Photos: John Cappa and courtesy of the manufacturers
There are lots of great buys in used 100,000-mile 4×4 pickup trucks and SUVs. Many are solid reliable platforms for building a weekend off-road warrior that’s still comfortable enough to commute in daily, while other vehicles can be a sheer nightmare because of service and reliability issues as well as a lack of aftermarket support.
Most vehicles see an average of around 12,000 miles a year, so 4x4s with 100,000 miles on them are typically 8-10 years old. Of course there are exceptions, but we will focus on the most common and easy to find model years and why they are the best used 4×4 bargains. Don’t get your panties in a bunch if you don’t see your favorite 4×4 listed, some vehicles are less off-road friendly out of the box and/or don’t have the same kind of aftermarket support as more popular vehicles. You’ll want your new project to be easily modified to meet whatever off-road needs you have. A great deal on a less popular 4×4 model is quickly negated when you have to have every modification custom made to fit. To ensure you get the best bang for the buck, follow along to find out what your next project 4×4 should be.
The 2010-2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is still an incredibly sought-after pickup truck. The factory mid-travel suspension and 35-inch tires help it cover rough ground quicker than any other truck from the era.
2010-2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
The 2010-2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor was the first real factory mid-travel pickup truck ever offered. The off-road inspired suspension, 35-inch tires and overall design make it a perfect candidate for exploring rugged trails, overlanding over rough desert two-track or comfortably charging graded dirt roads. It’s almost universally agreed that the Ford Raptor should have a throaty growling V-8 under the hood, so these trucks tend to hold their value because they have since been replaced by the 2017-current F-150 Raptor with a twin-turbo V-6 engine. Early on, the first generation of the F-150 SVT Raptor was only available with the smaller 5.4L V-8, which was dropped in 2011.
Those that prefer more power should look for a Raptor with the 6.2L V-8, which was available up through 2014. Avoid trucks that appear to have been beat up over miles of desert whoops. Severely leaking shocks or destroyed bump stops and dented or torn off skidplates are dead giveaways of off-road abuse.
Many people prefer the throaty growl of the 6.2L V-8 that was available in the original Ford Raptor over the twin-turbo V-6 found in the current model Raptor. However, the 6.2L only belts out 411hp and 434 lb-ft of torque compared to the 450hp and 510 lb-ft of torque from the twin-turbo V-6.
At one time the 2011-2016 Ford F-250 and F-350 were likely the most common 3/4- and 1-ton trucks on the road. Today, many still reliably do work, make daily commutes and perform as weekend warriors off-road.
2011-2016 Ford F-250, F-350 and F-450
Need a little more weight carrying capacity than what a 1/2-ton truck offers, then the 2011-2016 Ford F-250 or F-350 Super Duty should be on your radar. Few 3/4- and 1-ton trucks enjoy the range of aftermarket support that the Super Duty does. Most used truck buyers that aren’t hauling heavy loads will want to avoid the diesel engine, it’s generally a more expensive truck to start with and more costly to maintain. The slightly better fuel economy of the diesel will never pay for itself. The gas 6.2L V-8 in the Super Duty is a respectable engine that will do a fine job on- and off-road without the added expense and exhaust treatment complexity that comes with a modern diesel engine. For even more power and load capability you could opt for the F-450. It was available with the Triton 6.8L gas V-10 engine, which is a solid reliable industrial powerplant that was also popular in motorhomes. The only downside of stepping into the F-450 is the ride harshness with an empty pickup bed, which is caused by the factory heavy-duty suspension and tires.
If a bolt on aftermarket part exists, it’s probably available in four different colors for the Jeep Wrangler JK. Several notable upgrades make the 2012-2017 Wrangler JK a better buy than the 2007-2011 Wrangler JK.
2012-2017 Jeep Wrangler JK
No 4×4 enjoys more aftermarket support than the Jeep Wrangler. If you want a Lego-like 4×4 that you can personalize and piece together as you please, nothing compares to a Wrangler. With so many years and trim levels to choose from, it might seem overwhelming to find the perfect 2012-2017 Jeep JK Wrangler or Wrangler Unlimited (four-door). Rest assured that any of them will be a great build platform, the Rubicon being the most off-road friendly out of the box. To start with, the 2012-2017 models are much preferred over the 2007-2011 models.
The more powerful 3.6L Pentastar V-6 backed with the available five-speed automatic transmission in the 2012-2017 Wrangler are a huge improvement over the 3.8L V-6 and four-speed automatic in the 2007-2011 Wrangler JK.
The newer JK features a smaller 3.6L Pentastar V-6 engine that puts out 83 more horsepower than the older 3.8L V-6. The more powerful engine is backed by an optional five-speed automatic, which replaced the outgoing optional four-speed auto. The standard six-speed manual transmission remained mostly unchanged. The five-speed automatic transmission combined with the 3.6L V-6 make the 2012-2017 JK a significantly better Wrangler than the earlier JK models. The 2012-2017 Wrangler also enjoys several other notable interior and exterior improvements that were added for the 2011 model year.
