Stock vehicle for offroad capability

RandyDaytona

RandyDaytona

New member
Yeah, I know - Toyota 4Runner. But there are some kickers...

I am coming up on the point at which my work truck is to be replaced, and I have to make a choice based on the following parameters.

1) A stock pickup or SUV from among US-made vehicles, only,

2) Half-ton is the largest I can go due to expense,

3) It doesn't need to be a rock crawler, but it needs to be able to get into some remote, muddy spots (and get back out).

4) It has to be able to tow a small boat, ATV or snowmobile.

5) It should be reasonable on gas mileage. When I say "reasonable," I fully understand that a vehicle this size isn't going to burn some gas. Typical full-size SUV/truck mileage is acceptable, but Chevy Suburban-type MPG's are not going to cut it.

6) Cost is also a factor, so no F150 Raptor, etc.

Leaning towards a Ram 1500 or Durango, but unsure. I still have some time to decide, so thought I'd pick the brains of the forum.

Thanks
 
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well, to ask the obvious, why not a 4Runner? It just seems to me that a 4Runner meets all of those needs as ideally as possible with the fewest drawbacks. Is this some sort of business requirement to have a US brand? because like GrossMan said, Toyota's are more 'made in the USA' than US brands being assembled in Mexico...

I owned a '98 Dodge Dakota for a while, wheeled the crap out of it and was overall pretty happy with its capabilities and durability. Hate the new body styles though.
 
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id stay away from chrysler/ram. although those trucks are nice now, look at what the older rams are today in terms of resale value, maintenance issues, and serious, serious, rust problems

i second the tundra. its going to be better than just about any domestic counterpart, and thats not toyota bias, I've test driven them all.
 
RandyDaytona said:
Yeah, I know - Toyota 4Runner. But there are some kickers...

I am coming up on the point at which my work truck is to be replaced, and I have to make a choice based on the following parameters.

1) A stock pickup or SUV from among US-made vehicles, only,

2) Half-ton is the largest I can go due to expense,

3) It doesn't need to be a rock crawler, but it needs to be able to get into some remote, muddy spots (and get back out).

4) It has to be able to tow a small boat, ATV or snowmobile.

5) It should be reasonable on gas mileage. When I say "reasonable," I fully understand that a vehicle this size isn't going to burn some gas. Typical full-size SUV/truck mileage is acceptable, but Chevy Suburban-type MPG's are not going to cut it.

6) Cost is also a factor, so no F150 Raptor, etc.

Leaning towards a Ram 1500 or Durango, but unsure. I still have some time to decide, so thought I'd pick the brains of the forum.

Thanks
Click to expand...


by your criteria of usa,

1. your are mostly going to be looking at a usa truck full size 1500/150 or maybe a 2500/250 series
2. most suv's outside maybe a mid/top end jeep grand Cherokee wont do (and imo, a Durango isn't suited to do anything except very mild off roading but that's just my perception of them. I place a Durango in the same class as a highlander)


granted I don't do anything but very mild offroading to get to some fishing spots, but having my pavement princess in town is currently considered medium off roading due to the very poor quality roads we are having the last few years all because of the oil trucks/semi's running around town.
 
"US made" to me would mean a US company. That probably eliminates the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram vehicles.

They are all products of FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), which is an Italian multinational company.
 
Yep, it has to be a US company - agency will not buy foreign vehicles, regardless where they're physically produced. Sad, because I'd get a 4Runner or a Tundra in a heartbeat. In addition to now having 2 4Runners, I've owned 4 Tundras and a "Toyota Pickup" (before they had names) so any Toyota would be a first choice.

I basically have a choice among the Chevy/GMC 1500, Ram 1500, Ford F-150, or the equivalent SUV's on those platforms. I *could* deviate slightly and get a Jeep, but they seem way too small to haul much gear around.

I can eliminate a couple right off the bat. Though I'm not a Ford fan, anyway, the newer Fords will not allow mounting of gun racks overhead due to the placement of their side curtain airbags. Scratch the F-150 and Expedition.

Also, the Tahoe is crazy expensive for what you get, even the basic versions. And it might as well be the aforementioned Suburban for the MPG it claims to get. A buddy who is a K9 handler has one and isn't particularly fond of it.

Good info on the Durango which I wasn't aware of, though I AM skeptical of anything that has "AWD" instead of "4WD." There's a chance they may let me order the SSV, but again, pretty pricey for an unmarked vehicle, plus I don't think it's any more offroad-capable. All that said, by likening it to a Highlander, you basically gave it the kiss of death: my wife wanted a Highlander when we went shopping for our first 4Runner back in 2011, Not a day goes by that I don't remind her of how happy I am we DIDN'T trade in my Tundra for what is essentially a "taller" Corolla. :)

I had only been considering an SUV because of storage. I have a camper shell on my F-150, but everything back there is forever coated in dust, no matter how much weather stripping and camper tape I seem to use on the tailgate and back windows. But I'm open to the truck option if that's the best one (and it seems like it is).

So it looks more and more like it may be the Ram, especially when I read some of the negative reviews on the recent Chevy/GMC pickup offerings. Was never a big Ram guy. They always seemed to be cheaply slapped together (to me, anyway), plus I had one assigned to me once before, and it left me in the middle of nowhere. Twice.

But I AM intrigued by the new diesel, and I might be able to swing the extra expense if it would help on MPG's. That'd keep my supervisor from squawking (as much) about my mileage and gas costs.

