My father is the president of the southwest Nissan Xterra club. Let me tell you, Fourwheelin is hella fun but it is also expensive too. My father has a 2000 Xterra XE 4x4 and a 2001 Xterra SE 4x4 and they both can go just about anywhere. We rarely get stuck. Wranglers are nice too but they have a short wheel base. My dad also has an 88' Cherokee with over 300k on it that will go anywhere too and my mom just bought a 2002 Liberty limited and she got 0% apr for five years. A lot of people love wranglers (I do) but I have seen many tip over backwards and they suck for everyday driving unlike the truck based SUV's. Just depends what you want. If you just want a daily driver then just get anything. a friend of mine just got a new Yukon Denali and it's sweet but he pays almost $800.00 a month. I think you could get the jetta tranny rebuilt for around $1,500.00 so that would be a good deal.