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Off-roading can be done well for cheap if you have the right truck or SUV, and you can't go wrong with these 10.
You don't need to spend $20,000 in modifications or take out a second mortgage just to have a good time off-roading. There are a lot of instances where cheaply bought and cheaply modified trucks or SUVs far surpass the ability of new models thanks to a combination of driver skills and lack of caring. If you think about it, would you really like to take a new Ford Bronco or $100,000 built Jeep Rubicon out, or a $1,500 car you own outright?
Yes, there is some concern about reliability but there are very few mechanical problems that can't be fixed by you and some knowledgeable pals in a single weekend. The cars on this list are ones that you can find for under $5,000 still running, the cheapest trucks and SUVs worth buying, though they can all be found for pocket change with one or two issues your mechanic can fix for under $1,000.
This is perhaps one of the most common budget off-roaders since they can be found for dirt cheap and they come on a truck body. The option of a V8 makes them formidable, and the simple and customizable format is perfect for a drivetrain swap, custom lift, or even just taking a grinder to the wheel wells.
The big, boxy body leaves plenty of room for spare tires or sleeping at night, and a removable front bumper offers insane entry levels, even just stock! They may not be the most reliable, so if you have any mechanical prowess you can find them for cheap, cheaper than any on this list in our experience, even "running" ones with no major issues.
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This is one of the most reliable on this list. While you would be hard-pressed to find a Tacoma, 4Runner, or Tundra under $10k, the T100 is old enough and lesser-known enough that the prices sit around $5,000 or less for a perfectly functional 4WD V6 making a perfectly capable 190 horsepower. It's technically the precursor to the Tundra, but it has its differences.
They're available in both manual and automatic, and some have a locking rear differential from the factory. A lot of homemade trophy trucks and rock crawlers are based on the T100 simply because they are so cheap and yet so reliable, and they seem to just slip through the cracks. Odds are that in five years or so they will start to become a classic and start jumping up in value, so it's really hard to lose at all when you buy the T100.
The Dodge Durango is, quite simply, a cheap SUV with 4WD. It's not pretty, it's not reliable, and it won't turn any heads and for those reasons, you can score these bad boys for almost as cheap as a Grand Cherokee, only these are always V8s and they made up to 250 horsepower!
Similarly, the Dodge Dakota truck from the same years offered a V8 engine but they just aren't as common to find for as much of a discount. Still, they're out there. If you live in colder climates you can most likely get great use out of the optional engine block heater that came with some.
The great Montero is considered Mistubishi's last successful vehicle that people actually wanted to buy before tanking. Many times you may see Monteros being used under the name "Pajero", "Strada", and "Nativa" as it's known in other countries. If you plan to get one, the cheapest format is a basic model, and you better buy it now. These off-roaders had somewhat of a legend about them and they are, by the numbers, going up in value.
In fact, the older, boxier ones are pulling in $15k USD while the newer models are dipping to their low of around $5k. As proof of their ability, Mistubishi made the Pajero Evo to compete, stock, in the world-famous Dakar Rally. The automatic V6 in the Montero Sport gets just shy of 200 horsepower and while it's still cheap and not very powerful, it has a Land-Rover-style of being able to slowly tackle anything.
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Whether a four-cylinder or a V6, the Ranger is so small that the power doesn't matter, especially true of the Rangers of the 90s. It would be difficult to find a working one for over $5k, and easy to find a great elderly-driven one for under $2,000 seeing how many Ford lovers kept one in their retirement age for the occasional yard work.
The manual or automatic comes in a four-wheel drive. The 4WD it has is pretty impressive on such a simple consumer truck. From the early to late 90s the body jumped from a clean, classy boxy look to the rounded-off look of the 2000s, but both look good with a big old lift and some gnarly tires! People seem to enjoy jumping these trucks and they even have their own theme song circulating social media (explicit) that is the soundtrack to a lot of insane Ford Ranger stunts, both cool and stupid.
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The Subaru is not on a body-on-frame but ... it's still an insanely capable off-road machine. From the factory, it comes with 7.5" of ground clearance, more than any in its class. Because of the incredible Symmetrical AWD system by Subaru, it's not hard to find videos of Outbacks and Foresters destroying Jeeps and trucks on tricky terrain.
The 2.5 XT is the fastest in the states and the best in the world for lifting and turning into a rally-spec off-road beast. While the entry and departure angles are great, better with a few inches of lift, they won't be able to go rock crawling. They will, however, be able to outrun and outlast most vehicles on rough terrain that doesn't stick up more than about 12". You are, no matter what, absolutely guaranteed to not get stuck in the snow so long as you have four snow tires under your Subaru.
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This is one of the newest cars you can pick up for under $5,000 because, frankly, it's not terrific on reliability. If you do have the mechanical ability it may just be worth it. The 4.0 L 6-cylinder makes a cool 261 horsepower, 265 if you go back to 2005. They're available in both automatic and manual, and mostly come in 4WD.
From the look of it, you can tell that Nissan custom-built the Xterra for leaving the asphalt. The Off-Road packages came with a locking rear differential, Bilstein shocks, and three skid plates. The additions don't seem to be affecting the resale price, so just dig a little to find one of these more well-equipped options.
The Suzuki Samurai is based on the overseas "Jimny," a tiny Japanese Kei car built to meet small size and low displacement requirements for a tax rebate. Building an off-road model Kei car is bold, to say the least since it can't be more than 133 inches long. The Samurai is made to be more capable off-road thanks to more stock ground clearance, lower gearbox ratios, and rugged suspension.
What's strange about this little two-seater is that despite its size it's a body-on-frame car! For that reason you can see these little lifted 65-horsepower gremlins running around Moab with the Jeeps, though they don't blend in. To work on them isn't hard, and a small engine swap might cure 90% of the old Suzuki unreliability, but after that, they are unstoppable off-road.
These two are grouped because they are very similar. Both come in V8's with just over 200 horsepower. Both have two doors and thus a shorter wheelbase that is useful off-road. Both are starting to become classics and while you can score an old snow-plow SUV for $5k, you can also turn it around and sell it for $25,000 easily. If you get a white Bronco, though, you may need to clarify some things via a decal.
These are some of the few pure SUVs that were made far more for the outback than to be a minivan alternative. They had real 4WD, not AWD, and came with impressive ground clearance. The tiny wheelbase was a priority, and kids and back seats were not! So perfect is the size, shape, and build, that it's hard to find a stock Bronco or Blazer these days unless it's a full-blown show car!
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Toyota made the RAV4 to be the ultimate grocery-getter. In fact, the name stands for "Run Around Vehicle (4WD)." So it's a bit curious, then, that it comes with locking rear differentials! The V6 version was a favorite, impressing everyone who reported on it and making some impressive numbers... under 6 seconds 0-60, 269 horsepower. While it may be a body-on-frame SUV, look at this little ball and tell me you wouldn't want to rip it around the wilderness!
The rear-mounted tire adds sportiness to the look and Toyota reliability is included. It's enough for the Bastion Hotels to enter their own into the Dakar Rally itself! While the 4WD on its own is very capable, the locking differential and optional descent assist mode make it clear that the RAV4 is not to be slept on.
Wyatt is from Utah and likes to bike, ski, and drive too fast. He's written articles on motorcycles and cars for years, and especially likes Japanese cars and off-road vehicles. He has been featured in DriveTribe more than once and some of his content has had over 6.5 million views. He loves Formula 1, Formula Drift, the Baja 1000, and World Rally Cross!