Geo Tracker instead of UTV?

[davrow]

I need to replace my Yamaha Rhino. One thing I want is quiet, so I've considered the Polaris Ranger EV. I can get a Polaris with the Voltronix Lithium conversion (used) for 15 grand: Polaris

Or, I can get a Geo Tracker (148,000 miles of used) for $4,500.

Upsides, Geo Tracker has air conditioning and is fully enclosed.
Downsides, not as quiet as an EV, but still quieter than most UTVs and side-by-sides. Also lots older and parts could be a concern.

I won't use any of them hard, just carrying brush and tools. I just need the 4x4 for my dirt trails to get up the hill to do minor yard maintenance.

So what do you think, or ?

 

[dieselcrawler]

I can't stomach the thought of the cost of a SxS, when it's not even technically road legal (not that it stops swarms of them from flying by my house nearly every day year round)

I would go for a tracker in a heartbeat, or older 4x4 S10 truck, reg cab short bed, for a farm truck. Good set of really knobby tires and they will go alot of places. And have heat and AC!

 

[comancheflight]

My neighbor has a new decked out turbo RZR and gave me the fever... well over 20K for his..dieselcrawler got me thinking, I had a Jeep wrangler and the wife loved it...maybe I'll look for another one to rebuild.
And they hold their value big time...

 

[BoylermanCT]

I would agree with the Tracker or a Jeep Wrangler or small pickup. UTV's are way overpriced in my book.

 

[3930dave]

I need to replace my Yamaha Rhino. One thing I want is quiet, so I've considered the Polaris Ranger EV. I can get a Polaris with the Voltronix Lithium conversion (used) for 15 grand: Polaris

Or, I can get a Geo Tracker (148,000 miles of used) for $4,500.

Upsides, Geo Tracker has air conditioning and is fully enclosed.
Downsides, not as quiet as an EV, but still quieter than most UTVs and side-by-sides. Also lots older and parts could be a concern.

I won't use any of them hard, just carrying brush and tools. I just need the 4x4 for my dirt trails to get up the hill to do minor yard maintenance.

So what do you think, View attachment 511536 or View attachment 511537?

I'd go for the Tracker, for best $ value, and ability to be made fully road-legal if desired. Fully heated at the flip of a stock switch is more than Nice To Have up here. Reasonably capable stock, off-road. Saw one in BC last year, with a nice hydraulic winch on the front, and seriously gnarly tires on it - set up to work in the bush.

I use rockauto.com a lot, to check parts availability on vehicles I'm considering. Sometimes vehicles will surprise you as to what is hard to get parts for - up here relatively recent Wranglers can be a challenge (Mopar only), and when some vehicles are Canada only, that can be a PITA. (Ex. we had the GMC Jimmy quite a bit longer than it was in the USA..... so those late production Jimmys up here can be more funky to get the right parts for than you'd expect).

Rgds, D.

 

[davrow]

Okay, I'll go look at the Tracker (heat and A/C really are nice to have). :thumbsup:

For parts, at this time, parts cars are readily available for now, so major parts (like a replacement engine) are not bad, price-wise.

 

[BATTY54]

Even a Subaru wagon could fit the bill, 4 wheel also and plenty of them around.

 

[DieselBound]

Suzuki Samurai? Or a Mini Truck. I looked hard at Mini Trucks and almost went this route.

EV wouldn't cut it for me. I needed something that could really work (and I didn't have to worry about the wife recharging!). Ended up with a very loud Polaris Brutus (diesel; no doors, no heat and no AC [it's the PNW- not a big deal for me]); got it for a decent price; payload is 1k lbs, can tow 2k lbs. I WORK stuff hard. I also have diesel fuel storage: don't store more than about 5 gallons of gasoline for the lawn tractor and saws.

 

[t320pilot]

It's all about the right tool for each job. I own a 1988 Suzuki samurai, 2010 Polaris EV, and a 2017 mule pro fxt. If you don't need a dump bed then a samurai /geo will do just about everything and still fit in the same tight trails that a sxs will go.
If my budget would only allow one of the three it would definitely be the samurai. With that being said, I don't have any kids so I buy toys and tools for the jobs and chores on my acreage as needed.

The price the OP posted on the geo seems a little high compared to what I've seen lately.

 

[davrow]

The price the OP posted on the geo seems a little high compared to what I've seen lately.

Prices vary a lot, from $600 (no engine) to $6,900 (asking too much).

But this is an automatic with a hi-lo transfer case. Much harder to find than a manual trans, so that is the price premium.

 

[t320pilot]

Oh, ok I did not know the details with it being an automatic. Parts are very easy to find and if you don't mind tinkering a little bit like I do. Once you get it set up it should be very reliable. Let us know how it works out. I really like my samurai and would have considered a geo 4x4 if one came up for sale at the time.

