best small 4wd for the outdoorsman your opinions

[brad coin]

Hey guys I'm in the market for a used vehicle I would really like something good on gas that has 4wd and some ground clearance has I would use it for grouse hunting on logging roads,,prefer a pickup has they are cheaper but open to SUV or even car options,,,Is there a good 4cylinder 4wd vehicle out there that stands up??? Looking forward to your opinions.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Early model Tacomas (first generation 1995.5 - ?) with the 2.7 liter where pretty bullet proof. Good mileage, Impressive towing, and hauling.

[loadmaster]

Toyota Rav 4 Pushing 220K and used exactly for what you are doing. They do show the rust though. I looked at small P/U but the things I found wrong, no really secure storage and I did not like putting things in the box if you have company also if you use a dog and its cold outside

[trolloni]

subaru outback or forester

[Boar]

I have a 2001 kia sportage, about as big as todays range, slightly larger, its got lock out hubs and im all over the feilds and my hunting land and ice fishing, gose thru about what ever i throw at it. nice is it was 10,000 dollars less than a ranger. its a five speed and i get about 25 on a good day.

[Notime]

I had a 93 Explorer (first generation) and it had a limited slip diff with manual lock-outs in it. I very rarely put it in 4 wheel drive and I never got stuck with it. It took me anywhere I wanted to go and I love back roads! I had it for 7 years before I sold it. The back seats folded down so I could fit a fishing sled with all my gear. I got 18 mpg with it. The only drawback with the SUV that I've found is everything is in the cabin with you. Nice thing about domestic is that the parts are much cheaper!

[SkunkedAgain]

subaru outback or forester

I've never owned one, but the guys that I know who do love them. Good cars, AWD I believe, better clearance than a regular car, and good storage space since it's kind of a wagon. That's what I'd probably own for still getting to the BWCA and ice fishing if I didn't need a truck for towing.

[Getanet]

I've never owned one, but the guys that I know who do love them. Good cars, AWD I believe, better clearance than a regular car, and good storage space since it's kind of a wagon. That's what I'd probably own for still getting to the BWCA and ice fishing if I didn't need a truck for towing.

I may be in the market for a new car in the next year, and have to admit I've had my eye on the Outback. It never would have occurred to me to own one - I still think of the Crocodile Dundee commercials and always consider it a station wagon - but the people I know who own them rave about them. They're AWD and if one is in front of you on the road you can see that it's ground clearance is as good, if not better, than many SUVs, especially today's smaller cross-over type SUVs. It would also be good for hauling the family around. Haven't made up my mind completely but when the time comes for a new car it's definitely in the mix.

[delcecchi]

Does it come with an Obama sticker and one that says "visualize whirled peas"?

There was a class action a while ago against suburu but I would presume that the issue has been fixed.

[trolloni]

My old outback had a nra sticker and a crowbusters.com sticker with a coontail zip tied on the antenna!Yall can snicker and bad mouth whatever, but i kinda enjoyed a nice ride, awd 30 miles to the gallon, and heated windshield and mirrors are awesome!i actually had to try to stick it to get it stuck in snow, a 4 foot drift stopped it once sittin on top of it, dug a little out she come on its own!other than tires brakes and battery i put a knock sensor on 114.00 kinda steep for something an inch big.the other thing was a air conditioner line 6 inches long that was 150 bucks. i dont know what you guys standards are, but after 227 thousand miles on it im happy!i still have it just got forester to replace it ,it drives nicer[braking and handling] but it doesnt ride as nice.

[delcecchi]

If you had a NRA sticker on your Suburu it must have been the only one, at least based on what I see driving around the twin cities. Actually, Rochester too.

Oh, I forgot those "coexist" stickers. A few years ago Wellstone stickers looked like they were mandatory.

I was really surprised to see the class action, since I had heard nothing but good about Suburu. They must have had a bad batch, or some sort of screw up.

http://www.torquenews.com/1084/2nd-new-oil-consumption-lawsuit-suddenly-filed-against-subaru

Quote:

In an article in the New Jersey Law Journal, the first lawsuit, filed in July on behalf of a California man, claims the 2011-14 Forester, 2013 Legacy and 2013 Outback, with 2.5-liter engines, and 2012-13 Impreza and 2013 Crosstrek, with 2-liter engines are having this oil consumption issue. The suit claims the vehicles "prematurely burn off and/or consume abnormal and excessive amounts of engine oil."

The second lawsuit was filed in federal court on October 8, Camden, New Jersey, on behalf of two Subaru owners from Connecticut and New Jersey. This second lawsuit also claims Subaru of America has not disclosed an oil-consumption problem in “some vehicles and has refused to cover repair bills caused by an alleged engine defect.”

...

you own a 2011-14 Forester, 2013 Legacy and 2013 Outback, with 2.5-liter engines, and 2012-13 Impreza and 2013 Crosstrek with 2-liter engines and you are having this oil consumption issue, take you vehicle in to your Subaru dealer and ask for an "oil consumption test." But keep in mind, it’s been reported that Subaru dealers are telling owners that the oil consumption issue is “normal” and that normal usage is 1 quart every 1200 miles.

Owners will need to be persistent as most dealers are not admitting anything is wrong with the Forester, Outback, Legacy, XV Crosstrek and Impreza models. The dealer should change the oil free of cost, and ask you to come back in 1200 miles. If the oil usage is over their acceptable specifications, they could replace the piston rings to correct the problem. The top-selling new-generation 2014 Subaru Forester, previous-generation Outback, Legacy and Impreza are on the list and also the third-best selling XV Crosstrek.

Wasn't there a similar deal with GM?

[Big Dave2]

Does it come with an Obama sticker and one that says "visualize whirled peas"?

I'm pretty sure they come with a rainbow sticker.

[leech~~]

Or

[gunmunky]

I have a 2005 outback for my work car. 163000 on it. I replaced one front axel at 140000 and will be doing the other this spring. Very easy to with all the GREAT advice from this forum!!!! I regularly get 30-32 mpg in the summer and 24-26 in the winter. My wife does not like the way the seats are but she's kind of a convertible snob . I have a friend who's wife had a 2012 model and she had more problems than she should have. She has since replaced it with a 2015 and is much happier. The friend I car pool with has a 2012 Forester and just had the engine rebuilt , under recall, do to oil consumption. Overall I've been happy with my outback.