well, the wife's 91 cherokee finally died after 15 good years. the
thing drove across country numerous times and it finally died towing
around a 12" chipper on the property. what a great truck.

anyways, we're in the market for something new (used). looking for
something that can tow and not be too bulky. good on 600-700mi trips
for 4 people. truth be told, i'm fancying the land cruiser's (there's
a guy selling an 88 near me for 4k) but am not sure how rugged the
engine/tranny are for towing situation (we have an old f150 that does
pretty well but ideally would love to have something in the 3/4 ton
size and power). i'm thinking something in the v8 camp this time
around. can anyone recommend anything along these lines?

thx!

put a new motor or transmission in the Chero.

You can do it for MUCH less than $4000, parts for the Chero are cheaper
than Cruiser parts, and you already know the Cherok is dependable.