2011 Land Rover LR4 or 2010 Jeep Wrangler 4 Door Rubicon?

ArkansasDon

Adventurist
I was ponder investing some money into a street rod, but after a long serious talk with the wife we both agree'd what we enjoy more is running trails & dispersed camping. So we both been on line looking for a good used vehicle that we can pull our offroad squaredrop trailer & run trails. Our budget is 30,000.00 this budget would include the purchase of the vehicle & a starting point after market parts that would go into the rig we decided on.
We've narrowed our search down to 2 makes & models: 2011 Land Rover LR4 & 2010 Jeep Wrangler 4 door Rubicon. These two vehicle bought around 20,000 will give me a vehicle with any were of high 60,000 miles to mid 70,000 miles with a 10,000. remaining starting point for some of the upgrades.

We've both read & read everything we can find on both vehicles, suspension upgrades, tire size, & front bumpers w\winch as a starting point. How about some information on experiences with either vehicles pro's & con's.
 
I believe your $10,000 upgrade budget would go further with the Jeep given the depth of aftermarket support. Maintenance on the jeep will be less expensive. Just as an odd note it's been my experience that LR4s of that generation chew through brakes at unreasonable rates. Long term the jeep may see better resale value.

That said the LR4 will be infinitely more comfortable than the Jeep.

Very interested to see what you end up with.
 
I vote for the Jeep as well. I forget what year they went to the higher horsepower engine, 2015 I think. Worth considering if it can fit the budget.
 
thanks Gallowbriad & bob91yj, this is why I posted this thread so I can get feed back on the two I mention, I'm open for other possible suggestion of vehicles the reasons for them.
 
With your fabrication capabilities and can do DIY attitude you could have a sweet Jeep XJ. Then I can live vicariously through you. :D

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I am interested what the pros and cons were that brought you to the two vehicles you mentioned. Both capable vehicles, but two different ends of the spectrum.
 
well......Land Rover reputation & you see quite a few of them in overlanding community. I will be turning 60 yrs in a few weeks & comfort is up on the list. Exceptionally capable off-roader with lots of good after matket parts & modifications, roomy & good cargo space, the review for the 2011 seem very good 4.5 to 4.7. The price point is good & in my budge.

Jeep JK 4 door you see lots of them, & many who I talked with love them as overlanding rigs & daily drivers. The price point "used" fits my budget & tons of after-market parts capabilities. I'm 6ft 1" tall 260lbs so leg room & fitting me as a hefty feller is another issue. This is why I am asking folks here for their opinion on these two, or if theirs others I should be checking out too. The 4 Runner is on my list too. I'm open to others & there views. My wife & I are not belly draggers but we want a rig that will handle good offroad travels
 
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Consider a Lexus GX 460 as well. Know as the Land Cruiser Prado in the rest of the world, they have very high reliability rates, are luxurious and are easily modified. Built on the same platform as the 5th gen 4 Runner but with the 4.6 liter V8. 2010-2013 would be in you target price range. A mild OME suspension or Dobinson, good 33" tires, rock sliders, and maybe a winch bumper. Down the road if you feel the need regear and a rear locker.
 
I would bet LR4 maintenance costs would be much higher.

I'd also suggest looking into a GX470. My brother's is a comfortable ride and the V8 in it could definitely pull a trailer.
 
just got back test driving a 2015 Land Rover, scratch that one off the list. I find that the automatic transmission is to much involved in changing gears, it has lots of power, I want a vehicle with simple gear changes. The JK 4 Door Jeep is scratch off too, we find it as we get older be too difficult for us to get in or out. Long term investment for us, so as we get older comfort, ease of in or out, a\c, heat, storage is a must as well as reliability.
added to the list is 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota 4 Runner, 2014 Lexus GX 460, 2013 Toyota 4 Runner & 2014 Nissan Pathfinder
 
My 2 cents on the new choices.

The newer Grand Cherokees have been one of my go to rental vehicle choices for the last several years. Comfortable, good range and capable. I have noticed that their fit and finish starts to decline once they get some miles on them though. A friend has a 2017 that's had electrical gremlins since day one. Resale value drops quickly on them so finding a deal should be easy.

The 4Runner is quite capable but no where near as comfortable as the Grand Cherokee. Better reliability and more aftermarket support. They maintain crazy levels of value on the used market and it only seems to be getting worse. Good news is you might find one with some of the aftermarket goodies you already want.

GX's are just sweet all around. Watch out for the ones at or just above 100,000 miles as they'll need a timing belt change. A bit pricey if you have a shop do it, a bit involved if you do it yourself. Can work out well for negotiating the price down if it hasn't been done. You will find they have complicated electrical systems and some nanny features, but they're historically reliable. With some questionable searching on the internet the Toyota Techstream software can be had for customizing and diagnosing those systems.

