Overlooked SUVs

[grfox92]

Armadas/QX56/QX80s are well reviewed over at expedition portal but they're not nearly as popular as land cruisers. Lower popularity means cheaper, but less aftermarket and less support. I looked pretty hard at getting one, but the lack of a flat rear floor pushed me away from them.

They are very similar to the Titan underneath, and titans are pretty nice, but not popular. I'm leaning towards a land cruiser purely because I'm tired of having something less common and having to fight with it. If you're looking to save a bunch of money, I'd look hard at an Armada.

Good info thanks. Like I said this is just temporary. I need to get a house built and i'm not looking to incur any extra debt.

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[bojangles808]

I wanted to bump this thread to the top.

I'm looking for an SUV with 3rd row seat. As a die hard Ford guy, I still have no interest in messing with a mid 2000s Expedition.

I'm buying with cash so looking under $10k

Seqiouas are stupid expensive. 275k mile clean trucks are going for $8-10k. I dont see many for sale with more miles which leads me to believe that might not be the move.

Plenty of low mileage Nissan Armadas for reasonable prices. Pretty sure they have the same drivetrain as the Titans which have a great reputation and longevity. Any chronic problems with the Armadas that should steer me away from them?

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Yes I got a deal on a titan but had to put headers on it bc theresa design flaw with the manifolds and they crack. It seemed prety comon but search titan leaking manifolds and you should find more info. Think armada has same issue

 

[Ferrulewax]

Armadas/QX56/QX80s are well reviewed over at expedition portal but they're not nearly as popular as land cruisers. Lower popularity means cheaper, but less aftermarket and less support. I looked pretty hard at getting one, but the lack of a flat rear floor pushed me away from them.

They are very similar to the Titan underneath, and titans are pretty nice, but not popular. I'm leaning towards a land cruiser purely because I'm tired of having something less common and having to fight with it. If you're looking to save a bunch of money, I'd look hard at an Armada.

They have a good bit of support overseas as the Patrol. That said I have heard a few mixed reviews on their transmissions but people should do their own research because that is just from an aquantaince or two

 

[Wildhorse]

You can find them although I brought mine back directly but an older nissan patrol with the 3.3 turbo diesel or like mine the 4.2 perkins diesel are unstoppable I also get 27 mpg out of my naturally aspirated 4.2

 

[CorbLand]

I wanted to bump this thread to the top.

I'm looking for an SUV with 3rd row seat. As a die hard Ford guy, I still have no interest in messing with a mid 2000s Expedition.

I'm buying with cash so looking under $10k

Seqiouas are stupid expensive. 275k mile clean trucks are going for $8-10k. I dont see many for sale with more miles which leads me to believe that might not be the move.

Plenty of low mileage Nissan Armadas for reasonable prices. Pretty sure they have the same drivetrain as the Titans which have a great reputation and longevity. Any chronic problems with the Armadas that should steer me away from them?

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My uncle had an Armada for a bit. I would bet it was the tires and wheels he had on the thing but it danced all over the road. Not like some nice slow dance either, it was a like you see people doing to techno music.

 

[Blacktocomm]

Good info thanks. Like I said this is just temporary. I need to get a house built and i'm not looking to incur any extra debt.

What about like a 2012 Honda Pilot? You can most likely find those around $10k or so. We have a CRV and even though its as boring as plain oatmeal it is also dead reliable and gets nearly 28MPG on the roads to most hunting spots.

 

[TaperPin]

Since you mentioned being a ford fan, a while back an interesting first gen expedition came up for sale - it was a 80k mile county government owned 4x4 with a brand new engine installed by ford and new rubber all around for $5k. The high cost of replacement engines is definitely the Achilles heal of expeditions . My favorite vehicle of all time was an expedition - lots of room, easy to drive in traffic, great view from the driver seat - but the lack of quality of replacement engines and super high cost of dealer engines has doomed them to the scrap pile, even if you’re a motor head and enjoy working on things.

My replacement is a 4 Runner and it’s not as practical and much smaller for only a few mpg.

I hate to suggest a Tahoe, but used they are probably more fixable.

If you need a third row, don’t overlook the minivans.

The best $500 a guy can invest when dealing with used vehicles out of the 2000’s is one of the new generation of code reader/diagnostic tablets. Prices in the last few years have really dropped for the features previously only in the pro level units.

 

[jimh406]

Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer or Limited. Sure, there may be a bit of engine maintenance, but otherwise, a solid vehicle with a reasonable ride. Other than timing chain/belt, they are good for 400K miles.

