# Surf truck



## hunter1

I'm thinking of getting a veheicle for the surf. I'm looking used, I'm thinking of finding an older Jeep Cherokee 4x4 . How are they for the beach. Any suggestions on other makes. Moneys limited, that's why i'm looking older truck.I'm looking hopefully to be $4k to $5k.


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## fishin757

do you prefer big or small? i love my Tahoe on the beaches


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## hunter1

Small, Jeep size.


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## ESRob

My '96 4Runner has been wood stove reliable and on the beach many, many times.


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## drivebyjustin

ESRob said:


> My '96 4Runner has been wood stove reliable and on the beach many, many times.



What do you run your tires on your 4runner at?


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## ESRob

On the beach I run 15 lbs. The tires are BFG AllTerrains in LT275/70R16. Slightly larger than stock. I tried to go one size larger on my last set, but they rubbed. I have never rubbed with this size.
This picture was on AI last year with a receiver rack full of firewood, and inside filled with cooler, camping/fishing gear, and one Labrador.
The truck currently has almost 287k on the odo, and I'll run it until the wheels fall off.


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## John Smith_inFL

I have been looking at the pre-1990 Cherokee Sport and Country 4x4 Jeeps.
Hard to find with rust free bodies. Parts are readily available off ebay and 4x4 shops.
6 cylinder, automatic trans, air and heat are my only solid requirements.

><> the hunt continues ><> ><> ><>


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## River

90 thru 98 are the best years for the Cherokee Sport --- 90 thru 96 are the best of those years, I have a very nice 97 and love it - but more Computer/Check Engine equip. were added that year --- in 99 they changed heads and several other things ---- there's plenty of nice ones on the Hatteras Beaches and they do great in the sand. My son buys, repairs and sells them here in the foothills of the Carolina's ----- plenty of rust free, clean ones up here for around $4,000 ---- River


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## John Smith_inFL

oh thank you River !! the reason I picked the pre90 years is because of the body style - I just like the cosmetics of that era.
but, for DEPENDABILITY, I would go with recommendations of people that actually USE them on the beach. I will take this information
to heart. I was raised with my fathers 4x4 F150 trucks, mainly on the East Florida Coasts from Cape Canaveral to Daytona.
When I was 25 or so, I was stationed in Norfolk with the Navy and was able to buy my first new 4x4. Looked at the International Harvester Scout,
the window handle broke off in the salesman's hand. Looked at the Jeep Sport, the hatch door would not open. LOL bad day for those guys.
Went to the Chevy place and bought a very nice 1977 K-5 strt 6 Blazer which I kept for years. It was extremely good to me on the sands of the OBX
once I learned to air down. LOL digging out a "buried to the frame" 4x4 with 35psi street tires in sugar sand was not fun. The old guy that pulled
me out with a rope taught me so much in just 10 minutes about the OBX terrain and I never forgot him. I also had that same K-5 in Cuba and Puerto Rico.
So now, am back to looking for another nice buggy ...... thanks for the info !!!


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## River

I know all about two of those, I bought a Blazer new in 72, kept it till I bought a new 79 F150 300 six, 4 WD, loved that Granny Low, bought it right before my son was born, gave it to him with jacked up suspension and Tires for his 16th Birthday ---- other than all the Computer stuff and fuel injection, the Cherokee's remind me of that old Ford's when it come to working on em --- pretty simple engineering --- River


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## John Smith_inFL

when it comes to a *JEEP CHEROKEE 4X4* - - - - are there any particular models to stay away from for beach use ????

Laredo - - - Grand - - - Sport - - - Country - - - (any others ?)

here in Central Florida, I am finding the 1995 "sport" 6 cyl, automatic, 4x4, A/C, minor cosmetic issues for $1200 - 1500.00
with around 150k miles. but I don't know what to look for at that price like, CV or axle problems, transfer case issues, 
sensors, computer problems, etc.
This topic has probably been pounded to death in other threads but I have scanned the threads until I am blue in the face.
I just don't want to get a $1500 vehicle that will cost me $3500 in repairs in 3 months. Even if the transfer case is bad,
I see them on ebay for $400 free delivery. so that is not really a problem. anything specific to look for ? or particular
model that is prone to constant problems.
I have narrowed my focus down to an older model (1995) Jeep Cherokee, ready to pull the trigger. 

Thank you.


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## Elgreco

Cherokees have remained largely unchanged throughout their entire run. The newer ones were a little more refined but still crude by today's standard.


