Nissan Xterra vs. Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

[xr400r]

long after the Jeep has died you will still be driving the xterra

[NikonsAndVStroms]

So the out of nowhere suggestion......why not a Subaru? People drive em through some horrible roads on a daily basis and they seem to be able to hold up to it. Plus the savings in gas would be 1-2 bike payments over either of your initial choices which get mid teens in the city.

[SourKraut]

Originally Posted by NikonsAndVStroms

So the out of nowhere suggestion......why not a Subaru? People drive em through some horrible roads on a daily basis and they seem to be able to hold up to it. Plus the savings in gas would be 1-2 bike payments over either of your initial choices which get mid teens in the city.

Subaru maybe meets two of the six requirements OP listed. Plus, I take issue with your assertion that they hold up to abuse and get good mileage since my 2010 and 2011 did neither of those things.

Did I mention that Subarus suck?

[NikonsAndVStroms]

Originally Posted by SourKraut

Subaru maybe meets two of the six requirements OP listed. Plus, I take issue with your assertion that they hold up to abuse and get good mileage since my 2010 and 2011 did neither of those things.

Did I mention that Subarus suck?

Damn missed the towing, it's only ~3k.....and the old ones seem to be doing great up in NH/VT.

[broncobowsher]

Originally Posted by wibornz

You are aware that the jeep wrangler has the Highest resale value of just about any vehicle.

How does that account after you figure that the Jeep also has the most sunk into it in aftermarket products. Let's see, buy for $30k, add another $10k in add ons (tires, wheels, lift, nets, bumpers, crap) and realize it is a money pit and sell it in 2 years for $25k. 25K on a 30K purchase is good resale, but if you figure that the real return of 25k on a 40k total investment and it sucks. the only Jeeps with high resale value around here are ones that have had a lot of money dumped into them.

[moodfart]

Originally Posted by broncobowsher

How does that account after you figure that the Jeep also has the most sunk into it in aftermarket products. Let's see, buy for $30k, add another $10k in add ons (tires, wheels, lift, nets, bumpers, crap) and realize it is a money pit and sell it in 2 years for $25k. 25K on a 30K purchase is good resale, but if you figure that the real return of 25k on a 40k total investment and it sucks. the only Jeeps with high resale value around here are ones that have had a lot of money dumped into them.

Not my experience at all. Around here at least, stock, well kept Jeeps seem to draw more than those built up to their owner's content.

I've probably put $5k into my Jeep in aftermarket stuff, but in the end I pulled it all back down to stock. You think the stocker rides bad; throw a lift and mud terrains on it and see what you think. Not sure your plans, but I would keep it stock one way or another. Plenty of off road capability stock, and if you want to really wheel, buy an old YJ for $3k and build that.

Also, I'm too lazy to look it up, but I know the Unlimiteds have higher tow ratings than the standard SWB Jeeps. My 4.0 can pull a tree out of the ground, but the issue with towing really comes from the SWB. My small boat makes it's presence known, and it's way less than what my Jeep is rated for.

[Hardware02]

Thanks for all the advice gang. Great stuff!!

Notice when I listed the tow rating I prefaced the 5000 with a "~" meaning there's wiggle room there...pardon the pun.

The Jeep Canada website lists the tow rating for the both 2 dr and 4dr Sahara models at 907 kgs (2000 lbs).

That's not an absolute show stopper. If it can have a hitch mounted and can periodically be called upon to haul my 5x10 utility trailer (400 lbs) with my ATV (800 lbs) or possibly our motorcycles (~1000 lbs combined) in it, then it's still far more utilitarian than the Rogue.

For any serious towing, I have my 2500 Ram with a Cummins.

[GP640]

Trust me, I owned an 09 Rubicon unlimited.

It had 3500lbs towing and felt horrible towing half that. Our 01 Tacoma was way better with less hp
and similar wheelbase towing the exact same load.

My particular Jeep was a huge POS and as a result my wife and I strongly caution anyone to look
at alternatives unless you absolutely have to have a 4x4 that can go topless.

