Getting your first vehicle is a rite of passage. For many, it was simple transportation that was a few levels below what was even considered basic. Stuff like coat hanger antennas, duct tape glovebox latches, and doors that were so in need of hinge bushings the latches wouldn't even line up. "You've gotta slam it!" Reliability? Bah, that's for rich people. First vehicles were an experience in the laws of chance and probability. Would it start, or wouldn't it? Let's find out on this edition of, "I'm late for class and need to leave NOW!"
But that was then, and by and large things have gotten better now. Believe it or not, despite all the moaning about how much better things used to be, in terms of vehicle design we're leaps and bounds ahead of where we've come. Sure, there's more plastic that can chalk and fade and look crappy, and trim is held on by glues and double-sided tape that can fail over time, but we're talking about the hard-core mechanical systems that actually get you from point A to B. Engines aren't festooned with miles of vacuum line and analog emissions devices, problematic carburetors, or questionable points ignition systems, so it's not uncommon for a vehicle to easily stretch its term of reliability way out past 150,000 or even 250,000 miles. And that's not to mention modern safety features like airbags, ABS brakes, and so on. So, if it's time to start shopping for your first vehicle, and you just so happen to think you might also like to do a bit of easy to moderate offroading, here are five great 4x4s that can still be purchased for less than a small fortune.
1998-2003 ISUZU AMIGO
This story is from the July 2022 edition of Four Wheeler.
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This story is from the July 2022 edition of Four Wheeler.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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2022 Summer Safari
NEK Overland led the way into parts of Vermont and a bit of New Hampshire most will never see
This fourdoor Ford foreshadowed late-model Broncos
Ddecades ahead of the '20 four-door Bronco, and even preceding the Ford Explorer and Excursion, came an SUV that could have passed for OEM and was built to answer the call for a three-row people-haulin' off-roader.
JEEP OR BLAZER BUILDING
I was hoping to pick your brain as to a couple of different builds. I have a '19 Jeep Wrangler JL and a '74 Chevy Blazer. I'm a little baffled as to what to focus on. The '74 full convertible Blazer is my dream vehicle. She's been a long build and now I am thinking of focusing my energy on my wife's '19 Jeep JL. I recently joined a Jeep club and have been going off-road with a few guys. I'm shopping around for lift kits. Would you suggest that my time be spent and focused on the Blazer or enjoy the Jeep? I really can't do both.
JEEP BEACH 2022
10 days, 25,000-plus Jeeps, 225,000-plus spectators
TAULER JACK
A new alternative to the old off-road jack
OVERLAND ADVENTURE 2022:
MEET THE PARTICIPANTS 12 outstanding, Mojave-ready over landers
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This custom 1994 Grand Cherokee and homebuilt trailer were made to go camping
ROCK JUNCTION 2022
4 days, 23 trails, 1 awesome event
DECKED OUT SILVERADO
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SANDTASTIC!
Dangle the opportunity to put the hammer down on more than a dozen square miles of the largest coastal dune complex in the world, add in partying with family and friends at sand camps, spice it up a bit with a variety of motorsport competition and nightly concerts, and it's easy to see why the five-day