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## River

The #1 problem is Engine overheating and failure to stop, usually happens over 100,000 miles --- causing blown head gasket along with warped head,,,,,,, most people will tell you -- according to how bad, water in oil or using water, going out the exhaust, but if they don't, always ask the owner (they may have Doctored it up with Stop Leak) and watch face closely - then check fluid for appearance of stop leak ----- sensor's are no big problem especially below 96 ----- that's not a bad price at all, but if it were up here --- with 150,000, it's probably has several things wrong with it cosmetically, nice one's up here, in good condition with 150,000 miles will bring from 3,500 to 4,500 --- never buy one without looking ---- many times I've went with my son to bring one back, cause it sounded good ---- just as soon as we saw it, no way --- people take some nice pictures --- don't forget, it's a unibody -- if it's been slammed from the side or hard hit to the front end, clip damage --- it's toast ----- up here it would have a Salvage Title, sometimes !!! Feel free to PM me with questions, I've learned a lot from my son and by fixing mine up. I replaced all the sensors on mine, along with most everything else --- prior to these items going bad, preventative Maintenance --- Good Luck, River


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## John Smith_inFL

Just GOOGLED up *Cherokee Forums *and found several good and very informative websites on the Cherokee !!!
so it will take a week or so to digest all the pros and cons of this animal . . . . but, at least I will be well informed
of the pitfalls of this 4x4. One thing I found so far is the steering arms and box tend to go bad at 100k miles and
will put you into the death wobble as well as all the above mentioned issues which could be catastrophic !!!

thus the hunt continues - - - Thanks River !! will let you know when I find one that is the best candidate.


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## Carolina Rebel

Don't overlook Toyota 4Runners of the same vintage. Especially if you find one with the 4 cylinder engine, they go on and on forever.


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## Elgreco

Every car has ups and downs. Nice thing about XJ's is the aftermarket support is mammoth and parts are generally cheap.


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## John Smith_inFL

exactly - I have really done some indepth research over the weekend and think I have a handle on most of the
major issues that may come up.
Found this XJ on CraigsList the other day and have been tossing it around..... 1995 Orson Edition Cherokee, 6cyl, automatic, 4x4, 146,000 miles,
What is the ORSON ?? I can't find it on the net.
finally got in touch with the seller this morning and he has had it for 2 years as a daily driver with no serious issues.... 
http://lakeland.craigslist.org/cto/4638879113.html
here is his answers to my questions.
Track Bar - wobble / he said, yes, it has happened one time and scared the poo-poo out of him.
valve cover is leaking very little
oil pan is leaking very little - maybe 10 drops a week (as per spots in his driveway)
new breaks, all 4
4x4 works great
he is not a mud bogger or rock crawler guy, to his knowledge, it's never been on the beach.
he is the second owner - P/O was an older couple - very little miles with them.
still has original sparkplugs, wires, dist cap, water pump, timing chain, etc etc etc. only a couple bad rust spots.
last week, some electrical issue happened and took out the radio and air conditioner: (Relay / fuse maybe ??)
so, all in all, it sounds good with the exception of the track bar, and I think my brother and I can change it out.
He will hold it until Thursday - only day off this week - I will be there with a pocket fulla CASH !! LOL.
Maybe explaining how expensive it will be to fix the track bar, radio/air cond. issue, timing chain, and other issues replaced, maybe he can come down a little.


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## surfchunker

Jam has or had an Xterra and loved it


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## River

That's a Grand Cherokee ---- whole different vehicle from the Sport Cherokee XJ -----


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## Pip

Good old 4 door 1st gen Explorers. Cheap, plenty of them for sale, strong 4.0 motor, true 4x4, lots of room for gear, and reliable if they are well kept. 31" tires will keep the massive front ttb axle from plowing through the sand.


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## River

Love the Explorers, have owned three Ranger's and they make great beach vehicles, that 4.0 V-6 is one fine engine -- and the Xterra is awesome with great weight distribution for sand driving ---- but, the old Jeep XJ's are a novelty and fun to drive, they're fairly reasonably priced but good ones are getting harder to find - especially with XJ's being a popular vehicle for rock climbing around these parts ----- Plenty of parts availability, new - aftermarket and used at reasonable prices and ease of maintenance is what makes them popular ---- IMO -


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## John Smith_inFL

Okay - after talking with this guy a few times on the phone, he has no clue as to what his Jeep is.
He still insists he has the XJ and what I find it is the ZJ Orvis Edition - only 10,020 made for 1995.
and it is needing so many things fixed, it could be my endless money pit !! LOL but aren't they all ??
River, now I know what you mean when you travel half a day to look
at a "nice sounding advertisement" only to find a hunka junk ......
at least NOW I know what the *XJ* is !! and that is what I will get - eventually.
soooooo the saga continues !!


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## kurazy kracka

I picked up a 98 limited XJ off EBAY that was local about 6 years ago. wish i had never sold it. i went with the 98 because it had the updated appearance but not the head issues the 99+ had. black with tan leather and i think 100k miles or so.for $1000 i was able to piece together a quality 6.5" lift and put 33x12.5x15's on it. beast was unstoppable. i've had 3 jeeps now and the only common issue ive had is water pump failures which chryslers are known for.
now i have a 04 grand cherokee lifted 4" on 32s that i picked up off of craigslist for $4k. performed amazing on the beach a few weeks ago. having said that, i'd still prefer my XJ. like everyone else said, parts are a dime a dozen and they are super easy to work on.


