Why did you go with your current vehicle?

[4wheelspulling]

Hello fellow overlanders,

I am sure that this has been asked and written on before. I have people ask my why I am building my Jeep Cherokee and not my Toyota Landcruiser. So, I want to ask all of you the question in my title. With all the many different vehicles used in overlanding, it might just help someone sort out the model and vehicle they would like to use and build. Also, in your reply put what works and what you would change.

So here is mine. 95' Jeep Cherokee, 617 diesel motor, 5 speed manual trans. I went with my Cherokee because my Landcruiser used too much gas to do and go as many places as I wanted too. Parts were expensive, and a diesel swap was again to expensive. With my Jeep the diesel was already swapped in. Parts are everywhere and cheap should I need something. My build is still on going, and have not sorted out what works and what needs to be changed. Benz.

 

[Arizona Overland]

WTF? How deep of water crossings do you have to cross?

 

[4wheelspulling]

That is my exhaust pipe! With all the dry grass and vegetation, keeps hot exhaust pipe from starting a fire! Like the can over the end of the pipe? Put the on because of the rain the other day! Benz.

 

[Arizona Overland]

Awesome man. I thought it was a snorkel intake.
And to answer your question.
I didn't choose this truck, it chose me.
I am going to have to wash the Mohave Road off it pretty soon and give it back to my wife though.

 

[4wheelspulling]

Like to hear your story and why you are using what you are? Good color too. Hides the dirt and scratches well! Benz.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

Mopar.

Hemi.

Couldn't help it...

 

[Thelgord]

1999 Isuzu Vehicross. I got it because it’s different. Very different. I see a lot of Jeeps that badge “built not bought”, then cover it in name brand gear. I just can’t be that guy. I like to be an individual, and this definitely qualifies LOL! ;)

Don’t have a pic yet, but just put 31” tires on as well. The build is coming along nicely.

 

[1derer]

I went with an import due to what I wanted was not on the market. I was driving in a 1997 LX450 with 35" getting an amazing 11mpg. I imported a 1986 HJ75 UTE with an camper on the back already get about 21mpg. I was lucky to find a very low milage rig with a neat camper.

 

[PolarExpress]

I started with a Lexus GX460, bought a roof rack and still use it for some light overland stuff. I try to take the wife and two toddlers every time so I needed some room and wanted luxury for the other 90% of the time. Ended up buying a Jeep JKU as well because A: I like to remove the top and doors sometimes B: Aftermarket parts are nearly impossible to find for the GX460, very bummed about that fact. Eventually I'll kinda use both depending on how far away and how hard the chosen route. Our GX460 has been from Houston to South Dakota to Colorado back to Houston a few times since we got her.

 

[gargamel05]

I had a 2014 4Runner Trail Edition Premium which I loved. Traded it in for my 2016 Tacoma Off Toad 4x4 because it was more practical for me. Especially owning a house and having to do Home Depot runs. ;-)

 

[Suburban_Overland]

for me and my family I chose the Suburban K2500. We are a family of 4 and 2 little dogs. On our 1 nighter trips we can all sleep inside the truck and for our week long trips I can take all the gear and still have room. I went with the 2500 because I wanted the beefier transmission and axles. That and I tow my jeep or other trailers.

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[Tbell18]

I chose the Tacoma mostly because of my fathers first 4runner( a 2005 i dont have a picture of). I was looking for another truck and knew i really wanted a 6' bed with a crew cab. Because i am still in college and technically live under my parents roof they had a big say in what i was getting. In all honesty if the decision was purely up to me I probably would have gotten a power wagon or super duty. My dad pushed for the tacoma becuase it would still fit in the garage and we were very happy with the 4runner and expected the same out of the taco.

 

[Anak]

Why did I go with my current vehicle?

Umm, which one?

I guess I will have to explain both of them.

First was the '02 Suburban. We bought that in the summer of '08. We found we were expecting a third Varmint and that was going to mean three car seats across the back of The Bride's '96 Impala SS. That did not sound at all appealing to her back or mine. Time for a bigger family hauler.

And I don't do vans. And most certainly not front wheel drive vans. Mini-vans were OUT!

But I do like full size trucks with full frames and big blocks.

Did I mention this was the summer of '08? Anybody recall what the price of gas was then? Around here it was $5/gallon.

It might also be worth mentioning that I have a slightly contrary nature.

Anyone who was crazy enough to think of looking for a Suburban that summer had lots of options to choose from. I found myself the biggest, heaviest gas guzzler I possibly could: 8.1L 3/4 ton 4x4. And I could just about sell it today for what it cost me in '08.

It has been a great family hauler and is the vehicle we take on trips if the whole family is going.

But one SUV proved not to be enough. Well, at least since The Bride would not let me put a hole in the roof.

You see, Varmint #1 has turned out to be a natural born geek. He is into anything electronic that he can possibly get into. And I don't mean just interacting with the buttons. He has to take them apart. I, however, am not an electronics geek. I can manage an on/off button and a couple of knobs, but once it gets beyond that I am out of my element. And yes, this rules out all these newfangled phones. I am a true dinosaur. So I had to find some folks who would help educate this Varmint.

