Cherokee, Shogun etc: What Older 4x4 Would be Right for me?
Discussion
Hi all, first time poster here.
I had some unfortunate news the other day: My Jeep Patriot which has been my life for the last six years is completely knacked. I bought the car August 2017 and it has been (mostly) a blast to drive. I knew it was a gamble - it was cheap, reviews were mixed…but at the time it ticked the boxes. Fairly good fuel economy, tax reasonable, powerful, quick, traditional look, four wheel drive capability etc.
So, I bought one at 60,000 miles, and have driven nearly a further 80k in it. It is coming up to 140k but in a state of disrepair. I loved this car. I work in forestry and used to have a hatchback, it was useless. My old polo would get stuck on the tiniest bit of wet grass. The Patriot is actually very very capable off road. What holds it back is no low range 4WD and ground clearance, but I went on off road track days a few times and took it where defenders, discos, cherokees and wranglers went (just avoiding the mud pools.) I put all terrain tyres on it and in six years I have never required a winch or rescue. Just a few pairs of hands and a push after one time I sunk into a boggy area under some heavy snow. But I have taken it off road many times since. Nothing heavy, just a few moderately bad mud ruts and some bumpy hard tracks. I’ve taken it up to the Highlands four times and driven through the Cairngorms snow and done the Bealach Na Ba mountain pass in the snow, and have taken it wild camping into the woods numerous times. It never failed me nor left me stranded once anywhere. I doubt other Patriot owners drive theirs like I have but hey, I feel it’s part of owning a Jeep! I also had it mapped and it went like the clappers (it’s the 2.2L diesel with merc engine. 160bhp mapped to 200bhp)
However….this car has is not a wrangler nor is it a land cruiser. And I don’t think it’s built too great but that’s just my opinion.
A lot of suspension parts have had to be replaced in the last year or so. I haven’t done any heavy off roading for years. I had to get the rear brakes done again as the caliper on one side had seized. And recently the car has developed an infrequent but irritating limp mode fault. It doesn’t lose much power but I can’t get the revs much past 3,000. It didn’t do it for two months but then twice in one morning recently. Turns out there is a problem with the turbo which could be costly.
But now, it is the rust that’s going to kill this vehicle. The underside, broadly speaking is mostly just surface rust and nothing too bad. Until you get to the offside rear axle in the subframe which has a huge great crack in it. Thr vehicle has now been designated unsafe and would fail an MOT without a rear subframe replacement. That plus the turbo issue and people are telling me to scrap it. I reluctantly agree because it is becoming uneconomical.
So…..where I do go from this?
I love the old Cherokee XJs and have always wanted one. I hear the 4L straight six engine is bulletproof. I know the car is better off road than my Patriot but how reliable are they?
I also like the older Mitsubishi Shoguns; same question again?
Really, I’m looking for a reliable boxy car with good four wheel drive capability and a good amount of space. Good fuel economy is a plus but I realise the XJ is thirsty. I’m open to the idea of a pick-up but prefer shoguns, XJs etc. Dacia Duster, Skoda Yeti any good?
Thank you
I had some unfortunate news the other day: My Jeep Patriot which has been my life for the last six years is completely knacked. I bought the car August 2017 and it has been (mostly) a blast to drive. I knew it was a gamble - it was cheap, reviews were mixed…but at the time it ticked the boxes. Fairly good fuel economy, tax reasonable, powerful, quick, traditional look, four wheel drive capability etc.
So, I bought one at 60,000 miles, and have driven nearly a further 80k in it. It is coming up to 140k but in a state of disrepair. I loved this car. I work in forestry and used to have a hatchback, it was useless. My old polo would get stuck on the tiniest bit of wet grass. The Patriot is actually very very capable off road. What holds it back is no low range 4WD and ground clearance, but I went on off road track days a few times and took it where defenders, discos, cherokees and wranglers went (just avoiding the mud pools.) I put all terrain tyres on it and in six years I have never required a winch or rescue. Just a few pairs of hands and a push after one time I sunk into a boggy area under some heavy snow. But I have taken it off road many times since. Nothing heavy, just a few moderately bad mud ruts and some bumpy hard tracks. I’ve taken it up to the Highlands four times and driven through the Cairngorms snow and done the Bealach Na Ba mountain pass in the snow, and have taken it wild camping into the woods numerous times. It never failed me nor left me stranded once anywhere. I doubt other Patriot owners drive theirs like I have but hey, I feel it’s part of owning a Jeep! I also had it mapped and it went like the clappers (it’s the 2.2L diesel with merc engine. 160bhp mapped to 200bhp)
However….this car has is not a wrangler nor is it a land cruiser. And I don’t think it’s built too great but that’s just my opinion.
