I recommend don't. Deep water is for floating across and deep snow is for watching through windows next to the fireplace. Most vehicles pulled out of snow in the Sierras are SUVs, according to the CHP, driven by guys who think their spute can get them through everything. Just learn when to say no.

 

screw those jiberonies.

any Toyota trucks with 22R engine will get you thru snow and water.

all hail the 22R.

 

If you can wait...FJ Cruiser!!

 

Yes...good point. I had forgotten about the upcoming retro FJ.

 

Hummer is #1, but it absolutely must be the original AG hummer H-1...millitary version. Not the GM suburban version H2 which is an oversized GM SUV.

Land Cruiser is #2...locking front/rear diffs and transfer. All wheels can move in unison..great in mud and snow.

 

land crusier

 

Im suprised no one mentioned the land rover defender that thing is solid, or the older nissan super safari's

 

H1, the ultimate winter beater

 

I don't think you can go wrong with any of these below. Especially with the heritage spanning back to the 1950s era with the Land Cruiser.

4Runner
Landcruiser
LX470
GX470

 

Damn right. That engine was a real lengedary workhorse. 22R, 22RE, 22RTE, etc etc etc.

 

These SUV's that flip mentioned are all truck-based dedicated off-roaders...and he is correct that they will certainly do the job off-road. However, it depends on what you mean by " deep " water and snow. If you're only talking water up to, say, 6-8" and snowstorms up to about 8-10" or so...a Toyota Highlander or maybe a Subaru Outback will not only meet your price guideline BUT give you better ride, handling, steering, braking, and gas mileage on dry pavement as well. In other words, it will do some LIMITED off-road stuff but be a better daily driver. And as far as deep water goes, like I said earlier, you should never try to ford deep water with a current flowing. No matter what you are driving, you could be swept way.

 

I would say VW Tourareg. My company builds (among many other things) totally autonomous vehicles for the US Gov't. During our last competition our Hummer H1 (Highlander) lost to a VW Tourang.

The Vee Dub is no slouch off road.

 

You mean this.
http://www.i4u.com/article4355.html
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.p...5b2_desertrace

That competition has a lot more to do with AI than the vehicle off-road capability itself. Stanford still rules the world as far as computer science goes.