 

[Industrial Toys]

If UV prices are not just too high, then the parts for these things certainly are. Too many newbies have not realized this yet. An axle shaft for my JD Electric Gator is $1200.00 CDN. Shameless!

I think you are on the right track with the Tracker/Geo vehicle.

 

[dfkrug]

It's all about the right tool for each job. I own a 1988 Suzuki samurai, 2010 Polaris EV, and a 2017 mule pro fxt. If you don't need a dump bed then a samurai /geo will do just about everything and still fit in the same tight trails that a sxs will go.

That's quite a collection of UTVs.

I also have an '88 Sami, and I put an hyd dump bed on it. I can haul a ton at a time of dirt, but that's pushing it.
Most UTVs with dump beds have tiny payload capacity, and cost a fortune. My Sami was $500 (and a lot of work).
Traction is fantastic, even with crappy street tires.

I see that the Mule Pro FXT is larger than most UTVS, and weighs in at 1900#, with a cargo bed cap of 1000#.
$16K MSRP.

Much better for me would have been to start with a Geo Tracker with the 1.6 FI engine and auto trans. I have
to slip the manual clutch on mine with a big load and/or on a hill.

 

[t320pilot]

I don't know why, but the last post I'm seeing is from davrow on 6-5-2017. My email show a more recent post.

 

[t320pilot]

The Polaris EV is for sale. That is cool having a dump bed on the samurai. Can you post some pics of it? I guess I got a good deal on the mule at $13590 out the door including a roof. I could not see spending the extra $1800 for power steering.

That's quite a collection of UTVs.

I also have an '88 Sami, and I put an hyd dump bed on it. I can haul a ton at a time of dirt, but that's pushing it.
Most UTVs with dump beds have tiny payload capacity, and cost a fortune. My Sami was $500 (and a lot of work).
Traction is fantastic, even with crappy street tires.

I see that the Mule Pro FXT is larger than most UTVS, and weighs in at 1900#, with a cargo bed cap of 1000#.
$16K MSRP.

Much better for me would have been to start with a Geo Tracker with the 1.6 FI engine and auto trans. I have
to slip the manual clutch on mine with a big load and/or on a hill.

 

[ArlyA]

This machine in the basic version, was in the 14K range. Of course setup, as you see it here cost LOTS more. Nonetheless, you couldn't pry it, or something like it from our cold stiff fingers.

 

[Snobdds]

My dad and I use old Toyota pickup trucks. I have a 1988 and he has a 91. Parts are plentiful and easy to work on. They go anywhere and ​are street legal.

Never saw the utility of side by sides.

 

[rd_macgregor]

The tracker's (or Samurai's) shorter wheelbase would be an advantage over that of an old truck. I came pretty close to getting a Japanese 4X4 mini-truck with dump bed a few years ago...they are way overpriced, too, though.

 

[Mace Canute]

A friend picked up an old Suzuki Samurai a couple years back from a guy who was cleaning up his yard. The guy's kids had learned to drive in it, rolled it once, and they cut the back edge if the fenders off to get at the door hinges to remove the doors. No sunroof on it anymore and no tailgate so cheap like borsch! A friend of his donated a set of winter tires that he didn't want anymore and they just barely fit on the machine but give a higher ride height and the wider tire makes it almost unstoppable. He has a 1000 liter IBC tote that we can mount temporarily in the back so his wife can water trees, etc with it and it handles that about 3/4 full with no problem. He considers it the best $100 he's spent. As an added bonus, the rims are a direct bolt on to 6 bolt implement hubs.

 

[dfkrug]

The tracker's (or Samurai's) shorter wheelbase would be an advantage over that of an old truck. I came pretty close to getting a Japanese 4X4 mini-truck with dump bed a few years ago...they are way overpriced, too, though.

Yes, the Sami/Tracker/Sidekick is smaller than a Toyota PU, which is important if your dirt roads (trails)
are tight. Mine sure are.

For years, I was just waiting for the right vehicle to be offered on Craigslist.
I was given an '86 Jeep Wrangler, but is was awful, and bigger than a Samurai.

The 80's Samurais do have a big downside: they have electronically-controlled carburetors, and they
are tough to keep working. I gave up and installed a Weber carb, which makes the vehicle drivable,
but it will never pass our state's SMOG test so I can not renew the registration.

Years ago, I did help a neighbor find and buy a Suzuki Carry, a 1-liter flatbed 4x4 micro-truck. It
was $5K, and is a great option. These are not street-legal, but are a good alternative to
pricey UTVs from Kaw, Bobcat, Kubota, Polaris, etc. They have cabover engines, so they are
quite space-efficient, unlike the Sami.

I posted about this a few years ago:
Suzuki Samurai dumptruck - YouTube