Thoughts and reasons for your chosen rig

[argann]

This topic might be a dead horse so my apologies if so.   I wanted to see what your thoughts for choosing your weapon of choice and why.  I have done a fair amount of research and in order I like the defender 11o, LC 100 series, and LC 80 series.   Keep in my just from my limited info I have and research I have done.

I have a defender 90 now with just over 100k and have never had any issues.  It was a barn buy so I had to put about 4-5 into it for new seals, fluids, battery and such as it was only driven 26k in 8 years.  I average about 6-8k a year.  I like the defenders for their simplicity to fix and a decent amount of after market parts.  Also, I don't mind the rough ride and caveman interior.  I look at it off roading not going downtown for dinner and a movie.   Lastly, if I go this route I'll probably do the diesel.  Despite the limited power, their mileage ability and some bolt ons for more power I think may fix in decencies in this area.

I like the LC 100 as it seems the 98-99's were the last year with decent lockers and comforts vs getting to fat around the midsection.  One downside that I know of is it seems the headgaskets seem to be a week link which.  I also, like the 100's power over other models.  This same goes for the 80 series they just seem to be harder to find with low miles and not molested.

Thanks for a great site and for your comments.

 

[Inmused]

We chose a Land Rover Discovery 2 td5 Auto.

Our main reasons (detailed here) were capability, size, cost and ... well... its a Land Rover.

It was really a choice between a Toyota Land Cruiser, a Nissan Patrol or Land Rover Discovery. In Australia Patrols and Land Cruisers are like Jeeps in the States, they are the public face of off-roading.   I can't abide being normal, so the Discovery was it.

 

[Wolvee]

F150, because I need something to have fun in and tow my boat and other toys.

 

[Robert OB 33/48]

Two vehicles;
1. VW T3 build up as a travel campervan. But of the beaten track travels. Why, small and still plenty of room. And the way it is build up makes it one of a kind.
2. Opel Frontera 2.0i Sport. Why? Because a diesel or bigger car isnt affordable here in the Netherlands. And then it is the not common choice for a off road rig.

Would I get a other car or cars when I could afford them? Maybe, because due size and agility they have the right requirements for what we do with it.

Greetings from Robert

 

[jprevat]

1989 Bronco II just because it can go almost anywhere without lockers so when I get done it will be just about unstoppable.

 

[expeditionnorth]

2004 gmc yukon because it rides so darn smooth due to my injury as my main reason

I hardly feel any road bumps & they can be bad here in VT

 

[UKCRD]

I went with a Jeep Wrangler JK 2 door. I've now had it for nearly 6 years and barely a problem. This is my fifth Jeep and all have been in the Wrangler line, including a 73 CJ5. I just love the way they drive and handle both off-road and on. The JK, however, is probably the first I've had that actually works perfectly as a daily driver, even though it's heavily modified for off-road use. Does what it says on the tin and does it well. I drove a Defender for a couple of years in Sweden and whilst it was fine it wasn't a patch on the JK, IMO and I'm British!

 

[Lifestyle Overland]

Austrailian 1980 HJ45 w/Trakka Pop-Top - Because I too like something out of the ordinary and it had unique written all over it. Not to mention it's proven overlanding capabilities and the pop-top makes stops for the night quick and easy.

2015 Gen 5 4Runner Trail Edition - Because the Beast is a long term project and I needed something the whole family could enjoy that was reliable, lightweight, fuel efficient, yet large enough for 2 adults and up to 2 kids. No regrets on this purchase. Momma Bear has proven herself more than capable, showing up decked out Jeeps consistently.

 

[Matt]

Mercedes G-Wagon

Not many people use them as they were intended to be use in U.S.

It's much more than a soccer mom car!

 

[SLO Rob]

2000 4Runner- smaller size, cost, capability, and availability of parts.

 

[sasirmon]

2001 2500 Suburban

I need something that will haul more than 5 people.

Also started selling firewood in the winter and the Tahoe wasn't quite happy pulling that kind of weight.

Those two criteria narrow down your choices dramatically, pretty much to the Suburban or Excursion. Since I was already familiar with this generation of suv I decided to stick with it.

2500 Suburbans are pretty hard to find so I was pretty surprised that while talking to a friend of mine that I go riding with I mentioned looking for one and he told me that his dad had one and was fixing to get rid of it to get back into a truck. So it wound up working out great, and it was black too so that was a great bonus!

