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Nine great cars for back to school

6. Toyota 4Runner

Bull-Doser/Wikimedia Commons/File
A ’90s 4Runner (like this 1990 model photographed in Montreal) has the best cargo capacity and off-road prowess at this price of any vehicle except the Land Rover Discovery. And its total cost of ownership is below the Land Rover.

  • By Andrew P. Collins Contributor

Vintage: Early 1990s

Price Range: $4,000 to $7,000

If dirt roads, backcountry excursions, and weekend sporting trips are part of your regularly scheduled programming, an inexpensive 4x4 like the 4Runner might be the best way to go. A ’90s 4Runner has the best cargo capacity and off-road prowess at this price, save the Land Rover Discovery – which is more expensive than every car on this list combined in terms of total cost of ownership. Ample supply of parts, legitimate low-range equipped transmission, and a large cult following make the 4Runner a solid choice if you’re heading into the wild on a budget.

Parents will like: Reputation for reliability, safe transport in bad weather.

Students will like: Take it skiing, take it to the beach,

Downsides: A 4x4 driveline coupled with an older engine means poor fuel economy, which becomes annoying if you don’t find yourself using the truck’s capabilities very often.

– The original photo can be found here on Wikimedia Commons.

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Mark Sappenfield
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