These ’70s SUVs Will Last A Lifetime (And 2 That Will Fall Apart After 100,000 Miles)
When considering buying an SUV, reliability is one of the main factors involved. Whether it’s towing, work, daily driving, or family road trips, no one wants their SUV sitting at the mechanic’s instead of their driveway. Then comes the personal preference for the classic, since a classic SUV turns as many heads as a new one, if not more. After all, the former are the ones that are now rarer.
So if you’re looking for classic SUVs that you could bring into your garage and only use for the basics like towing and driving, chances are today’s fancy technology isn’t really a factor for you. Reliability, however, would surely be. Because when it comes to an SUV made in the 1970s it would already be half a century old, one would certainly only wish to bring one home if they know it will last even longer .
In that vein, here are some ’70s SUVs that have done their job without complaining too much over the years. On the other hand, there are some that are best avoided if you want to avoid buying another one after just 100,000 miles.
8 Last One Life: 1979 Ford Bronco
Ford designed the Bronco with all four wheels center, front and center. The SUV was young, fun and, like the Mustang, could even be equipped with a V8, which was rare for small 4x4s at the time. The Bronco’s remarkable front suspension, which was coil-sprung and had solid axles, trumped anything the competition had.
Built with the most unforgiving terrain in mind, the Bronco was naturally durable, and the years have further cemented that proof. Happy 1979 Ford Bronco Customers remain extremely impressed with how smoothly their SUV continues to run even after hitting 200,000 miles.
seven Last One Life: 1979 Jeep Wagoneer
Imagine a manufacturer building the same body for a vehicle for not ten, not twenty, but twenty-nine years! The Jeep Wagoneer was essentially the foundation of the modern SUV, and it predated what would become the Grand Wagoneer, paving the way for AWD luxury SUVs to become the new standard instead of just off-road 4x4s.
Sharing its chassis with the Jeep Gladiator, the Wagoneer ran long and hard, and many of them are still rolling on American roads with over 150,000 miles on their odometers. Enthusiastic customers say they’ve used it off-road for decades with aplomb, and aside from a few replaced parts here and there, it’s not an SUV that would crumble on you.
6 Last One Life: 1974 International Harvester Scout II
In the early 1970s, International Harvester released the Scout II, which was an SUV based on its new line of pickup trucks at the time. Available with five different engine options, the Scout II was a very diverse SUV, but the one thing constant across its builds was its build quality.
As a result, the trucks sold quite well and within a decade the brand had sold half a million Scout II units. Customers report satisfaction with nearly every model year of the SUV, and those who have driven the 1979 Model Year 150,000 Mile Report made on the Scout II, sing praises of its extreme 4×4 capabilities.
5 Last One Life: 1978 Dodge Ramcharger
Dodge introduced the D-series pickups in 1974, which certainly looked good. Based on said D-series, the Ramcharger and its cousin the Plymouth Trailduster were both remarkably capable full-size SUVs at the time. Parts were always easy to replace, and the Ramcharger was built to last.
Many owners of the 1978 Dodge Ramcharger praise the SUV and its durability, with most of them having covered more than 150,000 miles and one even displaying a reading of 500,000 miles. Being a classic and a revered one, the ’78 Ramcharger doesn’t come cheap. Take this $27,000 Ramcharger, for example.
4 Last One Life: 1976 Jeep CJ-7
The classic Jeep CJ was a hit with brand fans and off-road enthusiasts, but the need for a longer version was catching up with Jeep. So, they created the CJ-7, which boasted a 10-inch longer wheelbase than the CJ. Now fully packed, the SUV has become more stable and more obedient than ever, both on and off the road.
A heavy-duty GM-built TH-400 engine, along with a 304 cid V8 power unit, could be used with the new CJ-7, and it was especially the fiberglass hardtop variant that was successful to provide unprecedented silence and refinement. Jeep experience. Here is a satisfied customer who bought the CJ-7 new and managed to squeeze a few hundred thousand miles of the bad boy. Others note the abuse this car can take on any terrain for years, have passed the 130,000 mile mark for another customer.
3 Last One Life: 1973 Chevrolet Suburban
The Suburban, in 1973, was a phenomenal SUV and started what is still its current format today, essentially, which is a family SUV with four passenger doors, powered by gasoline or diesel V8 engines. The 1973 Suburban also marked the beginning of the oldest generation of this SUV until 1992, during which it received minimal changes. It just goes to show that he didn’t need any real or drastic changes since Chevrolet knew what worked and their Suburban was good at it.
Build quality has remained solid over the years for the Suburban, with enough rust protection to enable it to survive the long haul. He is even ranked second on every generation of the Suburban for reliability, of which there are many (twelve, to be exact). Rest assured, a 70s Suburban will last you a long time.
2 Crumble: 1974 Jeep Cherokee
Rust is one of the most common problems with older cars, especially SUVs, given the different terrains they drive through. The 1974 Jeep Cherokee entered the market with style and style, and it looked great with respectable capabilities.
However, it was reliability where this car faltered, as it would be hard to find a single Cherokee from this particular model year that lasted over 100,000 miles. Anything customers express complaintsor used car pages, for our money this one won’t break the 100,000 mark, at least not without a lot of fuss.
1 Crumble: Jeep Wrangler CJ5
One might notice how incredibly expensive ’70s Jeep Wranglers are today, and one might also attribute that to how collectible the SUV has become. However, there’s also the fact that there are so few of these Wranglers left, and why that doesn’t quite shine a spotlight on the Jeep brand.
The reason is that most 70’s Wranglers are just not roadworthy anymore since batches of Wranglers were infamous for their terrible rustproofing which means exactly what you think it does – most of those ’70s Wranglers are just sitting in some backyard, absolutely rust-ridden.