If I wanted a less reliable vehicle I'd have bought a newer Land Rover

[Krang]

FWIW, I was asking myself the same question not too long ago. . . I wound up not buying another vehicle,but you can get great used deals on XTerras.

[Dukeryder]

Originally Posted by xr400r

long after the Jeep has died you will still be driving the xterra

Jeeps don't die they just keep getting rebuilt. lots of old Jeeps running around, and I mean OLD, I see at least 1 30+ y/o Jeep a day on the road.

I would only choose the Jeep over the Xterra because the resale on the Wrangler is awesome. If you were talking FJ vs Wrangler then maybe there'd be more debate. The Jeep also gets major cool points for being able to go topless in the summer. Nissans generally don't have the same awesome resale value as a Wrangler or Toyota, despite being pretty good cars.

[Ianstein]

Whoever said its apples to oranges said it best.

A jeep is a jeep. It's not a SUV, it's not a truck, its sure not anything car related. It's built for the purpose of off roading. Plain and simple. Sure it's got some creature comforts to make it a little more bearable on road, but that's not where it belongs.

In moto terms, think of it like comparing a KTM Adventure to a Vstrom. sure, both are "adventure" bikes and both can go off road, but one is defintely geared towards on road and the other for off road.

[Krabill]

Originally Posted by xr400r

long after the Jeep has died you will still be driving the xterra

Hmm . . . my last Jeep had 285k miles on it when I sold it. Still ran just fine. My current Jeep has over 230k miles on it and still rides and drives as well as it did the day I drove it off the lot with 0 miles on it. The motor and tranny have never been apart. A couple wheel bearings, radiator hoses, and a thermostat is about it other than tires/oil/brakes. I don't know what this "dead" Jeep thing is you're talking about.

That said, my next vehicle will be yet another Jeep.

[rifflebox]

I own a 2005 Xterra S (4WD) and a 2011 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon - 2D. Both are 6-speed manuals. For everyday driving I'd take the Xterra. We have a rough access road to the house (lots of rocks and washboarding) and the Xterra has gone 125,000 miles without a rattle. We have had the front-end rebuilt once, but then we had the Dodge 2500 RAM front end rebuilt too because the road really beats them up. The V6 in the Xterra is way more powerful than the Jeep and it handles OK. I don't know if this is a common problem but we are having timing chains replaced on the Xterra ($1700) and the Integrated Power Distribution Module failed about a month ago ($750), but I think it is worth keeping since it has been paid off for years.

The Jeep is more fun for zipping around town and for serious off-roading. I haven't looked into what it would take to make the Xterra more off-road worthy but it is a good, well built, body-on-frame SUV and I'd buy another one. One more thing is that the Nissan dealer network has shrunk in the past couple of years and it is an hour to the closest dealer.

Either vehicle is good, but we have had good service from Nissan trucks and the Xterra.

[moodfart]

Originally Posted by Krabill

Hmm . . . my last Jeep had 285k miles on it when I sold it. Still ran just fine. My current Jeep has over 230k miles on it and still rides and drives as well as it did the day I drove it off the lot with 0 miles on it. The motor and tranny have never been apart. A couple wheel bearings, radiator hoses, and a thermostat is about it other than tires/oil/brakes. I don't know what this "dead" Jeep thing is you're talking about.

That said, my next vehicle will be yet another Jeep.

I assume you're talking about the 4.0 though? I know why Jeep left the 4.0, but I wish they hadn't.

[Krabill]

Originally Posted by moodfart

I assume you're talking about the 4.0 though? I know why Jeep left the 4.0, but I wish they hadn't.

Yes, they have both had the 4.0, but if the "old" Jeeps aren't dying on the side of the road, I have no reason to believe "new" Jeeps will be. At least I haven't seen any.

I had an even older Jeep than these two, too. I had a 1978 CJ-5 with the 304 V8 and a 3 speed. My dad bought it brand new. I got it when I turned 16. It only had about 80k miles on it when we sold it, but the majority of those miles were off-road. It had a lot of time on it - slow all-day trail riding - but not a lot of miles. Again, nothing mechanical broke on it. Tires, oil, brakes.