Need Your Advice: Thinking of Getting A New Sand Sled/Fishwagon
 

Thinking of getting a new sand sled.

My Rover, at just under 90K miles, is requiring a lot of attention as of late and I think it's time to get rid of it or relegate it to short trips to the supermarket.

Need your input...with the following contraints in mind:

1) No Japanese makes. I just won't buy Japanese cars.

2) The Mrs. does not want me to get a pickup truck, as much as I'd like one.

3) It's got to be competent on the beach (4WD).

4) Not really looking at the luxury brands. They (for the most part) suck on the beach. I've also had it with paying a premium for parts and service (and the attitude that a lot of these import dealers have).

I'm leaning towards leasing a new Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD. They're comfy, are multi-purpose (good enough for fishing) and mechanically reliable, and reasonably-priced, and, being switchable 2WD/4WD, don't hog nearly as much gas as as my Disco I which is perma 4WD.

I heard these are the most frequently stolen vehicles. :(

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, I'm not a car expert by any measure.

-WW

Just curious, why no Japanese cars? I have a 94 4-runner, over 100k, I've driven it from San Franciscso to Mass, taking a month to roam around the country. Runs like a dream!

nix the grand cherokee idea...
 

just got rid of the mrs 2001 grand cherokee with 37000miles and a burned out transmission.. jeep said that the sensors let go and subsequently smoked her tranny.. she never did off road, and just drove it normally.. always maintained it..

but i have heard many many horror storries about their transmissions letting go..

Why lease when 6 or 7k can get you into a really nice Jeep!

S10 Blazer!! I had 2 and the drive the beach great!! 4.6 motor!! Do not go with anything that has the 2.8!!!
They have a shift on the fly for the 4WD. It is a great Beach buggy and easy on the gas.

Good Luck

I don't want to assume the risks (=costs) of ownership. I'd rather rent and have the dealer/leasing company deal with the warranty/maintenance issues.

-WW

Ben
 

I give the GC a big thumbs up, get the 4.0 inline 6, if you do go for one. Do it soon, last year for those, as we know them.

I knew I liked you Joe. I love my S 10 blazer ZR2. Great on the Vineyard beaches. Has the big wheels and 4 wheel drive. Only issue might be that it is only 2 doors. By the way, I tow my 22 ft Hydra-Sports with it.

We didn't nuke those bastards twice for nuttin'.

Porsche Cayenne

buy my truck and be hunted like a wild animal

Krispy,

Some guy tried to convince me that the Volvo SUV (or was it VW) was functionally similar to the Porsche SUV.

Believe it or not, I thought I saw one last Fall in P-town, sporting rods (NY plates).

:laughs:

VW is very similar to the porsche. If I had my choice of new sleds it'd be the Toureg

Porsche on the beach. Yikes. Nouveau riche or no?

Are you being serious, man? :confused:

DUH!!! Posche, VW and Audi are like Chevy, Pontiac, and Buick...

I wouldn,t do a jeep =for free =every preson I know that has owned one =has had problems =============================why is it in the 4wd section of the classifieds =there are more jeeps than everthing else put together // not because they sell more :smash:

WW,
FWIW, I been driving a Chevy silverado for four years now. Currently has 120,000 on it and no major problems. The 1500 Suburban is basically the same truck. Does very well in the sand.

After the Nissan Titan

I like my 03 Silverado LESS than my 98 F150. I think the Ford is the better product. Probably the only reason I have the Chevy now is that it was the end of the old F150 run and too new for the new style. You need space and comfort and rod stashability, the GC is still small compared to a Tahoe or Expedition. It may be worth investigating the Tritan's SUV counterpart too. Or perhaps middle ground with an Avalance. Get a Hummer and we'll slash your tires.

Leasing is a terrible option for you as you drive too many miles and will put beyond normal wear and tear than a lease will be happy with. Maintenance and warranty are no different when buying and leasing and are still entirely the responsibility of the buyer. Macht Nichts.

As for no Japanese, are you taking your turn at NOT further increasing the defecit?

My 96 Gr Cherokee is a great sand sled.

It started as a 96 but it's got alot of newer parts so it's more like a 99 & a half. I've replaced the radiator, compressor, condenser, bus bar, water pump, fuel pump, heater core, blower, transmission, differential.

