Why are other full size SUV's not used in overlanding/offroading as often as Forerunner/Landcruiser?

[phsycle]

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.

I'm not sure how old you are and what model years you're referencing, but I'd agree with the sentiment Toyota of old were much more reliable than domestic and european rigs. Although my pops had a 90's Ranger that seemed to go forever, but was totally gutless (4 banger). I stuck with Toyota trucks for many years. Still regret selling some of them, i.e. 99 Tacoma TRD OR 5-speed, 01 Taco DC, 98 4Runner Limited. Wish I had a barn to keep them all in. First domestic purchase was in '15 with an F150. Great truck. They've come a long way and really, I was never ever concerned about it getting me home. I think most modern trucks/cars are reliable, as we continue to go through globalization of not only mechanical parts, but talent as well. Engineers are all being pulled from the same pool, designers are getting yanked from one company to another.

Point is, there is no need to be brand loyal these days. Look at the features and base your purchase on that instead. Some of the brainwashed Toyota fans are hilarious, and same with other makes.

By the way, what are some of the "serious issues" with the current Tacoma? I'm assuming they mentioned the auto trans.

 

[02TahoeMD]

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.

Thanks, you understand my build. It was NOT a cheap project, and no I am not a millenial by any means and no I did not inherit my mom's Tahoe - as some have implied. It was, however, a prior soccer mom special that I bought fresh off lease in 2005. I am creative by nature and enjoy shade tree mechanical projects and I wondered if I could modify a Tahoe to look similar to a Land Cruiser or Land Rover, mostly because I already owned the Tahoe, liked it tons, and wanted to take on the challenge. Anyone who takes the time to read my build thread will see that most of the parts I added were made for....Toyotas. But I made them fit and work. And I know 20 year old me could NOT have afforded the projects for sure.

Were most of my mods necessary for overlanding / camping? Nope. The only essentials I would say would be the lift for some better clearance and tires, and my hard wired fridge. Everything else has been just to satisfy the urge to tinker and create. The winch bumper has proved useful, it saved me from a deer strike ( not a scratch, can't imagine the damage if it was not there ) and I have used the winch for projects ranging from helping pull over a tree or rescue my dad's Kubota from a ditch. The onboard air has been great to have when airing back up after being on the trail, and I would not have had the space to put the system in without the rear bumper setup. And the snorkel has helped insure the engine stayed healthy when driving in some flood conditions (including playing some in the Outer Banks) so all of the "extra" mods I have done have been put to use...but they have not been "necessary." I can say, however, that my Tahoe is truly mine and unique in the world, with none other having the same list of mods.

Back to the topic at hand. I say, use what you own, do what you want with it, and disregard what other people think. Just get out, and have fun and explore. You be you.

Happy and safe wheeling everyone.

 

[CrazyDrei]

I can say, however, that my Tahoe is truly mine and unique in the world, with none other having the same list of mods.

02TahoeMD,

Heck yeah it is! Very well put together, as a matter of fact your Tahoe was an inspiration for me to turn my soccer mom mobile of a Suburban into what it is now. Thank you!

 

[tacollie]

I'm not sure how old you are and what model years you're referencing, but I'd agree with the sentiment Toyota of old were much more reliable than domestic and european rigs. Although my pops had a 90's Ranger that seemed to go forever, but was totally gutless (4 banger). I stuck with Toyota trucks for many years. Still regret selling some of them, i.e. 99 Tacoma TRD OR 5-speed, 01 Taco DC, 98 4Runner Limited. Wish I had a barn to keep them all in. First domestic purchase was in '15 with an F150. Great truck. They've come a long way and really, I was never ever concerned about it getting me home. I think most modern trucks/cars are reliable, as we continue to go through globalization of not only mechanical parts, but talent as well. Engineers are all being pulled from the same pool, designers are getting yanked from one company to another.

Point is, there is no need to be brand loyal these days. Look at the features and base your purchase on that instead. Some of the brainwashed Toyota fans are hilarious, and same with other makes.

By the way, what are some of the "serious issues" with the current Tacoma? I'm assuming they mentioned the auto trans.

I'm 36. My first Toyota was an 82'. It never left me stranded but I did have to put a new roof on it to get a windshield in. Now whenever I get in a car with a sagging headliner the first thing I do is push up on it ?. I sold it to a friend who drove it another 50k miles. He donated it with 355k miles on the clock.

They talked about the transmission and the payload of the Tacoma. I agree the industry has gotten good across the board in the last ten years. I will say in hindsight my dad's Fords broke down because he has never had any money and never took care of anything.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

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.

I just came into the thread here but this touches on something.

When abroad IMO... do as the natives do.

If nobody else has brand X... nobody is going to have parts for brand X or know how to fix brand X.

It goes both ways too, there are vast tracts of the US where Toyotas in general are scarce. Even around me they are not overly common. If you need something Land Cruiser specific around here, you are going to be stuck for a day or two at least. Same for Rover. Same for a G Wagon or anything else "weird" Much like (probably not as bad) if I needed something for my very US Ford in Australia.

I was watching one of the popular youtube overlanding channels and they were talking about taking a Prado across the US. They had a balljoint go bad and it took a lot of work but they found a certain FJ Cruiser that used a compatible one and they had to wait a day or two for one to come in. If I would go abroad I would just as soon do it in whatever their version of a GMT400 Chevy is. I want parts growing on trees and every Cooter's Fixit shop to know it inside and out.