Ham radio looked like a good path. And once I got into it I discovered transmitter hunting. This looked like a perfect activity for boys, so I pursued it.

But, in order to really get into transmitter hunting, you need a T-hunt rig. The Suburban was ruled out by The Bride, and I didn't really see the need to argue the point. The Suburban is a bit too large anyways. U-turns are a frequent and vital maneuver in T-hunting. I really needed something with a tight turning radius. But I did still want the ability to fit all five members of the family plus the dog.

I seriously considered an old IH Scout. Get an early one and I would not have to jump through the hoops for smog. But one in good working condition was out of the budget, and the ones that I could afford would take me long enough to build that The Varmints would be in college before I got it finished. I gave up on that dream.

A full size Blazer was a thought, but still too wide.

Looking at what was within the range of my budget that would fit all five of us I narrowed it down to a Toyota 4Runner or a Jeep Cherokee. With the Toyota I would be looking at either a 4 cylinder or a V-6. I don't believe in V-6s. My world view says that any 4-stroke engine configuration that has opposed cylinders needs to be of a number of cylinders that is divisible by 4. Boxer 4, V-8, V-12, those are all good. V-6 or V-10 are bad. If other folks want to buy them, fine, but I don't want to own one.

But the XJ Cherokees were largely built with inline 6 engines. Put all your cylinders in a line and it doesn't matter how many of them there are. That sounded better to me than a 4 cylinder 4Runner.

Of course, there is the problem of it being a Chrysler product. Not since the Torqueflite 727 has Chrysler been able to build an automatic transmission worth a tinker's curse. But that could be remedied through careful selection. XJs were available with manual transmissions too.

It took me about a year, but I finally found what I wanted in terms of an XJ. This is the T-hunt rig, and also the vehicle that I take on trips with The Varmints when The Bride is not coming along too.

 

[Joey83]

Because it was difficult to find parts for my last car and I got a good deal on my current one (with my current ride I can bring friends with me on roadtrips, I can sleep in it and it blends in more).

Last car
Pugsley the 306_28 by Joachim Sandven, on Flickr

Current one
110 by Joachim Sandven, on Flickr

 

[robrtsmtn]

I bought the first ZJ as my pickup is a dual 1 ton and I had lost capability for the high mountain trails. the Jeep was available from someone I knew moving out of state and paid 1,000 for it. I discovered about 1,500 worth of parts in it, I had a capable trail vehicle, and it's slightly larger (read more comfortable) than the XJ my son has. The only drawback was the 4.0 IL6 kinda runs out of poop at elevations over 10,000 ft. I found the one I have now with a 5.2 V8 for the price I sold my old ZJ for, and built it up, fairly much the same way. I'm cheap, parts are available, and with 150k miles on it, the engine purrs like a kitten, and it handles fairly well for a 24 yo beater.

 

[trikebubble]

My previous rig was a built Xterra (built well for our needs I guess) I chose it based on it's solid design and reputation, utilitarian interior, and for some reason I always tend to shy away from what's the popular route to go (ie: Jeeps and 4Runner's) The Xterra also had good towing capacity which was necessary to tow our travel trailer. It more than served us well, and while we've changed directions a bit and moved onto a different avenue the Xterra will always be my favorite SUV.

That brings me to the Tundra. She ism y new build rig and so far I'm loving this truck. My Wife and I sat down and decided where we really see our adventure travels taking us in the future and how we could be best outfitted to find our road less traveled. At the end of the day, a full size rig build with a Four Wheel Camper was the right choice for us. I'm currently partway through the Tundra build and we our Four Wheel Camper is currently in the production line.

 

[Jasonb]

So, I didn't pick this one. My cousin bought it, sight unseen. Then, he played me to do some work to it to get it mechanicly sound and with working a/c. So. During the time I had it and was working on it, he asked me if I wanted to buy it.( I guess he was expecting it to be in better shape and never really fell in love with it. ) I had originally turned down the offer to buy it. But the more I drove it and worked on it,the more I fell in love with it. And for a guy a girlfriend, no kids and no dogs, I needed an 8 seater vehicle. Long story not so long.....I bought it. With new tires, new a/c a fresh tune up for 500 more then my cousin bought it for. ....the parts alone would have been 3 grand easy. This is my 1991 v2500 suburban

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[Anak]

Nice ride Jason.

My first Suburban was a '73 3/4 ton 4x4. Somebody had swapped in a 454. Great rig. Just with a healthy dose of extra rust. First time I tore into the front brakes I had to get all the seaweed out of the way before I could even find the calipers.

 

[Arizona Overland]

Like to hear your story and why you are using what you are? Good color too. Hides the dirt and scratches well! Benz.

I have a build thread that explains it all.
https://www.overlandbound.com/forums/threads/arizona-overland-2017-tacoma-build-and-more.7279/
Check it out.

 

[Jasonb]

Nice ride Jason.

My first Suburban was a '73 3/4 ton 4x4. Somebody had swapped in a 454. Great rig. Just with a healthy dose of extra rust. First time I tore into the front brakes I had to get all the seaweed out of the way before I could even find the calipers.

Thank you!

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