I'm afraid to change the oil.

I know you rockhoppers are a sensitive bunch, so don't take this the wrong way - cause I really have thought of this, and it wouldn't be too hard.
When I get too geeky or something to run my boat, I will retire to shore fishing - it's bound to be.
And the coolest sand sled would be an old Caddy hearse. Put it on a Chevy p/u frame, and then customize the crap out of it - think of the possibilities. It's not for everybody, but it would be a cool project.

Bill

John,

I think leasing is the way to go.

In dollar penalty terms, I was only in the hole for about $2,000 for overmileage on my lease when it was due to be turned in.

I mistakenly bought my truck out of the lease, and the result is that I've spent well over $8,000 in repairs (broken alternator, new set of tires, new set of wheel bearings, rebuilt one hub, new oilpan gasket, new engine valve cover, numerous suspension and axle repairs, and most recently new shocks, steering damper, and today three O2 sensors).

I think I have to rebuild the tranny too, which is another $4,000 (that's the cheapest!) and I'm scared to ask what replacing the diffy is gonna cost.

This despite religious dealer servicing and oil changes and just plain old taking care of it. The damn things should be called "Leak Rovers." They leak from every possible orifice.

My truck is just not very well built or mechanically reliable, and I would urge anyone out there to steer clear of Land Rovers, unless they love to tinker underneath the hood.

So everything is relative...I would have been better off paying the overmileage penalty and getting a newer sled.

-WW

I had good luck with my blazer til it got 8 years old. that's not bad. It goes great in the snad and i have had to tow a lot of guys out of holes with it. Much better than most in soft sand.

Also my sister has a ford explorer that is a bigger vehicle than the mid 90's explorer was. Its pretty nice but not sure what it would do in the sand.

Personally I would never lease for a couple of reasons. You will always have a car payment versus buying it will be yours after you are done with your payments. You have to watch you miles and you will always be paying higher taxes because you will always have a car that is relatively new(if that applies to your state I am not sure). I do not have one but I like the the Ford Explorers the best. Just my 2 cents.

Ben, i LOVE my durango. 8 cylinders of gas guzzling power. she is 6 years old now, and, besides the basic upkeep, has been great. i little TLC here and there is all that is needed. i just noticed the 1st pinhole of rust last fall. not bad for the 3rd complete season on the beach. as much as i hated the new design of the durangos at first, i may trade in for a new one when this girl finally dies.

:ss:

sand sleds
 

I have a 99 suburbon 1500 that handles real nice on the beach.Ialso have a Jeep Grd Cherokee that my wife drives ,that for the past 4 years has been my main ride on the beach with no problems at all ( I'm sure I just jinxed myself with that statement). the only reason for the GMC was size more room for more fishing stuff. I'ld say go for the Jeep its better on Gas.

Dodge Durango. That thing got a Hemi.

Everyone has their favorites and opions on this one....If a H2 is out of the question :) ...I like my Yukon XL, you don't have to get the XL lenght and you don't have to get the lux interior of the denali...has pleanty of power for towing and sledding and better ground clearence then most and a good turning dia. It has more room then the jeep, better visibility and is very easy to drive, your wife will love it.
It is made in the US (GMC) and is reasonably priced.
Gas mileage stinks but you don't buy this for commuting into the city.

I looked at the H2 but could not convice the wife, she thought it went agaist my "low profile" lifestyle. I need to fit in out here not stand out. ( I think she was right but they are boss vehicle!)

wee wee
 

theres a reason why theres so many s-10 blazers around still and i know Bcuz i'm still driving an 85 and will get a newer one soon. the ford expeditions have been used for plowing snow quite a bit so they are tough trucks. the jeep is good for traction true...but the horror stories far out weigh the good luck stories i think. think of the s-10 as a jeep on steroids that has a super low 1rst gear which is great in sand when the going gets tough. i've driven mine through 4 feet of snow with ease.

Bah! Rovers, Hummers...give me a break.
I was at the gas station the other day and this guy with a Hummer came in and asked why the pump shut off....The clerk told him it automatically shut off at $50.
S_ _ _ that's the same price as a pair of K-1000 Korkers.

