Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Place (Three-Way Tie)
Jeep flatfender
Jeep CJ-5
Toyota solid axle pickup
The top-ranked Jeeps in the survey were the true classics. As Ray Currie of Currie Enterprises put it, these are "the Jeeps that created the entire Jeeping hobby. Most of us learned in a CJ."
The flatties were a sentimental favorite, getting comments like this one from Thompson: "Drove them on the farm as a kid. Too dumb then to know how lucky I was." Long-time off-road racer Rod Hall had fond memories of two CJ-5s in particular. "My 1955 four-cylinder CJ-5 taught me how to be a Jeep mechanic and made me realize how much could be done with a four-wheel-drive and how much fun it was. I bought a six-cylinder CJ-5 new in 1967 for the inaugural Baja 1000, then called the Mexican 1000, and won the race with it. A great vehicle." Even Sickles had a compliment for the flatfenders and four-cylinder CJs, though it was sort of a backhanded one: "They had no creature comforts but were compact for tight off-road travel. And they didn't have enough horsepower to destroy the drivetrain or pulverize the suspension."
As you would imagine, Sickles had better things to say about the '79-'85 Toyota pickups. "These were the sons of the tank-like FJ-40 with even tougher shafts, bearings, and knuckles than the Land Cruiser. Add a 4.3L V-6 and, wow!" The early Toys were one of only two vehicles that the Four Wheeler staffers unanimously chose for their lists. "I almost don't want to tell people about these little guys as the prices will go up even more," admitted Features Editor Craig Perronne. "Stout and reliable, they can be built into killer trail rigs. And with a ton of companies making great parts for them, there is absolutely no excuse for not building one." Brubaker has a brother-in-law who owned an '85 Toyota pickup, so he knows from experience that "these solid-axle wonders could be brutally abused and neglected, and still offer amazingly dependable service."
Our Experts And Their Lists
Rod Hall
Rod Hall International
There are few people in the off-road racing community with more experience than Rodney Hall. He has remained competitive for nearly 40 years. Hall won the first Baja 1000 in 1967, he's raced in every 1000 since then, and he's the only driver in the record books to have won that race overall in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Hall now campaigns a team of race-prepped Hummer H1s with his son Chad. Hall's company sells Hummers in northern Nevada, builds racing vehicles, designs Hummer modifications for commercial and military use, and instructs members of the military in advanced off-road driving techniques. Note that with the exception of the first CJ-5, the Hummer H2, and GMC Envoy, all of the vehicles on Hall's list are race trucks, past and present.
1. '55 Jeep CJ-5
2. '67 Jeep CJ-5
3. '69 Stroppe-prepared Ford Bronco
4. '75 Dodge W-150 pickup
5. '80 Dodge Ramcharger
6. '93 Hummer
7. '96 Hummer
8. Tatra (Paris/Dakar 4x4s and 6x6s)
9. Hummer H2
10. '02 GMC Envoy