Vehicle Choices

The choice of vehicle can be a very personal one. For the most part it doesn’t matter what you are driving as long as it is capable of performing the required mission.

Before selecting a vehicle you need to determine what exactly will you be using the vehicle for. Are you looking for something that will take you across the nation comfortably? Are you looking for something that will be able to make it across any reasonable obstacle with little or no outside help? Perhaps you are just looking for something to use to carry your camping gear down abandoned logging roads. Have a really good “think” about how you want to use your vehicle before selecting a platform.

If you want to do the style of off-roading as depicted in advertising on television you will be very disappointed to find out that depicted vehicle torture tests will destroy a regular production vehicle. High speed runs across huge boulder fields will break a vehicle. In fact, in most cases off-roading can be summarized by the following old adage:

“When off-road, drive your vehicle as fast as possible to use momentum to advantage to avoid getting stuck, but go as slow as possible to minimize the risk of damaging the vehicle.”

Sounds contradictory? In some respects it is. When you think about it logically you will realize that it is better to get stuck than to break your vehicle. This is why it is so important to equip you vehicle so that you are able to extricate it with the use of other equipment besides the driveline. Winches, cables, come-alongs, etc. should be carried when travelling off the beaten path.

Vehicles worth looking into

Off-roading is different things to different people. If you intend to be driving back roads and such then a newer stock Toyota, Jeep or Subaru might suit your needs.

If you expect to be in mud up to or over the door sills or in the bush a week at a time consider one of the older, simpler vehicles listed below. For serious off-roading I would tend to shy away from anything new. New vehicles can be great but when you get in a “situation” when off-road expect to see some form of damage to the vehicle unless it is heavily customized.

If you are worried about damaging the paint on your vehicle or resale value I suggest you seriously rethink how you intend to use the vehicle. Also be aware that every vehicle out there in stock form will need some form of suspension upgrade to go very far off the beaten path. Getting hung up all the time can be very frustrating.

Size is also a big factor, depending on location you may have to be thinking ATV sized vehicles. Alternatively, where there are lots of open spaces a large vehicle such as a full-size American truck may be appropriate.

I admit freely that I am very biased when it comes to recommending vehicles. That being said, you may want to delve into the details to build your own set of criteria for selecting a vehicle. Here’s my list of reasonable vehicle choices

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Suzuki Samurai

These are great little trucks. They are are reliable and easy to fix when they have problems.

Pro

Con

Can be easily built to go just about anywhere Cheap to purchase Good aftermarket support Cheap to modify and maintain. Realistically, you can build a “hard core” Sam for less than $5000USD. Even enlisting the use of a Sam “tuner” they still end up being cheap relative to other makes. Cheap to operate Excellent fuel consumption Light, nimble, fun! With the roof off the Samurai almost gives the little British sports car feel. Because they are small and light, stuck is not very stuck – easy to extricate. Simple, easy to work on Parts are lightweight (part of easy to work on). As an example, I can lift a fully kitted out engine, minus accessories, by myself without a hoist. Available in soft top and pickup configurations Tread Lightly; light weight of Samurai leads to less environmental damage

They are small trucks, when packing you have to think “backpacker” not “RV”. If you already are a backpacker then no problem. Some of this can be alleviated with either the long wheel base version or the pickup version of the Samurai. Can be underpowered for highway driving if the engine is left stock. Only 64hp can be tiresome in hilly terrain. Building the engine to 100hp wakes these little trucks up. Depending on terrain the driveline components can be too light duty Lack of prestige. If you have a problem with people making fun of your vehicle you may want to look at other vehicles. The loud mouths tend to get very quiet when you idle through an obstacle that they spent the last hour destroying with their “heavy-duty” vehicle – but that’s life. Interior can be primitive, noisy, weather-sensitive in early models

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Toyota Land Cruiser

Almost the same as a Samurai in configuration (actually, a Samurai is almost the same as a TLC to be precise) except the scale is different. TLCs are about Jeep size, maybe slightly larger/heavier but come with heavy duty parts. The models worth looking at are the FJ-40, FJ-55, FJ-6x and FJ-80 series.

Pro	Con
Heavy duty driveline components Available in diesel engine configurations Large vehicle for carrying lots of gear Very good looking vehicles in the rugged, military looking way Good aftermarket support Some models are easier to work on Available in soft top, pickup, and four door wagon configurations. Available electric lockers front and rear Available full time or part time four wheel drive	Parts can be expensive Parts can be hard to find Sometimes can be too large or heavy depending on the terrain Newer models come with IFS (1998+) Interior can be primitive, noisy, weather-sensitive in early models Expensive to operate with gas engines

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Jeeps

I’ve always had a weakness for the Scrambler/CJ-8. Be careful in the Jeep regime. You can spend a lot of money because the OEM and aftermarket parts manufacturers are aware that Jeep owners will pay a premium for parts. Can be expensive for good aftermarket parts in particular. Some years/models have better drivetrains than others, recent models have fairly good underpinnings. Used TJs are available for relatively good prices but are expensive compared to normal cars. The later model Cherokees are of unit body contruction and may be a liability in extreme off-road usage. The recent IFS based stuff will take a lot of effort to make off-road capable in spite of what a $2 “Trail Rated” badge on the fender may say.

