10 4WD’s you should own - Bryan's picks

4WD

By Budd Stanley & Bryan Irons, photos courtesy of the manufacturers

At some point in your life, one of these should reside in your driveway

As off-road fiends, we often put together a wish list of 4WD’s we would love to own at some point in our lives. Everyone has a dream garage they would put together once they win the big jackpot and money becomes no option. Stuck on a plane next to editor Irons, this topic inevitably came up.

After getting the full rundown of Jeeps complete history from Jeep-o-phile Irons, I wanted to change the topic slightly. So I posed the question, what all-terrain vehicles should all off-road enthusiasts own at some point in their lives? Not your favourites, but what should everyone own. So, somewhere over Oregon, bickering back and forth, this is what we hashed out as our choices. Although, I don’t think Irons quite got it as he still named a bunch of Jeeps.

Bryan’s Picks:

Cherokee XJ – To boldly go where everyone else has already been. Yes, if you are reading this story, chances are you were once the owner of one of these venerable 4WD’s already. The going price of XJ’s has plummeted to “whatever you have in your pocket,” so they are spreading throughout trails like a plague. They were built by the millions during a manufacturing run of 18-years and offer a cheap easy training experience.

Any V-8 Powered CJ – These things were factory hot rods. The CJ-5 and -7 had the venerable AMC 304 V-8 lumped into the front until 1980, spoiling Jeep owners with real grunt to get all four wheels spinning. Unfortunately, power ratings decreased over time from 210 hp down to a miniscule 125 hp during its last years in a Jeep.

Unimog – If you don’t lust after a Mog, you just haven’t driven one yet. Once you do, you will turn to the dark side. Killer axles that you can’t break and pitiful amounts of power will teach you how to drive off-road. But what it really comes down to, the Unimog is quite possibly one of the greatest off-road vehicles ever constructed.

Jeep SRT8 - Sometimes you need groceries… NOW!

Ford F-250 Snow Fighter – The rednecks modular wet dream. After the tetanus shot has worn off and the body panels have returned to Mother Earth, you’re left with the parts and pieces to make any of the above a pure hard-core wheeler. This F-250 (picture not accurate) was spec’d with Dana 60 front, over built cooling system, big block engine and indestructible transmission and transfer-cases.

Budd's 'should-owns' to come.