"JMKarstetter" (jmkarstetter)
09/12/2018 at 00:04 • Filed to: None
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"JMKarstetter" (jmkarstetter)
09/12/2018 at 00:04 • Filed to: None | 1
| 28 |
I’m currently looking for a second vehicle, and I’m wanting something with lots of room for camping and road trips. I’m kind of torn between an older Land Cruiser/LX470 and a 4WD Honda Element, trying to stay under $20k and no older than 2002. I used to have an Element and loved it, but it wasn’t 4WD and at the time I needed something with more seats, so I traded it in. Now I just have me, my daughter, and my dogs.
I plan on driving it all over the country and up into Canada, so something reliable is wanted, hence the choices, and I’d love to be able to do at least some light off-roading, which I think both could handle. Has anyone in here owned an Element and taken it off road? All of the videos I’ve seen on YouTube are old and fairly tame. I don’t need to go through the toughest parts of Moab with it, but being able to do something like Goldmine hill would be nice I think.
The gas mileage and stuff of the Element would be nice, and I can get a newer one with a lot lower miles for the same price, but the Land Cruiser may be more fun.
So Oppo, what do you think of these options, and is there maybe a vehicle that would fit these needs that I’m missing?
smobgirl
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 00:27 |
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Get out of my head!
I want a camping vehicle that can handle long drives (and long gravel highways/Canada) and I’ve been thinking about an E lement. Although my sister’s Soul handled the Dempster Highway fine...
I hope you get some useful info here.
MUSASHI66
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 00:35 |
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Forester with a manual, lift kit and beefier tires, and some armor.
Outback with a manual and all above.
Xterra.
GLiddy
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 00:48 |
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Get the Land Cruiser. It is eminently more capable than the Element if my experience with my 4WD Pilot is any indication. Right after I bought my 2014 Pilot, I took it to a nearby construction site to see how it would handle climbing a small dirt berm that had recently been dampened by rain. With traction control off and the VTM-4 lock on, it still couldn’t manage a modest grade. Honda’s 4WD is best for street use in my estimation.
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JMKarstetter
> GLiddy
09/12/2018 at 01:09 |
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I actually traded my old Element in for a Honda Ridgeline and it did fairly decent in a couple of the situations I got into, but still not sure how they would handle in something more intense. Thanks for the input though, good to know.
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JMKarstetter
> smobgirl
09/12/2018 at 01:11 |
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Thanks! I love the element, and I’ve always wanted a Land Cruiser/LX470/LX570, so I feel like it’s almost a no lose situation for me.
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JMKarstetter
> MUSASHI66
09/12/2018 at 01:12 |
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I don’t like the size of the Subarus, but I did think about them and actually checked them out previously. I did forget about the Xterra though, but for some reason I have it in my head that they aren’t that reliable?
Future Heap Owner
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 01:43 |
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I love the E lement, but IIRC its ground clearance is a hair over 6 inches (less than a current-generation Corolla).
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JMKarstetter
> Future Heap Owner
09/12/2018 at 02:20 |
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According to a quick Google search, 6.9" of unladen ground clearance. they do make small lift kits for them though. The Land Cruiser does boast a whopping 9.8" of ground clearance stock though. I knew the Element had less, just not that much
less.
Wuelling
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 02:26 |
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I'd go with a GX instead. Probably fits more of what you need and basically a Land cruiser light
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Future Heap Owner
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 02:49 |
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I think the Element is great if your off-road use case is along the lines of Forest Service roads to get to trails or campsites, but probably not that great if you want to do named off-roading trails or anything of that nature. When I was trying to get my brother to buy an Element (instead of a Rav4) the only off-road videos I could find were on totally flat trails, maybe with shallow puddles.
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 05:33 |
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2nd gens Xterras have explodey automatic transmissions, first gens were actually quite durable though.
BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 05:39 |
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For your price range, it may be easier to find a good condition GX470 (even GX460 on the top end, which I’d strongly, strongly recommend). 85% of the Cruiser/LX for 50% of the price.
boxrocket
> MUSASHI66
09/12/2018 at 06:41 |
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He said reliable and you give him Subarus? What a cruel world we live in.
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boxrocket
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 06:50 |
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Land Cruiser/LX is a good choice. Expedition/Navigator actually have a truck-based 4WD system that’s pretty good, and since the greasy bits are essentially shared with the F-150 there’s probably not a parts place in the US & Canada that doesn’t have stuff for them.
