Land Cruiser Expedition Prep costs...

[WillyC]

Hey All,

I was hoping for a little advice. We've just started preparing for an overland trip across Africa. I was hoping to get a Land Cruiser, we’ve been advised to go for the Land Rover TDI 110 instead however to save a little on money, the figures that are being thrown around however all seem quite random.

I was hoping that someone here could shed some light on what costs are likely to be. The plan is to purchase a vehicle in average quality for £5000 - £10,000. Go through the thing mechanically to sort out everything that needs sorting. Then add in the essentials, ie, recovery equipment, battery management, roof rack, roof tent + a couple of luxuries such as a fridge and water purifier. (This is a very general overview)

I’m aware that the mechanical overhaul costs are very dependent on the state of the vehicle, but I’ve had anything from £5000 to £20,000 estimated for getting everything sorted.

I’d like to here from people who have experience of getting vehicles prepped and prepping vehicles. What are the common problems that need sort, what are the likely costs. What have people total costs been in the past.

Also, if anyone in the UK has a ready prepped Land Cruiser for sale, or knows a good place to find one then we’d be interested.

Many thanks in advance.

Will

 

[Hltoppr]

Welcome to ExPo Wil! It sounds like a fantastic trip!

Not a Cruiser, but our own Graham and Connie did a trans African trip in their Defender 110.

The mods and buildup are here: www.Africaoverland.org

I built my old 1992 FJ80 for Mexico/Baja; keeping it simple, for about $6000 U.S...which is pretty darn cheap for you guys using the British pound!

That included a used Hannibal Tent/Awning, OME Suspension, 35L Engel fridge, BFG Mud Terrains (5), etc.

I think the stats on the rig are here in the Land Cruiser Section; relatively early on....http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55

HTH

-H-

 

[WillyC]

$6000! Well that would be well within our budget! Nice looking vehicle too.

We had put aside £15,000, so close to $30,000 for buying and fully kitting out a vehicle which I thought would be plenty. But when we started chatting to a guy about getting it all sorted he reckoned £25,000 minimum for a Land Cruiser, £15,000 for a Land Rover.

Parts in the UK are not partially cheap for the Land Cruiser, which is the main reason the Land Rover is a cheaper vehicle to prepare. If anyone in the has any pointers, places to look or people to talk to then help would be much appreciated!

 

[Hltoppr]

IIRC the original purchase price on my 1992 FJ80 was $7800.00 US...of course, that had 172K miles on her....so I had to find the right one that had been really cared for...

Something like an HJ60 or older cruiser could easily be sourced, brought into mechanical compliance, and prepped for $30K US, with likely $7-10K left over for the trip...

Don't let folks get you too carried away with "must haves"....really...all you "need" is a mechanically sound truck with good tires...everything else is fluff....and that's coming from me!

Check out the trip through Mexico we just did in my old 1983 Troopy under the Completed Expeditions section here...last minute...some slight mods...even with the additional prep I'll do from here on out...I'm still under $15K US...

HTH

-H-

 

[gjackson]

Hey Will,

Costs for prepping a vehicle can be very subjective, depending on what you want to get. We prepped a D110 for Africa in 2003 and the costs were somewhat as follow:
LR D110: GBP12500
Prep: GBP6000

The prep costs included a roof top tent, packing system, water tank, long range fuel tank, dual battery system, bull bar, awning, sliders etc.

In the UK you should be able to pick up a fully prepped truck for less than I've described. Check the listings in the Land Rover magazines to get an idea. I think your 5 - 10k GBP for a vehicle shouldn't be too far off the mark, but I'm not that up to date with prices over there.

You might shoot the same query on the HUBB if you haven't already:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/

Another good UK resource is Foleys: http://www.foleyspecialistvehicles.co.uk/

And other travelers can be found at http://www.africa-overland.net/

Hope this helps

cheers

 

[Hltoppr]

Graham forgot to include...and add another $100 US for fire extinguishers....:ylsmoke: eepwall:

-H- :REOutCampFire03:

 

[Sloan]

I found this web site, i remembered when he was selling it. You might find some tips, etc. www.2c2k.net

 

[Sloan]

Might even still be for sale.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/396242.htm

 

[gjackson]

Graham forgot to include...and add another $100 US for fire extinguishers....

:REOutArchery02: :shakin:

cheers

 

[cruiser guy]

Are you in the UK now? If not I'd find a LHD vehicle as most of the world is LHD. It'll make life easier for driving and passing etc. My recommendation with ANY overland trip is to get the vehicle and use it regularly to find and fix ALL the bugs and gremlins that exist in ANY used vehicle you find. I recommend a minimum of say 6 months of daily driver use to ensure all is well.

I'm a LandCruiser guy because I haven't yet heard good things about LandRover electrics.

 

[WillyC]

Cheers for all the advice. The cruiser from the 2c2k trip is still available. Looks like I might be flying up to Aberdeeen on Monday to take a look. FootLoose4x4 who did the work on it are the people I've been talking too, so I gave them a call and he said it was a really good vehicle when he last looked at it. That was before it crossed Africa though!

I'm hoping this all falls into place, I'll keep you informed.

Thanks again!

 

[Hltoppr]

I know Graham mentioned Horizons Unlimited...here's the vehicle for sale section...lots of full prepped stuff there in your neck of the woods:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/4wd-for-sale-wanted/

-H-

...and don't forget to post some pics of the rig you end up with and the trip here!

 

[LC/LR4Life]

Willy if you're planning to cross country Africa, go with the Land Cruiser.

 

[WillyC]

Well... we flew up to Aberdeen yesterday, (getting up at 2:45am the day after my g/f ran the London Marathon, poor girl!).

Anyway, I'm now the proud owner of a Landcruiser. Plenty of kit, the roof tent it a lot bigger than we need. It seems to run well. Did a 11 hour drive back to London with it yesteday, and now it's looking very out of place all kitted out parked outside the house. The only down side in my opinion is the fact it's automatic, I like feeling more in control!

Tried to get him down in price a bit but be wouldn't budge from £12,000. I'll post a pic of it a little later.

Now it's time to start the preperations rolling properly!

 

[Hltoppr]

I think you made an excellent choice; and saved a bunch of money and time in the prep!

Let's see some full details on the rig...pics are definitely a must!

Cheers,

-H-