Hello,

I've been into offshore powerboat racing now for about 3years and have till now been into cars also. I've now decided to get out of cars as the car scene is not what I'd like it to be and it's too pointless now. I would like to get into off-roading as it has been something that I really thought I would like and from everyone I have talked to it's a ton of fun. Right now I live in VA so I know there are plenty of trails around for beginners, my question is what truck/SUV should I start out with? I don't know a lot about lift kits and such but I have very good automotive knowledge. I'd like to spend up to $15,000 on the vehicle and then about $6000 or so for the modifications. I don't want a huge rock crawler, just a lifted well done vehicle that will do great on beginner or medium level trails. Again, what vehicle would you all recommend for me and if possible any first modifications? If you need more info from me, just reply and I'll post back.

Thanks for reading and the site,
Lance

With $20,000 to spend, you can build a pretty hard core trail rig.
As far as what kind of vehicle, my personal preference has always been Toyota pickups. Try and find an '85 with EFI and start from there.

There's lots of info here, just sit back and start reading.

Use the "Search" feature, Read on here for a LONG time, you'll learn a lot.



Welcome NEWBIE! :flipoff2:

Be warned thought that this is about as hardcore a 4x4 site as you can find. There is plenty of info here but it can be may not be the best place for someone just getting into 4 wheeling.

The one thing you will want to do before posting a question is do a search to see if the answer has been gone over 100 times in the last month.

Good luck.

I'll make it easy for ya..

Buy my Jeep. $25,000 and have fun. :D Heck I will even deliver it.

well IMO, I'd buy a ~$4000 early bronco, do some body work, upgrade axles, motor, trans, and cage it up real well and you'd be around 10000 to 12000. hell they look really cool too. great truck.

Scratch up an extra 4 grand and pick up a brand new Jeep Rubicon at the stealership. The Jeep will be way more capable than you are, and it'll have a warranty. Oh yeah, go here: http://www.jeepsunlimited.com for questions like this and you'll avoid the POR hazings.:flipoff2:

Buy whatever kind of vehicle you want. spend the 6k on the vehicle, and the rest on the mods. Put one tons or rockwells under it, with a mild suspension lift that flexes well. Don't forget the Detroits or spools. Sawall the body away to fit the tires of your choice, only requirement is that they are at least 38s. Add a rollcage. Then go out and bash your new toy.

Pete

Go out and see what the poeple are running with on the trails in your area . Are they running full size or jeeps , or toys . If they run the smaller trucks get something small . Fullsize get a fullsize . Such make sure you put in a rollcage , for safty .:p

This bbs is great for hard core tech stuff, but if you want to ask a bunch of questions about newbie or mid level stuff without taking a hit, I'd suggest doing so on a bbs like the one on Off-Road.com (http://www.off-road.com) . The guys there are more into the mildly modded vehicles, and there is a lot of tech knowledge there for stock or near stock stuff, along with a little hard core. All the bbs's have their place, this one is great, but may be difficult to get the info you are looking for. There are others, but I would not recommend them, the Jeeps Unlimited bbs has a lot of questions about floor mats and such :D , and the Quadratec bbs is Ok if you are into bolt on chrome stuff.:flipoff2: Just a little advice.;)

Originally posted by Daniel
4X4 why not 6X6?:D


because they are :rainbow: mall posers

Originally posted by camo


because they are :rainbow: mall posers

Bawahahahahahahaha :laughing:

how about give me all the money to spend on my rig:flipoff2:

talk to a guy on here goes by the handle of Sillyneck.

so how does someone who has absolutly no clue about 4x4 find this kind of a site anyways??

Originally posted by camo


because they are :rainbow: mall posers

i'll second that motion

here's a bitchen toy freshly built and ready for everyting from malls to walls ..

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=87369&highlight=rockbuggysupply.com

Am I on the JU bord what happened to everybody here you were all so nice. :confused: :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :D

spend less on the vehicle and more on the mods, IMO, that way if u roll it or whatever u can just swap the body which isn;t to much on an old vehicle.:eek: :flipoff2:

I agree with the "spend less on the 4x4 and more on the Mods" theory. Look for a nice solid axle Toyota, K5 Blazer, older Bronco, a Samuria or if you must, a Jeep thats been converted to nearly all GM drivetrain so you wont have to do it later (just added that to piss off you Heep lovers).