 

[idahodave]

Any Tahoe with the 5.3 prior to the AFM is going to run about a million miles in my experience.

Dave

 

[Yellowknife]

Plenty of low mileage Nissan Armadas for reasonable prices. Pretty sure they have the same drivetrain as the Titans which have a great reputation and longevity. Any chronic problems with the Armadas that should steer me away from them?

Had a 2018 Armada on the newer Patrol chassis and put 110k on it. Was not a fan. Lots of stupid issues, and because they were relatively rare and poorly supported by the dealer network, repairs were often slow. Even though every part "looked" heavy duty, I went through air suspension, brake, and hub parts at an above average rate. Suspension sagged and the factory rear springs had to be swapped for something stiffer. Engine sprung an oil leak and it would throw codes that would baffle the techs. Gas tank was too small. Interior was weird. There is a reason they are cheap. Older generation might actually be better?

The 5.6L/7 spd was a great towing drivetrain though. I'll give it that. Drug around a travel trailer quite a bit.

Traded it out for '17 Expedition, and like it better all around. A more practical interior layout, better third row foot room, flat floor in the back, and parts and support are everywhere. Gets 2 mpg better around town too. The are still Fords, so reliability is average, but at least I can fix it.

 

[ddd-shooter]

Any Tahoe with the 5.3 prior to the AFM is going to run about a million miles in my experience.

Dave

Can confirm! May have to rebuild a tranny after a while, but they go forever

 

[grfox92]

Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer or Limited. Sure, there may be a bit of engine maintenance, but otherwise, a solid vehicle with a reasonable ride. Other than timing chain/belt, they are good for 400K miles.

Anything with a 4.6 is a solid runner.

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[grfox92]

Any Tahoe with the 5.3 prior to the AFM is going to run about a million miles in my experience.

Dave

Are the afm the ones that lose lifters?

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[grfox92]

What about like a 2012 Honda Pilot? You can most likely find those around $10k or so. We have a CRV and even though its as boring as plain oatmeal it is also dead reliable and gets nearly 28MPG on the roads to most hunting spots.

Needs to be somewhat off road capable, we live on Rurual Wyoming.

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[grfox92]

Since you mentioned being a ford fan, a while back an interesting first gen expedition came up for sale - it was a 80k mile county government owned 4x4 with a brand new engine installed by ford and new rubber all around for $5k. The high cost of replacement engines is definitely the Achilles heal of expeditions . My favorite vehicle of all time was an expedition - lots of room, easy to drive in traffic, great view from the driver seat - but the lack of quality of replacement engines and super high cost of dealer engines has doomed them to the scrap pile, even if you’re a motor head and enjoy working on things.

My replacement is a 4 Runner and it’s not as practical and much smaller for only a few mpg.

I hate to suggest a Tahoe, but used they are probably more fixable.

If you need a third row, don’t overlook the minivans.

The best $500 a guy can invest when dealing with used vehicles out of the 2000’s is one of the new generation of code reader/diagnostic tablets. Prices in the last few years have really dropped for the features previously only in the pro level units.

Pre 2004 expeditions are solid and don't have the issues that plagued the newer 5.4s

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[idahodave]

Are the afm the ones that lose lifters?

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not all, but a lot of them do.

 

[Rich M]

Get a Subaru with a rainbow flag on it and no-one will mess w your stuff.

 

[Lowedown]

I couldn't find if you are requiring much back seat space for children or something? Only asking as the small pickup with a canopy route covers most of the same bases as an SUV . I love my little 1994 4x4 Toyota pickup with a canopy that opens on the sides and back. It came off of a Ford Ranger that had the same box dimensions

 

[ewade07]

Probably not of much interest due to its size, but i bought a 1999 Rav4 AWD 5 spd with the locking differential. I didnt want to have to drive my 2002 Tundra everywhere i went hunting. So far ive only used it bird hunting but its deemed itself worthy. The back seats fold up nicely for more cargo room. Two dogs and my bird hunting gear fit no problem in the back. Took it out antelope hunting and stuffed a whole antelope in the back as well. Its got big tires, good ground clearance and a short wheel base. Its pretty gutless but i didnt get it to go fast. I havent had it on any true "hunting" roads but i feel like it will do just fine.

 

[IH8Cali]

98-02 LC/LX with maintenance history. They're tough to beat in this economy and still check all the boxes.