View Full Version : Cherokee or 4runner?
Which would you rather use for maintaing property and not getting stuck driving around on 140 acres of family land. 80 of it is open field rest is woods. It would be my "go hunting, camping truck".
My specs: 1997-1999 for both, 5 speed manual in both, I6 in the jeep, prefer the rear locker on the 4runner.
Cost effective is the key here. Not looking to drop much money in it at all. My everyday car will not work at all for getting on the property.
Which would you get and why?
Personally I'd recommend just a 90's early 2000's(read pre 2007) Wrangler if you don't wanna spend much. I bought a 2010 Wranlger, put some money into it(Bumper/Winch, MTR tires, some engine performace mods). I got it when it was time to trade off my older vehicle and I wanted something new and a Jeep.
Littlelebowski
09-02-12, 21:40
Cherokee. I wish they still made them in stick shift.
Found a couple Cherokee's with between 100,000-150,000 miles that look clean on autotrader priced around 5,500. Not sur if that is a good price or not.
Any major mechanical issues on these?
Heavy Metal
09-02-12, 22:36
I have a mid-90s Cherokee with 87,000 miles on it. I had to replace the water pump the other day, otherwise, it has been solid.
The good news is I replaced it myself. The Jeep is simple enough for someone with basic skill to do many repairs by themselves. The brakes and engine work short of pulling the block I can do. I also pulled the radiator and had it refurbished while I was at it.
Mine has the Aisin Automatic Transmission in it. Keep the flud changed every 25 Thousand miles and it is about as bombproof an automatic as you can find.
I have driven the 5 speed at work and mine was bought surplus with 60K miles on it in 02 during a fleet reduction. I would have slightly prefered the 5 Speed but don't let the tranny be a deal breaker. My agency ran fleets of these in the 90's thru early 00's and I NEVER saw the Transmission fail on one. 80% of them were automatics.
Long did we rue the cessation of production of the Cherokee because we drove them to hell and back.
The Grand Cherokees and Libertys did not come close to measuring up.
4runner.
Im a firm believer in Toyota, esp. Toyotas of the time period you're looking at.
I just sold an 01 Tacoma with 175k miles and i'd never done anything but regular maint. to it. I replaced it with a 09' Tacoma. I also have a Corolla.
Not saying anything bad about Jeeps, i just dont have experience with them. I did look at a few cherokees and I almost bought one. I like no frills vehicles and it fits the bill. It would be the cheaper route too probably.
For rough road/off-road use nothing beats a body on frame. The Jeep is a uni-body, the 4Runner a body on frame; the choice is obvious.
Actually I recommend a tractor, but either of those two choices would work. The older Cherokees were some of the only Chrysler products I'd consider owning and the Toyotas are also good...but I'd have an old Tacoma for a woods truck. Put a flat bed on it...hell yeah...
My best friend growing up lived in a Jeep family. A couple late 90s Cherokees and a 2000 Wrangler Sport. Those vehicle are tanks. We took them up in the mountain regularly and they were very reliable. His father still has the Wrangler with somewhere close to 200k miles on it. Still runs great and is reliable.
JeepDriver
09-03-12, 09:27
I own a 99 Cherokee.
Love it for off road and range trips. With 31" tires and 3:55 gears it gets around 15 mpg. Not the best, but since it isn't a daily driver it isn't an issue.
As for the locker, you can add a Lock Right to the jeep for under $500.
I have owned both, and while my 4runner was a cool truck it's nowhere near the vehicle either of my Cherokees are.
I daily drive a 2001 XJ with a 4" lift and 31" MT's and it has been an even better vehicle (reliability wise) than my old '04 land rover. My jeep has 198k miles on it and has been the most capable and reliable vehicle I've ever owned. Not to mention it gets 17mpg highway.
So, in my completely biased opinion, a jeep is the obvious choice.
Plus, they just look cool:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/09/04/rynehezu.jpg
Take a look at the stock vehicles that are used for off road training at BSR, O'neil Rally school, XE, Jeep Cherokees with the 4.0 straight six. I have owned three jeeps, an 88 cherokee, 95 grand cherokee and my favorite an 84 Scrambler, all had the 4.0 straight 6 and just run. Toyotas are good trucks as well although I have never owned one. Don't count out the old Nissan Path finders, I have owned two of those and the 94 I had I put 210,000 miles on with no issues.
I would honestly say you can't go wrong with either. Personally I would get the Cherokee because I am a huge Jeep fan but also love the reputation of the older Toyota's for durability.
I think your biggest risk in deciding is when you do land on the particular vehicle you want to purchase have it thoroughly checked out by a trusted mechanic. Either one of these models will be great for your intended purpose IF you buy one in good shape.
-Jax
Dont count out Jeep's that have "jeep issues". When I was searching for my Wrangler I looked at a ton and most had evidence of various normal jeep issues, the most common being various seals(axle seals, pinion seals, oil pan gasket, rear main seal, valve cover gasket, etc...) which are cheap parts wise, but expensive labor wise unless you can do them yourself.
The Wrangler I ended up buying leaked from everywhere that had fluid in it and it needed a clutch, but otherwise was in ok shape. I got $3000 off of asking price due to this and "what it would cost to take to a shop to get repaired" which was the truth. I have $1000 into it for all new seals in what was mentioned above(did them myself), new clutch, labor on the clutch(didnt feel like doing it myself), all new fluids(f&r diffs, engine, trans, transfer case, radiator, power steering and brake), and a new radio. I need to get a new top and I have the carpet torn out to spray bed liner in. I have plans for new big axles, 4" lift, 35" tires and lots of armor.
