I suspect that van might need some cleaning up prior to sale.

3rd the 22R, had one in a 92 Yota 2wd pickup. Had 200k when I bought it, and proceeded to put another 200K on it. Got T-boned in the driver side rear wheel, but was able to find a parts truck dirt cheap ($100). I was able to (with the assistance of a Chilton's manual(invaluable)) replace the whole rear end from the existing frame up by myself. Then, when all was said and done, and fixed, in a brain fart I decided to run with a Pontiac. Which in turn blew my head gasket, completely my fault for forgetting 1 lousy hose clip... Anyhow, again with Chilton's in hand,I was able to replace the head gasket. Damned if that truck didn't go for ANOTHER 50k, before it finally died a fairly agonizing (for me) death. I then made the decision to not resuscitate. But 450k on the 22R, never did any other work, aside routine maintenance. I would recommend going with the 4wd, it will cost more, and you will still have to throw some sand in the bed, however it will do infinitely better in snow/heavy rain. My .02
Cheers,
-Z

What's the difference between a rental car and a 4WD?




You can take a rental anywhere.




...proud owner of a 99 Tacaoma (4WD)

If you are in Tuolumne or around Yosemite check out Bryan Law's rig.

Otherwise 75' Ford Econoline!!!!!!!

toyota for sure. you can probably pick up a 4x4 pre-tacoma truck, early to mid 90's model pretty cheap if you take your time and look. i have a topper setup fairly similar to malcom's. can't beat it.

THIS is what you really want:

Ultimate Climbing Vehicle Toyota Landcruiser FJ40 Submitted By: suprasoup on Oct 30, 2009

+4 on the 22R. I own a '90 'Yota 4WD PU with the 22R and it's awesome! It just turned 205000 last night, and runs beautifully! It burns a little oil, but that's normal for a high mileage engine. It won't go 90 mi/hr up westbound I-70, but that's ok: going slow is safer and more relaxing anyway.

I did manage to get it stuck in snow last night, but that's my own damn fault, not the truck's. I forgot the standard winter kit: shovel, sandbags over the rear wheels, and kitty litter. All I had were my gloves and a crappy ice-scraper. Still managed to dig myself out without calling for help. Would've been a lot harder w/o 4WD.

The 4Runners that came with the 22R engine are just as bitchin'. I've known several people that have had and loved those SUVs. Plenty of room for gear and sleeping if that's your thing.

It can be difficult (but not impossible) to find a Toyota in decent shape for less than $2000. Good luck!

1986ish Nissan Pup or other b-series pick-up. They are a small pickup, get 30-35mpg, and have a long enough bed to sleep in. They can be found with reasonable mileage for $500-1200

It seems that most folks replying to this post don't understand what <2k or practical means.

Sam is on track with the rental car idea but he missed a critical piece. Here's how it goes.

What's the best performing rally car out there?
What's the fastest car on the highway?
What kind of car is best suited to dine and dash escapades?

Your BUDDIES rental of course!

One more, What's the difference between a jacked up pimped out 4x4 truck and a shitty little rental car? There are some things you just won't try with a 4x4 truck...

This may be contrary to popular opinion...

I bought a pretty cheap Honda Passport (Same thing as an Isuzu Rodeo) and got some great use out of it. It held its own as far as 4x4 goes. I tore the thing up. They go for pretty cheap and are pretty cheap to fix. We took it on a month long roadtrip through Canada as it was nearing the end of its life. Probably not the smartest thing but it was part of the adventure. We made it and then some. Even an older Ranger or something such as that would probably work for ya...

There are some cheaper older model SUV's and Trucks that would rock. Just be careful when looking at higher milage vehicals-could end up costing more than theyre worth.

As for right now-I sprung and went for an Xterra-pretty happy with it... Good luck!

update to the best rig conversation (and a rant):

First off, thanks for all the good ideas, nice worthy vehicles- especially that civic, and I liked the bit on the van as well.