Most importantly, when you get out and wheel, do it safely, do it responsibly, and have FUN!!! People on this board are pretty serious about competition and that can take a lot of the fun out of it. Have fun and good luck!

Originally posted by camo


because they are :rainbow: mall posers

i third that

Originally posted by camo


because they are :rainbow: mall posers

Ditto. If you are not going to put a jacuzzi full of hot chicks in the back of 6x6, then what the fawk good is it?

Originally posted by JR


Ditto. If you are not going to put a jacuzzi full of hot chicks in the back of 6x6, then what the fawk good is it?


Bwaaahaaaahaaaahaaaaa! Really, use the damn rockwells for their intended function. A 12 person Jacuzzi in a duece-and-a-half on the con, that would be sweet!

:cool: :

If you really want a "project" go buy a early model Pathfinder. They're cheap have a beefy rear axle and the engines will run forever. It will require a little bit of suspension work, etc. though.

if you go toyota anything with efi up to 95 will work they are easy to put a solid axle under

Ben

http://www.mudbogg.com/gallery/gallery3/535.jpg

This looks cheap, and has a hardcore look to it.:eek:
I found it in monster bugs or something I would guess about 500.00 to build, or maybe thats just what its worth:laughing:

Originally posted by zags



Bwaaahaaaahaaaahaaaaa! Really, use the damn rockwells for their intended function. A 12 person Jacuzzi in a duece-and-a-half on the con, that would be sweet!

:cool: :

Must have gone to a Dale Carnige course - duece-and-a-half w/jacuzzi would definitely win friends.


Oh by the way don't believe all this shiat on this board about SX's, boggers, TSL's etc. You really need Thornbirds if you are gonna wheel whatever you buy. :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

You didnt mention a vehicle preference, there is a big difference in parts avaliabilty and mods depending on which vehicle you go with.....

I'd pop on a local list, and find some clubs to go pal around with, there always people with open seats, spend a few weeks just riding with everone and listening to what they grip about. This will also give you plenty of time to make up your own mind about what rigs do the best in your area, and the types of mods needed to do whatever wheeling you have in mind....

Thats a pritty big bank roll to get started with. Are you planning on fabbing / installing parts your self? Are you planning a DD (daily driver) type rig? Do you want a buggy type rig? Do you plan to trailer ? (have tow rig?) Do you plan to haul the family along? Might help you get a better handle on things...

Be forwarned, 4x4'ng is very adictive.

good luck...
-yag

If you're willing to spend $15K on the base vehicle, then I would venture to guess you don't want a clapped out rig, but want a more stylish rig.

If I were you (slight bias!) I would check out a used 94' D90...They can be had now in the 15-16K range with little to NO off-road miles....Dump the stock axles and use your 6k for the swap. In the end you'll have a very capable, very well balanced, V8 rig...With a bomb proof t-case (in the event the 3.9L V8 is too anemic for your taste.

The Defenders are now (finally) starting to drop in price…Three years ago you couldn't touch a D90 for under 25K.

--D

you could also have a shop like Avalanche Engineering build you an off-road buggy of sorts. The Snipers start at $20k with 60's and 1/4 ellipticals.

Originally posted by nobody20


Oh by the way don't believe all this shiat on this board about SX's, boggers, TSL's etc. You really need Thornbirds if you are gonna wheel whatever you buy.
I'll second that. Thornbirds are the shiznit.

Forget about 4x4's, 6x6's, or even 8x8's, what you need is an all-terrain bulldozer.

http://ebay1.ipixmedia.com/abc/M28/_EBAY_d845db1f2d02ab71304b13697c85ce89/i-1.JPG




Seriously, join a club in your area. Not only will you find out what vehicle works in your area, but what vehicle the club members have the most knowledge about and spare parts for.

Tim

14k+ members on this board, 14k+ opinions....

Find the local guys, join a club or two, and get some passenger seat time. Watch what others have and what works. Decide the type of wheeling you wanna get into. Decide up front how far you might get into the addiction, double that, then plan bigger.

IMO, for an out of the box basic starter, buy a late 90's TJ and add some simple stuff to get 33's under it. Wheel it for a year-two then plan to build the rig of your dreams. TJ's are easy sellers once you tire of it, you can fit 4 people in it, they are capable stock, but for the big time stuff they require too much $$ to upgrade (read: everything).