calicamper
Expedition Leader
Parts of Africa really like the 505 Peugot. Its a tank I had one lol.
Why are other full size SUV's not used in overlanding/offroading as often as Forerunner/Landcruiser?
- Thread starter Mericas_Meuth
- Start date
calicamper
Expedition Leader
Even in remote non US countries it works the same way. Unless bailing wire and gum can fix it.
Cruisn
Adventurer
I'm gonna play the other side here, as someone who is working in the DRC and currently driving around Africa in my Pajero (which parts are possible to get in more remote areas, but I do all my major repairs in SA to avoid future problems). I can tell you if you are looking for a stud here you will wait to. You want easy to get parts, stick with brands sold in each respective country to a point I guess. toyota = OZ dodge = NA and what not.
Africa is a unique deal as most shops are the size of a 20 foot container at best and they only carry basic parts that will repair a dead vehicle, no oddball stuff, studs wont stop a vehicle, starter wont stop a vehicle, but bearings and oil will. Ive been to enough shops now to know I can get a bearing for a toyota anywhere, but I cant get shocks or springs as that can be bush fixed.
Just some food for thought on parts availability. but I guess if you stick near big towns you will be fine for parts.
Mericas_Meuth
Member
Just stick to backpacking, that way you can overland anywhere in the world and if a part breaks all you have to do is find the nearest hospital/shaman.
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Deleted member 9101
Guest
I have a simple rule when it comes to all of my vehicles: If I can't get parts for it on a weekend, I don't want to own it.
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Deleted member 9101
Guest
calicamper
Expedition Leader
That explains why the Taco guys are all over loaded ?
Cruisn
Adventurer
A water pump? come on now. belts and hoses and some electrical bits, keep it simple and know your rig
VanWaLife
Active member
Well the early 80's Toyota pickups with a 22r and Weber carb are a pretty good bet for rigs that can be fixed with gum and bailing wire 95% of the time, and your chances of finding spare parts are better than with most other rigs no matter where you are in the world...maybe old eastern block countries excepted. Of course I'm completely biased in favor of the early Toyota pickups...
vintageracer
To Infinity and Beyond!
In Nashville we have 2 "Pick ur Part" yards. Pull A Part (PAP) and LKQ.
Both yards are set up with Ford, GM, Mopar and Import sections. By far the section of both yards that continues to expand the most is the import section of each yard. The expansion of the Import sections is not in new real estate for the yard. More and more Import vehicles and a reduction of the available vehicles in the Domestic Ford, GM, Mopar sections in the yards. Import used parts sales is where the money's at!
Pull A Part no longer purchases vehicles based upon weight. They now buy vehicles based upon each individual vehicle make, model and condition. Depending on the import vehicle PAP might pay 2-3 times current scrap weight price for a Honda or Toyota and less than scrap weight price for non-desirable domestic vehicles.
In both yards the GM section continues to be OK with lots of GM trucks for parts. The Ford section continues to dwindle and the Mopar section is all but forgotten. These observations could be due to the Urban locations of these yards in a large metro city however I don't think so. I believe you will find the same changes occuring at salvage yards out in the Boonies also!
I find the cheapest vehicles to maintain with junkyard parts continue to be 15-20 year old GM trucks built 2000 and later. Lots of em to pick when you need a part. Toyota truck parts are mostly none existent? You do see some 4runners, Lexus and Sequoia's. The import sections continue to be flooded with daily driver SUV's.
Looking at the "Pick Ur Part" yards in different cities across the USA continue to be more and more an Import Vehicle Nation!
Both yards are set up with Ford, GM, Mopar and Import sections. By far the section of both yards that continues to expand the most is the import section of each yard. The expansion of the Import sections is not in new real estate for the yard. More and more Import vehicles and a reduction of the available vehicles in the Domestic Ford, GM, Mopar sections in the yards. Import used parts sales is where the money's at!
Pull A Part no longer purchases vehicles based upon weight. They now buy vehicles based upon each individual vehicle make, model and condition. Depending on the import vehicle PAP might pay 2-3 times current scrap weight price for a Honda or Toyota and less than scrap weight price for non-desirable domestic vehicles.
In both yards the GM section continues to be OK with lots of GM trucks for parts. The Ford section continues to dwindle and the Mopar section is all but forgotten. These observations could be due to the Urban locations of these yards in a large metro city however I don't think so. I believe you will find the same changes occuring at salvage yards out in the Boonies also!
I find the cheapest vehicles to maintain with junkyard parts continue to be 15-20 year old GM trucks built 2000 and later. Lots of em to pick when you need a part. Toyota truck parts are mostly none existent? You do see some 4runners, Lexus and Sequoia's. The import sections continue to be flooded with daily driver SUV's.
Looking at the "Pick Ur Part" yards in different cities across the USA continue to be more and more an Import Vehicle Nation!