Pro	Con
Available in soft top configurations Huge aftermarket support Parts are common Good vehicle with a good history “Classic” styling Reasonably small and light vehicle for trail work Lots of technical resources for information Some models are easier to work on	Parts can be expensive Unit body construction in some models Some years and models have disappointing drivelines Fairly common platform for build-up Commonly need to swap out driveline parts to upgrade to reliable systems depending on usage Interior can be primitive, noisy, weather-sensitive in early models Can be expensive to operate depending on engine

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Early Bronco (pre-1978)

These are very nice trucks – good package and the right size. Parts are tending to be a little rare – on the restoration side for interior trim bits and such. Most drivetrain parts are the same thing that have been used under American trucks for eons.

Pro	Con
“Classic” styling Reasonably small and light vehicle Excellent drivetrains Good aftermarket support Removable roof and soft top kits are available	Most are rusted out and gone to Bronco heaven Trim and body parts can be hard to find or are expensive Interior can be primitive, noisy, weather-sensitive in early models Expensive to operate (V-8 engine)

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International Scout

Similar to the Bronco. A bit larger with a 100″ wheelbase. Last year of production was 1980. Again, a vehicle that is getting rarer.

Pro	Con
“Classic” styling Excellent drivetrains Good aftermarket support Somewhat civilized interior for the period it was in production Available turbo diesel engine (Nissan SD-33T) Removable roof and soft top kits are available	Most are rusted out and gone to Scout heaven Parts can be hard to find or are expensive, especially the Nissan diesel engine Can be too large or heavy in some terrain Expensive to operate (V-8 engine)

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Toyota mini-trucks

Pre-1986 mini-trucks still had solid axles. Newer trucks have IFS. The Toyota IFS seems to work well for an IFS setup.

Pro	Con
Good size for off-road use Parts are fairly common Available in pickup and “FourRunner” configurations (removable roof) Huge aftermarket support Excellent drivetrains There are aftermarket kits to retrofit a solid front axle into the later IFS trucks.	Parts can be expensive Later models have IFS Can be expensive to operate depending on engine

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Full Size American Trucks

This category includes the Chevy Blazer, Ford Bronco and Dodge Ramcharger. These trucks make excellent long range vehicles where carrying a very large payload is important. They can be made to do extreme off-roading, however, they require heavy cutomization to get them to that point. Also, in some areas they may be too large and heavy for most terrain. They can also be very expensive to maintain and operate because of their powerful V-8 engines. Chevrolet Blazers/Suburbans had solid axle front suspensions till 1991, the pickups till 1987. Dodge Ramchargers have always had solid front axles. Ford Broncos and pickups pre-1980 had solid axles.

Pro	Con
Large cargo capacity Excellent drivetrains Excellent aftermarket support Civilized interiors Available turbo diesel engine (Chevrolet) Removable roof and soft top kits are available for earlier models Large towing capacity Commonly available, cheap parts	Too large or heavy in most terrain Expensive to operate (V-8 engine)

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Subaru

Depending on the type of off-roading that is intended it may be appropriate to look at the Subaru vehicles. The interesting ones are the all wheel drive wagons with the low range transfer case option. While these are not hard core off-road vehicles they will serve the vast majority of people that want to get to more remote places.

Pro	Con
Excellent road manners Civilized interiors Easy to drive Good cargo room (wagon models) All wheel drive drivetrain Some aftermarket support including suspension lift kits Cheap to operate Reliable Turbocharged gas engine available in some models	Parts can be expensive Off-road ability can be limited Low ground clearance Long front and rear overhangs Unit body construction Pre-1990′s models were prone to rust Bizarre styling on some models Can be more involved to maintain

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A Final Note

Most of the vehicles on this list are not new vehicles. If you are serious about building a heavy duty truck expect to buy a used, older vehicle. Very few manufacturers currently make what I would call real off-road vehicles for the North American market (with the exception of the Jeep TJ). Subarus are a very good value for the type of mission that they were designed for, light off-roading on maintained muddy logging trails or similar. The Subaru is also the superior vehicle once back on pavement.

I’m sure there will be lots of comments or complaints about this list. Feel free to add intelligent comments below.

This entry was posted on March 17, 2001 at 4:05 pm and is filed under Tech, Vehicles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.