Anyhow- i found the sweet rig! But the fuckt cash for clunkers program saw that it was terminated! I'm going to be honest here- I'm a little emotionally disturbed about this.

87 toyo van 4x4: 150k, I was stoked! called them and..
"..uhh, yea. it's been terminated"
me: 'oh that sucks'
him: "yea, it was a pretty cool little rig"
me: "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR" (in my head) "yea, ok, thanks..."
click.

hows that for economic stimulus. I wold have bought it, traveled around in it, bought shit everywhere I went in it and now... well, now it's a little cube of metal. How Stupid. What a waste. And all for a brand new POS that's engineered to break down at regular intervals....

Thanks for listening. And if you across a 87 toyo van 4x4.... that hasn't been terminated...

Yo Dude! Believe your on the right track but prefer the '86-'88 Toy 4x4 pickups. Not as comfortable as the van but a hell of a lot easier to work on. And the parts availability is better, that is new and used. Add a cap and your set to go. Keep 2 junkers in the yard myself to keep the beast on the road 24/7/365. 340,000 and that's just what the speedo says. Drive it everyday to the mine plus climbing trips to the east and west coasts. The 22r is the shit. If you plan to drive anywhere in the Americas this is my vehicle of choice bar none, you can always find parts. You can usually get a good one for less than $2000. Bought my parts trucks for $750 total. Inherent problems are timing chain wear into the front cover and head gaskets after about 200,000 on average.

An Ancient Subaru brah.... rust on wheel wells and layers of old Patagonia and Free Tibet stickers will make you more 'core' too.
Ok, apologies for the cynicism. I think secretly I want to be one of those Boulder Subaru yuppies. Right now I drive an 02' 4x4 Ranger [Ford get er' done!], and am happy to say I will never own another ford again.... not that they suck, they just aren't very great at anything. That being said; I think as others have said, unless you have a large family/and/or friends you need to drive around, you can't go wrong with a small 4x4 truck. Tacoma's and Tundra's are probably the best.
cheers,
Phil.

Ford Escape

Its been getting me to work and the crags for the past 5 years without problems. Pretty nice sleeping in the back with the seats down on a crash pad too.

X10 or whatever number we are on for the Toyota pickup and Camper shell. The 2.7 4cyl engine really lasts forever. I have 220,000 on mine right now and still drive it.

However I will add onto this. It is perfect if

A. You are under 6 feet tall.
B. You are Single.
C. On roadtrips you make your buddies sleep outside on the ground.

'97 Tacoma, 2.7L 4 cyl (just 125k...still a baby!), 4x4, 3" lift and 33x10.5 (narrow) tires. Working on getting a similar bed build-up as Malcolm posted earlier......truly is the perfect desert truck!

Ibex, UT Submitted By: MountainMan on Nov 11, 2009

Honda Element... Lots of room for gear and I sleep in it all the time, all the seats fold down to make a bed, have spent weeks living out of it...

I got this working bus from my rafting boss for free then chopped out all the seats and added a full bed, pull out couch, wood burning stove, and a kitchen plus some. ! just burned the stove in -25 degree weather and the inside temp stayed at about 55 degrees, not to bad, I now live in this during the summer and it is great for climbing buddies to stay in.

outside od the bus Submitted By: Patrick K. on Dec 8, 2009

isdide view Submitted By: Patrick K. on Dec 8, 2009

inside view Submitted By: Patrick K. on Dec 8, 2009

inside view Submitted By: Patrick K. on Dec 8, 2009

holy crap! that bus is the coolest thing ive ever seen!

That is indeed a sweet rig. The bear on the roof is spectacular and the wood stove- what a bonus!
I actually just purchased a fine auto. I looked into the trucks and vans and finally, nearly out of desperation, bought a $600 Ford Escort wagon. It's fucking ugly and rides low, librarian car or substitute nurse car or something.
The redeeming factor is the wagon part, 35+mpg and a factory installed roof rack. If it makes it all winter I'll be happy. Then I'll burn it on the side of the road or launch it off a cliff. Hell I may even fix it too.
Drive safe amigos!