Give up the sand fishing and become a Rhody mountain goat fisherman. Get yourself an little electric hybrid and fish on the cheap. Take the extra money and become an even bigger tackle-ho.

Ben, if you buy a truck right, say an Avalanche within 400 of invoice (not hard to do on most vehicles), get the 3500 rebate plus the 1K bonus cache, skip the dealer F&I and got to your bank and get 4-4.5% for 48 months and BUY it, you will do better trading it in at 3 years for something NEW then by leasing. The trick is that getting the $4500 in rebates, throwing some downstroke, and taking advantage of 4% financing, you're payment will be close to that of a lease unless the vehicle has a high residual value (high lease residual vehicles do not make good "Sand Sleds" :laughs: ). After 3 years with one year left you flip it into a new car. If you lease you are not getting all the incentives and the cheap rate financing available now (auto leases typicaly won't disclose their internalized rates or what you are buying the car for and they get to cushion their bottom line as you negotiate payment and not "buy" price). So at the end of 3 years or so you pay 2K+ in overmileage fees plus any dents, nicks, tires, and scratches, then you need to come up with another 2-3K downstroke and start the entire lease process over again on a different vehicle.

Trust me, leasing is not a good fit for you. Buying is. If you were getting a car to drive 15 miles round trip per day to the commuter rail and once a month to the mom-in-law's house leasing would be OK. You are not a good lease candidate.

Thanks John, I'll look closer into the economics of lease vs. buy.

BTW, you can back out the lease rate from the monthly payment if you have a financial calculator, as long as you know the residual value (which obviously he has to disclosed by law), the term of the lease, and the capital cost reductions (down payment).

I've pissed off more than one sales manager by nitpicking the numbers.

-B

sand sled
 

I had an S-10 Blazer that I used on the beach for years. The nice thing about it compared to some others of similar size (i.e., Durango) is that it has a tail gate rather than a lift gate, which I like as a surface for working on rods and gear. Has more clearance than some of the older Explorers, good power in the Vortec. However, I found it too small for all my junk. Also the non-slip differential went on it at about 60,000 miles.

If you buy a used 4x4, make SURE it has a non-slip differential AND that it actually works. They're expensive to fix when (not if) they go.

Recently upgraded to a Ram 1500 quad cab and I love it. Can use the quad space for extra passengers or to keep easy access to gear rather than in the bed. The bed is over 6 feet (6.25 feet) so you can catch a bit of sleep if need be (no Rangers heard me say that). Great clearance, but the hemi is a gas-pig.

The Ford 150 off road seems to have a bit higher profile than the dodge 1500 off road package.

Have you looked at the Tahoe? They look like they would make a fine beach buggy. I bet you can be into one for about 27-28

Yeah Bruce, the Tahoe's are schweet and just a tad more manageable than the Burban's. Very roomy and you can sleep in them. But I was thinking of something just a tad smaller and more fuel efficient.

smaller than tahoe?
 

My recommendation would be either an S10 Blazer, a Dodge Durango, or even a GMC Envoy/Chevy Trail Blazer (the last 2 a bit larger than the S10 model).

As I posted earlier, my S10 blazer did well for me for several years. I still have it (gave it to my daughter), has 125,000 on it and the engine is still running well. I have had some problems with body rust (who hasn't that runs the beaches). It has drum brakes in the rear and the sand seems to gunk them up over time too. Also, I had the electronic 4-wheel drive go on me and lock into permanent 4-wheel low. I (with the help of the Barnstable fire department) got it "hardwired" back into 2-wheel low for the ride home...but that was a pain!

I only would go with a manual 4-wheel shifter now.

I know how much gear you pack, get the Tahoe not something smaller. The 4.8 is decent on mileage isn't it? Or do you want a foreign vehicle like an Isuzzu or toyota? Popperjohn is selling his 4runner for 5 grand.

Bruce, gonna try to stick to an American nameplate. Sick of spending a premium on import parts and service.

Beware The JGC
 

Ben,

I don`t have a recommend but I`m in the business and have heard a ton of horror stories about the Jeep Grand Cherokees...

I`m considering a Toyota Tacoma even with the frame warnings related to salt.....I need a daily commuter to, that gets decent mileage....I might look at a high mileage lease.


Good luck...some good info. on this post.