2000 4Runner VS 2000 Subaru Wagons

[Wharf-Rat]

Well yet another which car should i choose forum....
i have a max of $5000 to spend, 2kids, wife, and a Big Dog...
I will use it for long winter commuting, Mountain climbs up to the hills, logging road access for hikes + river put ins and potentially to tow a sled or two...
I gather that the wagons will be better on fuel, but will it serve up my needs in the deep wintery stuff over the 4runner??
Which one ya think i should get???

Cheers everyone, thanks for any advice......

[Quadzilla]

4 Runner, more power and more clearance. Sub Wagon, pretty good traction on snow covered road, as soon as you go off road stuck immediately. My comments are for the newer subs, older ones like the one you are considering worse.

[QuiverQueen]

Can't comment on Subies since I've never owned one, but the "new" 4Runner in our house is a 2001, same generation as what you are considering.
In this part of the world, $5K is going to get you a 4Runner with something over 200K miles and/or body damage and/or needing quite a bit of mechanical
work. (UNLESS you are lucky enough to be at grandpa's bedside when he wills you his minty truck that he only drove to the store - that does happen.)
When we were looking for a replacement for the 1990 with 315K miles on it, I did look at Subarus, but found substantially the same thing: anything that
you would want to buy was at least $10K. I've had this truck for almost 2 years now, and it is very comfortable to drive, comfortable interior, some of the
newfangled electronics are still a bit intimidating, and the interior fit and finish are cheap compared to the '90. I have no use for all the automatic
features (push-button 4WD, door locks, windows being the main irritants), but that wasn't really a choice. I routinely average 20-22 mpg with no toys on top, which
seems pretty good.

You appear to be in a different part of the world, so maybe the market is different there. Do you actually have a line on a 2000 4Runner for $5K? IMHO, it's
hard to beat the 4Runner for reliability, clearance, and basic off-road capability. This one doesn't seem to handle as well on snow and ice as the '90, but
it might be the tires. Would I buy this truck again? Yes, since I can't have my old truck new.

[3PinGrin]

Yes, I think QQ is on track that $5K isn't going to get you something great for premium brands. Maybe look at a Ford Explorer, Chevy Blazer or something similar? I haven't priced them recently but suspect you would get more bang for your buck. We sold a very nice Blazer a few years back with 85,000 miles for around $5K.

[Tele 'til You're Smelly]

My wife and I have both (98 Subi, 01 4 Runner). I prefer the Subi on highway snow driving because of the low center of gravity and 50% better mileage. But for jeep roads, and river trips where I am hauling 500 lbs 4 people and a raft frame, the 4 Runner is where it's at (Subi suspension couldn't handle that). So I don't really know what to say, except maybe with a low budget you will get a better Subi and you can let your friends drive the jeep roads and you can rent a big vehicle for raft trips (or maybe a trailer for the Subi would work)

[Crowbar]

FWIW, I have friends that have an older Ford Edge with on-demand awd. They seem to like it pretty well in the winter and somewhat older Edges can be purchased for a reasonable price. They only drawback, according to my friends, is the gas mileage is not the greatest.

[Wharf-Rat]

My wife and I have both (98 Subi, 01 4 Runner). I prefer the Subi on highway snow driving because of the low center of gravity and 50% better mileage. But for jeep roads, and river trips where I am hauling 500 lbs 4 people and a raft frame, the 4 Runner is where it's at (Subi suspension couldn't handle that). So I don't really know what to say, except maybe with a low budget you will get a better Subi and you can let your friends drive the jeep roads and you can rent a big vehicle for raft trips (or maybe a trailer for the Subi would work)

Yup, its a tough call for sure.....
think i am gonna go with a 4Runner, or i may even consider Chevy Tahoe or the GMC Yukons.....I just dont think the Subi wagons are manly enough for anything off the pavement...

Thanks for the advice folks...
Hope ya'll get some snow soon, we had one big dump few weeks back and now its been dry for like 2 weeks....