Newbie here with ?s

[Lowfill]

Hello all, My wife and I got introduced to the 4 wheel craze over the 4th in Ouray and have decided it is something we want to do. We have owned a 2001 toyota 4 runner since new, but have not taken it off road to speak of, its the wifes baby. We want to do some exploring of the trails around the metro area, and go back to Ouray, and possible Moab at a later date. I do not think we will be doing any thing to radical, deffinatly not heavy duty rock crawling. I have been looking at 96 to 2001 Jeep Cherokees, and was wondering what was the thoughts on those. Like what year(s) would be the best, if I should look at the grand models or just the box models. Would love to get some of your oppinions on this, and hopefully be able to join some of you in the near future for some experiance and goodfellowship on the trails of Colorado.:)
:)Phil & Deb

[Chris]

Hi Phil & Deb and welcome! Ouray will turn a lot of people to getting off-road!


We have owned a 2001 toyota 4 runner since new, but have not taken it off road to speak of, its the wifes baby.

That's a great truck to take off-road! Nothing against Cherokees but I like 4Runners!

[Lowfill]

I thought of that. I would probably take the running boards off, and add some sliders at the beginning, then see where this excusion takes us. Anything I should be aware of with 200k + miles on it.

[Chris]

The running board wouldn't last long and sliders are always the first thing to do in my opinion. 200k is no big deal if it's been maintained. I have 178k on mine and wouldn't hesitate to take it cross country. 4Runners are very capable stock so I'd start with just sliders and off-road tires and you'll be good. It's always best to learn to drive it stock before making any modifications.

[xaza]

welcome to the group

[The StRanger]

Welcome to the dark side ...
We have cookies !!!

[javaman34]

Welcome to our little slice of Heaven.

[Hypoid]

First, welcome aboard!

Second, what is your anticipated usage for that second vehicle: Daily driver, weekend toy, tow a camper+weekend toy?

[Brad]

Welcome! I second Mike's question. It all depends on how tough a trail you are planning on running. Regardless you are better off running the 4 runner with sliders and more aggressive sliders. Cherokees while very capable are unibody and have their pitfalls. A Cherokee with 200k even if well maintained will have hidden issues. Esp if it has been wheeled.

[Brucker]

Welcome

[Patrolman]

Welcome! Just as Chris said, I am partial to the 4Runner as well. Nothing wrong with 200k as long as it has been maintained.

[94ToyBear]

Welcome! I say stay with 96 and newer for the OBD2.
I personally like things with a full frame but the grands and Cherokee can be a great choice with so protection.

[redneck23ms]

welcome. i believe you are on the right track with a cherokee. imo they are the best bang for the buck wheeler you can get. they ride pretty well too. and any year will work fine as they are all pretty much the same. if you can fine a 98+ with 4.0 auto 231 transfer case and chrysler 8.25 rear axle you'd have a pretty good base to build from.

[Jim]

:steer:

Welcome to the group!



My wife and I got introduced to the 4 wheel craze over the 4th in Ouray

Well, if you're looking for more Ouray... Join in for one day or several days...

http://www.frontrange4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?23407-4-Days-of-fun-wheeling-SW-Colorado-(Aug-1-4)

Hit the TrailDamage.com links and look at trail info as to difficulty (likely all are low and easily fit so you don't need sliders [just yet])

[BLOODBANE]

Welcome to the group. My only warning is once you get started, it goes downhill pretty quick. you will do a trail, then you will want to do a tougher trail, then a tougher one, etc... the mods start happening. I started serious wheeling back in 2000 with one run to Chinamans (Buena Vista). I have done numerous trails since including Holy Cross and Independence (Penrose). Im starting a buggy build out of a Suzuki Samurai for Carnage in Buena Vista. My Ranger has gone from 31's all the way up to 36's and still its not finished.

I do agree that whatever you get, get to know how it handles and what it will do. And dont try to do anything your not comfortable doing. you can get into some serious trouble. When your on the trail, dont be afraid to ask questions (the only dumb question is the one you dont ask). This group is a great one for learning.

[Chris]

Also watch the yellow box on the main page - click the banner if you get confused - for runs that are planned. There's usually a planning discussion under Trail Run Planning to help you determine if it something you should try or not.

Being an odd year weather-wise we've not had as many runs as usual but the season is now wide-open and there should be aa bunch more coming up so you can pick & choose.

We don't have the formalities like some other local clubs. Just show up, say hello and have a good time and learn from friendly, experienced people.

[Shane]

Welcome

[Lowfill]

Thanks all for the advice. After talking with the Boss, (wife). We have decided to go the Cherokee route. So I need to sell the Miata. I will post a link here when I get it up on craigslist. In the mean time if anyone sees a good deal on a cherokee, and your not going to take it let me know. Thanks again, hope to see you all real soon. By the way we will probably not be doing anything over a 5\6 on the trail damage scale, and we will be using it for a daily driver on bad weather days.

[Stu]

Welcome to FR. Cherokees are great wheelers, I would shoot for year models 97-99 if you are looking at XJ's.

[EKXJ87]

Welcome to FR, I really like my cherokee and with a modest lift and 33 you can run alot of local trails with no problem. GOOD CHOICE :D

[BLOODBANE]

I did have my Explorer for sale (avatar pic), but got tired of all the low ballers. There are a few around here if I can catch up with them I can check them out for you. Lots of mild lifts, and bigger than stock tires (nothing extreme).

[jayson44]

welcome! Craigslist will have a slew of Cherokees for sale from $900- $4500 for "lifted rock crawlers". however, one thing I've noticed is that a lot of the cheaper ones don't have the basics completed to make it a safe daily driver as well as a crawler. lots of lifts with 33s or 35s, but not very many with proper steering, brakes, or gearing taken into consideration. just be aware of that. :)

oh, and be prepared to J.ust E.mpty E.very P.ocket! :D

J.

[kkxj]

Welcome! Been loving my xj since i got it in november. My only issues with getting my 2001 is low pinion front diff, extra catalytic converter, and heat soak issue. The last two were somewhat easy fixes. Not too worried about front diff. Been using as my daily driver and weekend wheeler.

[96EXXLTinCO]

Not a bad deal on a what would make a good starter rig. You can get 33" tires under em pretty darn cheap if you know a thing or two about cars and workin on em.

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/5137547001.html

[Shadowmaker]

Welcome!

Looks like you have chosen the Cherokee route. It is a fantastic platform that I have had quite a few of. Keep in mind the older Cherokee platform rides like the truck that it is. Not like the smoother platform of the 4runner or JK Wranglers. Great thing about the Cherokee is the simplicity.

Even better... this group doesn't really care what you roll in or your driving ability, just a great group of folks enjoying the outdoors at many levels.

Jim

[Java]

so after wheeling with Phil and Debbie yesterday I have to add that their 200K 4Runner looks like it came off the showroom floor yesterday, and it has the factory rear locker.

[Lowfill]

Paul, this is Debbie and your comment is funny! Yes I washed my 4-runner the night before so it would look coming down the trails. We had a good laugh on your comment. See you again.