Recommended SUV/Truck Beater Under $5K

[Maddog1337]

Hello Oil Connoisseurs,

Soon I'll be in the market for a beater SUV or truck to spell my daily driver Mustang. I would find great utility in being able to haul larger items, but mainly I'd like to spare my '17 Mustang from seeing a third winter. In addition, it would be nice to park a beater in Chicago and not worry about damage!

My requirements are simple:

$5K and less
AWD (winter)
Proven reliability

I've been looking at early 2000's Ford Rangers, Honda CRVs, and even Acura MDXs. - are there other SUVs / trucks that I should be considering? The list is very preliminary.

I'm comfortable enough being a shade tree or YouTube mechanic, but would prefer something that has stood the test of time. Start with a reliable powertrain, perhaps the 4 banger on the CRV... I would hate to have to do substantial work on any kind of suspension, bearing in mind how crusty most of these cars will be coming from the rust belt.

With my requirements, it seems I'm looking at a bunch of cars with at least 125K mi on the clock - I guess this is mostly a dice roll if the car lasts without substantial repairs.

This '02 MDX, for example, has 228K mi, for ~1,500.

MDX Craigslist

An '02 CRV, with 160K mi, is around $3,000.

CRV Craigslist

'99 Ranger with 134K mi for ~$2,000

Ranger Craigslist

And just to be clear I'm not considering purchasing any of the above cars just yet, but just an example of what's out there.

 

[FT92]

myself i'd go with the honda, generally speaking , Hondas have a good track record..when I was looking for a suv/truck , just about every ranger I looked at had rusted frames or at least the beginnings of the frame going bad

 

[riff1006]

There's some cool little Mazda trucks out there still. B2000 I think.

 

[joegreen]

Early 2000s Honda's don't have the best automatic transmission track record. I would get whatever is in the best shape. Are you going to work on the vehicle yourself? Cheap vehicles often need repairs that can add up. Don't buy anything that's expensive to fix like older German vehicles. Check out some vehicle auctions. If you have a copart near you that can be fun to check out

 

[I_4]

Find a Ranger/Mazda with low miles. They are out there, it may take some looking and time to find the right one. Some use them as second vehicles. That is what I did. Two wheel drive does just fine with decent tires, a posi, and a couple hundred pounds in the bed. I put in an Eaton True Track, and it transformed the traction. Oil the underside for the winter. Good luck on your search.

 

[LoneRanger]

Ford Escape, pre-2012 has the bullet proof 2.3L four cylinder engine. 2012 and forward will be above $5K anyhow but have the Mazda developed 2.5L which may be fine but you won't find below 5K money.

My son had a 2008 Escape. At 67,000 miles he drove it 3 miles home after sheering off the oil filter and catastrophic loss of all engine oil. Let me say that again. At 67,000 on the car he drove it 3 miles with no motor oil in it. "But I took it easy dad, kept 'er below 30mph..."

He just sold it last month to a co-worker (who knew the history) for $1000, odometer @ 150,000. Purring like a kitten. Tough little motor if you ask me.

 

[atikovi]

I would avoid any 15-20 year old car from the rustbelt. Search Ebay and Craigslist for cars in southern states.

 

[supton]

Are you looking for AWD or 4WD? Trucks usually (!) are 4WD, while crossovers are usually AWD. While OEM's can play fast and loose with terms there is definitely a difference between full time four wheel drive (AWD) and part time four wheel drive (4WD). My truck is easily the worst thing I've ever driven in snow. In order to stay in RWD I had to get snow tires for it. Reason being, once in 4WD, the primitive part time system lacks a center differential. So any time I need to do lock to lock steering, the system binds up. It's real fun--it will move about 6 feet, come to stop, then I have to gun it to spin a tire, then it will it move again. Not something that can be done on dry pavement at all!

