landrover, toyota or something else?

[geokobbi]

I'm a biker and I have never had a real 4x4.

I would though like to buy one shortly and prepare it for overland trip to Africa.

I have the feeling most people use LandRovers. Why is that? Some are using Toyota. What is the best type of 4x4 to use, in terms of overland accessories and spare parts on the move.

Jakob


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[Chris Scott]

Do a search on this forum Geo and you will find this topic has been discussed many, many times.
And no doubt will again...

Ch

[Bundubasher]

Hi
Since you're in Reykjavik, Iceland, you must know "Arctic Trucks"? They primarily use Toyotas don't they? In Southern Africa, most of the hunters/safari operators I know also use Toyotas (75, 78 series) although there is a die-hgard band of LandRover users they sort of lost credibility as rugged overland vehicles after the demise of the series III!

enzo


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Enzo
BUNDUBASHER.com

[geokobbi]

It's no problem for me to get info on 4x4 toyotas for snow and extreamly hard terrain here in Iceland, since we are most likely building the best 4x4 trucks in the world :-). And yes, I know Artic trucks. They sell Toyotas and also Yamaha motorcycles.

But the things with our jeeps it that they are not made for overlanding trips, meaning sand, desert storms etc. It would be best for me to buy one of the Toyota as the Landrover is way to expensive, but I wanted to hear from experianced drivers which of these two cars were better for general overlandig experience.

Jakob

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[Toby2]

Bottom line - inspite of personal preferences, both Toyota Landcruisers and Landrover Defenders are equally capable. There are minor advantages and disadvantages with each - eg, landcruisers have bigger engines which would be nice in Landrovers, the Landrover suspension is better than the Landcruisers, etc etc. Most the commentry on it comes from diehard supporters of each brand and most people do seem to come down clearly on one side or the other. Unfortunately this usually leads to biased comparisons.

In terms of support, parts, there are definitely more TLCs in north Africa meaning its easier to get parts but also the bandits tend to prefer them. There seems to be more Landrovers in East Africa. However you should be able to get parts for both relatively easily throughout Africa. If TLCs are significantly cheaper then go for one of those. (and for the record I drive an expedition Defender and a Range Rover so I don't have a bias towards Landcruisers).

Either way, have a good expedition.

[usl]

Hi ;

I have the same problem with geokobbi. Want to buy one but dont know what to buy.

I read the thread, made a search in the local market and found aout that TLC is about 60,000$, which is way over my limits. But old models with around 200,000 or 300,000 km.s on it are within my budget.

So, are those milages are too much for that car? If yes, around what km should it be? and is there a limit to model?

Cheers,

[Toby2]

Depends on how good your are mechanically and how much work you want to do. These vehicles are quite capable of doing large amount of milage. However parts wear out even when its been done in easy conditions such as motorway commuting. If the vehicle has been used in ardous conditions such as offroading then this increases the chances of problems. There are 30 year old landcruisers with massive amounts of kilometres pottering around Africa and Australia. But if you are going to go for one of these then you should expect to have to carry out some repairs. As to models, there are 40 series LCs going up and down through Africa, we met a couple of expeditions using them and they are fine, as our 60 series, 75 series, 78 series, 80 series and 100 series. Obviously make sure you keep some of your budget in reserve for a major overhaul if you go for an older one prior to doing your expedition. Key items such as suspension, bushes, exhaust, running gear, tyres, etc may all need to be changed and that will be a significant expenditure on top of your purchase price.