but you all forget the feeling you will have when you sit in a landrover!
it's daktari feeling

you won't have it, when you drive a rice-cooker.

this is the old, very old question between lr and toyo. you can't clear it. only by yourself.

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my quad/ atv - travelling on
www.quadridesafrica.de

No, it's not the Daktari feeling at all, it's the feeling of relief that if you are smart enough to be driving a Toyota you won't be spending half your trip hunting for workshops!
Now, more than ever, is not the time to purchase a vehicle which may not be in production within 12 months!!
Forget the Daktari feeling - get real - think with your head!

It really does make me laugh this argument.......

I am sure that there must be examples of Land Rovers faililng, but I have read HUNDREDS of overland websites and not come across one.

Go to the link below and see that, surprise surprise, Toyotas break down catastophically too! And even more ironically, spare parts for the Toyota weren't available and it has to be shipped back to the UK, whilst they continue the rest of their trip in a hire car.

End of the trip

Now to be fair to Graham they have had a great trip, and written some nice stuff, but he was also a huge advocate of Toyatos and wrote several emails explaining why you shouldn't take a land rover. I think he is now of a different opinion, but I believe he reads the HUBB and so will most probably answer for himself.

I think all I am trying to say is anything you drive could break down, but remember, it's not all about just getting from A-B but it's about the adventure, well certainly it is for me.

Long Live Romance!

PS Well done Graham and family for their great trip, and for inspiring others with their great blog and photos! Good luck for the rest of the trip

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Ollie

www.jollyfollies.com

Land's End to Sydney 2009

The thing that makes me laugh is that every overlanding style trip report I read in the LR mags seems to feature at least one trip report.

Also, pretty well every LC owner I know who regularly does trips to N. Africa and beyond, started using LRs, but upgraded to an LC due to LR reliability problems and have never looked back. And despite comments on this board, they have

And yes, LCs can break down, but that is more often down to poor initial servicing or abuse, as opposed to due to inherent weaknesses.

As for finding a vehicle, get in touch with B A I L L I E ' S O F F R O A D & S A F A R I S - Chris C and others have highly recommended them - they may be able to put you in touch with someone selling an LC.

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Cheers,

Julian Voelcker
Overland Cruisers - Specialising in Land Cruiser preparation and servicing.

Perhaps the LR Vs LC debate should be taken off to a differnet thread? It would seem that Mr Marker is after some serious advice here .... and it would seem that he is aware of the reliability record of a LC over a LR ....

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Ollie

www.jollyfollies.com

Land's End to Sydney 2009

Of course Ollie, you are right.

Interestingly I followed Graham's problems from the outset - he was very unlucky.

It seems it all stems from a leak in his power steering system - the pump overheated and seized, killing some timing gears which was then 'fixed' badly with the engine not being flushed properly and then cr*p getting into the oil system killing a big end bearing.

It's a shame he didn't spot the initial problems with the power steering pump, it's scary how quickly these things can escalate.

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Cheers,

Julian Voelcker
Overland Cruisers - Specialising in Land Cruiser preparation and servicing.

My LR has been very reliable but there is always something going on that needs sorting, a little niggle here and a little niggle there, most of these niggles are as a result of my constant tinkering and at times it can really upset me, I sometimes threaten to get rid of it and buy a Jap but always, always! come to my senses.

There is something special about owning a LR, it can't be found anywhere else and it comes from the person that built it, the builders moods and attitudes are passed down to the vehicles and you just have to hope that you find one that was built with the right attitude otherwise its going to give you hell for as long as you own it!

Back to the thread, If youre looking in SA, have you considered a Nissan Hardbody? I would take one of these over a Toyota anyday.

Thanks all for your responses. The trip was already last year and has been great with absolutely zero vehicle problems during the 16.000 kms.Changed our minds and were lucky that a friend lend us his car. A 1986 Landcruiser!

really!!!!!! toyota reliable read this as one example

Toyota 200 Series VX LandCruiser - Disaster @ ExplorOz

Hey Ollie,

I travelled for a while in Namibia together with your car when it was still called Biggles, (or was it Giggles? and with another white LR, I believe it was called Kate. Me being a Toyo man I was amazed that almost every evening when we got to our destination, the LR guys had to open the hood and fumble around or dove under the cars. Leaking fuel tanks, leaking radiators, electrical shortcircuits etc, one of them even dropped a valve and they had to rebuild the engine completely (not your car!). I had a couple of broken leafspring (which where not original Toyota) during our trip of 60.000 km. Obviously Toyota´s break down as well but not as often. You still have to start your trip and i hope all goes well but be shure you master the mecanics of the LR because you´ll need it.

