I personally would go for a regular bumper mounted winch. The hitch mounted versions seem to be a fair bit smaller from what I've seen, and honestly 9 times out of 10 you can just pull yourself forward. I might consider a hitch mounted winch as an auxiliary to my main winch, but definitely a bumper mount will be more usable for the most part.
I would keep it.. why not? It's worth it to avoid the risk of hydro-lock if you ever drive through any water deeper than a foot or two. It only takes one rogue 'wave' coming up into your air intake to wreck your engine. Here's a pic of my friend's old truck right after he hydro-locked it. Not very deep but he had too much speed and that's all it took. Also sometimes puddles are deeper than they first appear.. :)
First off, welcome to the forum! You'll probably get some varying answers to your questions, as we have quite a range of off road enthusiasts here. Everything from hardcore exo caged solid axle monsters to bone stock full sized pickups. In reality, no matter how capable your vehicle is you can always push it and explore new areas, and that is always fun!
Here are my suggestions:
In my opinion, your limiting factor in this case is the need for a newer vehicle. You'll find that most of us use older vehicles. The reason is two-fold. First, you're talking about taking vehicles places that they aren't really designed to go. Things will break. Especially in the case where you are paying a mechanic or shop to do your work for you, it's going to get very expensive very quickly. Even if money isn't an issue, the other big reason is that newer vehicles sort of suck for what we do - for the most part. Have you noticed that trucks are getting bigger and bigger every year? Size is the enemy in the bushes of BC. Many of the trails we drive are modified quad trails, and even if you aren't pushing through the thick of it, a big truck will always pose more problems off road (in our part of the world anyway). If age wasn't an issue, I would suggest either a 2nd-3rd gen 4runner, or a Jeep Cherokee. These are the most capable vehicles I've seen in the back country. Also as far as reliability is concerned, I would wager a bet that a low km 3rd gen 4Runner will outlast a newer Xterra 9 times out of 10. These things go to a million km. Maintenance is cheap.
But.... if you are stuck on the idea of a newer vehicle, then I say Rubicon, hands down. There is no doubt that a newer Rubicon is highly capable off road (very much so). Comparing a Rubicon (of any year) with a newer Xterra (99+) is comparing apples and oranges. One is made to go off road, the other for picking up kids and groceries. If you don't mind exploring with a puckered asshole 99% of the time (at the worry of wrecking your $30k+ vehicle), then the Rubicon is definitely a solid choice. Perhaps the only solid choice in terms of newer vehicles.
In terms of outward appearance in 4x4 groups, you won't be looked down upon for driving a Rubicon. They dominate on the trails and have huge aftermarket support for modifications. That being said, whenever I run into a brand new shiny Rubicon on the trails I always chuckle a little knowing that with all the money they've spent on it, they will never be able to follow me down the same trails :)
Bottom line: Get a low km 4Runner with a small lift and it will outperform and outlast almost everything else out there, with great road manners, and without breaking the bank when you push it. Otherwise, get a Rubicon.
Well, I think it's about time to announce a winner. We got some great entries for our first contest!
Voting was a little sparse, but it looks like BC-Dirtymax has the win this time with his mountain top shot of shawnigan lake. Congratulations, and enjoy the new lightbar!
Thanks for everyone else who submitted. I look forward to our next contest!
Lots of good off road stuff still accessible. Try hillcrest road near duncan - you can either go straight into the back side of sicker/prevost, or hang a hard left at the forestry pools and get onto power line roads. Even in the best of weather much of the road access is shut down but there are always alternate routes to be found.
I personally would go for a regular bumper mounted winch. The hitch mounted versions seem to be a fair bit smaller from what I've seen, and honestly 9 times out of 10 you can just pull yourself forward. I might consider a hitch mounted winch as an auxiliary to my main winch, but definitely a bumper mount will be more usable for the most part.
I would keep it.. why not? It's worth it to avoid the risk of hydro-lock if you ever drive through any water deeper than a foot or two. It only takes one rogue 'wave' coming up into your air intake to wreck your engine. Here's a pic of my friend's old truck right after he hydro-locked it. Not very deep but he had too much speed and that's all it took. Also sometimes puddles are deeper than they first appear.. :)
First off, welcome to the forum! You'll probably get some varying answers to your questions, as we have quite a range of off road enthusiasts here. Everything from hardcore exo caged solid axle monsters to bone stock full sized pickups. In reality, no matter how capable your vehicle is you can always push it and explore new areas, and that is always fun!
Here are my suggestions:
In my opinion, your limiting factor in this case is the need for a newer vehicle. You'll find that most of us use older vehicles. The reason is two-fold. First, you're talking about taking vehicles places that they aren't really designed to go. Things will break. Especially in the case where you are paying a mechanic or shop to do your work for you, it's going to get very expensive very quickly. Even if money isn't an issue, the other big reason is that newer vehicles sort of suck for what we do - for the most part. Have you noticed that trucks are getting bigger and bigger every year? Size is the enemy in the bushes of BC. Many of the trails we drive are modified quad trails, and even if you aren't pushing through the thick of it, a big truck will always pose more problems off road (in our part of the world anyway). If age wasn't an issue, I would suggest either a 2nd-3rd gen 4runner, or a Jeep Cherokee. These are the most capable vehicles I've seen in the back country. Also as far as reliability is concerned, I would wager a bet that a low km 3rd gen 4Runner will outlast a newer Xterra 9 times out of 10. These things go to a million km. Maintenance is cheap.
But.... if you are stuck on the idea of a newer vehicle, then I say Rubicon, hands down. There is no doubt that a newer Rubicon is highly capable off road (very much so). Comparing a Rubicon (of any year) with a newer Xterra (99+) is comparing apples and oranges. One is made to go off road, the other for picking up kids and groceries. If you don't mind exploring with a puckered asshole 99% of the time (at the worry of wrecking your $30k+ vehicle), then the Rubicon is definitely a solid choice. Perhaps the only solid choice in terms of newer vehicles.
In terms of outward appearance in 4x4 groups, you won't be looked down upon for driving a Rubicon. They dominate on the trails and have huge aftermarket support for modifications. That being said, whenever I run into a brand new shiny Rubicon on the trails I always chuckle a little knowing that with all the money they've spent on it, they will never be able to follow me down the same trails :)
Bottom line: Get a low km 4Runner with a small lift and it will outperform and outlast almost everything else out there, with great road manners, and without breaking the bank when you push it. Otherwise, get a Rubicon.
Well, I think it's about time to announce a winner. We got some great entries for our first contest!
Voting was a little sparse, but it looks like BC-Dirtymax has the win this time with his mountain top shot of shawnigan lake. Congratulations, and enjoy the new lightbar!
Thanks for everyone else who submitted. I look forward to our next contest!
Lots of good off road stuff still accessible. Try hillcrest road near duncan - you can either go straight into the back side of sicker/prevost, or hang a hard left at the forestry pools and get onto power line roads. Even in the best of weather much of the road access is shut down but there are always alternate routes to be found.