ComeBack_Kid

LOL this is such a teenage guy thread. Your criteria is pretty close to what I had in mind when I was 17 and had just moved to Tahoe.

Being serious, It doesn't honestly sound like you have a budget to accommodate everything you want, and getting a truck or SUV would stretch your budget further.

4runners and Land Cruisers are GREAT vehicles (I've owned both) but gas gets expensive quick.

Also, rule out Jeeps. The Jeep crowd LOVE their vehicles and will tell you all day how "bulletproof" they are, but that's not going to help you if you get one and find out just how much goes wrong with them, and that that they need maintenance all the time. Skip Jeeps, especially if you don't have the money, time, or patience for constant repairs.

Honestly, you should probably get a Subaru Forester or Outback and call it a day. Reliable, solid, good MPG, all-wheel-drive, decent ground clearance, and a solid winter vehicle. The speakers/audio components are easily upgraded (though they will never be great unless you get a whole new system) and while they aren't "sick and sporty", let's face it: $10k is not going to get you anything that's REALLY "sick and sporty", especially with all of the criteria you mentioned.

Skinny Bam

I never said they were bulletproof, no such thing. But like I said Ive owned 3 and as long as you do basic maintenance they are very reliable. EVERY car is going to need repairs here and there especially ones with 100k plus miles, Jeeps are easy to fix and parts are readily available and cheap. Im talking about the Grand Cherokees btw not the Wranglers...

grafta

Ok I know you are just trolling, but at least that had a hint of subtlety... only a HINT though.

linvillegorge

The thing with Jeeps is that they tend to either be the greatest vehicle you'll ever own or a complete piece of shit. There doesn't seem to be many in between and the latter seem to outnumber the former.

My '97 TJ has been fantastic. It has never left me stranded once in the 11 years I've owned it, but then again, I only used it as a daily driver for about 5 years. The last 6 it has only seen about 2500 miles per year, but I do beat the holy hell out of that thing.

On the flip side, my wife had an '04 Grand Cherokee and it was the opposite story. Total piece of shit. It would've broke us if it wasn't under warranty. We traded it in just before the warranty expired on it. I pity the fool who ended up with that thing with no warranty.

__________________
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Skinny Bam

Lol I have a 04' Grand Cherokee right now and the only issue I have had with it in 2 years was the cam sensor went out, which was only a bitch because it took a couple days to figure out what it was...after that no issues.(knock on wood) I think the big reason some of them have problems is the electrical stuff...which I agree with you is kind of hit or miss. I remember one of the older ones my sister had was a nightmare because of electrical shit

RockyMTNsteeze

4RUNNERS!!!!! A few people already mentioned them. I live in a snowy climate and I appreciate having a vehicle that can leave my drive way after a 3 foot dump and not get stuck. Gas mileage is not great, but it's not 70's Bronco bad.

However I don't know if this would of been a good vehicle for my teenage years. The later model 4runners like the first and second generation are top heavy and do require careful driving. They are more narrow than some other SUV's and have been notorious for flipping. I think vehicles with high clearances require careful driving and some experience. They are less forgiving than a little subaru.

SR5 Toyota 4runners and SR5 toyota pickup trucks my favorite. They are snow slayers. There are a lot of these on the road from the 80's and 90's with a lot of miles on them that run fine and dandy. They are reliable and long lasting.

NickShake

Toyota sucks........ Nuff said

Tech420

This is the guy you want to listen to. He must own a Ford or GM and wants you to know how American he is. A Toyota will run for over 500K miles if you do basic maintenance.

sleev-les

You can find a mid 90's or early 2000's truck or SUV for around that, but miles are going to be up there. Buying high miles isn't a good thing. Seals can start going and all the wear and tear items can start cathing up to you. Buy Chevy or Ford if you do go that route.. Stay away from the Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep brand. I have a 2011 Ram and already have an idler pulley squeeling. The trucks look good, but I would never buy another Dodge.

herzogone

Forget peoples' opinions on reliability and look at some actual data. Head over to MSN Autos and, if you have a subscription, Consumer Reports.

Most of the suggestions here have pretty good reliability records based on the data. Despite the naysayers, even the Jeep Grand Cherokee rates highly, as long as you stick with somewhat newer ones (2004 and later). Similarly, the Toyota Land Cruiser rates pretty well overall, but there are a few model years that have fared worse than others. The Toyota 4runner, Nissan Pathfinder, and Subaru Outback are all solid choices, even going back quite a few years.