Needs assesment for an expedition vehicle
As previously mentioned, I am a bit up in the air over what I want to do for an expedition vehicle to get me through the next couple of years. I love my faithful Hi-Lux, it’s been a great companion on lots of great trips, but it’s getting to be time to do some work on it, or move on to something else. I really don’t have a problem with working on the old Toy, it’s a very easy rig to work on and parts are still very cheap. It’s also quite reassuring to see the very same truck driving around in every country I’ve been to so far. This most likely means getting parts in these places would be not too big a deal.
Now here is where I run into problems. As many of you know I have two kids. My daughter is six years old now and has traveled many places with me since she was about three years old. She was very well potty trained and could talk to me about what was going on, and traveling with her so young was never a problem. Now my son is two and a half years and he will definitely be ready to follow in his sisters foot steps. So that means a minimum of one adult and two kids on a trip in a little truck and it doesn’t take a genius to see that room becomes a problem really fast. The kids gear and clothes don’t take up too much room at this point, and we can all sleep in the bed of the truck pretty comfortable, but the problem is the seat in the cab. It’s tight and not much fun on a long trip, especially ones that are in and out of the cab routinely for weeks at a time like I have planned for this summer and on into the future.
At this point I’m kinda wondering what my choices are, and what I could find to fit my budget. I’ve narrowed the choices down to three of solid contenders and would like to see if I can get some input from friends are readers if at all possible.
The first option is to keep the Toyota truck, make it as comfortable as possible and fix all the little things that have been coming up as well as carry out the upgrades that would make it more capable. This would be the simple is good route that’s been working for a couple of years now.
Second option is to buy and build a friends 1979 Chevy Van. This is no normal van, though. It’s a 3/4 ton 4×4 converted van with an almost new motor that is mechanically as sound as the day it rolled off the lot and is plenty stout. While it’s probably not as capable as the Toyota, with it’s 35″ tires and the addition of a winch and air lockers this rig could go anywhere I would ever really care to go. The real benefit is that there is all that room inside. The van has four captains chairs, which would be just fine for my needs, and then there is plenty of room to fabricate a sleeping area with maybe some type of slide out drawers for storage. The addition of an awning and a roof rack would be about all that would be needed to make for a pretty good trip anywhere. The only thing I’m not quite sure of is parts availability south of the border, but I hope to have a solid answer on that here in the near future from my buddy down in Panama.
Good examples of this are sportsmobile and quigley
Maybe something like this:
Third option is a 1996 to 2004 Toyota 4runner with a V6. These are my favorite vehicles out there right now. The engines are a perfect mix of power and fuel efficiency, the running gear is fairly stout for a newer vehicle, and they are comfortable to ride in for hours at a time. Parts are everywhere here in the US and as far as I can tell in most places south of the border, which is a good deal. The only real set back I see to these is that they are a little small on the inside, and fitting three people with gear could be a concern. A build up would probably include a roof rack, and definitely include an e-locker and suspension lift, with some 285′s, as well as a winch on a warn front bumper and some other good armor. This would also be the most expensive route, I would add.
So there you have it. These are the three choices for expedition vehicles I have somewhat decided on. Let me hear what you think about my ideas, or just tell me I am totally off, and what you think I should do. I hope to have something at least in the starting stages of development by June of this coming year, so the time to decide this is now. What do you think?
December 23rd, 2009 at 3:04 pm
That runner in the picture is lookin Tuff! I bet it even looks better now! I guess I don’t have to tell you wich road in what vehicle I would take! The Toyota 4 runner or land cruiser would be ideal for overland! Although a conversion is the ultimate camping machine and extremely capable they are large and heavy. On some trails it maybe oversized! I just would hate to try and turn a beast around on a tight overgrown steep road! But I know you don’t like those types of roads so that probably does not apply to you. For a few week long trip X country to state parks and a little off road here and there I would say a van would be perfect!
December 25th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
I wouldn’t totally underestimate the ability of a 4×4 van! As long as you are aware of limitations (which applies to any mild built 4×4!) they are capable of going quite a few places. The Quigley 4×4 vans have even been in rock crawling competitions!
I agree that the 4runner is looking good in that picture. Too bad I don’t have any more recent pictures, since it looks so much better now!
The van would be a good thing to have in some cases, but not all. The only real solution is to have a smaller 4×4 and a 4×4 van so that one could have the best of both worlds. While that would be awesome, I’m not sure that it would work out so well for me. Storage being a pretty big concern, as figuring out where to keep one vehicle for months at a time while I’m gone can be a pain, but two is probably going to be a problem. I am trying to keep possessions to some kind of a minimum, and having a bunch of vehicles is contrary to my wants right now.
The Hi-lux is still out ahead, just for it’s reliability, low cost of operation and maintenance, and the fact that I already own it. Putting $10k out for another rig doesn’t totally make sense, when I could outfit the truck really well for half that much. It wouldn’t ever be as comfortable as the other options, but nothing in my life is really like that anyways, and I’m ok with it. I’m not really a shiny and cool type of guy, ya know?
January 30th, 2010 at 5:05 am
I live south of the border now…have been for some time. Currently, I have a 2001 Toyota Pre-runner with the double cab and a cap on the bed. If you have an option along those lines…that would be a very good way to go. I’m not afraid to take that truck most anywhere except deep flat mud. That said, the Chevy Van also has quite an appeal. Parts for those are VERY common around here. My hang up with it is width on some trails and roads (in town too). Aside from that, it gets my vote.
January 31st, 2010 at 5:28 am
Where are you at south of the border? I spend about a quarter of the year in Baja! It’s pretty amazing.
I’ve thought about the double cab taco as well…..I’m starting to lean more towards the newer Toy. I’m going to do some shopping in March when I get back to the states, hopefully I can get a good deal. If not, I’ll try something else, most likely the van.
January 31st, 2010 at 4:13 pm
If they don’t have parts for 3/4 ton Chevy trucks and small block 350 motors in Mexico then I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.
I do a lot of offroading. I currently 4wheel and camp in a highly modified 89 Jeep Cherokee. In your situation, I would go with the van, because when those kids start to grow you’ll have to get something bigger anyways, and the vans are highly capable as long as you know the lines and avoid bad angles since they are a little top heavy.
Keep your powder dry and God Bless.
February 1st, 2010 at 10:04 pm
I’m not too worried about Mexico, for parts, but I’m more concerned with south of there. I guess that having a good spare parts set is going to go a long way, as you never know what you will find on the road.
I think that common vehicles are going to change quite a bit as well…… depending on the country. It’s part of the fun!