Not that I plan on going to Australia or wherever but where I do go I have tried to keep parts common to keep my junkyard dog going if I break down near Anytown USA. It is a weird truck comprised of dirt common components.

 

[Todd780]

I just came into the thread here but this touches on something.

When abroad IMO... do as the natives do.

If nobody else has brand X... nobody is going to have parts for brand X or know how to fix brand X.
Same for a G Wagon or anything else "weird" Much like (probably not as bad) if I needed something for my very US Ford in Australia.

Agreed. Speaking of G-wagons, I saw a G-wagon 4x4 squared yesterday. I can't imagine it would be easy to get parts for.

 

[iLikeDonuts]

Wow. This thread.

I can tell you why I drive a Taco... More specifically I can tell you why I drive a Taco and not a Suburban or an Expedition. There's me, my wife, and my dog. I go on a lot of trips that are just me and a buddy in their own vehicle. What the hell would I do with a truck that can fit 19 people comfortably?

As for trucks in the same/similar class; Why not a Nissan? Hate the interiors, everything looks 30 years old and everything feels cheap as hell. Seen some ************ pathfinders out in Moab tho. Ranger? Love the looks! But they just came back, I know my Toyota will do the job based on thousands and thousands of other people who have put them through much rougher terrain than I ever will. Colorado? Hasn't really had time to prove itself either, but that's just anecdotal, I'm not a fan of Chevy/GMC. Probably just as capable but it wasn't what I wanted. Jeep? ************************ for the price, hell no.

Nothing wrong with any of those trucks, the above is nothing but my personal reasons for driving what I drive. If you like it, get it, build it, gtf outdoors.

 

[badm0t0rfinger]

.... Why not a Nissan? ....

Well for one they're the only brand trying push an engine older than what Toyota has in theirs....

Serious talk, that brand has STAGNATED since the late 00s. I mean the 370z is kind of exciting, but its essentially a rehash of the 350z which is now 17... 18 years old? The GTR is 13 or 14 years old? The brand doesn't hold much water to me.

 

[Todd780]

Well for one they're the only brand trying push an engine older than what Toyota has in theirs....

Serious talk, that brand has STAGNATED since the late 00s. I mean the 370z is kind of exciting, but its essentially a rehash of the 350z which is now 17... 18 years old? The GTR is 13 or 14 years old? The brand doesn't hold much water to me.

True. I had a supercharged Xterra and quite liked it but, they don't build them anymore. I do kinda like the Armadas though. Just wish they had the Patrol 4WD goodies.

 

[phsycle]

Well for one they're the only brand trying push an engine older than what Toyota has in theirs....

Serious talk, that brand has STAGNATED since the late 00s. I mean the 370z is kind of exciting, but its essentially a rehash of the 350z which is now 17... 18 years old? The GTR is 13 or 14 years old? The brand doesn't hold much water to me.

I'm not sure what it is about Nissan. No major reason NOT to like them. Just never really cared for them. Not sure why. My in-laws are crazy about them, though. That's all they've had, and currently has an Xterra (needs a xfer case rebuild), and Sentra (CVT going out). Not sure why they keep buying them because they haven't had the best luck with them past 80-100k miles.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Well for one they're the only brand trying push an engine older than what Toyota has in theirs....

Serious talk, that brand has STAGNATED since the late 00s. I mean the 370z is kind of exciting, but its essentially a rehash of the 350z which is now 17... 18 years old? The GTR is 13 or 14 years old? The brand doesn't hold much water to me.

Don't forget how hard the Titan flopped when changed it....lol.

 

[badm0t0rfinger]

True. I had a supercharged Xterra and quite liked it but, they don't build them anymore. I do kinda like the Armadas though. Just wish they had the Patrol 4WD goodies.

I looked at an Xterra back in 2009ish before I bought my first Land Rover and it was a cool truck but I really wanted solid axles all round. And for context I looked at the 4Runner too as well as the Land Cruiser, but my options were limited living in Hawaii. The Xtrerra has none of the oomph of a Patrol so fell out of the running early on.

I'm not sure what it is about Nissan. No major reason NOT to like them. Just never really cared for them. Not sure why. My in-laws are crazy about them, though. That's all they've had, and currently has an Xterra (needs a xfer case rebuild), and Sentra (CVT going out). Not sure why they keep buying them because they haven't had the best luck with them past 80-100k miles.

Nissan had a new CEO take over a few years back and he has done the auto manufacturer equivalent of austerity measures. I know people who swear by some of their sedans, but honestly they feel like something you'd buy when you don't want the reliability of Honda or Toyota and you also don't want the curb appeal of a Fusion or Charger. I'd take a Suzuki Kizashi with a manual before I bought a Nissan.

Don't forget how hard the Titan flopped when changed it....lol.

You mean the F150s obese copycat cousin?

 

[Deleted member 9101]

You mean the F150s obese copycat cousin?

Yes..the fat one...haha.

 

[calicamper]

Nissan is in deep trouble. High possibility its done. I liked a couple of their engines they built some decent stuff but today they are pretty much toast. Last March the local infinity dealer a big one closed up shop and the Nissan dealer is pretty much a used car lot today.

 

[Mericas_Meuth]

Well if the recent leaks are even close to accurate there will be a lot more (of a) domestic SUV being used like the Toyotas.... Man does that thing look ************. I'm eager to hear all the official specs on it.

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