 

[Mohamed_A-r]

2dr JK because it is a reliable daily driver with endless offroading capabilities.

Toyota LC 76 because it is everything that the jeep isn't. Works straight out the box, and it is the ultimate overland vehicle in all continents.

 

[Steve]

Before the Outback, I has a 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon. It was sporty, had plenty of room for what I used it for, and fun to modify. I ended up autocross racing the car, and modified it for performance, so it was lowered and stiffened, with low profile sticky tires. Not exactly a great car for traveling or even deep snow. We used my wife's large sedan for family vacations.

In 2008, she got a smaller sedan, and I bought the 2008 Subaru Outback Wagon. It had more than twice the storage space of my smaller wagon (which I kept until a couple of months ago), and was lifted from the factory. Most people don't realize, but the Outback, with 8.7" of ground clearance, has more than the stock Jeep Cherokee or Grand Cherokee.

Now that we will be empty-nesters in the fall, this was the time to turn my wagon into the cross-country exploration vehicle that I want. In addition to the ground clearance, Subaru's AWD is better than any other non-locker system, plus it gets much better gas mileage than most offered capable vehicles. So driving cross country to get to that out of the way place isn't such a pain in the wallet.

 

[jprevat]

Thats actually a really cool fact. I didnt know they had that kind of clearance.

 

[stoney126]

New to me 2014 with 17k miles. Dealership owner sold it to me for less then the 2015 basic sport I was looking at. By the way I'm a jeep dodge ram chrysler mechanic.  Love this thing . All stock but those lockers take you pretty far

 

[MFreese-0295]

Choosing a rig for me should be what your comfortable with which means, will be something you know. I'm on my  third Jeep so you can guess I am partial to Jeeps. My first jeep was a 1959 Willy's CJ5. I took this Jeep on the Rubicon Trail and had no problems it went anywhere I wanted to go. My 2nd Jeep which I still have is a 1985 Cj7 last of the great jeep era until the Jk models in my option. My first two Jeeps didn't lend to "family" life so I now have a 2011 JK Unlimited Rubicon which I took on its first overland trip just this past weekend. Both my prior Jeeps would have had to been moved on a trailer just due to their modification and ages. My current one worked great, both with the pavement travel and off road. One of the drawbacks I learned and expected on this last trip was space to store gear. The next big investment will be a roof rack system. I"m leaning towards the Gobi.

 

[SonOfNeptune]

Im building a Chevy Silverado 2500HD... was going to build my overland set up on a RAM 2500 CTD but that will have to wait for a while. Either way I like the size and the options. I have run a jeep for 9 years and it always seemed like I was running out of space. That being said... I know I won't be AS capable off road but should be fine non the less

 

[Mad Garden Gnome]

I have a 2006 Xterra, owned since new. The four door jeep hadn't come out yet and I wanted four doors because my girls were little at the time. I had liked different body styles of the first gen Xterra and I like the drive train offered with the second gen.

 

[deeker]

First, I had a 4-door Suzuki Sidekick. I had a blast with that little thing, running just a skidplate and some slightly bigger tires.
After a few small, sporty cars I moved into a Land Rover Freelander with the arrival of our first cookie-smasher. It was great in the snow and mud, but lacked low range. By the time window-licker #2 came along, we had to move along to get some extra space - and better off-road performance.

That led to a Land Rover G4 Edition Discovery. I loved this truck. Excellent on road and pretty good off road. Loads of space! Good power from the old V8, until the head gasket issue arose...

A 4-door Wrangler is where we are now. Great off road, okay on road. It's a Jeep, you know what you're getting. It's lacking the space I'd like, now that we have three boys - and is a bit anemic pulling our trailer. Still, it's great off road. With a couple of simple mods it goes from capable to beyond.

That's leading me on a covert search for the NEXT vehicle - but my wife loves driving the Jeep. It's going to be a hard sell!

 

[roamingtimber]

I bought and am building a 2000 Grand Cherokee WJ. Good rear set room, cargo room and towing capacity in a midsize package. 4wd system with LSD's front and rear is pretty nice too. I also like driving American. I've owned Chevy Colorado, Nissan Xterra and Chevy Avalanche in the last 10 years. All had their merits and their downfalls.