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[Spawn Sack]

I have a patriot and love it - great on gas, even the 2wd (that I have) goes nearly anywhere with half decent tires......BUT, that being said, towing capacity is crap so if you own/rent/borrow/plan to buy a trailer, be aware of towing capacities!

Also have a Tribute (wife's).  I'd say not a good fishing vehicle overall for the money you can find better (also not the bestest towing capacity).  Also the interior (specifically seats) stain very easily....

I've been looking for a while (need to upgrade for a towing vehicle) and thinking of going exterra.  it's on a truck (frontier) frame.  the roof rack is the strongest in it's class, has a hideaway for wet/stinky fishing clothes, steps built into the bumpers, plastic interior incl. the rear cargo area with adjustable tie downs, lots of power....the only drawback I've heard of is the gas mileage, as mentioned earlier in this post.... reading hundreds of reviews online by owners and that's the only thing that is mentioned fairly often.  NOTE - 90% of them are US vehicles.  Nissan for some reason couldn't sell them for the pricing here and most were imported.  Out of the 15 I've looked at and test drove, 10 or 12 were US vehicles.  There is of course the US carfax if you're concerned, but if you go to a dealership, many will have both the US and CDN history for you.  The reason I mention is that I was originally concerned about looking at a US vehicle, but after I learned that most of them (the exterras) are, not as concerned now...

You can pick up used Xterras for pretty cheap. A lot cheaper (year and mileage) than a comparable 4Runner. We test drove about 6 Xterras and at first we thought we wanted one. However IMO they drive like a tractor. I'm sure they are great off road though. Not much room in the back either. For 20-25K you can get a pretty nice used 4Runner but you'll have to do a lot more hunting around than for an Xterra. Seems like there are SO many Xterras out there...lots of returned leases, etc. If you research JB power, etc you will find that the Xterra does not have great ratings overall for reliability etc. If you are going "off road" a lot then a tough vehicle like a 4Runner etc will serve you well. If you are going fishing on mostly paved roads and public gravel then anything like an Escape etc will be fine. Everyone I know with a 4Runner, Tacoma, FJ, Tundra or any Toyota LOVES it. The few ppl I know that have Nissans, esp the Xterra either complain about it or have gotten rid of it.

[MoeJKU]

I have a patriot and love it - great on gas, even the 2wd (that I have) goes nearly anywhere with half decent tires......BUT, that being said, towing capacity is crap so if you own/rent/borrow/plan to buy a trailer, be aware of towing capacities!

Also have a Tribute (wife's).  I'd say not a good fishing vehicle overall for the money you can find better (also not the bestest towing capacity).  Also the interior (specifically seats) stain very easily....

I've been looking for a while (need to upgrade for a towing vehicle) and thinking of going exterra.  it's on a truck (frontier) frame.  the roof rack is the strongest in it's class, has a hideaway for wet/stinky fishing clothes, steps built into the bumpers, plastic interior incl. the rear cargo area with adjustable tie downs, lots of power....the only drawback I've heard of is the gas mileage, as mentioned earlier in this post.... reading hundreds of reviews online by owners and that's the only thing that is mentioned fairly often.  NOTE - 90% of them are US vehicles.  Nissan for some reason couldn't sell them for the pricing here and most were imported.  Out of the 15 I've looked at and test drove, 10 or 12 were US vehicles.  There is of course the US carfax if you're concerned, but if you go to a dealership, many will have both the US and CDN history for you.  The reason I mention is that I was originally concerned about looking at a US vehicle, but after I learned that most of them (the exterras) are, not as concerned now...

I have heard bad things about the xterras as well as others have said. I own a 4 door wrangler and haul a 17ft jet boat around with it. Just got back from a trip up north and when we did i had to tow a full moose around. If you like how the 2wd jeep goes everywhere maybe look int a 4 door wrangler or a 2011- 2013 cherokee, they just made major changes to the 2014 so i don't know anything about that yet. Never had problem with my jeep tho.  Going to keep it until they come out with a diesel version of the same vehicle and buy a new one.

[Ian Forbes]

When my gear is dry and clean at the start of the trip they have their own containers. At the end of the day on a stream the wet gear goes in the back of my truck. Plastic tubs are great for gear being used all the time.

Choice of vehicle depends on too many variables to have any perfect one for everybody. Single men and married men are going to choose differently. If you are a back country explorer then you'll want a different vehicle than if you are mostly driving in the city or highways. Hauling a camper into the back country over 4x4 roads can be a chore. Hauling a trailered boat over gravel roads is also a chore... and hard on both the boat and the trailer.

Just like boats, there is no one perfect vehicle. First you have to examine your own personal life style.

[brysonk]

I have a 2011 jeep patriot 4x4 and I love it. 4 cyl 2.4l, 10.5l/100km combination city/highway and is nice on rough roads. Has the room I need for all my gear and has never let me down. almost 3 years and 65k of hard use and no problems thus far. For the price I think it's the most capable of the csuv's out there.

[Suther]

Ford f350s are too easy to steal. So are the 450, and 550s. From around 2004-2009.

Explorers - you wouldn't be able to afford to keep fixing it .

Xterra - can get a supercharged v8 if I'm not mistaken.

My verdict - Get a vehicle you don't give 2 shits about. I've got a 99 dodge neon and I'll take that wherever a truck can go. Minus the 4x4 enthusiasts.

Any vehicle that doesn't have an imobilizer is easy to steal... They became factory standard in 2007 or 2008 I think? for all new vehicles. Still doesn't help with the saavy criminals and technology today, but they are not the types jacking vehicles out in the bush.

[salmonrook]

Thats plenty of money for any kind of pickup .You can get a doublecab pickup with a canopy thats the best all around for everything.i have a toyota doublecab 4x4 with canopy.Big enough for towing but gets decent mileage.Its basically already has ground clearance that you need ocasionally for the logging roads.
  You can find a good used lease return vehicle through a dealership on the internet for around 25 k.