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## John Smith_inFL

I am still in pursuit of my *XJ* - - - while surfing CraigsList, I came across this Cherokee. http://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/4679850133.html
not a 4x4, but, what caught my eye was the *400,000 MILES* on it !!! I sent the seller
a note asking if it indeed had so many miles, he says yes, drove it from Orlando to MS many many times
over the years. Well maintained and he has not had any serious issues - just the normal stuff that gets worn out.
So I guess the Jeep is the way to go !!! wow 400,000 !!
I have put 240,000 miles on my '97 Dodge van and it is still in very good condition.
- - - my search continues - - -


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## Elgreco

We have at work a 2008ish dodge nitro with almost 483k miles. The radiator blew out and blew the head gasket though. Funny thing is the 3.7l is known to have some engine problems and don't usually last that long. We have a 92 Cummins ram with 402k miles as well. I'm rebuilding the rear diff on that one. Don't think the fluid has ever been changed.


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## hpierce301

my surf fishing xj. 217K miles.


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## hunter1

Wow ! that's a nice truck. Every one I look at is either rusted out on the frames or beat to death. I'm thinking of a used Liberty, I wonder how good they will be on the beach.


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## Dan Voss

I picked up a '93 XJ recently with the 6 cyl in it. It has 33" tires and a 4" lift and i just put receivers on the front and back. I am going to start soon on a set of 1/2 doors for it to have it more open for the summer. The great thing about the XJ's is that they are very simple vehicles and they are also very light, both are very beneficial when it comes to sand and salt duty. If you are handy with a welder then you are in good shape because body panels are easy to get for the XJ's.


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## Elgreco

hunter1 said:


> Wow ! that's a nice truck. Every one I look at is either rusted out on the frames or beat to death. I'm thinking of a used Liberty, I wonder how good they will be on the beach.


The KJ liberty is good but the 3.7l is a finicky engine. If the oil isn't changed regularly and cooling system maintained you can run into issues.


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## hunter1

Wow! I don't want a truck you have to baby, you know when you will have a problem. May be i should look at some Import's , Toyo, nisson.


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## Elgreco

They can last a very long time if you maintain them. We have a nitro with a 3.7l at the shop and it has 480,000 miles.


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## scoutin4reds

I can tell you from experience the XJ is about as reliable as they come. I've had them overheat, let it cool off, and then drove it from Charleston SC to Holden Beach NC, which is a couple hours. The radiator, lower water pump hose, and possibly the water pump is all that needed to be replaced mechanically. I replaced them myself and in all only cost me about 200 dollars. I've been driving my Cherokee going on four or five years now and it will go anywhere






I do wish the back area was longer or I was shorter because in order to sleep in the back I have to be at an angle with the seats folded down, and the passenger seat all the way up. On the negative side my Cherokee is horrible on gas, maybe 15mpg at its best downhill with a strong steady tailwind. I do love it though, I've never had any vehicle that I've had more fun in and been able to see and do more things with. So my complaints would be interior space and gas mileage.


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## Elgreco

Gas mileage was never the 4.0l strong suit. That and the fact that the xj is a brick. Bigger tires kill mpg as well.


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## hpierce301

scoutin4reds said:


> I do wish the back area was longer or I was shorter because in order to sleep in the back I have to be at an angle with the seats folded down, and the passenger seat all the way up.


when i 1st got my jeep, another xj owner showed me a quick tip. the back seat base (the part that folds up) has a quick release lever, and that part comes out easy. take it out and lay it in the front seats, or on top. you will have a hole for your feet behind the front seats, and that will give you about 6 -8 more inches of space. I'm six foot tall, and slept good from corner to corner in the back.

now it's still a small vehicle. i slide the seat up for my baby's car seat behind me. but we don't take my car often when traveling with the baby. it will be better when she's in a booster seat, instead of the seat she has now.


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## kurazy kracka

My WJ did well for all its beach duty. (2004 grand Cherokee.) she was lifted 4.5" with some take-off 32s off the new JK wranglers. had the 4.0 in it with about 155k miles.










just sold her for $3100, kept having some nagging repairs come up (due to prior owners poor mainentance) and I am grabbing a powerstroke now.


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## jbwilli

Here is one that is unstoppable on sand with tires aired down - 1994 2080 lb Suzuki Samural 4X4 with 3 inch lift!


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## spydermn

If I was in the market it would be a carb 350 K5 or a 4.0 96 Cherokee. That being said the wife will not allow me to have a decided hunting and fishing car so I drive a new f150


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