Shipping overseas 4runner vs GX470

[prsimpson]

Hi all,

I am signed up for the Budapest to Bamako rally and now I am trying to decide on a vehicle. I have narrowed it down to a 4th gen 4runner or a GX 470. I plan to store the vehicle in Spain after the rally so I can take it on another adventure in the future but I am concerned about getting it serviced. I would like to get the 4th gen 4runner but they were never sold there. From what I have read the GX shares some parts with the Prado but everything under the hood is different. I'm also concerned about all the electronics giving me issues on the GX.

Will the GX be that much easier to service than the 4runner?

Are there any vehicles sold in the US that are not too old that were sold oversea? I would get a 100 series but the good ones are out of my budget.

Thanks

 

[alanymarce]

If you have a limited budget, and plan to leave the vehicle in Spain, why not buy in Europe? You can find good LC80s and 100s for example. Shipping a vehicle from Arkansas to Europe is not cheap, and (more to the point) unless you have a way to register it in Spain (or somewhere else in Europe or Africa) you'll have to ship it back again.

 

[Dibber]

Depends on what you consider cheap

 

[prsimpson]

Thanks for the info! I hadn't considered that. I'm looking into buying something in Europe. If I can't make that work I will probably get a 3rd gen 4runner and donate it at the end of the rally rather than try to get it back home.