell someone where your going and good to have a cb radio.
A bug with a winch would be hard to stop- It won't overheat cause its air cooled-well maybe might get a little warm
Ford Ranger-cant go wrong and the Subaroo is a good choice too.
I never owned a V.W. but most owners love their bugs-I always wanted one. Shoot, you could save money on gas and insurance ta boot with a bug!
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Old 11-04-2009, 06:28 AM
 
Location: NY
2,011 posts, read 3,864,629 times
Reputation: 918
I've owned one Cherokee and two Grand Cherokees. They all have been among the best, most reliable vehicles I've ever owned. The "86 Cherokee and the '93 Grand went over 160,000 miles without any major problems at all and both were used off road a lot and both were used to tow. My current Grand only has 40,000 miles on it but absolutely no problems at all. I don't know why these vehicles get a bad rap. Way better than Ford and Chevy vehicles I've owned recently.
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Old 11-04-2009, 11:51 AM
 
8,317 posts, read 29,375,561 times
Reputation: 9305
jeepjeep,

Your experience with a Grand Cherokee is an exception. I know a number of people with GC's, and the vehicles have been univerally trouble-prone.

As to claimjumper's comment about VW's--for sand-dune running they are fine, but for hard-core mountain 4-wheeling they lack gearing and low-end torque to be effective. And there are places where 4WD is just plain essential--you may still get stuck with 4WD in those places, but you will absolutely get stuck without it. When you face the prospect of "hoofing it" 30 miles back to town if you do get stuck, that is no small distinction . . .
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Old 11-04-2009, 12:10 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 48,846,479 times
Reputation: 9477
Thanks for all the ideas. Yes I do want to go small.

The Polaris RZR is an interesting option, probably lots of fun. Although I'd probably want more weather protection then they offer. And I'd rather not have to tow it up the mountain when I want to go exploring.

I have read some very positive reviews of the Subaru Forester but I do want to explore the off-road trails.

The Suzuki Samurai is interesting and inexpensive option, if you can find one, but it has really mixed reviews.

It looks like a Jeep Wrangler might be in my future.
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Old 11-04-2009, 12:58 PM
 
Location: NY
2,011 posts, read 3,864,629 times
Reputation: 918
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzlover View Post
jeepjeep,

Your experience with a Grand Cherokee is an exception. I know a number of people with GC's, and the vehicles have been univerally trouble-prone.

As to claimjumper's comment about VW's--for sand-dune running they are fine, but for hard-core mountain 4-wheeling they lack gearing and low-end torque to be effective. And there are places where 4WD is just plain essential--you may still get stuck with 4WD in those places, but you will absolutely get stuck without it. When you face the prospect of "hoofing it" 30 miles back to town if you do get stuck, that is no small distinction . . .
I disagree. I'm in 2 off-road clubs and a number of off-road forums. In no way do Grands have a huge amount of problems.
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Old 11-04-2009, 02:36 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 48,846,479 times
Reputation: 9477
Looking at the consumer reviews at Edmonds.com I'm seeing a lot of very low scores for the 2005 Grand Cherokee on "build quality" and "reliability".

2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Consumer Review (http://www.edmunds.com/jeep/grandcherokee/2005/consumerreview.html - broken link)
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Old 11-04-2009, 06:03 PM
 
8,317 posts, read 29,375,561 times
Reputation: 9305
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeepejeep View Post
I disagree. I'm in 2 off-road clubs and a number of off-road forums. In no way do Grands have a huge amount of problems.
Well, the Grand Cherokee has had the dubious distinction of having the worst or nearly the worst score for reliability in Consumer Reports surveys of its readers on vehicle reliability. That squares with my friends' experiences. As and example, a good friend of mine--who is absolutely fastidious about maintaining his vehicles, and generally gets 200,000+ miles out of them--owned a GC for two years. He said that it was, flat out, the absolute worst vehicle he had ever owned. Lest someone think I am a Jeep hater, I've owned several over the years, and own one now that I'm quite happy with. But NOT a Grand Cherokee.

I've also been doing some pretty hard-core 4-wheeling for nearly 40 years now--in some of the most challenging places in the US. I tend to know what works, and what stays together--and what doesn't.
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Old 11-04-2009, 06:25 PM
 
Location: Lead/Deadwood, SD
948 posts, read 2,780,544 times
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I have a Jeep Cherokee for a stock rig it is very capable and sturdy. Small yet seats 4 much better than the wranglers and samari's and they work way better on the highway - much cheaper to find used than the wranglers too, while being built very similar. Small Toyota pickups seem to do quite well and have good clearance. Stick with something with fewer options/bells and whistles fully loaded rigs and 4x4 trails is asking for expensive maintenance issues. The VW's as a previous poster mentioned can be quite impressive -but, I have been there and air cooled engines don't exactly cool when dirty muddy or when the air is hot.
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Old 11-04-2009, 06:46 PM
 
1,319 posts, read 4,225,664 times
Reputation: 1152
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzlover View Post
Well, the Grand Cherokee has had the dubious distinction of having the worst or nearly the worst score for reliability in Consumer Reports surveys of its readers on vehicle reliability. That squares with my friends' experiences. As and example, a good friend of mine--who is absolutely fastidious about maintaining his vehicles, and generally gets 200,000+ miles out of them--owned a GC for two years. He said that it was, flat out, the absolute worst vehicle he had ever owned. Lest someone think I am a Jeep hater, I've owned several over the years, and own one now that I'm quite happy with. But NOT a Grand Cherokee.

I've also been doing some pretty hard-core 4-wheeling for nearly 40 years now--in some of the most challenging places in the US. I tend to know what works, and what stays together--and what doesn't.
I have a 98 GC with nearly 100,000 miles on it. Only maintenance has been needed on it. I'm happy with it.
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Old 11-04-2009, 07:08 PM
 
Location: Wyoming
9,724 posts, read 21,143,953 times
Reputation: 14823
I thought about getting one of those Cherokees when they first came out, but I wanted to pull a 20-foot boat with it, and after trying it out on the highway I decided it was too small and underpowered. (That was in '86, and I don't think they had the V-6 in them yet. I had been pulling the boat with an AMC Eagle.)

Anyway, I got a loaded Grand Wagoneer instead. I paid well over $30K for it including my Eagle trade-in -- a good chunk of change 24 years ago. That was the worst vehicle I ever owned, not that I owned it for long -- just a few months. I didn't abuse it in any way, but it seemed I couldn't take it out of town without something breaking on it. I remember driving up Pikes Peak with the rear window down, because the window wouldn't go up that morning. Talk about dust! I was able to manually raise it that night, after taking the rear door apart. I think that was the last straw.
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