The Issue With American Suvs In Nigeria. To Do Or Not To Do.

Fellas, I would like to hear your input on this.

There is the general acceptance of the Toyotas, the Hondas and the rest of the likes of Japanese made vehicles in Nigeria. What about American vehicles and are they any good on Nigerian roads? 

Unreliable !!! Common dude, there is got to be more to it why these American SUVs are seemingly axiomatic in Nigeria and enamored of in the US, other than their unreliability. I would suppose as a vast majority are bulky 4X4 they would come in good use for traveling in rural areas.


In any case, if made to choose among these vehicles (American SUV) which would you suggest? The Hummers, the Jeeps, Chevys, Fords,GMCs, etc?

I'm not sure of the type of fuel used in Nigeria, but American trucks are made to run on unleaded. They have sensors all over that will shut down the truck to prevent further damage if it senses malfunction. Most people who buy these truck don't even know you are require to change your oil& filter @ about 7000 miles interval instead of topping it off.
If you don't know what MAP, TPS, IAC, O2, Knock sensors are you are not ready for that newer vehicles. If you want a reliable jeep I'll recommend the cherokee with the I6 engine CHeap made for offroad.Most American trucks are made for highway(100km/hr) and very little offroad, Nigerian roads are 100% offroad in American terms. Japanese do not have a lot of highways so their cars are designed around stop'ngo traffic.

If I have to choose, I choose American anytime powerful and fun to drive.

A GC will be a wonderful idea because its stronger that a 4runner, less attractive to robbers and uses a timing chain. I don't think its a fulltime 4x4 but selectrac(use 4x4 mode only when needed, using it on road will ruin your system)
.A full time 4x4 is the AWD.GC has some weak points which can be found on carsurvey.org If they were taken in for repair by original owner you are in for a long trouble free ride. No engine nor transmission weakness.
A very low profile version is the Cherokee, or Liberty(diff engine)

Okay get the Montero, its way cheaper than others. If you can take 5 bolts off a car for repair by yourself get a jeep, if not 4Runner.

You guys are too much!

So the Grand Cherokee is out, so is it the 2001 Toyota 4Runner or 2001 Nissan Pathfinder?

American SUVs are good for their looks and options. However, I will advise you to avod American cars in Naija, go for the Hondas,Toyotas,Isuzus and Mitsubishis. Apart from the fact that they are durable, our mechanics also have an idea of how they work. Experience is the best teacher

Avoid anything that is Chrysler - that goes to say Jeep whatever unless you are savvy.  If you want to go offroad, you need a Wrangler because of its short wheelbase frame.  Anything else, you are wasting your time.

American 4 X 4's or 2 X 4's are not reliable in the States, so it wouldn't survive in Nigeria.  They are gas guzzlers and use up so much resources and it's efficiency is poor.  They roll over and perform like pickup trucks.  The best part of it is that they can't off-road. 

It doesn't matter how you take care of an american vehicle, it's designed not to last.  They are built bad.  Anything on a bad foundation will never hold up it's image, no matter how fancy.

I like jeeps, apart from the rotor/caliper problems, blend doors (Limited); the engines(I6,V8) are great will last atleast 250k before rebuilt. I hope you know how long you'll have to drive it to hit 200k.
Here is a comparison from MSN on a 4Runner and a Grand Cherokee.
The 4Runner is the gas guzzler, and for $5000 difference in price, I'll upgrade the brakes myself.The jeep is lesslikely to be taken away by robbers,more powerful parts are cheaper.