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Modern Offroad Beater

ParadisePWoffrd

Recovering Project Junkie
Joined
May 27, 2020
Member Number
1544
Messages
264
Loc
Newton, NC
To add onto the modern engine threads....

XJs, ZJs, zuks, etc have been a goto for cheap offroad beaters. They are all ~20+ years old.

What are the "new" or "next generation" of cheap offroad platform?

Not talking about Wranglers, as they generally are not "cheap."
 
20 years old...oh my friend you have the same issue as me. You are stuck in the 90s.

Yeah I agree. It already has the axles you want. The engines are that bad. The tcase is the size of a carry on suitcase.

Get rid of the bits that are getting in the way and go have fun. Because everyone builds a truck eventually ends up with the same drivetrain jammed into a JK.

May as well already just start with the truck that has it all. Less time wrenching....more time wheeling.
 
I also think 4Runners are a pretty good contender.

Tacoma's hold their value too well, and 4Runners do too, but maybe not as much, since they don't have intrinsic value as a work truck. Once a 4Runner is a bit old and beat, it is no longer attractive to the soccer mom.

I hope they sell a f-ton of new Broncos. I don't see them depreciating fast, but if they did, they'd be an awesome mild trail rig.
 
Any thoughts on old sxs type vehicles? I'm still amazed at the prices, but they are making and selling a ton of them so they might be the go to in the future.

I see a definite split in the offroad world happening. While we grew up with cheap vehicles that could be modified into capable offroad vehicles, now either that type of vehicle is gone, or its so expensive to get it to where it could be used offroad that its just not plausible to do so for many. Instead I see most people just opt for the sxs or dirtbike. I don't deny that the sxs world is easy to get into, but I think its also just that much harder to get into a real truck these days. Its way easier to just finance something and go hit the trails, vs trying to find a rig and then have to build it up. You still see people building buggies, but for the most part the sxs don't really work in that environment.
 
Yeah I hate to say it, but the "beaters" as many of us see them seem to be dwindling overall. I think the golf cart market is a strong factor there, as well as the price retention of older clapped out vehicles over the last ~10 years. Maybe that part is due to cash 4 clunkers among other things

The gasser F250 is a great point, has a lot of the stuff you need to have some big tire fun right off the bat.
 
I don't think cash for clunkers was as big of an issue as everyone thinks on the market. Yes, it did take out a chunk of cars from the market, but I think rising car prices is what is really keeping that market inflated. With an ever growing pool of drivers, manufacturers intent on making cars people don't really want, the cost of emissions and all the safety crap, its easy to see why people aren't selling.
 
That's valid for sure. And it was long enough ago, the stuff that was getting clunked are those 20+ year old rigs that we already recognized as beaters, so it wouldn't explain a hole in the market since then.
 
Ghetto Fab. said:
I don't think cash for clunkers was as big of an issue as everyone thinks on the market. Yes, it did take out a chunk of cars from the market, but I think rising car prices is what is really keeping that market inflated. With an ever growing pool of drivers, manufacturers intent on making cars people don't really want, the cost of emissions and all the safety crap, its easy to see why people aren't selling.
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In large part it's the COVID shortages (and economic stimulus) which inflated the current used and new market (along with everything else). I also question the quality of anything built from early 2020 til present....seems like the work ethic world wide (as well as parts availability) has tanked.
 
If I wasn't knee deep in Ford stuff and had to start over I'd probably pick up 2000+ Tahoe/Escalade/Silverado and put a 2005+ D60 in front of it. Those seem to be "cheap" enough.
 
Cash for Clunkers has pretty much killed whatever the rust didn't take out up here.

Pretty rare to see big sellers anymore like Frontiers/Xterra or 1st and 2nd gen Explorer. They all just disappeared.
 
I see those hyudai santa cruz things running around once in a while. Too new yet to be a beater, but eventually. I always think they'd make a nice snow wheeler. No idea what is in them for an engine, trans or transfer case..or if they even have one.

Be fun up in the snow with the family with yer standard LS, tons, and 40s under it though!
 
The one platform that cash for clunkers really destroyed was the FJ80, those were just the right age that a lot of mainstream customers owned them and was ready to trade them in and didn’t care that they were an awesome enthusiast platform.
 
What are we defining as "cheap"? Just ran through my local craigslist, plenty of YJs, XJs, WJs and IFS suzuki stuff still there for under 5k, even found a few clapped out F250/350's. The Toyota tax has moved all of those out of the cheap arena, especially factory solid axle trucks. I think at some point the early JK is going to start getting affordable
 
TrikeKid said:
What are we defining as "cheap"? Just ran through my local craigslist, plenty of YJs, XJs, WJs and IFS suzuki stuff still there for under 5k, even found a few clapped out F250/350's. The Toyota tax has moved all of those out of the cheap arena, especially factory solid axle trucks. I think at some point the early JK is going to start getting affordable
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Lots of Grand Cherokee’s (don’t know their designations), that have the 5.7Hemi, so power shouldn’t be an issue. Swap axles and run it.
 