Thanks for all the opinions, gang!
 
that's what I was thinking when you said usa only since your probably a dod/armed forces funding requirement in the conus (this requirement goes out the window outside the conus)

your overall best bet from what ive read is going to be truck. the suv's to meet your requirements will be based on the truck platforms, but then again the price to match those BoF suv's will be out there.

the next best suv on a BoF will be a jeep grand Cherokee or a jeep wrangler unlimited but that probably wouldn't fly with your employer.

a full size truck will fly easier than those BoF suv's on the procurement process.

good luck.
 
Well, that doesn't make any sense on the part of your Agency. The Dodge, Ram and Jeep as I already mentioned, are made by an Italian company.

I would make the case that country of origin apparently doesn't matter, and tell them to buy based on the best option for you.
 
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02SE said:
Well, that doesn't make any sense on the part of your Agency. The Dodge, Ram and Jeep as I already mentioned, are made by an Italian company.

I would make the case that country of origin apparently doesn't matter, and tell them to buy based on the best option for you.
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that's not how govt funding works. they still see them as usa based companies and usa jobs. its all political.

a lot of govt procurement items still have to be a usa based company even though it may be owned by an outside entity.

just like budwieser is usa based but owned by a company in UK (inBev)
 
Sisente said:
Chrysler is owned by Italian automaker Fiat
Click to expand...


and your point is?

there is a lot of usa based companies that are owned by outside investors.

Budweiser, now owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev N.V., which is based in Leuven, Belgium
Alka-Seltzer, now owned by German company Bayer Schering Pharma AG
Ben & Jerrys, now owned by British-Dutch Unilever
AMC theaters, now owned by the Chinese
7-Eleven, now owned by the Japanese company, Seven & I Holdings
Woman’s Day Magazine, now owned by the French company, Hachette Filipacchi Médias, S.A
Purina, now owned by the Swiss company, Nestle
Gerber, now owned by the Swiss pharmaceutical giant, Novartis
Firestone, now owned by the Japanese Bridgestone Corporation
Citgo, now owned by the government of Venezuela
French’s Mustard, now owned by Reckitt Benckiser, a British conglomerate
Frigidaire, now owned by Sweden’s AB Electrolux
The Plaza Hotel in New York City, now owned by Israeli billionaire Yitzhak Tshuva’s El-Ad Group
Trader Joes, now owned by German billionaires Karl and Theo Albrecht
Dial soap, now owned by Henkel KGaA, based in Dusseldorf, Germany
Sunglass Hut, now owned by Italian eyewear seller Luxottica Group

and the list goes on and on, but its the perception of the American people these are usa based and usa owned when they are just usa based. the profit still goes outside the usa.
 
That's really stupid that you can't get a Toyota. Those policies made sense back when american cars were made in america and foreign cars were made in foreign countries, but that isn't the case anymore. Anyway, good luck with the decision. I would have recommended the Toyotas because I don't care for the looks of the new GM full size trucks, and can't stand the look of the new Tahoes. The new F150's are probably nice, and the rams are too I'm sure, but I just don't know about their reliability.
 
NoDak said:
that's not how govt funding works. they still see them as usa based companies and usa jobs. its all political.

a lot of govt procurement items still have to be a usa based company even though it may be owned by an outside entity.

just like budwieser is usa based but owned by a company in UK (inBev)
Click to expand...

I understand it all too well. I owned a Business that occasionally dealt with protectionist policies when dealing with State and Federal entities.

I was just demonstrating how asinine those policies can be. Especially when a product that needs to be "American", no longer is "American".
 
F-150

or I know I'll get grief but the new Explorer is pretty bad ass and if mud is your only obstacle, it should be ok, I know is based on a car frame.

That or a grand cherokee which I'll get even more grief. Do you have to pay for maintenance or repairs? Pretty sweet you can choose your own work vehicle.
 
NoDak said:
and your point is?

there is a lot of usa based companies that are owned by outside investors.

Budweiser, now owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev N.V., which is based in Leuven, Belgium
Alka-Seltzer, now owned by German company Bayer Schering Pharma AG
Ben & Jerrys, now owned by British-Dutch Unilever
AMC theaters, now owned by the Chinese
7-Eleven, now owned by the Japanese company, Seven & I Holdings
Woman’s Day Magazine, now owned by the French company, Hachette Filipacchi Médias, S.A
Purina, now owned by the Swiss company, Nestle
Gerber, now owned by the Swiss pharmaceutical giant, Novartis
Firestone, now owned by the Japanese Bridgestone Corporation
Citgo, now owned by the government of Venezuela
French’s Mustard, now owned by Reckitt Benckiser, a British conglomerate
Frigidaire, now owned by Sweden’s AB Electrolux
The Plaza Hotel in New York City, now owned by Israeli billionaire Yitzhak Tshuva’s El-Ad Group
Trader Joes, now owned by German billionaires Karl and Theo Albrecht
Dial soap, now owned by Henkel KGaA, based in Dusseldorf, Germany
Sunglass Hut, now owned by Italian eyewear seller Luxottica Group

and the list goes on and on, but its the perception of the American people these are usa based and usa owned when they are just usa based. the profit still goes outside the usa.
Click to expand...


No real point I guess. I have worked govt contracts, I know how they are, it is just ridiculous.
 
yeah its funny how it works. I remember they use to pay the oem to remove the radios out of our dispatch vehicles cause they didn't want distractions while driving.

eventually after decades of doing that, they realized how much money they wasted to have them removed instead of leaving them in.
 
Buy the shittiest least reliable vehicle you can find. That way they will have to drop loads of money on repairing it all the time, and every time you bring it in just remind them that they wanted "American" and this is what you get.
 
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