Also, IMO AWD/4WD tends to isolate the driver from actual road conditions--in a FWD/RWD vehicle, on slippery roads, one tends to find out quickly at stop signs etc just how slick road surfaces are. With AWD though that slippage doesn't occur, and it can be darn easy to outdrive your tires traction abilities (if not taking off from a stop then when going around corners or attempting to stop). Just tossing out the usual BITOG "get snow tires instead!" and "no one needs a pickup!" and "AWD is for sissies" and "CUV's are stupid!" and whanot.

Anyhow. 4WD on a pick can be a great thing--go until the going is tough, then flip the switch. But in urban areas it might have its drawbacks. Might be better to get a CUV with easier parking. Out in the sticks might be different--I live in the sticks, and have a pickup with a cap on it. If I lived in a more urban area, I'd probably have a CUV, and I might even forgo AWD. Roads are usually scraped pretty good where I live, so snow is more of a nuisance than a real problem; I can stay home when it's bad out. Snow tires on a FWD would be sufficient most of the time.

I tend to be a Toyota snob but both Toyota and Honda are going to cost more. So it's a gamble. I believe Honda's tend to have dicey a/c systems (you might not care though on a beater, that might be to your advantage), and I'm not sure that their AWD systems are all that great in this age and vintage that you are shopping (primitive systems that engage rear wheels only when slippage is detected). [I like RAV4's concept of a button on the dash to proactively "lock" in the rear but I'm not sure just how good that is in the rear world, plus someone on here had a clutch in the rear diff burn out, and it wasn't cheap to replace.] Can't comment on domestic, sorry. I do like the idea of a simple old Ranger, but take into account my thoughts about drawbacks on pickups.

Anything at this price could be rusty. Plan on a good visual inspection!

 

[wag123]

MDX, Pass. It has gotten to the age and miles where it is going to become a money pit.
CRV, Maybe. These can last over 300k miles when they are maintained properly and not abused, but, the "burns some oil" part is troubling. The A/C can be problematic. The automatic transmission and rear end can be problematic if the fluids were not regularly changed. This would be the best choice of the three for your requirements IMO, but you need to get it professionally inspected by an experienced mechanic before purchase.
Ranger, Maybe. This is not an AWD or 4WD and it is going to be very problematic on snow unless you put winter/snow tires on the back and put 2-300 lbs in the bed (I had one of these, so I know). This truck likely has the 3.0L V/6, a good tough engine. The automatic transmissions are problematic (I had two of them fail on mine) so having a manual transmission would be a plus IMO (it isn't specified in the ad). The truck is crude, cramped, and rides rough.

 

[supton]

Good points--go down south and find something rust free (or scour CL for anything claiming to be from down south).

Also make sure you are ok with the work involved. I spent last month frustrated with my beater: I spent all four weekends doing something or another on the car (swaybar links followed by calipers followed by radiator followed by oil pan gasket). It can get annoying! Also, when you do find something, take a look at expected repairs. I gave up my Jetta when I realized that at some point I would need to tear out the dash to do a heater core (typical 8+ hour job); I decided I wasn't going to do that, much less pay someone to do that. Not sure your list has anything with real hard jobs, but just pointing that out, some repairs are hard and/or costly.

Not sure how long your commute is, but a quiet highway hauler has its advantages on long drives.

 

[snarl]

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/raleigh-2006-chevy-suburban-z71/6882176611.html

 

[Gebo]

1. Toyota 4Runner. Go back until you find one in the 5K range.

2. Toyota Highlander. Go back until you find one in the 5K range.

3. Honda CRV. (Be prepared to spend around $750-1000 when AC goes out and make sure the Transmission has been maintained)

4. There are no other options. LOL

5. These are only my opinions so take them with a tablespoon of salt.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by Gebo
1. Toyota 4Runner. Go back until you find one in the 5K range.

