Tell me about aftermarket support for your rig?

[Jeff Graham]

I'm wondering what the community thinks of the Aftermarket support for the vehicle they chose to use for Overlanding. I will be staging my vehicle out of the country for a bit, so will need to buy another vehicle, to back fill for weekend adventures. This starting me thinking about the many variables that are considered, when choosing an Overland Vehicle.

Did aftermarket support play a hole in choosing what you would use for Overlanding?

If you chose a less common vehicle to build, tell me about the challenges, and how you worked through them?

 

[theick]

It seems like for Jeeps and the Toyotas the aftermarket is really good. There is less for Nissan but still enough for what most people want.

I see a lot of people on here with full sized trucks and SUV's that struggle to get a lot of stuff. Although AEV is doing some great things for the Dodge truck. I don't think that the Raptor is really suited for overland but maybe the new V6 will get good enough gas mileage to have a decent range. Even Subaru's are getting pretty good support with lifts and armor etc now.

I think that if you're handy and like to fab stuff than you can make the specific things you need for just about any model.

 

[TerryD]

Aftermarket support wasn't a huge factor in getting a 2nd gen Xterra for me. Nissan has a good reputation and I've always like the Xterra, coupled with the facts that 1: Its less than the cost of a Toyota that's twice as old 2: Has IFS and a leaf sprung solid rear axle and 3: fits my family of five very comfortably.

There is ok support for it, better than say a Geo Tracker but not nearly the support the Jeep Wrangler gets. You can get racks and snorkels and lifts easy enough, there's just not as broad a market since its kind of a niche vehicle.

I like the automatic transmission in the Xterra better than the Jeep's but wish I had a manual shift t-case as the Xterra's can be finicky. It also doesn't have a central axle disconnect like the S10 Blazer I had did, but I don't like CADs as they tend to fail when you really need them.

The lift selection is a little narrow. I'm looking for a 2-3" overall lift, but the Xterra will clear a 33" tire without a lift, just flattening a plastic bump on the inner wheel well.

So that's my $0.02 on my Xterra. I'm happy with it and look forward to many years worth of use from it!

 

[OffroadTreks]

I see a lot of people on here with full sized trucks and SUV's that struggle to get a lot of stuff. Although AEV is doing some great things for the Dodge truck. I don't think that the Raptor is really suited for overland but maybe the new V6 will get good enough gas mileage to have a decent range. Even Subaru's are getting pretty good support with lifts and armor etc now.

That's surprising statement to make, there is a good size market for full sizes. People have been lifting them for a LONG time. Were I find the full-size market lacking is more functional dept/overlanding geared. Seems the smaller rigs like a Tacoma for example have 30 dozen people making bumpers. All bolt on. In the fullsize world, you've maybe 10 companies making bumpers and things, but they tend to be "BIG BOY" truck style. Not geared towards really improving things. Or cattle guard style. And those are the bolt ons. Then you've got more of the small fab shops, and overall, across the board, just much more expensive.

Suspension though, pretty much covered. But the costs are pretty high. King shocks valved properly and a 3 inch lift on a 2500, looking at dropping 4-5 grand easy.

 

[Raul B]

I usually tend to pick the vehicle that most people won't use. When I first started moding my F150 there were not a whole lot of companies doing anything overland related for full size rigs. It wasn't until this year that the full size overland market is finally starting to get bigger......

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[Quicksilver]

TerryD said pretty much what I was going to, and then some. I would only add that because it's a smaller market, the prices for some things are considerably higher.

 

[Raul B]

TerryD said pretty much what I was going to, and then some. I would only add that because it's a smaller market, the prices for some things are considerably higher.

And in alot of cases have to be custom made.

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[theick]

That's surprising statement to make, there is a good size market for full sizes. People have been lifting them for a LONG time. Were I find the full-size market lacking is more functional dept/overlanding geared. Seems the smaller rigs like a Tacoma for example have 30 dozen people making bumpers. All bolt on. In the fullsize world, you've maybe 10 companies making bumpers and things, but they tend to be "BIG BOY" truck style. Not geared towards really improving things. Or cattle guard style. And those are the bolt ons. Then you've got more of the small fab shops, and overall, across the board, just much more expensive.

Suspension though, pretty much covered. But the costs are pretty high. King shocks valved properly and a 3 inch lift on a 2500, looking at dropping 4-5 grand easy.

Thats really the point I was making. Lifting a full size is easy and relatively cheap. I've had a few that were uncomfortable to drive on the smoothest of dirt roads. Lifting a full size and having it ride decent is a different story. Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of bad lifts out there for midsize as well but there is a lot of quality stuff. Done right, a short wheelbase full size would be a really nice overland vehicle, you just don't see to many around.

 

[boss324]

Thats really the point I was making. Lifting a full size is easy and relatively cheap. I've had a few that were uncomfortable to drive on the smoothest of dirt roads. Lifting a full size and having it ride decent is a different story. Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of bad lifts out there for midsize as well but there is a lot of quality stuff. Done right, a short wheelbase full size would be a really nice overland vehicle, you just don't see to many around.

Depends on what components you put on. Not sure about cheap if done right. In my case a 2500 Suburban with full Cognito UCA, leveled and Fox 2.0 with other supporting mods, such as sumo bump stops Cognito endlinks and bushings the full-size burb handles the rough stuff pretty good and comfortable. Not harsh at all the this setup does a good job of keeping the burb compliant. I am really happy with how it handles on and off road. We just finished a trip and one of the 1500 Suburban in our group
Had converted to coilovers with a cheap RC lift. My buddy in an FJ couldn't keep up with him as he just floats over the terrain. After market for full-sized rigs are growing across all platforms, even companies doing coilover conversions for GMT800s.

