Well thanks to Toasty and Monte3 I was able to ride shotgun on a trail ride last weekend and see a Monty get put through it's paces. It handled handled just how I remembered and surpassed my expectations on the trail.
I left my LC parked at the trail head and rode shotgun with Monte3. I was gettin ready to put my LC up for sale and knew with my luck I would break something. Plus I have almost zero trail running experience.
The Monty was just want I wanted in a rig. Monte3's rig looked really nice with 33's. I'm kinda of a Shallow Hall and love the way the LC 80 looks. But was very surprised at how cool looking a slightly moded Monty looks.
I was so much more comfortable riding in the Monty. I think it had to do with the fact that my LC was solid axles up front and back. Which I understand are a little better for trail performace, but I will use the truck for mainly highway and expedition type travel vs. harder trail riding. I watched the Monty climb in 4hi what took Jeeps 4low. I was really impressed. And the factory rear locker really let the Monty do things my stock LC wouldnt be able to. Both my LC and the Monty I rode in had 33's. My LC rubs really bad and I have almost no clearance with out a lift. Although the Monty did rub some, it was no where near as bad as my LC.
A few days later I took my LC out for a rode trip. The wiffy and I drove from Phnx to Sedona, then to Flagstaff. I filled the tank and told me old girl (The truck not the wife.)this was her last chance to give me a reason to keep her. At first I thought she knew she was on the outs. She climbed the grades faster than ever and seemed to be getting better than ever MPG. She preformed well on Broken Arrow trail. (But you could run any stock rig on that trail) And she did what she did best. She looked good for the pictures I took ontop of the slick rock.
But I couldn't help but thinking how much more comfortable I would be in a Monty. I longed for the arm rests and head rest that locks forward so you can rest your head while driving. I also knew I would be paying less in gas and getting there faster in a Monty.
The LC began to show her true colors with the MPG in Sedona. Turns out it only appeared to be getting better milage because the truck was going up hill which gives a flase reading on the fuel tank guage. By the time we hit Flagstaff it was confirmed that I wasnt getting any better milage than normal. And by the end on the 330 mile trip I averaged a whooping 12.5 MPG. I figured I would have spent about $40.00 less on gas in a Monty.
So the verdict? I cleaned up the LC today. Need to charge the AC tommorow and she goes on Craigslist, Autotrader and Ebay. I hope she sells soon. There is a local white (the color I want) with 137,000 miles and a new timing belt, water pump, fuel filter and more for sale for almost half of what I can get for the LC.
Thanks for all the help. I'll keep you posted.
I left my LC parked at the trail head and rode shotgun with Monte3. I was gettin ready to put my LC up for sale and knew with my luck I would break something. Plus I have almost zero trail running experience.
The Monty was just want I wanted in a rig. Monte3's rig looked really nice with 33's. I'm kinda of a Shallow Hall and love the way the LC 80 looks. But was very surprised at how cool looking a slightly moded Monty looks.
I was so much more comfortable riding in the Monty. I think it had to do with the fact that my LC was solid axles up front and back. Which I understand are a little better for trail performace, but I will use the truck for mainly highway and expedition type travel vs. harder trail riding. I watched the Monty climb in 4hi what took Jeeps 4low. I was really impressed. And the factory rear locker really let the Monty do things my stock LC wouldnt be able to. Both my LC and the Monty I rode in had 33's. My LC rubs really bad and I have almost no clearance with out a lift. Although the Monty did rub some, it was no where near as bad as my LC.
A few days later I took my LC out for a rode trip. The wiffy and I drove from Phnx to Sedona, then to Flagstaff. I filled the tank and told me old girl (The truck not the wife.)this was her last chance to give me a reason to keep her. At first I thought she knew she was on the outs. She climbed the grades faster than ever and seemed to be getting better than ever MPG. She preformed well on Broken Arrow trail. (But you could run any stock rig on that trail) And she did what she did best. She looked good for the pictures I took ontop of the slick rock.
But I couldn't help but thinking how much more comfortable I would be in a Monty. I longed for the arm rests and head rest that locks forward so you can rest your head while driving. I also knew I would be paying less in gas and getting there faster in a Monty.
The LC began to show her true colors with the MPG in Sedona. Turns out it only appeared to be getting better milage because the truck was going up hill which gives a flase reading on the fuel tank guage. By the time we hit Flagstaff it was confirmed that I wasnt getting any better milage than normal. And by the end on the 330 mile trip I averaged a whooping 12.5 MPG. I figured I would have spent about $40.00 less on gas in a Monty.
So the verdict? I cleaned up the LC today. Need to charge the AC tommorow and she goes on Craigslist, Autotrader and Ebay. I hope she sells soon. There is a local white (the color I want) with 137,000 miles and a new timing belt, water pump, fuel filter and more for sale for almost half of what I can get for the LC.
Thanks for all the help. I'll keep you posted.
