Images via Facebook Marketplace
If you want to wheel hard in the desert, mountains, or anywhere else, one great way to do it is with an older rig. You don’t have to worry about totaling a nice, newer vehicle, dealing with a huge insurance claim, and losing your everyday driver in an incident. We recently found three interesting candidates for off-roading, each SUV with its own list of attributes and drawbacks.
Never do this when you’re off-roading.
Of course, if your budget allows, any one of these three rigs could be modified to further enhance the factory setup for trail duty. You absolutely can factor in the cost, effectiveness, and availability of upgrades into your decision.
First up we have a 2005 Lexus GX 470, which uses the same platform as the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, only it comes with a beefy V8 under the hood and some upgraded luxuries. The owner says he’s kept this off-roader entirely stock, and even in that form they’re formidable trail machines, especially with the right tires.
Plus, your trip to and from the trailhead will be made in the lap of luxury, sort of. While the seats and door panels all look fantastic, the steering wheel, dash, center console, and center stack or peeling, crackling, and coming apart at least on the surface. Still, this might be a great ride for $9,900 since the owner says it runs great with 210,000 miles.
Next up is a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Limited with 126,096 miles. Also a favorite of many off-roaders, this rig has a lot of aftermarket support, even more than the Lexus (a huge selling point for Jeeps). Plus, the owner says it’s been sitting in storage for years and is in excellent shape, hence the $7,900 asking price.
Thanks to it being a Limited, this rig has heated leather seats and other niceties like the Lexus. However, there are no signs of excessive interior wear. The mechanicals all work great, claims the owner, including the four-wheel-drive system.
Finally, there’s the dark horse of the three off-roaders, a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited Sport. Back in the day these SUVs were highly desirable status symbols, but with the Japanese automaker’s image in the US tarnished they haven’t held their value so well. This one is listed for sale with an asking price of just $2,400 with 208,100 miles.
Despite what some might think, the Monteros are also quite capable trail rigs. Aftermarket support is going to be more limited, but scouting for components in other countries and joining an owners group for tips could allow you to upgrade this ride as desired.
Other than worn seats and faded paint, this Montero looks to be in good condition and the owner says it runs well, other than a faulty 02 sensor triggering the check engine light. We know for a lot of people that’s a red flag, but the price is low, so you might think this is a risk worth taking.
The big question is which of these off-road rigs would you take for the money and why?
Images via Facebook Marketplace
Check out the Lexus listing here.
Check out the Cherokee listing here.
Check out the Montero listing here.
