I'm sure if you asked nicely, they might make you one in red... ;-)
They are dependable, reliable, and the most solid vehicle outside of a Subaru....
Jeeps, like anything else put out by Chrysler, are pure junk. Good luck on one of those lasting ten years. If you're lucky, the tranny might last 10,000 miles.
Toyota, on the other hand, is good stuff, despite all the recalls to their cars.
Seriously though. I agree with the poster that said Toyota. I'll be buying a new car or truck this year and if its a truck I'll buy a Tundra probably.
No brainer, get the FJ.
Personally I'd lean toward the Toyota, but even it didn't get very good reviews recently (for a Toyota) in Consumer Reports.
I bought my 2002 model Jeep Liberty in Oct 2001. It is still as perfect now as the day I bought it and tows my camper without effort.. My Mom's 1994 Jeep Cherokee has been passed down to my brother who abuses it for fun. It's a little rattley but strong and reliable. I would buy another Jeep in a minute, but don't have to. The Liberty is a tank in 4x4 low.
We do have a Dodge minivan, and it's fine. They do minivans just fine.
Get the Toyota.
but you might want something a little bigger, look at either the Pathfinder or Armada
Got a 2006 Jeep Commander a year ago. Love it. Would recommend it to anybody.
I've had some vehicles that had problems that I just loved and some that were pretty darn good but boring as hell or uncomfortable. Get a satillite radio if you are using it out in the sticks.
Tow truck driver once told me the Jeep Cherokee is by far the vehicle he tows most often.
My toyota supra lasted almost 300K miles before i sold it and engine ran and sounded exactly the same as when i bought it.
A motor trend article stated something about a flaw in the FJ windshield where it cracks and replacements are on a seriously long back order. Also has a bad blind spot.
I'd still get the Toyota...Or maybe an X-Terra.
Also the new GM trucks are getting real good reviews.
I'm sure if you asked nicely, they might make you one in red... ;-)
Said I wanted one before Iacco had a chance to screw them up.
Gave it to my daughter to go to college 900 miles away when it had 325,000 miles on it.
Daughter put another 25,000 miles on it.
Other than usual consummable, tires, shocks, brakes, etc. I replaced a water pump at 60,000 miles.
Bought the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited in 1998.
Radiator was a rusted piece of junk after 20,000 miles.
Cracked exhaust manifold at 60,000.
Front wheel Bearings went at 65,000.
At 165,000 the air conditioning went out. Mechanic had to remove dashboard to replace components that were the least expensive. Have to recharge it every 7th day.
Mechanic says he has made his living the past 5 years replacing air conditioning in Daimler/Chrysler products. He does 5 a week.
Why do I still have it? It's not summer in Central Florida....YET. My former property is about a month from closing so I can buy something else with cash and be debt free.
Continued.....
Why? Oh, why?
My wife just called. She took the Jeep to the store.
It will not shift out of low gear. Said the shift of the gears was "jumpy" on the way there.
It must have sensed I was demeaning it on FR.
Another vote for the Toyota. I sell used cars and my father sells Toyotas at the largest volume Toyota dealer on the East coast. I haven't driven it and haven't read reviews or ratings, so I can't speak personally about its performance, features, styling, comfort, etc., but I can tell you that generally speaking the Toyota is a superior vehicle and a superior value.
This past weekend a customer of mine wanted to test drive and probably purchase a Jeep Grand Cherokee. While pulling it up front to the door I noticed the check engine light was on. That understandably put the customer off. I couldn't even get it into gear when I went to put it away. The transmission made a grinding sound and every gear acted like "neutral."
The customer bought a Nissan Pathfinder. Another loss for the "Big Three" and another convert to the "Better Three."
if you look at jeeps, get one of the slightly older jeeps with the 4.0L I-6 engine, and a stick. the auto trans in many of the jeeps were junk, and the I-6 is an eternal engine. I've run two of them well past 200k miles, and have seen plenty past 300k.
I would highly recommend the FJ Cruiser. I have had mine for 3 1/2 years and I still love it. I never have trouble in the snow, and off road, it can go where most other vehicles can’t. My boyfriend’s daughter calls it a giant quad. It also looks nice on the road too. The only drawback is that it’s extremely difficult to back-up. The rear is so high that you will not see something like a motorcycle or bicycle that is right behind you, even using your mirrors, so keep that in mind. Other than that, all I can say is that I’m keeping mine until it dies :)