Cheers,
Noel
exploreafrica.web-log.nl

Absolutely amazing!
Here is a guy asking a genuine question about a LR and the LC people cannot leave him alone - get out of it! - **** off, just go to your own pissing little contest of a thread and leave the LR people alone to talk LRs - what is wrong with that!
By the way, Merry Christmas, what is left of it.

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Dave

I agree! I even started another thread so people could go an do the p1ssing competition elsewhere ....

It is strange how they can't let it go.

And yes my LR may break down, but I don't care! That will be the fun. Please don't reply, because I know all the risks, and it just makes happy people miserable when you try and convince us life is terrible unless we do it your way!

PS Merry Christmas to all too

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Ollie

www.jollyfollies.com

Land's End to Sydney 2009

Hey Cornish, and the original poster,

Don't be too alarmed at the anti LR comments.

My Discovery I had 141,000 miles on the clock when I bought it in 2002, almost seven years later 220,000 miles, it's a '93, 200Tdi. Of course over that time it has been serviced regularly and had quite a lot of maintenance work done on it.
Up to 171,000 I had done little work on the car other than servicing, as we were now prepping the car for our first trip to Tunisia in 2004, so at this point the car is eleven years old.
I rebuilt all four of the axle ends, new bearings, seals, swivel bearings, discs, pads, etc.
I had the cam belt changed this would have been the third belt change I guess, this was when the new water pump was fitted. I had a re-con gear and transfer box fitted by Ashcroft's and bought five new tyres. Apart from a thorough check over by LR and changing all of the oils and filters, that was it.

My LR is not just a "school bus" it get's used. It has been to the desert in Tunisia three times, bounced around the dunes with all the others. Yes, it did let me down in the desert in Tunisia, the waterpump failed, it was only five months old. and since the water pump failed it has never let me down to the extent of needing to be recovered. Even with a failed pump I continued driving it for four more days, with the 300 the head would have warped due to the water pump being higher up on the block. Following this it had an overheating problem that was solved by renewing the radiator.

50,000 miles since the prep work was done the car is still running on the same parts, even down to the Britpart replacement water pump that I fitted outside the Novotel in Marsielle. AFAIK the engine, and all ancilleries are the originals, nothing has been replaced, other than those parts mentioned above, so I guess the engine had done 220,000 miles and still not had the head removed. Let's not forget that the car is now sixteen years old, yes it is suffering from rust, and lots of it, but mechanically it has been very, very reliable.

And finally, no, I do not spend every weekend tinkering.

Best of luck with the big trip BTW,

Kevin

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www.4x4-travel.co.uk

Dear Ollie,

Sorry that you picked it up this way. It wasn´t intended this way. Off course your LR will make it. Hell, you can even make it to Cape Town in a Citroen 2CV as the Belgian guys demonstrated. You just need different preparations depending on the vehicle! In a way I admire the LR drivers beause they stick to their ideals where as I sold out to "security". I think that is also a personality thing. All the LC drivers I know are sort of "control freaks" whereas the LR guys seem to be more of the "take it as it comes" type of people which is a very good thing when your travelling. I still think the LC is stronger than the LR but that does not say anything about the quality of your travels!!! I am sure you would not enjoy your trip as much in a LC as you will in your LR, because our heart is in it. All LR drivers seem to give their cars a name while you hardly ever see that with LC´s. A LR is a family member while the LC is only a vehicle.

Enjoy,

Noel

first: i haven't have so much repairs on my 110 HT diesel and my 300tdi during my trips. (my sIII was different)

second: i have seen toyotas break down

third: i'm thinking with my head, but more i try to feel with my heart!

__________________
my quad/ atv - travelling on
www.quadridesafrica.de