I’ve taken my XC90 2.5T AWD to some light off-road parks (old mines and quarries with sand flats and long hills) and it did great while being VERY comfortable, and a nice place to observe the Jeeps, Suzukis, ATVs, and side-by-sides play in the heavier stuff, which was satisfactory enough for me so that I didn’t mess up my daily driver. XC90s also come in V8 and I6 flavors, but shop the later ones with the non-GM 4-speed transmission.
The older body-on-frame Explorer/Mountaineer/Aviator may also suit for similar reasons to the Expedition and Navigator (substitute Ranger for F-150)
, and are closer to the Element than LC/LX in size. Not AS comfy, but more available.
Michael
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 08:24 |
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Join the GX club!
One of us, one of us!
Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
> Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/12/2018 at 08:48 |
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I thought it was the other way around?
Ash78, voting early and often
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 08:50 |
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Sienna AWD. Depending on weather, you can always sleep inside the van and still have room for cargo. You might even get away with FWD, but bring self-rescue gear/
Yeah, it lacks ground clearance, but I’ve never seen a forest service road that couldn’t be done with 5" of clearance or so. Any rock
bigger than that, you’ll see it coming.
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Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 08:51 |
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XTrerra is a good choice. You can get them up to MY 2015 in manual in “Pro4X” spec, which is their offroading version that even comes with a locking rear diff. As Zoidberg mentioned, one of the generations had major automatic transmission problems, but I thought it was the older ones. Either way, good vehicles.
nermal
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 09:25 |
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Why no pickup?
$20k should get you a nice Frontier, an older Tacoma, or a decent 1/2 ton of your choosing.
adamftw
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 09:56 |
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The Element is junk off road. My buddy bought one thinking he could do this with one when they were brand new, and destroyed the clutch in like 6000 miles. It doesn’t have the clearance or gearing.
Not doing any crazy offroad stuff and just want a capable and comfortable overland road tripper? Get a Tahoe if you don’t want a Subaru.
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adamftw
> Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/12/2018 at 09:59 |
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The ATs are fine, the radiators just go bad in between the trans cooler and you get the strawberry milkshake... just like some 90s/2000s 4Runners did.
HammerheadFistpunch
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 10:11 |
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I wonder if you could find a used 4wd Ursa minor element for that price.
Also if you want a land cruiser... Just get one. Be advised they are not cheap to run.
Another alternative is the Lexus gx. I know you can get a very well sorted lowish Mil e gx in budget... Because I did
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Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> adamftw
09/12/2018 at 10:47 |
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Pretty big "just" there when we look at the repair bill
jasmits
> GLiddy
09/12/2018 at 10:59 |
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You sure you didn’t just have it in a really low traction situation that any 4x4 would’ve struggled with(loose, wet piles of dirt at a construction site could cause anything to dig in and spin tires while also being deceptively steep) or really crappy factory tires or something? I’ve found the VTM-4 system in my dad’s MDX to be way better than other softroader AWD systems in deep snow and one of my offroading friends cut his teeth off pavement in his family’s hand-me-down Pilot and says it was actually kind of a beast for what it is . In locked mode the VTM system comes surprisingly close to emulating not just a proper 4x4 system but a proper 4x4 system with a locked rear diff.
Now I’d still take the Land Cruiser any day for off pavement use and even probably in general. The MDX/Pilot/Element aren’t designed with more than occasional off pavement use in mind so lots of little stuff you wouldn’t think about won’t be constructed to take tougher conditions like it will be on the Cruiser. I also don’t really think the electrically actuated clutch packs that make VTM work would hold up to extended use like a proper transfer case and lockers do, not to mention lack of low range, solid axle etc . Plus the Cruiser beyond being more capable stock makes a great platform for anything from minor upgrades on up if the off road bug bites.
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adamftw
> Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/12/2018 at 11:07 |
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Maybe after running your trans full of coolant, yea. But radiators aren’t exactly expensive.
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Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> adamftw
09/12/2018 at 11:11 |
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Plenty of people have ran that sweet coolant through the trans
http://m.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Xterra/2007/transmission/coolant_leaked_into_transmission.shtml
vicali
> JMKarstetter
09/12/2018 at 11:23 |
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4Runner.
There, I said it.
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adamftw
> Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/12/2018 at 11:34 |
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womp womp