Toyota Highlander or Jeep Grand Cherokee

If you like working on your own vehicle low mileage Series 3 Range Rovers are great. Dealer maintenance/repair is way too expensive. But they are pretty easy to work on and the problems are known problems with enthusiast solutions which don't cost a fortune. Regular maintenance is easy. Once you've driven one of these for a fair bit other vehicles just become aggravating to drive mainly because of their awful ride quality. It's a pity people don't consider pre-owned Land Rovers - but there's a lot of lack or reliability hype going around t'internet.

Artful Dodger wrote: Nice rig Ross. I own a 99 Tacoma, love it, if I had mo money I would get a late 90s runner, they are built solid as can be.

Tacoma's are great. for cheap you can swap a Wagoneer D44 under the front with some leaf springs and high steer and have a badass crawler

the schmuck wrote:

This is true BUT, although I was able to, and often took my 2WD Tacoma to a certain popular NM climbing area, my wife hated going there, and it was always a struggle to convince her to go. If there was any sort of inclement weather, she'd flat out refuse. Now that we have a 4WD Tacoma, she loves going there, and actually pesters me about it. Since we got the 4WD, we have been to several NM and AZ areas where I was either hesitant, or just did not take the 2WD.  Sometimes just the piece of mind of the extra capability pays off.  

True. I occasionally take our Landcruiser for climbing in AZ, and did when I lived in MT too. CO is a different story though. 2wd sedan with snow tires in the winter will work for 95%+ of places in CO and will be much more pleasurable for someone living in the front range to drive on a daily basis. That being said, we still don't know what the OP actually wants to do or where he'll live. 

OP is a she not a he, and I think she’s stated plenty of times she’s leaning Highlander.  But who knows, some MP thread drift and cool pics may have inspired her to want to swap out axles, add lift and suspension and make herself a Baja worthy rally rig.....but I doubt it. 

Having owned both and having put a LOT of miles and spent a lot of time sleeping in the back of both I would say for long distance driving and light off road driving, the Highlander Hybrid is the way to go. The mpg is awesome for an AWD car. But, the Grand Cherokee is bigger and much more comfortable to sleep in and is way more capable off road. Also, if you’re mechanically inclined, they are much easier to work on

Edit: I drove my Highlander to 315,000 miles and finally killed it with a trip from Wisconsin to South Dakota and back. My Grand Cherokee is currently at 195,000 and running strong 

Mark Pilate wrote: OP is a she not a he, and I think she’s stated plenty of times she’s leaning Highlander.  But who knows, some MP thread drift and cool pics may have inspired her to want to swap out axles, add lift and suspension and make herself a Baja worthy rally rig.....but I doubt it. 

Thanks, dad.

Grand Cherokee less reliable, less safe, less efficient. Avoid.

coppolillo wrote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6KtmzyrwH4

Grand Cherokee less reliable, less safe, less efficient. Avoid.

I agree, my wife drove a new Jeep GC for five years and the thing turned into a rattly piece of rusted out junk. The battery harness corroded twice, stranding her.  Found largish rocks inside the door, no idea how they got there. Thing also had terrible body roll, was LOUD and got poor gas mileage. 

The solution to the noise was new tires, but then, that totally nullified the reason for having a jeep.

Ive been super happy with my Chevy Colorado Diesel ZR1. Better gas mileage than the 4runner, more space since I got a camper shell. I will never own a jeep again.

pkeds wrote: Ive been super happy with my Chevy Colorado Diesel ZR1. Better gas mileage than the 4runner, more space since I got a camper shell. I will never own a jeep again.

that's a $50k truck...

curt86iroc wrote:

that's a $50k truck...

So is a 4runner...

Buck Rio wrote:

So is a 4runner...

Not a used one.... But then again I always assume people are buying used because I always buy used

Highlanders are cool, but 4runners are, like, badass dude

Buck Rio wrote:

So is a 4runner...

So is a Highlander.....

I've owned the old style Tacoma with the 3.4L manual, extended cab, and the 4Runner Limited (sweet) and two Ford F-150 FX4...guess what my current and next truck will be?  The Ford.
Pro:
Gets about 17-18 mpg in the summer, less on the winter blend (V8)
Hauls a lot more than I will ever need, I have a 3500 lb boat that you forget is behind you
Clearance is excellent. Though I did hit a stump hiding in the grass once.
Can throw dead things in the back, w/o the tick fest inside your vehicle, which I realize is true for all PU's.
Parts are easy to find

Con:
It isn't a Toyota, things will break and need replacing
It takes 7.7 qts of oil, and you need to add oil in between changes(5000 mi).
Tires cost minimum $175 each
Visibility, like all large vehicles is poor to the rear

I drive an 08 Grand Cherokee and love it!  I normally average 18-21 MPG and it sleeps two people super comfortably and three with a super tight (rather uncomfortable) squeeze.   

Buck Rio wrote:

So is a 4runner...

they can be, but let's compare MSRP:

Starting price for a 2019 4runner TRD offroad premium is $38k (source: toyota.com/4runner/ )
Starting price for a 2019 Zr2 with the cummins is $48k (source chevrolet.com/trucks/colora… )

that's a 20% difference in MSRP...

Buck Rio wrote: I've owned the old style Tacoma with the 3.4L manual, extended cab, and the 4Runner Limited (sweet) and two Ford F-150 FX4...guess what my current and next truck will be?  The Ford.
Pro:
Gets about 17-18 mpg in the summer, less on the winter blend (V8)
Hauls a lot more than I will ever need, I have a 3500 lb boat that you forget is behind you
Clearance is excellent. Though I did hit a stump hiding in the grass once.
Can throw dead things in the back, w/o the tick fest inside your vehicle, which I realize is true for all PU's.
Parts are easy to find

Con:
It isn't a Toyota, things will break and need replacing
It takes 7.7 qts of oil, and you need to add oil in between changes(5000 mi).
Tires cost minimum $175 each
Visibility, like all large vehicles is poor to the rear

Why the Ford if I may ask?  I was able to get a TRD Off-road Tacoma for less than a stock v6 4x4 F150. And, the Tacoma came with a 6 speed manual and locking rear dif. The Ford does get slightly better gas mileage I hear. 

curt86iroc wrote:

they can be, but let's compare MSRP:

Starting price for a 2019 4runner TRD offroad premium is $38k (source: toyota.com/4runner/ )
Starting price for a 2019 Zr2 with the cummins is $48k (source chevrolet.com/trucks/colora… )

that's a 20% difference in MSRP...

ZR1 starts at $42k

the schmuck wrote:

Why the Ford if I may ask?  I was able to get a TRD Off-road Tacoma for less than a stock v6 4x4 F150. And, the Tacoma came with a 6 speed manual and locking rear dif. The Ford does get slightly better gas mileage I hear. 

The Colorados are by far the priciest of the mid size pickups btw. 

The Fords in my part of the country are plentiful and I can get good deals on the lease returns w/30k miles or so. 

There simply aren't as many used Toyo's on the lot for me to choose from, and they go for top $$$. A 4 year old Tacoma w/63k miles is $26k, which is what I paid for my Ford w/30k miles, and it had a tonneau cover

The Chevy dealer won't negotiate with me so I just went over to Ford and they put together a good deal for me...been going back since.

Better in my mind to spend $26k on a truck that may not be perfect than $40 for one that is.