Daily Driver input, again

[Eric91Z]

OK, as many of you may or may not know, my Marauder is my daily driver here in lovely Iowa. I hate it is that way because not only does it get driven in the winter, but it has also been seeing 500+ miles per week and will continue to do so until after the first of the year. I have put about 32,000 miles on the car in the last 15 months.

Since I have a divorce in progress, house is being sold, etc, I will be moving back to my home town area and about 5-8 miles away from work. Even closer when we change buildings in Februaray. So that will help keep miles off of the car.

Even so, I still plan on retiring the Marauder from daily driving duty so I can some day give it a complete detail, head-to-toe, inside and out, and not have to drive it in the winter any more and leave it parked in the garage if I know it is going to rain. And, so I can start doing some modifications that are limited at this time since I run 16" wheels in the winter (i.e.; bigger brakes).

Now, originally, when I thought I was going to stay married and have this same daily commute for a long time to come, I just wanted to pick something up that got decent gas mileage, could rack the miles up, and just got me from point A to point B and back safely. I was thinking Panther Platform car, Grand Prix, Regal, etc.

Now, since I will be doing fewer miles in a day, I am thinking I want a 4WD again. I miss my truck and I miss the Durango that my wife used to have. I want some more useable interior space. Main concern is room and comfort for myself and back seat room for my 18 month old daughter to be comfortable and not be able to kick the backs of the front seats. I want something easy to get in and out of the back seat so I can put the baby in the car seat without hitting my head or having to lean over too far. I also want something kind of nice in case, heaven forbid, I ever have a date again once I am single. Don't want to take her out in an ex-cop car Crown Vic or something. And I want something that can do towing of smaller things, has decent interior space for getting stuff at the store (Lowe's, Best Buy, etc), and it has to be safe and RELIABLE. Ease of maintenance and built to last will be prime considerations. And lots of available parts (part of why I don't want an Audi - high parts and labor costs if I can't fix myself).

I don't think I really need a full size SUV unless they make sense from a price stand point. I don't really want a truck as I want more covered, interior space and don't want to look at a bed cover, etc. I will be getting used and the newest I can afford. I am assuming I will be in the $8000-$12,000 range for a budget when the time comes.

Here are some ones I am thinking of:

- 1999-2001 Jeep Cherokee (XJ) with the 4.0L and automatic
- '99+ Jeep Grand Cherokee (WJ) with either the 4.0L or V8
- Ford Explorer (?) - not sure on this one or not
- Ford Expedition - just seem to be affordable used, but not sure I want/need something that big - could put a supercharger on it though...
- Chevy Tahoe - same as Expedition
- Dodge Durango (previous body style - not the current one) - although I am sure the soon to be ex-wife would truely be pissed if I got one of these since she wants another one and misses her last one (I kind of miss it too).
- Toyota 4-Runner - would have to look at ones even older than the above as they seem to be holding their value well.


I know, there are AWD vehicles like the Audi Quattros, Subaru, etc, but I have decided I don't like smaller vehicles. I just don't feel comfortable in them. And, like I said, I want something that has some towing ability - jet ski, smaller trailer, etc and has some ground clearance for light off-roading.

So, any and all input on this subject would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks,

[Smokie]

Jeep Cherokee with an inline 6 is a work horse, 2 of my sons drive them, both with auto- 4wd and inline 6. That would be my recommendation.:D

[Eric91Z]

Jeep Cherokee with an inline 6 is a work horse, 2 of my sons drive them, both with auto- 4wd and inline 6. That would be my recommendation.:D

Thanks for the reply. That is what I am thinking. It is big enough to give me what I am looking for and small enough to fit in regular parking places and a garage. It is at the top of my list right now.

Plus, I have heard that if taken care of, the Cherokee will last a long time. I just need to find one that doesn't look too boring. I think some of the base models and Sports look pretty plain jane, but some Sports and some Limited (if you can find a Cherokee Limited) look pretty nice. Plus, they look like they have nice cup holders for the driver. Minor thing, but important to me...

Huge aftermarket support, too, if you ever need anything or want to add some cool stuff.

[HwyCruiser]

We've been really pleased with our '01 AWD V6 Ford Escape. It has had a few issues that have been covered under warranty (brakes, a/c), but it has always come through the winters with a new found appreciation for its sure-footedness in the snow. We have made several KC-Denver runs during the winter holidays and I-70 can get to be a mess sometimes, but the Escape has come though like a trooper (no pun intended) every time.

It gets about 21-22 mpg on the highway and has a fair amount of space for a smaller SUV. Fit and finish is adequate for a Ford model - our XLT has leather, sunroof and premium sound. We usually haul stuff in a carrier on the roof or a luggage rack off the hitch (sometimes both).

My wife really likes it and doesn't seem to want to part with it any time soon, so she'll probably drive it at least until the 7 year / 100k extended warranty runs out in a couple years - then I'll inherit it as a beater.

[Eric91Z]

We've been really pleased with our '01 AWD V6 Ford Escape. It has had a few issues that have been covered under warranty (brakes, a/c), but it has always come through the winters with a new found appreciation for its sure-footedness in the snow. We have made several KC-Denver runs during the winter holidays and I-70 can get to be a mess sometimes, but the Escape has come though like a trooper (no pun intended) every time.

