EDIT: Y’all have given me a ton of good ideas, thank you!
I have the itch to... i dunno, throw away perfectly good money, I guess... and I’ve been finding myself watching lots of offroading/overlanding videos lately. When i was growing up, my dad would take the family out on day trips in his lightly-modified IH Scout 80, and I would love to start doing that myself now.
I recognize that it’s not exactly a cheap hobby, but i figure that with a good base to start with, I can slowly start taking more adventures, slowly upgrading as I go to unlock more and more difficult routes. I’m not looking to do major rock crawling, mostly just trials, service roads, powerline roads, etc.
Because of where I live, most of these trips will be out of state, by necessity, so not only will my vehicle need to be stout off the pavement, but at least somewhat well-mannered while headed to our destination.
I am planning to need space for four adults and two dogs, plus camping, safety, and extraction equipment. I assume this means I will be carrying cargo on the roof. Some trips may or may not include the dogs or a couple of the humans, but I want to be able to take everyone.
I am thinking exclusively in terms of used cars. I’m not looking to buy something nice, only to accidentally beat it up on the trail. If I need to head to the junkyard to buy a replacement door or engine part, I would like to have options. Decent aftermarket support would be nice, as well, but i realize the older I go, the less support will be available. 4WD is a must.
So that said, listed below are some ideas that immediately come to mind. I’m definitely open to suggestions!
3rd-gen 4Runner:
4th-gen 4Runner:
2nd-gen Rodeo/Passport:
GMT400 Tahoe/Suburban:
