best 4x4

[Chris D90 Los Angeles]

My LR Defender 90 climbs like no other vehicle...especially on trails rated 3.5 or above. We often pull Jeeps and Toyo's out of precarious situations..it's stock with no aftermarket items.

I love the H1 however, however, the d90 is much more agile than an H1.

 

[cruisertoy]

I'm sure the H1 would be on my list too, right above Honda Civic.:sombrero:

I've owned Ford, Jeep, Chevy, Nissan(Datsun) and Toyota. I've always thought a Dseries rover might be fun to play with, but too many of my friends have turned thier leased Rovers in early just to get out from under them. Mind you none of them were D90 or D110's. My 93 landcruiser had close to 300k miles on it with little more than maintanence when I sold it. The new owner bought it as a daily driver. My 97 has 150k and I plan on having it forever. My 76 lc sits in the garage waiting for a re-ring. I guess I'm a Toyota landcruiser guy now.

Within reason, the driver probably plays the biggest role in "the best 4x4". I've seen Subaru wagons go places that would make you cringe. I've seen well built(and paid for) rigs on 37" swampers get stuck on class 3 trails.

The best rig in the world won't make up for what natural selection should have taken care of long ago.

 

[ChuckB]

Looks like he came to the right place, this is a LC forum :victory:

 

[luk4mud]

You have something better to do on a Thursday night?:sombrero:

Nope, nor on a Friday night either. Great social life, eh?

 

[tacollie]

I would say a D90 if you can keep it running(just my experience). Fzj80s are killer. My 02 tacoma was a very capable and fun truck. In the end good tires, lockers, and a good driver can do a lot more than a fancy rig. I ended up with a $400 fj55. New motor, trans, and so on I now have the truck for me after lots of work. A troopy would be my 2nd choice. I like older vehicles though.

 

[4Rescue]

-Majorly edited by me-

Ya know I posted the previous comment that occupied this space previously at work, and for some reason by the time I got home I had decided to remove it... I don't want to distract from the original thread too much and start a huge e-urinating ( ) contest, and I think I sounded like a $%^& kind of so sorry for that.

So to expand on the O/P what are some others top 10, and why? I was trying to stick to the more typical P/U and SUV type trucks as in no Mogs or Pinzy's or 303's ( :drool: ) or Man's or Bremach's etc... As potentialy fecal weather front as this thread could become ( ) I think it's always cool to have a bunch of people put up pics (hint hiNT HINT!!!) of their favorite Expo trucks...

Here are some of mine:

For me damn near everything on this page is top of the heap in it's segment for me. no big P/U but the 70series Ute is a beast. Web page brought to you buy our very own Brian894x4... Great website Brian and a fellow Oregonian to boot. Brian if you don't want me posting these pics off your site for some reason just shoot me a PM )

http://www.brian894x4.com/FOREIGNTOYOTAMAINPAGE.html

Some of my Favo's of course:

Favorite P/U and one I actualy have quite a bit of experience with, if there's a heaven hten for guy's n Gals like us it's gotta be Australia.

Favo Suv toye thing... had TWO of these kitted out on the Station, I really need to scan in my pics of Australia...

Another really badarse option and to me the Above's closest competitor really
-Note I didn't want this pic, but when I go to use my Photobucket account this bloody web site takes me to it's "free virus scan page" it's like in terminal loop... So pissed right now (and for the aussies and the scotts I mean Mad )

EDIT: I got Photobucket to work... sort of...

Another Great one: And honestly mayne one of the best "Supremely capable at the cost of a little less space kind of idea" hahaha I mean this thing coud wheel some pretty gnarly trails. and then you can just pop the top and camp live in it??? So amazing and I am just in awe of this guy's design forsight...

...


Cheers

Dave

 

[4Rescue]

Again one of our own, This time DaktariEd with his absolutely beautiful FJ40 and trailer/RTT set-up. Quite a vicious combo really. Pull the base camp behind you then take of on some fun runs in one DAMN fine FJ40... Nice truck Ed.

Sine the open question was just "best 4x4" the FJ40 deserves a place in the dictionary under the word 4x4 and expedition. When Toyota set out to make their take on the massivley brilliant Willy's "jeep" they built something very similar but a whole lot beefier and somewhat bigger.

Cheers

Dave

 

[4Rescue]

From a build it up your self stand point, it's hard to beat a Late 80's early 90's SAS'd toyota Mini-truck. Swap in a Diesel, Blown 3.4, Or a 3RZ bob the bed, armor up, lock it throw on some tall skinny's and you've got a truck that can handle nearly any trail. Better yet, move somewhere where you can just BUY one of the beautys anywhere... You'd be ahrd pressed to find a more capable, tougher built truck than the Hilux (or for us through the 2nd gen 4Runners and 4th gen P/U's).

- The Nissan Hardbody comes to mind, but were those ever offered around the world with SFA's??? I know they have the Navarra but that's kind of a newer truck, nice trucks too.`

I'll just keep repeating myself. Every time I look at the frame under my truck I just smile and shake my head in amazement. It;s like looking at a 3/4 ton domestic truck frame under that little bugger!!! We've all seen the top Gear Vid.
These are all :drool: worthy IMO (sanz all of the graphics on teh first one )

I espescialy like this one...

With a set of Simexx "centi's" for play time
...

 

[4Rescue]

...

Near and dear to my heart, this awesome Lux'Surf

Here's one from Brian's site that'll be close to our hearts here:

May not be the best Expo rig but this thing always makes me :drool: (again, imagine this thing with a swaped in 1KZ-T... :drool::drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: ) I'll just keep repeating myself. Every time I look at the frame under my truck I just smile and shake my head in amazement. It;s like looking at a 3/4 ton domestic truck frame under that little bugger!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE41AjBeVfI

In N.America you're going to have the easiest time building either a toyota of your choice or a Jeep CJ/YJ/TJ/LJ/JK... for the simple reason that they have by far the biggest aftermarket following.

... Now I'm just scouring the internet looking for cool 4x4's to post...

HAHAHA

Cheers

Dave

 

[4Rescue]

- The Nissan Patrol Comes to mind. next to the LC70Series, these things are the next most popular 4x4 in oz by far... Cool trucks for sure. Down one locker to the Cruiser (did older versions have Front and rear lockers???), but they've got great aftermarket support and are built really tough from the factory. Alot of the guy's that came through the Station I lived on to get to the trail head's had these and seemed really pleased with them. Only issues they ever had were some tranny problems for the most part, but in nasty conditions, sometimes...somethings gotta give and gears and splined things tend to go the easiest . Plus I LOVED to hear the guy's Diesel roar at full WOT under load!!!!!! Those Nissan TD motors are AWESOME!!!!!

The old ones were great too... Funny how nearly every 4x4 of that ilk looked so similar eh...

here's some more...

Uh... Didn't even know they made this little bugger...

now finaly tired enough from my shift tonight to go to sleep, I'll leave it at that untill I get up tomorow and enjoy 2 days off...

Cheers

Dave

 

[crmarlinfishermen]

i serch in the web and i discover that diff lokers wold do a normal 4x4 in to a extrem 4x4
:smiley_drive:

 

[4Rescue]

Sure will... Biggest thing that makes a 4x4 amazing??? A brilliant driver.

Ok now I've slept...time for more amazing examples of 4wd's:

How about a few more G-waggy's:

Paging Mr. Brady...

I really wish we could get ahold of the "NON-BLINGED" Gelandewaggen's. Scott, doex your G still have the holes in the floor to drain watter?

WOW, they even make a Mid-wheel base 2 door akin to the Fj43/HZJ74 etc.

:drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:

 

[robski]

Old military original jeep that was use in the service back ww2.

No electronics to mess up, skinny tires and can carry load of fire power back then and still goin and goin all type of terrain.

 

[4Rescue]

To be fair, good old Chrysler makes a pretty cool truck as well. It's named after and every bit akin to the original Power Wagons, wich I can attest to being one of the toughest old trucks ever made. My family were logging folk years ago and all they ever used were Dodge PW's.

I love the old ones:

HAHAHA How about this for an Expo rig. I'd like it for a rafting rig!!!

And the new one carry's the name VERY well. Espescialy this Diesel Beasty

Not all of the worlds greatest trucks are unavailable to the N.American, the Power wagon is peerless in it's class and while a bit large, it is suprisingly nimple and so well equipt that you still get it places you never thought it'd fit. We tagged along with a guy in the Tillimook State forest here in Oregon and he went EVERYwhere that we took our much smaller toyota's and Jeeps. these trucks are great.

...

 

[4Rescue]

Old military original jeep that was use in the service back ww2.

No electronics to mess up, skinny tires and can carry load of fire power back then and still goin and goin thru type of terrain.

Good call, that was going to be my next one... But more to the point, the Jeep MB/Cj/Yj/Tj/Jk all together. they really are iconic. anyone who see's one knows what it is, in fact alot of people have jeep so burned into the brain that even Land Cruisers and Defenders/Series Rovers get called "jeeps". Can't deny it, these are about as classic as a small 4x4 comes and what I really love is that in the last 60 or so years that they've been around... the shape is still pretty close and simillar to the original. Wish I could say the same for the Toyota FJ...

Gota love a Willy's.

My personal favo is the CJ6 CJ8 and the LJ RUbi. I love the LWB jeeps and the LJ is absolutely brilliant in Rubi trim eh.

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