Dan from SE PA

[COharbinger]

Hey guys how is it going? My name is Dan, I currently drive a 2WD 2012 Jeep Liberty. I enjoy general outdoors activities like hiking and camping but I'm no expert. I'm located in Pennsylvania.

I guess some questions i have for you guys....
1) Ive taken my liberty through some muddy puddles but she is my daily driver. That being said, im open to recommendations for a budget minded, reliable, dedicated Overlanding rig. Im partial to Jeeps and have been eyeing older XJs, but i am keeping an open mind. WHat are some of the better high mileage Truck/SUVs i should look for?


2) and also, im from the east coast and work full time. I dont currently have the ability to take 60 days to fly to Australia or California to Overland. what are some adventures that would be closer to home?

 

[MA_Trooper]

You have a pretty good vehicle to start with. Though 4 wheel drive is really good to have, its not a necessity until you get into some of the heavier trail stuff. If you want to get a new rig, land cruisers, 4runners, I6 XJs are among the more popular platforms. Great aftermarket support and all quite reliable. There are others that I didn't mention and I am sure folks will chime in with their favorite rig.
There are a lot of great spots to take a weekend getaway, or even do a week long adventure. Get yourself a delorme gazetteer. Check out the local meetups and chat with folks about where they have been. And check the trip forum here for details on some of the past trips people have taken.

 

[COharbinger]

You have a pretty good vehicle to start with. Though 4 wheel drive is really good to have, its not a necessity until you get into some of the heavier trail stuff. If you want to get a new rig, land cruisers, 4runners, I6 XJs are among the more popular platforms. Great aftermarket support and all quite reliable. There are others that I didn't mention and I am sure folks will chime in with their favorite rig.
There are a lot of great spots to take a weekend getaway, or even do a week long adventure. Get yourself a delorme gazetteer. Check out the local meetups and chat with folks about where they have been. And check the trip forum here for details on some of the past trips people have taken.

Thanks for the reply! she is a good vehicle but falls short on simple things like driving through sand and i would really like to camp on the beach. I thought about a locker but dont wanna spend 900 on something that might not work

 

[Luis]

Hey guys how is it going? My name is Dan, I currently drive a 2WD 2012 Jeep Liberty. I enjoy general outdoors activities like hiking and camping but I'm no expert. I'm located in Pennsylvania.

I guess some questions i have for you guys....
1) Ive taken my liberty through some muddy puddles but she is my daily driver. That being said, im open to recommendations for a budget minded, reliable, dedicated Overlanding rig. Im partial to Jeeps and have been eyeing older XJs, but i am keeping an open mind. WHat are some of the better high mileage Truck/SUVs i should look for?


2) and also, im from the east coast and work full time. I dont currently have the ability to take 60 days to fly to Australia or California to Overland. what are some adventures that would be closer to home?

Look at a Toyota 4Runner. Their engines are great, even if they have high Miles on the.

 

[MA_Trooper]

I wouldn't lock a 2wd. if you are doing stuff that requires 4 wheel drive then I would say go that route. There are a lot of great vehicles out there. We would need to know a bit more about you and what you are doing with it to know what to recommend you look at. We all overland a little differently and there really is no one vehicle that fits everyone's needs.
Is it a daily driver (if so I would lean toward a rig with IFS)
Do you have a large family and pets or is it just you (space may be an issue)
What is your primary adventure type (tight trails with mud or rock gardens or sandy....)
Do you tow with it
AS much info as you can give about what you want to do with it would help us steer you toward some options that better suit your needs.

 

[Levidale]

Welcome from West Texas

 

[COharbinger]

I wouldn't lock a 2wd. if you are doing stuff that requires 4 wheel drive then I would say go that route. There are a lot of great vehicles out there. We would need to know a bit more about you and what you are doing with it to know what to recommend you look at. We all overland a little differently and there really is no one vehicle that fits everyone's needs.
Is it a daily driver (if so I would lean toward a rig with IFS)
Do you have a large family and pets or is it just you (space may be an issue)
What is your primary adventure type (tight trails with mud or rock gardens or sandy....)
Do you tow with it
AS much info as you can give about what you want to do with it would help us steer you toward some options that better suit your needs.

It would only be myself, my girlfriend, and a medium sized dog so im not super concerned about space. And I really dont know what i would do with it. Probably no crazy rock crawling but definitely some sand and trails. ive never done this before so i dont know. I like the $Runners and Tacomas but i was concerned with the mileage that is in my price range

 

[Roger352]

Hello and welcome from the uk

 

[MA_Trooper]

It would only be myself, my girlfriend, and a medium sized dog so im not super concerned about space. And I really dont know what i would do with it. Probably no crazy rock crawling but definitely some sand and trails. ive never done this before so i dont know. I like the $Runners and Tacomas but i was concerned with the mileage that is in my price range

I'm a sucker for the 4Runners and Tacomas too. And like you, I just can't drop 10k on rig with 200k miles on it. So I got a Trooper. I love it. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I love this rig. There is horrible aftermarket support so you have to be a bit handy to do upgrades. And the 4l30E that comes in it is junk. Get a manual if you go trooper. Another budget rig that is pretty capable is the Montero. Some trims come with lockers. Or you go the way of the older Pathfinder. Another really capable rig with better aftermarket (still not spectacular) support. If you don't care about brand then a Mazda B series could work. It's basically just a Ford Ranger at a fraction of the cost. The Suzuki Equator is just a Frontier with NIZMO package at a fraction of the cost. Any of those give you ideas? Or should I keep going? If you have time, go to a few meetups with OBers and see what they drive and what they have done with their rigs. There is a wealth of info. Kinda surprised to see so few responses in here. Usually folks are all too happy to give an opinion ;)

 

[COharbinger]

I'm a sucker for the 4Runners and Tacomas too. And like you, I just can't drop 10k on rig with 200k miles on it. So I got a Trooper. I love it. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I love this rig. There is horrible aftermarket support so you have to be a bit handy to do upgrades. And the 4l30E that comes in it is junk. Get a manual if you go trooper. Another budget rig that is pretty capable is the Montero. Some trims come with lockers. Or you go the way of the older Pathfinder. Another really capable rig with better aftermarket (still not spectacular) support. If you don't care about brand then a Mazda B series could work. It's basically just a Ford Ranger at a fraction of the cost. The Suzuki Equator is just a Frontier with NIZMO package at a fraction of the cost. Any of those give you ideas? Or should I keep going? If you have time, go to a few meetups with OBers and see what they drive and what they have done with their rigs. There is a wealth of info. Kinda surprised to see so few responses in here. Usually folks are all too happy to give an opinion ;)

Definetly gives me some ideas. There are so many great vehicles that dont have much support, my liberty is one of them. I loves VW, i thought the Touareg wouylkd be decent seeing as they race them in Dakar rally but the support for it is garbage