A lot of suspension parts have had to be replaced in the last year or so. I haven’t done any heavy off roading for years. I had to get the rear brakes done again as the caliper on one side had seized. And recently the car has developed an infrequent but irritating limp mode fault. It doesn’t lose much power but I can’t get the revs much past 3,000. It didn’t do it for two months but then twice in one morning recently. Turns out there is a problem with the turbo which could be costly.
But now, it is the rust that’s going to kill this vehicle. The underside, broadly speaking is mostly just surface rust and nothing too bad. Until you get to the offside rear axle in the subframe which has a huge great crack in it. Thr vehicle has now been designated unsafe and would fail an MOT without a rear subframe replacement. That plus the turbo issue and people are telling me to scrap it. I reluctantly agree because it is becoming uneconomical.
So…..where I do go from this?
I love the old Cherokee XJs and have always wanted one. I hear the 4L straight six engine is bulletproof. I know the car is better off road than my Patriot but how reliable are they?
I also like the older Mitsubishi Shoguns; same question again?
Really, I’m looking for a reliable boxy car with good four wheel drive capability and a good amount of space. Good fuel economy is a plus but I realise the XJ is thirsty. I’m open to the idea of a pick-up but prefer shoguns, XJs etc. Dacia Duster, Skoda Yeti any good?
Thank you
The answer is always going to be Toyota, either Landcruiser/Prado or Hilux, but finding older examples without rot problems already establishing is dificult enough for those who know the cars, those without rot issues can fetch frankly ridiculous money.
Couple of left fielders for you that can usually be bought cheaply, but you'll have to avoid March 2006 on or face the high tax bracket...note even top spec Freelander 1 went into top tax which was a shock to me.
So, Hyundai Terracan or Kia Sorento (old model with 2.5 engine) or keep your eyes open for a Nissan Terrano or Ford Maverick thats been babied.
Or, if you have somewhere to stash the present Jeep, keep it for parts, buy another of the same model that's in good condtion and plaster the underbelly in oil/grease/whatever to keep the damp out.
Couple of left fielders for you that can usually be bought cheaply, but you'll have to avoid March 2006 on or face the high tax bracket...note even top spec Freelander 1 went into top tax which was a shock to me.
So, Hyundai Terracan or Kia Sorento (old model with 2.5 engine) or keep your eyes open for a Nissan Terrano or Ford Maverick thats been babied.
Or, if you have somewhere to stash the present Jeep, keep it for parts, buy another of the same model that's in good condtion and plaster the underbelly in oil/grease/whatever to keep the damp out.
I think any cars you look at over ten years old are going to be in that age range where suspension, bushes, brake lines and whatnot are going to want replacing.
My suggestion would be the Freelander 2. Good enough off-road, boxy, reliable for a LR product, cheap parts (just replaced my calipers this weekend and they’re all marked FoMoCo and cost £50 each from Eurocarparts), and actually pretty decent to drive. If you get one of the higher spec models they’ve got decent leather arm chairs, good stereos (mine now has CarPlay) and all the comforts you really need.
Mine’s a Metropolis and is holding its value pretty well but you can get a similar spec ‘HSE Luxury’ for much less money. Maybe try a 2012-14 model?
My suggestion would be the Freelander 2. Good enough off-road, boxy, reliable for a LR product, cheap parts (just replaced my calipers this weekend and they’re all marked FoMoCo and cost £50 each from Eurocarparts), and actually pretty decent to drive. If you get one of the higher spec models they’ve got decent leather arm chairs, good stereos (mine now has CarPlay) and all the comforts you really need.
Mine’s a Metropolis and is holding its value pretty well but you can get a similar spec ‘HSE Luxury’ for much less money. Maybe try a 2012-14 model?
