The Family Daily Driver ExPo Rig Thread!

[1sweetvan]

Econoline 350,12 passenger. Yes they are 2 wd, but that can easily be changed. Consider:
More ground clearance stock than most factory SUV or 4x4 trucks.
With 2 bench seats and seating for 8, you can still fit 5 full size bikes in the back.
Same WB as the Excursion.
Shorter than a Suburban.
500,000 mile reliability.
You can pick them up for less than 40% of MSRP when 2 years old, convert to 4x4 and still spend less than $30k.
9' of cargo space with the bench seats pulled out.
3500# payload.
6500# tow rating or more.
You can buy an E350 and convert it to 4x4 for less than $20k and have a very nice vehicle.
You will likely never outgrow it.
Makes P/Us and SUVs look useless.

 

[BoilermakerSteve]

We have driven our Excursion for 8 years and love it (I am a little offended that it wasn't listed in the Massive SUV section ). We have kids ages 17, 14, 12 and 10.
- Lots of passenger room
- The most cargo space
- 3/4 ton chasis
- solid axles
- diesel options (lots of torque)

We have over 300,000 miles on ours, original engine (7.3 PSD) and transmission.

We get accosted by sales people when we drive onto dealer lots, they want the Excursion as a trade. It won't happen.

When the kids are gone it is going to get a roof top tent and kitchen kit in the back and we are going to have fun.

But, everyone has to find what works for them.

 

[Andy G]

Just traded in our 2010 JKU for a 2010 4Runner SRT.

More room, more power. Nicer vehicle all around for the 4 of us and 2 dogs.

 

[fifthcircle]

Just traded in our 2010 JKU for a 2010 4Runner SRT.

More room, more power. Nicer vehicle all around for the 4 of us and 2 dogs.

Great minds.....
Try as I might, I couldn't find the right Land Cruiser for me. Ended up trading the 06 Taco for a 2011 4runner Trail!

posted with a vengeance using tapatalk

 

[Willman]

Well......

I sold my FJ60.....Sad day!

Well...My wife is happier now....

2012 Honda Odyssey

Was not a fan at all.....but after a few trips around town the Honda Odyssey is a great tool....

This rig has great aftermarket support.....

 

[Adventure IQ]

94 jjeep wrangler
Pros....goes anywhere...easy to modify....paid for
Cons....high milage,,,,not enough room for wife, preteen, dogs.....gear

 

[Herbie]

I voted "Mini-Van", but ours is really more of a Mid-size. Let's call it a "Midi-Van"

It's performed all of the regular mini-van duties like CostCo runs and hauling the seemingly endless supply of baby gear to and fro, but is also shaping up into a fun platform for Family Adventure. Prior to installing my VW-Westy-like interior setup, it was an 8-passenger van. Now it seats five but with beds for four plus fridge, porta-potti, and gear.

Here's a shot post-DIY-pop-top but pre-lift:

And another, post-4" lift, ready for camping. Next comes swapping the AWD transfer case for a 2-speed 4x4 case and better finishing the interior:

 

[GroupSe7en]

As an unauthorized spokesman for the lunatic fringe, I vote: Porsche Cayenne!

There is nothing that can touch it as a DD - not even close. Really, not even close.
It's great for long trips on the highway to get you to interesting places.
Fully independent suspension eats up washboard.

Super comfy - runs like a scalded dog - room for the three of us, the dog, and our stuff.

We're debating between pairing it with a RTT or large teardrop trailer - Teardrop currently has the edge.

Our feeling was that since it spends most of it's life just driving around, we wanted something that was the best at doing that, and we compromised on the rock hopping capabilities.
We weren't going to do stuff like that anyway.

We also didn't need an overlander capable of carrying a months worth of stuff into the wilds.
Besides, who gets a month off to go overlanding? With kids?

We got an older one - before they did the bodywork facelift.
It's a little bit bigger and a lot cheaper.

If we could ever find a Trans-Siberia for the right price, we would be all over it.
Best DD/ExPo rig ever.

The Lunatic Fringe now returns you to your regularly scheduled serious discussion of proper ExPo rigs.

 

[Mauka2Makai]

Family Vehicle... Check... With the LC I have no reservations concerning safety or reliability when traveling on or offroad with my family.
Daily Driver... Check... On average the LC is driven over 300 miles per week just on the 405 (arguably the worst traffic in the nation).
Expo Rig... Check... We have yet to go on any expeditions, but everyday is an adventure in our family.

After a year and a half of ownership, ~20k miles, and many awesome memories made... Our LC continues to exceed our expectations as a family vehicle.

