Wow my first post! Been lurking as a guest for some while now but recently decided to join. I like this forum!
What's the best vehicle? How many times has that been asked? I have had some good mileage (and wordage) out of that one in articles; down 'the pub'; round campfires; sheltering from the rain under leaky basha's and up to my waste in mud trying to fix yet another broken something.
let me introduce myself before I go any further - my names Nonimouse; my friends call me Noni. Land Rovers have featured heavily in my life since I first came into this world almost 43 years ago. My Dad brought me and my mum home form hospital, through heavy snow, in our '49 Series 1 80". It was my mum's pride and joy - she has now owned it for just about 50 years! I strated competing in my own Series 1 at the age of 14, since then I have trialled, raced, overlanded, worked, loved and hated all sorts of 4x4's. There's even a high chance my youngest daughter was concieved in a Range Rover Classic
. I have worked for Land Rover (experience), Toyota, Nissan, Porshe and VW as an instructor, trained aid agency staff, clubs, journalists and joe public. Add to this10's of 1000's of miles in 47 countries on 4 continents in most makes of off roader. Every day I realise how much I haven't learned.
So what is best? It all depends on what you want, where you want it and how you want to do it. Get a sheet of paper and right down the pro's and con's then weigh up the facts, put it all to one side and let your heart decide!
I would choose a 300Tdi Defender CSW 110 as my first, with a 130 Crewcab/quad tech as my second, coming in a close third would be a '97 Toyota Hi-lux crew cab, Japanese spec with the 3.0ltr naturally aspirated Diesel. My choice so I would never push it on someone else (like religion)
Why? Easy - simplicity. Land Rovers are not reliable, except in the fact that when they break, they are easy and cheap to fix; and parts are everywhere!
An 80 series 'cruiser (God love em to bits) is reliable {maybe not as much as a GQ Patrol but close on}, however they are a pain to fix WHEN they break and getting parts in remote places of the planet is not as easy as some think.
The Hi-lux however is also known as the Third World Troop Carrier, capable of carrying a Russian made 20mm cannon and 15 guys accross the worst terrain in the world. It can be fixed with a hammer, like a Land Rover; and like the ubiquitous Land Rover, if you can't find the part you can bodge it.
Proper G wagons (ie pre electrics) are the same as are Leaf Sprung Patrols with the 3.3SDT lump; Honda XL's are in the same catagory as well.
The thing is the above suits my mentality and my aims in life. But how many times do we all sing form the same hymn book?
Sorry to post so heavily the first time - I'll take a rap on the knuckles and try not to do it again
