What rig is best for Pan-American highway?

[Blackwatch]

What is the ideal vehicle for 2 people to travel the Pan-Am, Europe, Australia and hopefully more? I want something that is reliable above all else. Narrow for tight streets and roads, fully contained accessed through the cab, toilet, shower (inside preferably), kitchen.

I am looking at two options but hope you guys can offer some other suggestions.

First: Tom's World Cruiser https://www.toms-fahrzeugtechnik.de/en/worldcruiser-5 This ticks all the boxes however I would like to be able to drive away without messing with the roof if I wanted to leave a campsite quickly. Could be a little tippy for some trails.

Second option would be your typical Land Cruiser Troopy with an alu-cab roof conversion. Fridge, stove, toilet can all be fit inside but the shower would have to be outside. About half the price and more maneuverable.

Any other suggestions?

​

 

[alanymarce]

Doesn't meet your need for an inside toilet, however our Montero has been excellent for South America and Australia. For Canada shipping costs were through the roof so we bought and later sold a Wrangler JK, which was great for that trip (53,000 km in 11 months). Both have been reliable - the Montero looks/drives as new. Earler we had an LC80 when took us around S and E Africa, and is similar in size to the Montero.

When we replace the Montero we may seek a hybrid Wrangler (not yet yes sold here) to get far better fuel consumption/range and better emissions.

I appreciate that you seem to want a bigger vehicle, which will mean more fuel, less agility, and perhaps less flexibility/more cost when shipping, however perhaps it's worth considering a more "minimalist" approach.

 

[Blackwatch]

I have a 2024 4Runner that I would use if I were to go more minimalist. The other option is an extended cab tacoma with a pop up camper shell like Hiatus to keep costs down.

Where were you shipping from to Canada that it was expensive? Halifax is fairly cheap by RoRo to Europe.

 

[alanymarce]

I have a 2024 4Runner that I would use if I were to go more minimalist. The other option is an extended cab tacoma with a pop up camper shell like Hiatus to keep costs down.

Where were you shipping from to Canada that it was expensive? Halifax is fairly cheap by RoRo to Europe.

The 4Runner would make sense, at least to me. Good access to parts, big enough and small enough at the same time, fuel consumption not too high.

The quote was from Cartagena, and although we were looking for options to Canada we couldn't find any and would have had to ship to the USA East Coast and then drive to Canada from there. Bear in mind that we were making a 2022/2023 trip and shipping rates were skyhigh at the time (blamed on the pandemic, although I note that the shipping companies' profits were also the highest they've been). The best quote we received was about double what we paid to/from Australia, which is three times further(!). As you say, rates have become more sensible now; even so some routes are still expensive.

 

[nickw]

The 4Runner would make sense, at least to me. Good access to parts, big enough and small enough at the same time, fuel consumption not too high.

The quote was from Cartagena, and although we were looking for options to Canada we couldn't find any and would have had to ship to the USA East Coast and then drive to Canada from there. Bear in mind that we were making a 2022/2023 trip and shipping rates were skyhigh at the time (blamed on the pandemic, although I note that the shipping companies' profits were also the highest they've been). The best quote we received was about double what we paid to/from Australia, which is three times further(!). As you say, rates have become more sensible now; even so some routes are still expensive.

Does a modern 4runner have good parts access? I don't know how much it's a global vehicle these days, is the 3.5L engine used in S America?

 

[nickw]

What is the ideal vehicle for 2 people to travel the Pan-Am, Europe, Australia and hopefully more? I want something that is reliable above all else. Narrow for tight streets and roads, fully contained accessed through the cab, toilet, shower (inside preferably), kitchen.

I am looking at two options but hope you guys can offer some other suggestions.

First: Tom's World Cruiser https://www.toms-fahrzeugtechnik.de/en/worldcruiser-5 This ticks all the boxes however I would like to be able to drive away without messing with the roof if I wanted to leave a campsite quickly. Could be a little tippy for some trails.

Second option would be your typical Land Cruiser Troopy with an alu-cab roof conversion. Fridge, stove, toilet can all be fit inside but the shower would have to be outside. About half the price and more maneuverable.

Any other suggestions?

​

If you have access to a Troopy - that is the logical choice to me - where are you located?

Looking at Toms cruiser - it's big, not really sure how much you are giving up with something like that vs a domestic (assuming you are in the US) with a smaller camper or even a pop-top camper:

Turtle Expedition » The Turtle V

www.turtleexpedition.com

 

[alanymarce]

Does a modern 4runner have good parts access? I don't know how much it's a global vehicle these days, is the 3.5L engine used in S America?

Hmm - do you mean the 3.4 L?

You'd have to check for every one of the countries. I know that in Colombia they come with the 4.0 L engine.

In terms of general parts access, I believe that they are sold in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. I suspect that there are lots of common components shared with other Toyotas.

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

The one you allready have, and know its history. People have done the Pan Am in everything from bikes to massive GXV trucks,Unicats, Earth Roamers.