 

[xcmountain80]

I guess it depends on where you live and what you do. That said my wife and I have mostly always had midsize or what used to be midsized SUV's and others(S-10 Blazer, Explorer, 4Runner, Suburban, Quad Cab F250, Tundra, some cars, etc).


My 3rd gen 4Runner while adequate for our travel and trips has had a Yakima roof box, trailer, roof rack, and rear rack added at some point or another to increase carry capacity. The 4Runner was the go to travel vehicle even those it has several hundred thousand miles on it, yea yea it's a Toyota and I can field strip just about everything on it. The Explorer served us well and was just used for around town and under 2 hour trips.


We recently lost the Explorer in a accident and were in a jam to replace it. The 4th gen 4Runner was my choice, the 5th or 6th gen Explorer was her pick, as was the Honda Odyssey, and the Toyota Sienna. The Explorer was nice but I just didn't like it, she didn't like the feel and drive of the 4Runner, and we didn't even get to the vans, as I was dead set against it. Solely because how lame would it look with a Mini Van towing a M416 on 33's down the highway?


In desperation I said what about a 1st gen Sequoia…..we were looking for 3 rows for family trips more room for cargo etc. I had never driven one but owned plenty of huge vehicles. I drove it, I like it, the grunt of the 4.7L V-8 inspires a smile and got at or better than the MPGS of our current vehicles with added room and power so a no loss situation there. The more I drive it the more I like it. Now it is 2wd but the number of times I've HAD to use 4wd on a trip I can count on 1 hand and mostly of my own doing ( and that includes snow). I don't consider my built 4Runner a trail rig but it will be our inclement weather vehicle if need be.


The 2005 Sequoia is our current choice as our family is growing with 5 LATCH points, adult seating for 7-8 comfortably and still have storage for luggage and strollers behind the 3rd row is awesome. That's just me but I like it. On a side note the Econoline, Euro Van, and Astro were mentioned but none were available for test drive.

 

[JoelCragAz]

Not the daily driver but it is the Family get away rig.

Not the daily driver but it is the Family Get Away From the Crowds Rig.

 

[fowldarr]

After looking for a long time, we settled on a tundra crewmax. As much seating room as a full size suv, well seats six anyway and it has a bed for everything else.

 

[lowenbrau]

We have loved the HDJ81 but it is just not going to work well with four kids. I added the third row of seats but the 50/50 rear bench means someone has to climb over the tailgate to get to school everyday. I'm sure a 100 series (60/40 middle row) is in our future but even it will be a stopgap. I recently drove a second gen Tundra with the six pass arrangement and I think once all the kids are facing forward we'll be looking for a doublecab. I can add a canopy, some drawers and have a big ******** SUV that with the RTT will sleep all six of us. I'll try the V8 gasser for a while but I think a V8 diesel and full-time t-case from an Aussie 200 series would make for a fine pickup.

 

[gotmud]

Two FZJ80's here

I have four kids (15, 13, 6, & 5), my girlfriend has two (7 & 6). Around town and short trips we usually use her '93 Land Cruiser. It's more or less stock (33's) and is still pretty comfortable for the kids. We've done some wheeling in it and naturally, it does just fine on anything less than a 4.0 rated trail. For longer trips or harder trails, we take my '94 which is locked X3 and rolls on 35's. It also has a DVD player for the kids and plenty of power outlets for my teen girls to charge their phones, laptops, etc...

Mileage is what it is. The best advice I ever got was to stop monitoring my fuel mileage and just enjoy the ride. For those who complain about the power of an 80 series, I somewhat sympathize, but in reality both my gf's '93 with 300K and my '94 with 260K do just fine considering their weight.

Prior to my 80, I've had a Tundra, 4Runner, Sienna, and Astro. Each of them had their strong points, but I think the 80 is the best for hauling our large family whether around town or around the trail.

 

[wacker]

Currently trying out a 02 half ton 'burb. With 3 mid sized dogs, a wife who can't pack and a newborn, this is a great fit. If not taking the dogs the 10 outback is awesome. If we had one less or maybe smaller pup it would be the primary tripper. All that being said the burbs down sides are mileage and not the most efficient use of space. We are looking to supplement it with a RTT and possibly a trailer. If the wife would sign off on it I would strongly look at a diesel 4wd van. Much more interior volume and it's a diesel. Hope some of that helps I've noticed a trend I would agree with.

Outback-if you can pack light is a winner.

Toyota 4runner/Cruiser-if Offroad capability is the priority.

BurbExpedition-when you absolutely need more room.

Full size van- if you can get past that it's a van.