1995 and earlier would be the 3.0 which tends to blow head gaskets, maybe not always, but it's a known issue. 1996 and later was the 3.4 which is a good stout motor. Both are timing belt motors. I suspect the 4.0 is going to be too new? but that is a timing chain. The 4.7L V8 is also timing belt but a nice power upgrade; IIRC the V8 was AWD while the V6's (and I4's) were 4WD. I think the I4's were all timing chains.

This vintage may need a new radiator: beware any ad listing new radiator! The ATF cooler can spring a leak and mix coolant into the automatic transmission. Causes "strawberry milkshake of death (SMOD)". Other makes have the same problem too, but I came across this when I shopped 4Runners myself. The automatics are pretty reliable, though, as is the rest of the drivetrain.

 

[wag123]

As for recommendations for other AWD/4WD vehicles in your price range that you should also be looking at...
These would be the best vehicles, even with higher miles... Toyota Highlander, Lexus RX, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Frontier, Honda Element, and Toyota Sienna AWD. I would recommend the Toyota 4Runner and Toyota Tacoma except that a good one with 4WD will substantially exceed your budget limit unless it has extremely high miles and/or some kind of problem.
These would also be good vehicles if they have lower miles... Honda Pilot, Nissan Murano, Nissan Xterra, Nissan Pathfinder, Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, Ford edge, Ford Freestyle/Taurus X, Mitsubishi Outlander, Hyundai Santa Fe, Saturn Vue, and Suzuki Grand Vitara.
I agree with supton, try to find a rust-free southern vehicle.

 

[pandus13]

Hello neighbor,

Hmmm, .... beater and Chicago.

Have you thought about wagons? Also minivans? and use winter tires in winter
Most are pretty much a lower truck completely covered.
AWD, A little tougher.

I would suggest:
-Ford Focus Wagon
-Ford Freestyle (the Wagon-SUV, not the minivan); they did come in AWD. CVT transmission
-Ford TaurusX: better brother of ^^^. Regular AT trans and different reliable engine
-Ford Escape
-older mazda5
-Kia Rondo

Toyota and Honda in that range, you have to find the diamond-in-the-rough which has been treated good by the owner, maintenance done but they are selling at low price because of high mileage.

 

[Lyman]

Take a look at the Jeep Cherokees. My Grand Cherokee has been great the last 4 years. Would be a great winter time beater.

 

[CrAlt]

I would look for a Ford/Mazda Ranger and check the frame really, really good for rust. There are enough of them out there so just spend the time to find a good one.
Nissan/suzuki Frontiers are good too but hard to find and normally not cheap.

 

[andyd]

My dream truck is a loaded '94 Ranger long cab with a rust free chassis. Something that would be worth fixing its old car problems, Here is problem. Around here, a 5K$ 4wd/awd is an old heap with unknown problems waiting to occur as you struggle through a winter. If your ? has a frame, check it out. because of where you live.Good luck and post back your purchase

 

[exranger06]

I had a 2004 CR-V that was very rusty underneath. One of the subframe mounts was totally rotted out, so the subframe was really only bolted to the car in 3 out of 4 corners. The subframe itself was fine; it was the body of the car (where the subframe bolts to) that was rotted. So replacing the subframe wouldn't have fixed the problem. This was the corner right under the driver's side floorboard. So, look out for that I guess. The passenger side wasn't as bad, but would've gotten there eventually. I took it to a friend who owns a body shop and he said it was basically unfixable. Unless I wanted to dump way more money into it than what the car was worth. Luckily the car got totaled in an accident shortly after and insurance gave me more than what the car was worth. The AC compressor had gone bad the summer before, as they're known to do on CR-Vs. Thank God I didn't spend the money to fix that.

Aside from the rust/poor condition, I really liked the car. I had a 5-speed manual which helped make it somewhat fun to drive. I feel like it would've been miserably boring with an automatic.

 

[slug_bug]

2007 vintage Dodge Grand Caravan. Will probably look like crap, but, very utilitarian. Front wheel drive is very good in snow. Way less than 5K. Reliability may not be the best, but, generally fairly cheap to fix.