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Reading comprehension seems to be lacking. As stated above, the FJ Cruiser was discontinued in the US after 2014. And here you have it, right from the Toyota website. https://www.toyota.com/fjcruiser/
Reading comprehension seems to be lacking. As stated above, the FJ Cruiser was discontinued in the US after 2014. And here you have it, right from the Toyota website. https://www.toyota.com/fjcruiser/
How does a Tampa Bay newspaper do a comprehensive review of the 2017 model?
Jeep Wrangler all day. Holds its value better than anything and it's the same drivetrain since 2012. It's very proven and has no competition.
No competition off road. But as a daily driver it's a horrible winter vehicle. In fact, it's a horrible daily driver any time of the year. It only has part time 4 wheel drive. Almost anything else on the road with a transfer case has full time 4 wheel drive capability, until you get up into the 3/4 ton and larger pickups. I own a Wrangler and it's strictly for off road and local use at my winter house. If I had one in Alaska, it wouldn't be used in the winter unless something else broke down. But I would never own one for winter driving. For winter driving, it's my Silverado all winter long.
I will check out the FJ toyota. Not as cute as jeep but better than a truck or mini van look. 40000 for a jeep?! Who is spending that? The ones I looked at did not cost that much.
Shelly,
I live NW of Denver on an acreage. Our half-mile long driveway is an unpaved dirt road that often drifts over when we get snow with wind. And when the snow melts or it rains hard that dirt road turns into mud. Suffice to say we need 4WD to get home on occasion. We have four drivers at home and all vehicles are 4WD out of necessity. One older Bronco, two Explorers and my Toyota FJ Cruiser. I would recommend you look at the FJ, though Toyota took a break on building them... you will have to buy a used one to get the best bang for your buck. They have a different look to them for sure but I like that it doesn't look like every other vehicle on the road either. It drives great on the highway and crawls with the best of them too.
We used to keep an early 70s-era JeepCJ with a full cage and a Warn winch (was our Moab crawler later on) but after we bent the frame on it and my spouse took it apart to fix it... he turned it into a beautiful show car and sold it to some rich guy who just had to have it. Originally, it had a 258, manual in it and we rarely had mechanical problems with it ever; though driving it on the highway was more dangerous than taking it over rocks.
"Jeeps" looking like the original derivative are not the same animal, though they look similar. It is my belief, and I know this from several friends that currently own Wranglers and Rubicon cousins, that there is a very strong Jeep cult that drives the reason that those owners refuse to report anything bad about their cherished Jeeps. A friend of mine in one of my photo club associations has had to be rescued twice now, once electrical, the second time was the transmission. But if you ask him how he likes his Jeep he will rant and rave about how great it is. And it is beautiful too, on the outside.
One thing I will say is this, as a woman, I won't have a vehicle that has the documented, proven data that says it could strand me. Before I bought the FJ, I looked hard at a nice Rubicon because I still have that Jeep cult thing running in my blood too I guess... but my head won because the data (and my spouse) said don't do it! Love my little FJ and haven't looked back since.
OP should probably consider one of the below, to actually do it right offroading. If you could figure out a way to have something similar imported to the U.S.A.
I have no idea the specifics, other than the obvious branding and that it was brand new, but photo was taken outside the Dune 7 Bar in the Namib Desert, close to Walvis Bay Namibia, the other year. One of the most stark, god-forsaken, harsh, yet utterly beautiful places on the planet.
The are few, if-any, "Jeeps" or other garbage that wouldn't last out the month in southwest Africa, just diesel Toyotas and a smattering of Land Rovers in various flavors. Since it's life or death, most people there make the right choice for "life" in their vehicle. We were on KTM and BMW GS-type motorcycles, same theory, though the only motorcycle dealer in Swakopmund actually was Yamaha (with a few BMW parts, too).
I live NW of Denver on an acreage. Our half-mile long driveway is an unpaved dirt road that often drifts over when we get snow with wind. And when the snow melts or it rains hard that dirt road turns into mud. Suffice to say we need 4WD to get home on occasion. We have four drivers at home and all vehicles are 4WD out of necessity. One older Bronco, two Explorers and my Toyota FJ Cruiser. I would recommend you look at the FJ, though Toyota took a break on building them... you will have to buy a used one to get the best bang for your buck. They have a different look to them for sure but I like that it doesn't look like every other vehicle on the road either. It drives great on the highway and crawls with the best of them too.
We used to keep an early 70s-era JeepCJ with a full cage and a Warn winch (was our Moab crawler later on) but after we bent the frame on it and my spouse took it apart to fix it... he turned it into a beautiful show car and sold it to some rich guy who just had to have it. Originally, it had a 258, manual in it and we rarely had mechanical problems with it ever; though driving it on the highway was more dangerous than taking it over rocks.
"Jeeps" looking like the original derivative are not the same animal, though they look similar. It is my belief, and I know this from several friends that currently own Wranglers and Rubicon cousins, that there is a very strong Jeep cult that drives the reason that those owners refuse to report anything bad about their cherished Jeeps. A friend of mine in one of my photo club associations has had to be rescued twice now, once electrical, the second time was the transmission. But if you ask him how he likes his Jeep he will rant and rave about how great it is. And it is beautiful too, on the outside.
One thing I will say is this, as a woman, I won't have a vehicle that has the documented, proven data that says it could strand me. Before I bought the FJ, I looked hard at a nice Rubicon because I still have that Jeep cult thing running in my blood too I guess... but my head won because the data (and my spouse) said don't do it! Love my little FJ and haven't looked back since.
They're still Jeeps. They come with Dana solid front and rear axles and is the only vehicle left with recirculating ball steering. It's also the only convertible SUV left in the world. It's also the only road worthy vehicle with removable doors. It's also the only 4 door convertible of any kind left in the world. It's also the only vehicle left with a fold down windshield. As an added bonus there's a ton of aftermarket support and even OEM parts are relatively inexpensive and they hold their value forever. There really is no competition left for the Jeep.
Ive been wanting to trade in my honda civic to get a 4 door jeep wrangler. I want a car that can handle any weather, snow, not get a flat if you drive over some branches out in nature. When I had my Hyundai I got so many flats. Those tires could not handle anything. And I slid all over in the snow. I want the kind of car that can plow right over that snow, without getting a truck. I want a 4 door, big strong tires, but NOT a truck or mini van. A jeep seemed perfect for me. But everyone Ive talked to says Jeep has a lot of problems. That they break down a lot. Even when they are still new. Is Jeep still the best way to go? Or is there a good alternative? Something not crazy expensive that wont break down all the time.
Just get the Jeep. If you buy anything else it's just going to bother you everytime you see a Wrangler rocked out with the top down and doors off.
Reliability is just as good as anything else. Buy it new if possible. They hold their value well which means getting it used isn't really that great of a deal, and there's a big potential a used Jeep has had a rough life. Sure if people drove them like Civics they'd last forever.
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