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I've parted many Toyota pickups and 4runners as well as a few domestics. It's amazing what 200k mile Toyota parts will go for especially on eBay. A good portion of the domestic parts go to scrap unfortunately.
zoomad75
K5 Camper guy
On the flip side of the coin check out the youtube channel "leave everthing and wander". They have been running the Pan-American highway from north to south and got stranded for almost a month in some country in south America due to fact that the local Ford dealer didn't have the parts needed for their late 80's Ford F250 pickup. Hell, most Ford Dealers in the States won't have new parts for a 80's pickup either. But the big difference is, where the manufacture discontinues parts support due to age, the aftermarket steps up in a big way. At least in the states, because those trucks are still on the road. So any AutoZone, Napa or CarQuest could have the parts needed in stock or 1 day away from a warehouse.
To add complexity the truck has a gas engine converted to also run on propane which I bet parts for that system are like hunting a unicorn.
It's common sense to plan ahead and pack supplies/spares when you know they might not be available where you intend on traveling. Some do, some don't.
I'm no stranger to it either. Driving a '91 model year truck with a '01 model year engine, '78 Dana 44 front axle and mid 80's 14bolt rear axle I have to keep a mental catalog together to know what I need in case of a failure. I keep a spare serp belt, spare lockout hubs, U-joints and need to pack some front axle shafts too. I learned my lesson after I broke a front stub axle coming off the Eva Conoyer trail in the San Rafael Swell in Utah. The closest place I could locate another stub axle and joint? Moab almost an hour away. I boogied the truck to get to the shop before they closed for the day so we could fix it that night and continue exploring the next day.
Is there a risk driving a collection of different era parts on one truck? Sure. But again as long as I keep to the states, availability of parts isn't too much of an issue. The engine and all related sensors are so common now just about any part store in this country would have what I need. That's the main part that could stop the truck cold. Axle parts are still common as far as the bearings go.
I'd be nuts to take this truck down the Pan-American Highway due to needing a trailer to carry spares for the just in case possibilities.
So you think this looks like a kid who inherited their moms Tahoe? One of the local members rides. I'm not disagreeing with you, because that is your opinion, but I also think most Tahoe's you do see modded ARE kids kids who inherited their moms Tahoe's... (Btw nothing against kids who inherited Tahoe's, power on)
To me seems like it's a capable platform worthy of modding, also given the prices.
I'll have to check out that thread about the land cruisers. I am sure they are extremely reliable, but for 85g's they sure as hell ought to be lol.
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Yes thats exactly what it looks like. Cranked bars, front bumper, roof rack, and a snorkel is exactly what kids do when they inherit Moms 'hoe. Nobodys saying its not capable but youre confusing two similar terms. Overlanding is what millenial types that have to have an identity do. They drive overly and un-necessarily modified toyotas and range rovers to project an image. For these people its more about telling the world that they do outdoor stuff than just getting outdoors and doing stuff. Camping or offroading is what normal people do and they generally do drive full or midsize vehicle like suburbans, tahoes, explorers, expeditions or gm and ford pickups. Normal people also dont have stickers all over their car that say stupid things like "overlanding". Which by the way is a stupid term made up by some marketing guy to sell crap to people. Most US full size 4x4s are more than capable of doing "Overlanding" stock or with very little modification.
Mericas_Meuth
Member
The point of that reply wasnt to say that's what a real overlander/offroader looks like, but that there are people out there who have taken thought and time into modifying their vehicle tastefully. I was pointing out that Tahoe's can "look cool" too, never said it was necessary.
And no, that's not what a kid who gets a Tahoe from their mom looks like, because kids who have enough money to make it look like that get land cruisers and Rubicons.
BTW I know what you mean, I have an almost stock Tahoe that has been on cross country camping trips and offroading many times, and has always met the task perfectly. So, again, I don't think it's necessary, but at my original point, it can be done and "look cool" just like the Toyota crowd.
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tacollie
Glamper
They were saying Land Cruisers are cheap in the US compared to other countries. I listened to the podcast you referenced. They talked about Landcruiser being expensive relative to other options. Having modified and wheeled a 100 I can confidently say they are expensive to buy oem and aftermarket parts for. They definitely were Toyota heavy in that episode because it was about traveling outside of the US. In a later episode they give a lot of credit to the Gladiator and Bison and mention some serious issues with the current Tacoma.
In my experience Land Cruisers are owned by enthusiast of Land Cruisers. Budget minded people bought American. My parents had multiple Ford's, Land Rovers, and Mitsubishi's that all left us broke down in the middle of nowhere. When they made that switch to Toyota we never broke down again so when I was 15 I bought my first Toyota (jokes on me since it had been rolled ?). After that I stuck with Toyota for a long time because they were a strong option in the small truck/SUV market. US companies have always had the full-size market and up until last year I had zero interest in a full-size. The only reason I ended up with my Tundra is because the F250, Dodge 2500, five F150s, and another Tundra I looked at were beat to ********. Basically I bought the first solid truck I came across.