I had a 4.0 Cherokee from 2004-2019 as a daily driver and did about 200,000 miles. It was great. Never stranded me. I got through about 2 radiators, a couple of sets of front discs/pads. Towards the end of ownership I found it needed a fuel pump every year or two. Seems to be an annoying issue of loosing fuel pressure while stationary and needing a few good cranks to prime and fire. The later 1999-2000 4.0s apparently had cylinder head cracking issues but mine seemed fine. Interior held up well but I had 2 headlinings replaced.
Now, this was with a 2WD version as I live in the US. Overall I loved it. Thirsty, yes, but quite sprightly. Here in the US they are getting slightly collectible now and prices are rising for good ones.
Now, this was with a 2WD version as I live in the US. Overall I loved it. Thirsty, yes, but quite sprightly. Here in the US they are getting slightly collectible now and prices are rising for good ones.
I know a few guys in forestry using Dacia Dusters, we are ordering 20 Duster vans next year to replace Mitsubishi Outlander Vans. Very capable on forestry and farm tracks, and decent enough if the going gets tough. Cheap to run and reliable and will feel much more modern than old Japanese stuff and tired Jeeps. Could be a good option.
Another vote for a Freelander 2. The late model Sd4 are 190 hp, auto as standard. Very capable off road, dedicated terrain response settings depending on your use. Tows superbly. A lovely comfortable smallish 4x4 makes an ideal family do it all car. I've had mine 5 1/2 years now, no plans to change it any time soon.
Hi everyone, thanks for your responses and appreciate all the different suggestions everyone has made. Shortly after this post, my PC got stuck in windows 10 auto repair mode and will not boot successfully (due to my local disk running out of space I believe) so I haven’t been able to get on there so I’m using my phone until I order and fit a new drive. I have also been asking around and thinking about what to do.
I’ve decided to get the rear subframe replaced at a local garage. (Initially I was going to rent a ramp for the day with my mate as I have the tools, and do it ourselves, but Dad reckons it’s a bad idea that would cause more grief than it’s worth, so I’ll pay to get it done properly.)
When the subframe is replaced, I’ll have to get a turbo issue sorted too, and then when the car is road-worthy again, I will put it up for sale. If I can get a grand or so for it, that’d be great, it not.....I will just run her into the ground. The Jeep has been largely a pleasure to drive and never let me down once on the many long journeys to the Scottish Highlands and Wales I’ve done. She’s driven through a foot of snow, numerous mud ruts through the woods and always got me home, but with the two issues recently, it really is time to investigate other options if I can sell her.
I am a huge fan of the old XJ Cherokees and seems most people have not a bad word to say about the 4L monsters....so if I have the dough I may go old school with this. Other than that, something Japanese probably, but I’d consider the Duster. Probably never buy a Land Rover, as everyone in the U.K. has them and I never follow the crowd so I prefer to buy niche and less common things.
Cheers
I’ve decided to get the rear subframe replaced at a local garage. (Initially I was going to rent a ramp for the day with my mate as I have the tools, and do it ourselves, but Dad reckons it’s a bad idea that would cause more grief than it’s worth, so I’ll pay to get it done properly.)
When the subframe is replaced, I’ll have to get a turbo issue sorted too, and then when the car is road-worthy again, I will put it up for sale. If I can get a grand or so for it, that’d be great, it not.....I will just run her into the ground. The Jeep has been largely a pleasure to drive and never let me down once on the many long journeys to the Scottish Highlands and Wales I’ve done. She’s driven through a foot of snow, numerous mud ruts through the woods and always got me home, but with the two issues recently, it really is time to investigate other options if I can sell her.
I am a huge fan of the old XJ Cherokees and seems most people have not a bad word to say about the 4L monsters....so if I have the dough I may go old school with this. Other than that, something Japanese probably, but I’d consider the Duster. Probably never buy a Land Rover, as everyone in the U.K. has them and I never follow the crowd so I prefer to buy niche and less common things.
Cheers
i had several XJs, UK and abroad, no problems with any of them.
the current one is a weird spec - manual everything, steel wheels , cloth interior but with air-con and p/s - is over 200k kms but used daily for carrying people, equipment, dragging boats ashore, etc and it never complains. fuel pump did play up for a while but not recently.
the current one is a weird spec - manual everything, steel wheels , cloth interior but with air-con and p/s - is over 200k kms but used daily for carrying people, equipment, dragging boats ashore, etc and it never complains. fuel pump did play up for a while but not recently.
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