Moving from commuter to 4wding. Keep the Jeep or move on?

[SnakeDoctor]

Originally Posted by Cherokee30D

Here is what I did....... I was faced with the same delema, so I decided to keep the Grand (same as yours) and buy the most capable off road vehicle off the shelf..... a Jeep JK Rubicon.

The Rubicon is easy and cheap to modify and will literally go anywhere. Because of its stance and ground clearance, they are hard to damage.
This way you have the plush riding, reliable Grand for your every day commute.

Cheers, Craig

+1, realised the limitations of the Grand and bought a Wrangler (now reasonably modified)

We ended up keeping the Grand Cherokee but we tend to end up just going everywhere in the Wrangler now, interstate with mud tyres etc, good times.

[gjws]

Originally Posted by 08crd

As the other members have said, it depends what you want from the car, every car is a compromise one way or another.
For bush bashing a Hilux would be good, but crap to live with day to day.
The 200 series, big heavy on fuel, crap in sand and expensive.
The Suzuki Jimny, magic off road, crap for highway cruising and carrying gear.
The JGC, great on road, good off road, but expensive to fix.
If I was wanting to bush bash, and have a nice daily driver, I would buy two cars.

Thanks 08crd.

I must say I was very suprised at my mates Hilux. I drove it from Dargo, in to Bairnsdale and back again and it was very pleasant to drive. Having said that, he did drive the car direct from the dealer to ARB then have $4K of suspension modification done so it's certainly not standard!

2 cars would be great, but not something I can accomodate unfortunately. I've already got 2 motor bikes and 1 car, so with reg and insurance I'm spending over $3k a year! Also, I don't have the necessary room I'm afraid.

[gjws]

Originally Posted by Cherokee30D

Here is what I did....... I was faced with the same delema, so I decided to keep the Grand (same as yours) and buy the most capable off road vehicle off the shelf..... a Jeep JK Rubicon.

The Rubicon is easy and cheap to modify and will literally go anywhere. Because of its stance and ground clearance, they are hard to damage.
This way you have the plush riding, reliable Grand for your every day commute.

Cheers, Craig

Thanks Cherokee30D.

The JK Rubicon does look awesome! What was the reason for keeping the JGC, is the Rubicon too uncomfortable to use as a daily commuter?

[Cherokee30D]

Originally Posted by gjws

Thanks Cherokee30D.

The JK Rubicon does look awesome! What was the reason for keeping the JGC, is the Rubicon too uncomfortable to use as a daily commuter?

Thanks mate!

The Rubicon only comes in petrol and chew it down at a greater rate than the diesel Grand.
You can make the Rubicon as comfortable as you like depending on your suspension upgrade.
The Grand rides better and uses less fuel, hence keeping it.

Cheers, Craig

[GCDingo]

If your swaying towards a new car, maybe suggest a V6 Amarok. I have had 3 amaroks now currently with the V6. All have been modified with at least an exhaust, ecu remap and 25mm body lift to fit rock sliders.

They are really comfortable for you daily commute and with a 2" lift and tyres are really good offroad even with no low range. I think they are the best dual cab ute on the market for comfort coupled with offroad capability and you will hose any dual cab ute on the road with the V6. Plus a big tray for the bikes. You can fit a full pallet in the back of them

Hilux and ranger are gutless with any kind of weight in them.

I love our GC but I will be looking for an old GQ to bash around with the family so there is no worry if I smash a panel. Still can't do the wrangler thing even though I know how capable they are. I am a patrol man.

[Benn0]

The JLU Wrangler is looking better as a daily driver compared to the JKU, I reckon that would be a good fit, but as others have said if you want something you don't mind getting dinged then get an older jap 4by.

Your current GC will be QT2, so the lack of rear elsd is going to slow it down a bit, and even with a lift on it, you are going to be lifting a wheel quite a bit. I'm quite happy with my limited diesel with QD2 and bash plates/sliders. But most of my driving is sand, it gets pretty rough on deep rutted tracks.

Watch the toyotas with the 2.8 diesel turbo, they have been having lots of DPF and air filter dramas.

[gjws]

Originally Posted by GCDingo

If your swaying towards a new car, maybe suggest a V6 Amarok. I have had 3 amaroks now currently with the V6. All have been modified with at least an exhaust, ecu remap and 25mm body lift to fit rock sliders.

They are really comfortable for you daily commute and with a 2" lift and tyres are really good offroad even with no low range. I think they are the best dual cab ute on the market for comfort coupled with offroad capability and you will hose any dual cab ute on the road with the V6. Plus a big tray for the bikes. You can fit a full pallet in the back of them

Hilux and ranger are gutless with any kind of weight in them.

I love our GC but I will be looking for an old GQ to bash around with the family so there is no worry if I smash a panel. Still can't do the wrangler thing even though I know how capable they are. I am a patrol man.

Thanks GCDingo.

If I go new, I think I'll go a more offroad focused vehicle, Hilux, LC, Wrangler etc. and give it a real run for a few months. If I decide it's not for me, I'll sell up and come back to the JGC

It's so hard looking at new cars, everywhere you look you hear horror stories!