I'll withhold my comments on the Nissan. Outside of a late 80s 300zx I'd never have a Nissan. :rolleyes:

If the GX is in the running and comfort is a priority I'm going to make one more suggestion that's outside the normal "overlanding" realm. What about a Chevy Tahoe with the Z71 package? @bob91yj probably knows more about them than I do, but I've always liked them and I'm not a Chevy fan.
 
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I notice the 4 Runner is priced very high in the used market, even the one that are high mileage. I read some not so good reviews on the Nissan Pathfinder as a overland rig. I think one in my family is enough, GX, wow! just like the 4 Runner in price used. I want to say in the 20,000. range for the vehicle so I can have a decent amount for suspension up grade & tires. I was hoping more suggestions to point me in the direct to look. I'll keep looking. I'm a GMC guy myself, I was hoping for mid size. I'm going to look into Toyota Tacoma's adding a shell to the bed
 
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I notice the 4 Runner is priced very high in the used market, even the one that are high mileage. I read some not so good reviews on the Nissan Pathfinder as a overland rig. I think one in my family is enough, GX, wow! just like the 4 Runner in price used. I want to say in the 20,000. range for the vehicle so I can have a decent amount for suspension up grade & tires. I was hoping more suggestions to point me in the direct to look. I'll keep looking. I'm a GMC guy myself, I was hoping for mid size. I'm going to look into Toyota Tacoma's adding a shell to the bed

Mid-sized and an SUV certainly limits your options, and as you branch out from the Jeeps and 4Runners you'll see less and less aftermarket support. You could look at Ford Explorers prior to the body change of late 2010 or if you don't mind going that old there's cool things happening with Ford Sport Tracs, although finding one in good condition with 4wd is tough....I've been looking.

Branching out to trucks certainly opens things up, however you'll find the Tacomas are priced almost like the 4runners, although it's a little easier to find a deal. You'll find better deals on things like Colorado's, Canyons and Frontiers. If you want to be really unique try tracking down a Suzuki Equator: a Frontier but with less Nissan parts in it. A good thing in my book. :D


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Steelman Built on Instagram is doing a great old school Tacoma build (and has hinted he's selling it soon).

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Skip looking at a Pathfinder, but I would add the 2015 Xterra Offroad to the list. I would own another without question. When I bought our 2006, I had compared it against the FJC, Jeep JK, and 4Runner... it prevailed, and I haven't regretted it. As much as I wanted the 4Runner, I couldn't quite justify the extra cost at the time. For daily use, the FJC and JK couldn't measure up.
 
we got back, test drove the 2014 Toyota FJ & another 4 door JK Jeep Wrangler this one Altitude Edition. Liked them both. Both had the adequate storage room for what we wanted, both were had comfort, both had ease of use on every thing, the FJ you can hear the exhaust while driving (must been a performance exhaust), too bad neither of them were in the color white what I want.
Trump I'll look at the 2015 XTerra. I'm looking at ever option before I will make my decision what I will purchase. I figure this will be my last Ooh Rah on vehicles, & want to make sure I get will work for us: the wife & I for many years.
What ever I get I will dump some cash into it: suspension upgrades, skid plates, tires & wheels, new front & rear bumpers, spare tire carrier, winch, roof rack, for a starters.
 
Skip looking at a Pathfinder, but I would add the 2015 Xterra Offroad to the list. I would own another without question. When I bought our 2006, I had compared it against the FJC, Jeep JK, and 4Runner... it prevailed, and I haven't regretted it. As much as I wanted the 4Runner, I couldn't quite justify the extra cost at the time. For daily use, the FJC and JK couldn't measure up.
From what I read about the Pro 4 Xterra I'm impressed. Sounds pretty stout & would be a great candidate for what I want to do. I like the fact it's mostly hard plastic inside. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
From what I read about the Pro 4 Xterra I'm impressed. Sounds pretty stout & would be a great candidate for what I want to do. I like the fact it's mostly hard plastic inside. Thanks for the suggestion.

A big plus for me, is that it was the only US available SUV still offered with a manual transmission. The power out of that 4.0 with a 6-speed makes it a quite peppy ride. The only real maintenance issue I've had was a bad ECM relay that basically turned it into a brick for a day (replaced by Nissan under a recall.) Another plus for me is actually the VDC system... I wouldn't normally endorse nanny systems, but it really does some magic keeping it pointed and traveling straight when the snow comes down.
 
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