I'm thinking about getting an old solid vehicle that I can take out in the woods and light trails from time to time. Either an SUV, pickup, or a van. My budget is $3000 or less and I want it to have 4wd. Currently in Florida but might be moving to Colorado soon...any tips or suggestions? (My dream truck is a 2018 or newer lifted Tacoma 😍)
Thanks for the advice, my first vehicle was a 97 blazer that I had to sell because the transmission was slipping and I couldn't afford to fix it. Since I've been saving up I've been searching for another one but a good clean one is hard to come by in SWFL
Out of those options I'd say get an older Blazer from the 90s or something. You're never gonna find a highlander for less than 3 grand unless it's got a serious problem. Rangers are good too, but I figure you might not want a cab that small.
I would choose the Ford ranger
see what's available. I think you're being optimistic for 3k
I agree with RPmartin that it would be tough to find a Toyota in your price range. But assuming you are talking about a second car and not your daily driver, reliability and aesthetics are not so critical (provided it doesn't leave you stranded 
).
I'd start by looking for a fixer CJ5, if you don't mind wrenching on it yourself (forget CJ7, YJ, or TJ, I doubt you'd find one at that price).
For light trails, nothing beats a Subaru. You can sometimes find an older Forester or Outback in that price range (ducks head for the "gasket" comments).
Maybe a 4x4 Chevy Astro?? Getting pretty rare these days but surprisingly capable.
If you aren't set on 4wd, you can definitely get more for your money with 2wd van and you will be surprised how far you can make it up the trail if you don't mind a little cosmetic damage. For example, take a look at a YouTuber named "Foresty Forest"; that guy took a piece-o'-crap Chevy Uplander to some pretty outrageous backcountry roads (in Canada, no less). And back in the day, I knew people who got pretty far back in the woods with a Ford Econoline and a good shovel (those things had better ground clearance than you think).
Then, yeah, save up for the taco...!
I bought a 2002 Chevy Astro last year for $3K for exactly this reason. I'M adding solar and a fan to the roof and going to use it as a camper van. I looked for a year until I found what I wanted in my price range. Looked at a lot of duds before I found this one. If you're not in a hurry there are vehicles out there, but you have to be patient to find them. When the pandemic started the prices of vans and RV's started going up. As much as I would like to be mechanically inclined, I'm not, so have been driving and working the mechanical kinks out of the van over the past year. Buildout to camper begins this summer.
Although prices have been going up on them you might be able to find an old Jeep Cherokee with the 4.0 inline six and Aisin-Warner (Toyota) transmission in that price range. Be aware that 2000-2001 models are prone to cracked cylinder heads. 2001 models also have a more complex emission system with 3 cats and 4 O2 sonsors. (Ditto for 2000 California-spec models.)
