- Hey, what's up guys, Josh from TrailBuilt,
and we all have some sort of sense for adventure,
but we shouldn't have to break the bank
just to have a little off-road fun on the weekends.
And if you have even the slightest
of hands-on mechanical aptitude,
then buying a four-wheel drive vehicle
for under $10,000 is a great place to start
to get you out into the wilderness
without having to worry
about not being able to make it home
and that's what these five, 4x4s are,
they're reliable, durable, easyish to work on,
and lots of great aftermarket parts support network
to keep your rig running and driving
wherever you may end up.
Starting with the obvious so we can save the best for last,
we have the ever so popular unibody, solid axled
Jeep Cherokee XJ from about 91 to 2001 year range
after the engine electronic control was upgraded.
Granted, these XJs have gone up slightly in price
as more and more off-road enthusiasts
have gotten wind of how awesome these Cherokees can be,
especially with the virtually bulletproof straight six,
four liter engine, paired with the AX-15 auto trans
and new process 231 transfer case,
giving you a stout drive train,
and plenty of parts support,
whether it's new or used from a reputable salvage yard.
The Jeep Cherokee XJ also comes with solid axles
both front and rear, coil springs up front
and the tried and true leaf springs in the rear,
and plenty of options to upgrade the suspension
and drive train components
that can actually be found right on our website
at TrailBuilt.
Beastly, reliable, capable, and still coming in
at a heck of a reasonable price,
the Jeep Cherokee XJ is a great place to start.
Now, our second option for one of the best off-road rigs
for under $10,000 is another popular Jeep model
that has won more off-road performance awards
than any other SUV in its class
and that is the first and second gen
Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ and WJ.
The ZJ range from 93 to 98 and the WJ from 99 to 2004.
Offering a bit more luxuries
and a little bit bigger package,
the ZJ and WJ both still offered solid axles for robustness
and better articulation on the trails,
but offered coil springs at all four corners
for a bit better ride on the street and trails
compared to the leaf sprung rear of the XJ
and even had the option for a 5.2 liter
V8 engine for more power.
The 98 ZJ even had an option for the 5.9 liter
360 cubic inch gas engine from the Dodge Dakota
and Ram, pushing a whopping 245 horses
and 345 foot pounds torque.
Quite a lot of oomph for an American SUV in its era,
in fact, Jeep even claim the 5.9 limited
as it was referred to as "The world's fastest
"sport utility production vehicle,"
and was even verified by third-party to be true,
at the time of its introduction, of course.
Even Peterson's Four Wheel and Off Road Magazine
awarded the Grand Cherokee 59 limited
as the 4x4 of the year in 1998
and all but one on bringatrailer.com
have sold for $10,000 and under,
at the time of this video, of course.
I could probably just name this video,
"The Top Three Best Four Wheel Drive SUVs
for Under $10,000," and just stop here,
but let's throw in a few more,
because I'm counting the ZJ and WJ as one,
same vehicle, just look different after 98,
better in my opinion and I can say that
because I've owned both of them,
but let's continue on.
Alright, so let's move on to number three,
another favorite amongst many
and one that I've never owned myself,
but always wanted to just was never part
of the cool crowd, I guess,
and that is the first gen Toyota Tacoma.
From 95 up until 2004 may have had
some frame rusting issues,
but you've got a whole new frame
or the money to replace your Tacoma
depending on the route you went with
and Toyota took care of you, no questions asked,
and that was pretty damn nice of them.
But how could you not love the first gen Tacomas?
Reliable, robust, great performing out on the trails,
and fit great out on the trails
with its smaller size compared to a full-sized truck
and still hearty enough to have a decent amount
of towing capacity with the fuel efficient V6 option.
Moving on to number four is just a little bit bigger
than the first gen Tacoma,
but lots and lots of these around
because so many of them were made from 2004 until 2008
and that is, alright, guys, brace yourselves here,
the Ford F-150.
Except for the spark plugs breaking off
when trying to remove them and the manifolds warping,
creating the ever so awful ticking noise,
the F-150s are reasonably priced, reliable,
and also have tons of aftermarket support
to keep them on the road, plus build them up for the trails.
And if you look for the FX4 package you'll gain off-road
performance shocks, skid plates,
and tires that have a bit more aggressive tread designs
for off-road performance.
The F-150 has been America's best-selling
half-ton pickup truck since 1991 and for good reason.
You guys want to know why?
Because GM has two half-tons of sell to try
and compete with the one half-ton that Ford has.
Imagine if the Silverado and the Sierra
were actually one model instead of two,
then I'd really wonder who has the best-selling
half-ton pickup truck.
All right, you guys, you're going to love this one.
Number five, we already know it's a hebe shebe,
but which one?
The Silverado? Nope.
Square body?
No, although it'd be nice,
but they're probably too expensive
and if they're in good condition.
How about the classic Chevy Blazer?
Nope, but closeish.
For number five and today's video
of our best 4x4s under $10,000, we're going to go with
the second gen Chevrolet S10 with the ZR2 package.
Built up until 2004, now I know there are a lot of brands
out there and capable, reliable 4x4s for under $10,000,
but I wanted to throw the S10 ZR2 into today's video
as it was a great option to compete with the Toyota Tacoma.
Compact, stout, and build the conquer the trails
as a factory option pickup truck,
the ZR2 package gets you 31 inch wheels,
aluminum and composite skid plates
with four wheel disc brakes.
As long as you're looking at ZR2s that are 99 and newer,
and the S10s have plenty of aftermarket support
and with a full frame and not a unibody
still allows you to do a solid axle swap
if you really want to take it to that next level.
What do you guys recommend for the best 4x4
for under $10,000?
And let us know why in the comments below.
Don't forget to check out new wheel and tire packages
and a new suspension kit for your rig
on TrailBuilt Off-road.
Other than that, guys, there are a whole lot more
videos like this coming down the pipeline,
so remember to hit that subscribe,
and if you liked today's video hit that thumbs up.
Other than that, guys, we definitely appreciate
all of you for watching and all of your support.
I'm Josh from TrailBuilt,
and we'll see you guys out on the trails.
(intense music)