I dont know about Cherokee's, but Wranglers are so easy to work on and parts are everywhere. Hell, you could build a Wrangler out of junkyard parts for pretty cheap if you really were ambitious. I dont think I will ever sell my Wrangler although I dont drive it as much as I would like honestly, but its a second vehicle.
My wife had a 2000 Cherokee with 4.0 straight 6 and 5 speed. She got a 4 Runner in 2006. The 4 runner is perfection. The jeep was very good. If you are going to put a lot of miles on it, get the 4runner.
Both types would do well for you in a variety of applications. I've owned several TJs, YJs, XJs, and a JK. I ran my XJ to ~220k miles with no major work. I have a TJ that's on its second engine and still going strong. The JK is the family truckster. I'd recommend all, with the edge going to the Cherokee for it's flexibility as a family/cargo hauler, rather than the space-limited Wrangler.
Never owned a Forerunner, but friends like them and they do well in the backcountry.
We had a few threads on Jeeps and Forerunners here that had a lot of detail, experiences, and some pics.
I've owned both and hands down, the Jeep will be cheaper to buy and cheaper to repair. Another fact, the Toyota will last longer with fewer repairs needed. I think they both have their applications, but I prefer the 4Runner in every way.
If you like oil leaks, failing power window motors, ignition systems that act funky when the battery starts to fail, and general LIFE SUCK ass ache money pits. Get the Jeep!
If this crap isn't your thing. Buy a Toyota.
Littlelebowski
09-04-12, 08:51
If you like oil leaks, failing power window motors, ignition systems that act funky when the battery starts to fail, and general LIFE SUCK ass ache money pits. Get the Jeep!
If this crap isn't your thing. Buy a Toyota.
I had a 1996 Cherokee with none of these problems. Starter did go out around 160k miles, though.
I've done 2 cherokees. I liked their toughness. But they're still a product of Chrysler.
If you could put Toyota Drive Trains and electronics into a Cherokee body frame and axles, I'd get one.
Have you considered something like a Polaris Ranger? You'd be limited to your property but they're mighty handy to have around.
Now thats something I just dont get.
Why would you pay 10k for a SxS atv when you could just get a REAL vehicle for the same price?
If you want something small just get a samurai
Heavy Metal
09-04-12, 09:49
I've done 2 cherokees. I liked their toughness. But they're still a product of Chrysler.
If you could put Toyota Drive Trains and electronics into a Cherokee body frame and axles, I'd get one.
The Aisin Transmission is the same tranny many Toyotas of that vintage used.
Littlelebowski
09-04-12, 09:53
The problem I have with Toyotas; particularly for this application, is their high resale value. I also feel (from personal experience) that the Jeep is a more capable off road performer with excellent power and surprisingly good gas mileage.
Why would you pay 10k for a SxS atv when you could just get a REAL vehicle for the same price?
If you do much off roading in a SxS and in a 4x4 street-legal vehicle, you will soon learn 3 things:
a. The SxS can go places that your street-legal 4x4 cannot.
b. The SxS can handle rough terrain without beating your to death. Not the street-legal vehicle.
c. The street-legal vehicle will require more repairs from rough use off road than the SxS.
It needs to be street legal as I need it to drive to the property (20 miles) and get certain places once at the property that my everyday car can't go. In the future we plan to build a small building up there that I can store an ATV and other equipment in that we can take out on the property once there. There are no "roads" on the property now so you need a truck to drive over the terrain.
Now thats something I just dont get.
Why would you pay 10k for a SxS atv when you could just get a REAL vehicle for the same price?
If you want something small just get a samurai
It's obvious to me that you've never had one.
If you have to drive on the roads to town and be street legal, that's one thing.
If you don't, I think I'd be pulling the samurai out of trouble with my polaris at some point.
mallowpufft
09-04-12, 19:21
I had a 94 4runner that made it till the head gasket blew at 298k miles last spring. Sadly, the wife wouldn't let me fix it ($1200 for the shop to do and I don't have experience or time to do it). However, she does miss it and wants me to get her a 4th Gen with a 3rd row.
Other than new coils in the back it was stock. Tooled around many a trail with it with no problems. One winter I had the joy of putting two tanks of gas through it in one day shuttling staff around in what ended up being 14" of snow and the locality didn't have the manpower to plow anything but the main road. Hell of a lot of annoying coworkers I had to deal with that day but it was kind of fun.
I still sold it for almost 2k.
Tapatalk ate my spelling and grammar.
I had a '99 Cherokee 4x4 for 10 years and 187,000 miles.
Was a daily driver and field truck. Biggest mechanical failure was a dead alternator I replaced on the side of the road for like $60. A/C on the other hand required maintenance several times and I believe most of the system had been replaced by the time I sold it.
My only gripe was the POS drivers seat. I broke the welds on it a few times and had to fix it. But then I'm 6'4" and 250lbs and was somewhat piled into it so YMMV.
I had a 94 4runner that made it till the head gasket blew at 298k miles last spring. Sadly, the wife wouldn't let me fix it ($1200 for the shop to do and I don't have experience or time to do it). However, she does miss it and wants me to get her a 4th Gen with a 3rd row.
Other than new coils in the back it was stock. Tooled around many a trail with it with no problems. One winter I had the joy of putting two tanks of gas through it in one day shuttling staff around in what ended up being 14" of snow and the locality didn't have the manpower to plow anything but the main road. Hell of a lot of annoying coworkers I had to deal with that day but it was kind of fun.
I still sold it for almost 2k.
Tapatalk ate my spelling and grammar.
Same here. It was a hoot!
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/Glocktogo/IMG00090-20110201-1421.jpg
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/Glocktogo/IMG00092-20110202-1301.jpg
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