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[OffroadTreks]

I should maybe differentiate my comments between 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton full sizes. I upgraded from the 1/2 ton because most of those lifts are not adequate for offroad use. Maybe a mud bog. But most are really geared towards "Appearance". It seems like trucks with IFS tend to have less options in the performance department. I've found a lot more real suspension systems in the 3/4 ton market.

Not to get into an IFS vs Solid Axle department, but for trucks weighting as much as they do, it makes a lot more sense that 3/4 tons would share more of that market than their half ton counter parts.

Now, granted mid size trucks like the Tacoma have A LOT of options. I'm really glad to see the Colorado coming into it's own to give Toyota some competition. And now we have the possibly of the Ranger returning. Mid size market should get interesting again.

 

[1derer]

Personally I started with a very well supported platform FZJ80 which has an amazing amount of support at a very high cost in comparison to Jeep, Tacoma, even somewhat limited Xterra can get bolt ons for a lot less.

When that rig was totaled in an accident I went to a completely unsupported platform in the USA HJ70 Australian model with next to NO support. This forced me to make the next level in fabrication, planning and vehicle support. However would not have gone this way without a lot of tools, space to work and a daily driver.

Challenges: 2H diesel almost doesn't exist in USA, sourcing parts required eBay, overseas ordering, no supply of sliders, armor (still working on making) great learning experience. Lucky for me a lot of consumable parts, bearings, u-joints, Berf parts can be sourced directly from FJ60 but that has also been a learning experience.

 

[Jeff Graham]

Personally I started with a very well supported platform FZJ80 which has an amazing amount of support at a very high cost in comparison to Jeep, Tacoma, even somewhat limited Xterra can get bolt ons for a lot less.

When that rig was totaled in an accident I went to a completely unsupported platform in the USA HJ70 Australian model with next to NO support. This forced me to make the next level in fabrication, planning and vehicle support. However would not have gone this way without a lot of tools, space to work and a daily driver.

Challenges: 2H diesel almost doesn't exist in USA, sourcing parts required eBay, overseas ordering, no supply of sliders, armor (still working on making) great learning experience. Lucky for me a lot of consumable parts, bearings, u-joints, Berf parts can be sourced directly from FJ60 but that has also been a learning experience.

Did you import the HJ70?

 

[1derer]

Did you import the HJ70?

Yes its quite a process that I will never do again while I live CA, other states I'd consider it but even without cost of the state its quite a lot more expensive then how the numbers 1st look.

 

[armymgdude]

Because I have owned many different offroad rigs that were way too over built by me or previous owners, I chose the best factory built capable rig for my needs. Every rig that I had that was awesome offroad, sucked on the highway or needed a trailer to get to the trails. For my needs, I went with a mostly stock power wagon. There is enough aftermarket support, but I wanted stock and capable so parts are easy to get anywhere in north America. If I didn't tow a 7000 lb travel trailer, I would probably have a Rubicon. Just kidding, I would still have my power wagon...

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[Craig M]

My last rig was a 2005 Suburban Z71.. For basic stuff like lifts and 4wd running gear there is plenty available, but for many things there aren't many options, if any. Bumpers were a big one for me. I ended up going with Ranch Hand bumpers (after destroying the factory plastic bumper covers) because I needed something better and the cost was about the same as replacing the stock stuff. They were heavy duty for sure, and I loved that they had a lot of flat surfaces to stand on, but while the clearance was improved from stock, and I could rub them on rocks and whatnot without ripping them off, they still left a lot of room for improvement.

When I was ready to replace the Suburban (last August) I went back and forth between the FJ Cruiser and Jeep JKU. I really liked both pretty equally but I ultimately chose the Jeep for that extra bit of aftermarket support and available resources.

 

[vegasjeepguy]

It's hard to argue that the Jeep Wrangler is one of the most aftermarket support platform in the United States. While more common today with the wide acceptance of the 4dr Jeep Wrangler by the non-off-road types, it's hard to find a Wrangler that is bone stock. Whether it's just lights or a full blown suspension lift and cage on 35s, e options are staggering and I am reminded of that every time I get a Quadratec catalog in the mail. Hell, even my 70+ year old neighbors installed a tow package on the 2dr JK to tow behind their RV.

And to answer the OPs question, yes, aftermarketsupport played a big role in that choice.

 

[1derer]

Because I have owned many different offroad rigs that were way too over built by me or previous owners, I chose the best factory built capable rig for my needs. Every rig that I had that was awesome offroad, sucked on the highway or needed a trailer to get to the trails. For my needs, I went with a mostly stock power wagon. There is enough aftermarket support, but I wanted stock and capable so parts are easy to get anywhere in north America. If I didn't tow a 7000 lb travel trailer, I would probably have a Rubicon. Just kidding, I would still have my power wagon...

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Doesn't get any better for a factory full sized imho

 

[Graeman]

Yes its quite a process that I will never do again while I live CA, other states I'd consider it but even without cost of the state its quite a lot more expensive then how the numbers 1st look.

If you need diesel parts or any other factory parts for your vehicle check out Joes Classic Cruisers LLC. He imports TLC's from Europe all of the time and has a nice supply of factory parts on hand at his Van Alstyne Texas shop. joesclassiccruisers@outlook.com

 

[Smileyshaun]

I chose mine because it was cheap , reliable , parts can be found anywhere and I could take it apart and put it back together in my sleep.

 

[1derer]

If you need diesel parts or any other factory parts for your vehicle check out Joes Classic Cruisers LLC. He imports TLC's from Europe all of the time and has a nice supply of factory parts on hand at his Van Alstyne Texas shop. joesclassiccruisers@outlook.com

Actually parts are the easy part the cost that I was referring to had nothing to do whit cost of maintenance in fact its been cheaper then my domestic FJ80.