This, Sir, is excellent.
Thank you for taking the time.
Thanks. :sombrero:
Seriously, I think it's important to remember that there is no "one size fits all" solution to the vehicle choice dilemma. A built up 80 or Land Rover may be exactly what
one person needs, but
another might be able to do just as much "expeditioning" in a Forester with decent tires and a good pair of hiking boots or a mountain bike on the back.
The reason I posted what I did was because I went through a somewhat similar analysis recently myself.
Back when I was single, my dream vehicle was a 4wd extended cab pickup with a shell. Manual transmission and manual crank windows were fine with me and the only "indulgence" I demanded was air conditioning (I lived too long without it and figure I've earned it.) Fitting out the back of the truck with a carpet kit so it could be used for sleeping and a decent cooler and set of camping gear was everything I needed for week-long trips to the back country.
I actually
got my dream vehicle in 2007 (an '04 Tacoma) and proceeded to kit it out the way I'd always wanted. And it was good in the beginning.
But the thing is, along the way, I acquired a girlfriend, then fiancee, then wife. Now my wife is a great gal, but she's not a "nature girl" and camping out for a week at a time is not an option with her. So now I faced the dilemma: Do I go on my trips alone, or do I modify the trips so the wife will go with me?
Not only that, I have to admit that, like many people, I have a lot of hobbies: Besides my 4 wheel drive vehicle/camping stuff, I also ride a motorcycle, I hunt and shoot, and I'm interested in history.
I have a small but fairly close family, all of them in the Denver metro area, which means we often get together to celebrate birthdays, weddings, holidays, etc.
On top of all that, I have a job, and of course, my wife has interests too, some of which she wants to share with me (our current project is getting fit at the gym, which is working out well for both of us.)
The net result of all this is that I don't get out to the back country that much in the Summer time. Maybe once a month between roughly June and September is about the limit. The last two years I've also managed to take a few week-long solo trips due to the fact that I get more vacation time than my wife. But that's pretty much it.
So this Summer, after my most recent trip to Nevada (with some of the great folks from ExPo!) I sat down and analyzed what I really
needed, vs. what I wanted. Or, to put it differently, I analyzed what I needed to support my
actual life vs. what I needed to support my
imaginary/fantasy life.
And that, ultimately, is why I sold the Tacoma and got a 10 year old 4runner instead. I actually
do need a vehicle that can carry passengers (for times like when my mother and brother needed a ride to the airport, or when dad, brother and I go hunting) and while that 6' bed is convenient, more often than not it sits empty.
With the 4runner, by contrast, it's big enough to do most of what I need it for (I even moved a 6 1/2' couch in it, with the rear liftgate open) and it can be converted to a sleeping area in a pinch. The automatic transmission means my wife can drive it and actually makes it easier to drive off road on everything except steep hills. The electric windows are nice when I'm driving the dog around because I can put down the back window and let her hang her head out.
The only things I've really "lost" by going to the 4runner are things like long-term sleeping capacity that I never really
used anyway.
And, as I said above, as to modifications, if I have $800 burning a hole in my pocket, rather than getting an OME lift or an ARB bumper, I'd probably just finance a week long trip. $800 will buy a lot of gas and groceries and if there's someplace that my stock 4runner can't get into without a winch or a lift, I probably don't need to be going there anyway (especially since I normally travel solo.)
I know we all love to discuss gear and mods, and I'll be the first one to confess that I drool when I see a well built up Land Cruiser, Land Rover, or Jeep.
But to me it's like looking at a painting in a museum. I can appreciate the painting as it hangs there, that doesn't mean I want to hang it on my wall at home.