In my opinion, if you have to axle swap it to get started, it’ll never catch on as a common platform. XJs worked pretty good with $300 lift kits and tires. It was enough to get you hooked.

4.3L S10s and 5.2L Dakotas would be good you’re OK with step 1 being to take a torch to the IFS, which most of the world isn’t.

I will agree that JKs might get cheap one day, There’s a ton of them out there, and they aren’t good “cars”.

Oddly, the 3 wheeler’s I’ve had in my life are an XJ (long arms and 36s back in 2001 before they really caught on), SAS S10, and now I’m married with kids so I bought a minivan, er, JK.
 
holdmypocket said:
If I wasn't knee deep in Ford stuff and had to start over I'd probably pick up 2000+ Tahoe/Escalade/Silverado and put a 2005+ D60 in front of it. Those seem to be "cheap" enough.
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I picked up this 2wd 2500 GMC for cheap, added 05+ ford axles and a doubler from ORD, I probably have 6k into it at this point.
IMG_0091.JPG
 
First Gen JK can be had around here now for $4-5k CAD but needs work. This seems to be the beater price range.

My 2003 TJ Rubicon was $3000 in 2021. It needed work and now needs more work (body work) as rust is the killer here

$2000 in 2004 is about $3300 today
What is the presumed beater value from twenty years ago?
 
Can find Frontiers for cheap ish. Titan suspension is damn near bolt in to get a stronger front axle and wider stance/more wheel travel from the IFS.

The V6 is pretty stout but if you want a V8, the Titan 5.6 is a pretty straight forward swap also that uses mostly oem parts.
 
I just did a Craigslist search on $5000 or less. Only two things popped up I’d consider fit the criteria. A mid 90’s 4.0 explorer and a mid 90’s 4.0 XJ. So 30 year old beaters.
 
JR4X said:
I just did a Craigslist search on $5000 or less. Only two things popped up I’d consider fit the criteria. A mid 90’s 4.0 explorer and a mid 90’s 4.0 XJ. So 30 year old beaters.
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That's the market here in Phx too. Very little under $5K the vast majority of the time unless you just score a deal where someone just wants to get rid of something. Old 4Runners and FJ80s were $3700 pretty regularly before COVID...granted, the FJ80s were rough at that price point....but now there's a premium on anything you'd think of wheeling.
 
Jeffh555 said:
In my opinion, if you have to axle swap it to get started, it’ll never catch on as a common platform. XJs worked pretty good with $300 lift kits and tires. It was enough to get you hooked.
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Gotta throw the solid axle or nothing ideology out the window if you want a cheap beater in 2024.

I've had plenty of fun in IFS mini-trucks over the years. Are they super bad ass rock crawlers out of the box? Fuck no! They'll get a guy pretty far on the trail with some craigslist 33's and a welded diff though. They're something a guy can wheel and build on while they save for or build a solid axle.
 
Jeffh555 said:
In my opinion, if you have to axle swap it to get started, it’ll never catch on as a common platform. XJs worked pretty good with $300 lift kits and tires. It was enough to get you hooked.
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TrikeKid said:
Gotta throw the solid axle or nothing ideology out the window if you want a cheap beater in 2024.
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I think we’re saying the same thing. A good cheap off-road beater is something that works OK with a small lift and welded diffs, that can be IFS or factory solid axle. It is not something that works well after you solid axle swap it but doesn’t before.

You’ll notice I recommend Tacoma, 4Runner, old UTV, and for a future stretch goal, new Bronco.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Early 2000s Suzuki vitara/Chevy tracker.

They typically have a larger engine but share a lot of parts with the 90s sidekick/tracker. 3:1 and 4.24:1 case gears available. Lockers and some suspension parts cross over.

Most people think they are just another crv or rav4 type "suv"
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Already well beyond the 20 year mark, but the Gen2 Vitara/Tracker is a great platform.
Only real hangup is the somewhat fragile front (aluminum) diff.

Im currently in the middle of a 1999 Tracker build, it will be our weekend wheeler and TOAD vehicle for dragging behind the camper.
I did a complete teardown on the chassis and running gear. Body is back in the shop currently for its overhaul.
Not at all NEEDED work, but its how I do things. Polished garbage that I can depend on without it nickel and diming me. (hopefully) :homer:

But it is a proper Japanese inline engine (J20A), 5-speed, I also tossed some 3:1 gears in the xfer case, and 5:12 diff gears.
And cut it up to fit the "big" 31's without a lift of any kind in order to maintain all factory suspension geometry and keep things low.

All in, Im still into it less than $8k Picked it up as a basket-case for $1200, zero mile engine rebuild absorbed about $1500, and essentially everything chassis related is new. Likely have another $1500 to finish. So with luck Ill have a basically brand new runner for under $10k

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