It gets about 21-22 mpg on the highway and has a fair amount of space for a smaller SUV. Fit and finish is adequate for a Ford model - our XLT has leather, sunroof and premium sound. We usually haul stuff in a carrier on the roof or a luggage rack off the hitch (sometimes both).

My wife really likes it and doesn't seem to want to part with it any time soon, so she'll probably drive it at least until the 7 year / 100k extended warranty runs out in a couple years - then I'll inherit it as a beater.


My Mom has a V6 Escape, but it is not an XLT. It has cloth, but nice stereo and step-bars on the sides. Looks OK, but I have a VERY hard time getting comfortable in the driver's seat when I drive it. I was impressed with the V6's get-up-and-go. Definitely better than the soon-to-be-ex's Five Hundred.

My mom has used her quite a bit for hauling stuff - mulch, flowers, etc and the back area still looks pretty clean. And, at least when my mom is driving (she is about 5' 3") and the baby seat behind her, there is a ton of room for the baby. She can actually stand up behind the driver's seat waiting for you to put her in her seat...

[HwyCruiser]

I'm 6'2" and the Escape is pretty comfortable on the 650 mile trips out to Denver. Maybe it's the seats. It has pretty good headroom even with the space lost to the motorized sunroof. I hate having to crawl in and out of a vehicle, so the seat hight is pretty nice too.

On trips we usually put a cooler on the floor behind the center console, a goodie bag between the child seats on the back seat, and put hang mobile DVD screens off the back of the front seats for entertainment, and stick the dog in the back. The vehicle definitely looks "lived in" at the end of the trip, but it's been really serviceable for our needs.

Here's a pic of the Escape in full going to grandma's house gear:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/jdomino/th_escape.jpg (http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/jdomino/escape.jpg)

[KillJoy]

I am trying to get a Mid-90's Cherokee as a DD myself ;)

KillJoy

[Eric91Z]

I am trying to get a Mid-90's Cherokee as a DD myself ;)

KillJoy

I am thinking '97-01 at least. I have read that they re-did the 4.0L in '97 - little more HP and smoother running. Just trying to find out more information on options, etc available on the various years.

[GAMike]

Just a thought but what ever you buy it would be good to buy a southern car, down south and drive it back. You can find out a cars in service history through Carfax (one of the few things that svc. is good for).

If you buy something in the Atl- Dallas Metro that has been there all its life, I think you could go a year or two older than you were planning and pocket some extra dough.....

Miles may be higher, but no rot issues to deal with.

Good luck, & Btw. You can never go wrong with a 4Runner, my brother had one that he put over 300k on, and only 1 clutch replacement.

Best regards,

[Eric91Z]

Just a thought but what ever you buy it would be good to buy a southern car, down south and drive it back. You can find out a cars in service history through Carfax (one of the few things that svc. is good for).

If you buy something in the Atl- Dallas Metro that has been there all its life, I think you could go a year or two older than you were planning and pocket some extra dough.....

Miles may be higher, but no rot issues to deal with.

Good luck, & Btw. You can never go wrong with a 4Runner, my brother had one that he put over 300k on, and only 1 clutch replacement.

Best regards,


This is a good point. And I love road trips. Flew to Chicago to buy my Marauder site unseen and drove it home. Nice way to get to know a vehicle.

[Raudermaster]

Do not go with a Durango. My Dad's friend has one, my friend has one. They both don't do much driving, and in a week they spend well over $65 dollars filling up. They're not that comfortable either. I'd go with a Jeep, or an Explorer. We've always had an Explorer in our family, and have not had a single problem with one, so I can't see why some people say "Exploder." My Mom had a '99 XLS 4.0 4wd, and she loved it, a little too "rugged" for her style. She now has an '04 4.6l XLT with every single bell and whistle on it and it's very comfy, has plenty of power to boot, and the 4wd in it is great.

[Mike Poore]

Barb drove an '03, now an '05 Aviator, both exceptional vehicles. The '05 has traction control as did the '03; but the '05 also has stability control. This feature saved us from a wreck at 70mph, and will be a major consideration in any SUV we own in the future. They've got the Marauder motor and at about 20K miles the fuel consumption improves to about 20 MPG, never better. Having to burn 91+ octane fuel at that consumption level is why L/M dealers have 'em on their lots at good discounts. I'm not sure if the '04's have stability control, or not, so can't address those models. There have been no service issues with either vehicle.

We see a lot of Jeep Cherokees on the road, and since they've made hardly exterior design changes over the years, we can't tell 'em apart, so doing a little homework will pay off. I do know this about them, in our salt covered road environment here in PA, they seem to have gotten the salt protection sorted out, because we never see rusted out Jeeps. They do seem "tinny" though.

[96DiamondVIII]

Go with the XJ Cherokee. I have friends and family members who have owned those, all of them with the 4.0 inline 6, and they're dependable, rugged, and safe should you happen to be in an accident. Huge aftermarket too if that's your thing. The only downsides I know of are no legroom in the rear seats (probably not a big concern if your daughter is that young), and I think the older ones had iffy transmissions.

[Black_Noise]

xj are good, ive been doing general mait. for a buddy, and his has 218k + on the odo.

solid for cheap

[Eric91Z]

OK, just for the sake of discussion since it has really been brought up in this thread yet (mainly because of what I outlined as my needs), how about input and discussion on these 2:

Chevy Tahoe (either pre-'01 or the '01, '02 model) vs. the Ford Expedition?