If you want 3/4-ton capability and can stomach 10-13 mpg, then the 2010-2018 Ram Power Wagon might be the truck for you. Later versions of the Power Wagon came standard with the more powerful and desirable 6.4L Hemi V-8.
2010-2018 Ram 2500 3500
If you’re a 3/4- and 1-ton pickup truck fan, you’ll be happy to know there are several affordable 100,000-mile heavy-duty 4×4 truck options. Many people put the Ram Cummins diesel on a pedestal, but it’s about twice the weight of a gas Hemi V-8, which can severely hinder off-road performance. Just like with the Ford, the diesel is also more expensive up front and more expensive to maintain. The increased fuel economy that the Cummins engine provides will almost never pay for the added cost of the diesel engine option. For these reasons, we’d recommend the gas V-8 versions of the Ram 2500 and 3500 if you don’t plan to haul heavy loads. The 2010-2016 Ram 2500 and 3500 were available with the 383hp 5.7L Hemi V-8 spinning 400 lb-ft of torque, while the 2014-2016 Ram 2500 and 3500 were available with the more powerful 6.4 L Hemi V-8 sporting 410hp and 429 lb-ft of torque.
The ground clearance, electronic disconnecting front sway bar, locking front and rear differentials, flexible suspension, 12,000-pound Warn winch and 33-inch tires can get the Ram Power Wagon further up the trail than most people will want to take it. Its overall size is certainly a downside on tight trails though.
By 2017, the 5.7L was axed from the Ram heavy-duty lineup and the 6.4L Hemi became the standard engine through 2018. The Power Wagon is the most off-road worthy Ram 2500 trim level. It features 33-inch tires, locking differentials front and rear, an electronic disconnecting front sway-bar and a real Warn 12,000-pound electric recovery winch hidden behind the front bumper. It’s arguably the most capable 3/4-ton pickup ever offered. If you are leaning toward the newer end of the Ram 2500 and 3500 model year spectrum, you may want to consider spending just a little more to get into a 2019 model. These trucks come standard with a much more desirable eight-speed transmission along with an updated interior and exterior.
The 2010-current Toyota 4Runner is an overlanding and 4×4 adventure favorite. It can easily navigate all types of trail conditions. It has better ground clearance than most 4x4s in the segment and can comfortably commute daily.
2010-Current Toyota 4Runner
At 100,000 miles, most well-maintained Toyota 4x4s are less than half way through their lifespan. As such, the 2010-current fifth-generation 4Runner is a solid off-road SUV choice. It offers more ground clearance and off-road capability than many other vehicles in the segment, however this capability is usually at the expense of slightly diminished fuel economy. The 2010-current 4Runner remained mostly unchanged through the years, but it did receive a facelift in 2014, which consists of a revised front and rear fascia with projector headlamps and clear-lensed LED tail-lamps, as well as other minor exterior cosmetic changes. The interior was also updated. Die hard off-roaders will want to opt for the TRD Pro trim level, which was introduced as a 2015 model.
The fold down rear seats of the 2010-current 4Runner allow for a convenient flat surface. It’s a perfect platform to make your camp bed for the night or load all your overland gear.
The 4Runner TRD Pro comes with TRD Bilstein shocks with remote reservoirs, TRD-tuned front springs and a TRD front skid plate. The 4Runner Trail and Trail Premium were renamed to TRD Off-Road and TRD Off-Road Premium for the 2017 model year. These trim levels share the same mechanicals as the former Trail edition, but add aesthetic differences and TRD badging to differentiate themselves from the base model, however they do not share the same off-road inspired suspension as the TRD Pro model.
A Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro would be the optimum choice for an off-road enthusiast, however the TRD Off-Road trim shouldn’t be discounted. The TRD Off-Road comes with a selectable rear locker and off-road worthy tires among other items.
2005-Current Toyota Tacoma
Toyota truck reliability and longevity is legendary. Pretty much any 2005-current Toyota Tacoma will be a great build platform for a 4×4 toy and daily commuter driven well beyond 100,000 miles. This wide model year range includes the 2005-2015 second-gen Tacoma and the 2016-up third-gen Tacoma. Keep in mind that in most cases, the 2016-current Tacoma will have more creature comforts than the 2005-2015 models.
The main advantage of the Tacoma TRD Pro package is the factory tuned off-road suspension. The good news is that you can easily upgrade the suspension of any Tacoma model with a vast number of aftermarket shocks and other components.
Within these model years the TRD Pro trim is the is the cream of the crop for off-road enthusiasts, but the TRD Off-Road trim is also a solid used high-mileage 4×4 starting point. Good overall ground clearance, an available factory electric rear locker and off-road inspired suspension are among the most noteworthy features of the Tacoma. Of course it shares many components with the 4Runner so the aftermarket support for both the popular Toyota truck and SUV is well beyond that of a typical 4×4.
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