 

[nickw]

Hmm - do you mean the 3.4 L?

You'd have to check for every one of the countries. I know that in Colombia they come with the 4.0 L engine.

In terms of general parts access, I believe that they are sold in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. I suspect that there are lots of common components shared with other Toyotas.

I screwed up, I was thinking Tacoma, but the 4runner still comes with the 4.0L but the Tacoma comes with a 3.5L V6....that is what I was referencing.

It may share - I've never been convinced it's nearly as easy as people make it out to be, there are some minor differences in lots of things. I remember when the Hilux version of the Tacoma came out - it was generally pretty close, but still fundamentally different across the board.

 

[sg1]

Over the last 20 years I have done the Panamericana, about half of Africa, Australia, NZ and Europe. If you travel for several months or years in sometimes bad weather, often without campgrounds or any facilities you definitely appreciate the basic creature comforts like bathroom with shower, good insulation, heating and enough space for two. Reliability is very important because sitting somewhere and waiting for parts for weeks is boring. Fortunately I never had a major technical problem where I needed spare parts from abroad. You won't find a vehicle which is common everywhere. Therefore get a new and robust vehicle where major problems are unlikely. The LC 70 series is one of the best options, an international Ranger or a Hilux is very common everywhere but has limited payload. I am sure you are aware of the challenges caused by emission cleaning systems of modern diesel engines. They are tricky especially if you travel at altitude. A US gas engine Transit is a good option. But don't overthink the vehicle choice. I have met travelers with any kind of wheeled transportation including motorcycles, Pennyfarthing, 1930 vintage Bentley to 6x6 trucks and they all managed to travel and seemed to have fun.

 

[Blackwatch]

Thanks for the replies guys. I have been out exploring this summer so haven't spent a lot of time online.

I am in Canada and cannot import a Troopy unless it's 15+ years old. We have two dogs (labs) that we want to take so we have looked at everything from the Troopy to a Mercedes Revel.

I have looked into buying a new Land Cruiser 78/79 and trying to find a country to register it in without having to be a resident of the country. So far I have found a company in Germany which will facilitate this leaving us driving around the world with German plates.

I have started to look into this company in Dubai... https://freedom-overland.com/freedom-cruiser/ and they can do this to a domestic truck... https://freedom-overland.com/freedom-chevy/ although the Land Cruiser would be more reliable and easier to maneuver in most countries. The camper is installed for about $135,000 usd on the back of the truck you supply so this would close in on $200,000 usd. However, you get a more capable vehicle than a sprinter van that is fully contained with a shower/toilet inside.

Troopy: this is he coolest of all the options and best overall except the safety issue of being able to drive off in the middle of the night or not being broken into as easily. The dogs have a sofa in the back with windows to look out of as we travel and a decent sleeping space for them. Higher winds and rain can be an issue. I could find a 2010 or older and ship it to Canada and spend some money fixing it or try to buy a new one and register it in another country.

If anyone knows of a country I can register a LC in without having to be a resident or citizen let me know.

We are going to Costa Rica for 2 weeks in October and renting a LC Troopy with a rooftop tent and gear to travel in so that should give us an idea if we could live with one.

 

[Mack M]

Does a modern 4runner have good parts access? I don't know how much it's a global vehicle these days, is the 3.5L engine used in S America?

The 4Runner uses the 1GR 4.0 V6, it was used in 200 series Land cruisers, but it's probably the most reliable engine Toyota has ever made, and will not need parts. Just consumables that could be taken with you from N America.

 

[sg1]

If you are in Canada why not get a F 350 chassis cab or regular truck with a flatbed and put a fixed or removable camper with all the features you want on it. OEV has a few examples. Make sure it's not wider than 7 ft and higher than 9 ft ( width and height are usually the problem when traveling internationally). Use a gas engine and you have a rig that is as reliable as possible and can deal with any road or track and any locally available fuel quality. Full size trucks aren't really sold internationally but parts availability for a Troopy isn't great either. They are sold in only a few countries in South America, in some African countries and in Australia. Nothing in North America or Europe.

 

[nickw]

The 4Runner uses the 1GR 4.0 V6, it was used in 200 series Land cruisers, but it's probably the most reliable engine Toyota has ever made, and will not need parts. Just consumables that could be taken with you from N America.

Yeah I corrected myself above about the 4L vs 3.5L....I'd think all the 2F's and 1HZ's would disagree the 1GR is the "most" reliable. Anything can and will fail and there is much more to a vehicle than the engine. My point was just because it uses the same general parts they very well may be slightly different. I.E. we know the Tundra and Landcruiser share many design elements and are the same on paper, but I don't think most parts actually cross over when you start looking at things like axle shaft sizes, spline counts, width of front end, brake size, electronics package, ECU, wheel offset, etc. etc.

 

[Joe917]

Based in Canada, an awd Sprinter 170 would fit the bill $100k Can all in plus fit out.Fully contained, cab access, room for kitchen and toilet/shower. MB dealerships throughout South America.