Hi
just come back after 3.5 years away, to me its about what you want to do/go, 4x4 is handy but if you don't want to go to deserts and deep mud jungle roads you don't need it. Two good friends of mine have been the same places as I have been in a 308 merc camper van, no ground clearance, no 4x4. Yea they got stuck on the beach and had to be pulled up to the lake on the Karakorum, but no big deal always someone to help. It was ultra reliable and inexpensive. If you don't want to go off road to those really really remote places you don't need a 4x4 but like I said it is handy .
The merc is easy to get repaired, change the clutch and do the essentials, however you can garuantee the part that breaks is the part you have not got. The best bit 3 bits of advice I got was:
don't spend all your cash on a vehicle that you cant then afford to take anywhere.
In choosing whether to go somewhere don't listen to those that have NOT been there.
And in case of breakdown or disaster put on kettle and calm down its always easier after a cuppa
Good luck you will love it and have the time of your lives, be warned coming back into the real world can be really, really hard.
hope this helps Mark
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