Behind the Builds: Overland Journal’s Latest Projects and Tech

Scott Brady

Scott is the executive publisher and co-founder of Expedition Portal and Overland Journal and is often credited with popularizing overlanding in North America. His travels by 4WD and adventure motorcycle span all seven continents and include three circumnavigations of the globe. His polar expeditions include two vehicle crossings of Antarctica and the first long-axis crossing of Greenland. @scott.a.brady

Matt Scott

Matt is a leading expert in automotive adventure. He has extensively explored the world’s most remote places by 4WD and is considered an industry authority on overland travel. He is the only American to ever become an editor of a major Australian 4WD publication and has over 15 years of competitive auto racing experience. @mattexplore

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#28 Overland Project Updates: GX470, Gladiator, KTM 950, and a Few Surprises

Scott Brady: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to the Overland Journal Podcast. I am your host, Scott Brady, and I’m here with my co-host, Matt Scott. And today we’re gonna talk about project vehicle updates. We’re gonna do the deep dive into Matt’s Gladiator. We’ve got a new project vehicle, a Lexus GX 470. We’re gonna talk a little bit about our Mercedes G-Class, Matt’s Mercedes G-Class.

We’re also gonna do a little bit of a dive into some other possible projects for the future, including a full-size Dodge Ram. And I think it’s a good conversation about some of the current technologies, some products that we have really found to be exceptional and we’ve decided to install into our own vehicles.

And also for a first for the Overland Journal Podcast, we’re gonna be introducing some premium supporters of the podcast. So any endeavor like this does require support in order to be successful in the long term, and [00:01:00] Garmin has chosen to be our first supporter for the Overland Journal Podcast. And they’re specifically supporting us in relationship to their new Overlander device.

And it allows you to roam the unknown with Overlander. It’s a rugged all-terrain navigation device from Garmin. Overlander is a bright seven-inch color touchscreen with topography and spoken turn-by-turn directions for street maps so that you can easily navigate on and off road throughout North and South America.

It comes preloaded with iOverlander POIs. That’s something that I’ve used personally out in the field and found to be very helpful, and the ultimate public campgrounds as well, so you don’t need cell coverage en route to find a campsite or your next destination Overlander is a tough device. It’s built to withstand dust, vibration, and extreme temperatures.

So a, a big thanks again to Garmin for the support of this podcast, and let’s get right to it. And we’re gonna, we’re gonna talk [00:02:00] about something a little different today, Ryan. We’re gonna

Matt Scott: talk about trucks.

Scott Brady: We’re gonna talk about trucks.

Matt Scott: I guess SUVs, ’cause some of them aren’t technically trucks. Some of them have a cab on the back-

based on trucks. But we’re gonna talk about that kind of stuff, ’cause we have some really cool projects going on, both Scott and I. Um, you know, we get a lot of feedback, you know, through Instagram that you guys are really interested in things that we’re doing. So I, I thought that, yeah, we would just have a trucky podcast, ’cause we’re all stuck at home.

We’re running out of travel stuff to talk about. Yeah. And, uh- Yeah, definitely … yeah, Scott’s got this awesome GX project, GX 460. What year is that?

Scott Brady: So it’s a 2007, and, and I think it was because I just, I had the, the G-Wagon for so long. Yeah. I just never wanted to get another car. But I realized it’s, it’s my job to actually build trucks and talk about them- Yeah

and try out new products. So, so I picked up this, this GX actually in 2018, and then it just sat there because I was traveling.

Matt Scott: Yeah.

Scott Brady: And now that I’m not traveling, it’s, [00:03:00] it’s getting modified, so.

Matt Scott: Yeah. I, I think they’re cool. For, for those of you that don’t know, um- You know, the Lexus GX 460, 470, sorry, there is a 460 and a 470, but the 470 was based on the Prado 120, which was sold, uh, globally.

Right. So the cool thing is that this is a global platform, and some people may look at this as a, as a negative, but I don’t know why, but we got all the luxury stuff in it. So we got extra sound deadening. We got the, you know, the whole Lexus leather treatment. We got some more body cladding. Um, but at its core it is the same vehicle, albeit with a V8 instead of a underpowered diesel engine that everybody else gets.

Scott Brady: Exactly. In fact, it was a trip that I did to Tasmania where I drove arou- the entire trip from in, the ferry crossing, and doing the Balfour Track, and I mean, really challenging terrain, very remote terrain in Tasmania. I did it all in this Prado. And by the end of it, because so much of that Prado is shared with the, with the Lexus GX, I thought, [00:04:00] “That’s the next car.”

Yeah. ‘Cause it gives me this durable drivetrain. It gives me this level of reliability, and then it also gives me the 4.7 V8, which is one of the best motors that To- It’s awesome … Toyota has brought into the United States. And because the, the GX has become so popular as an overland platform, the aftermarket has responded in spades.

Yeah. So we’ve got so many options.

Matt Scott: And, and they share, you know, the, the 4Runner from the same era is also essentially a Prado 120- FJ Cru- FJ Cruiser … FJ Cruiser. Yep. So a- as far as suspension, and I wanna say you put the Old Man Emu ARB BP-51s on.

Scott Brady: I did, and the main reason why I did that is that I, I have tested the product before on other vehicles, but I’ve not had it any- Yeah

any length of time myself. Uh, there’s so many good suspension companies out there. But what, one of the things that I liked about the BP-51s is they used, they use a lot more rubber bushings than heim joints. Yeah. So you end up with a lot less noise, a lot better long-term durability. [00:05:00] I like the fact that you can adjust the rebound and compression dampening in it.

Um, it is a little bit of a challenge to make that adjustment on the vehicle, so you gotta use a special tool to do that. It’s not a knob. It actually requires a, a special tool to make that adjustment. But so far, I just installed it just a couple weeks ago, um, I was really impressed with the quality of the product, the finish on it.

It looks like it’s gonna be durable, and of course, it’s made for Australian roads, so it should- Yeah … should be pretty robust.

Matt Scott: Yeah, I think they’ve definitely done a good job with that suspension. I know, I know initially there were a few kinda complaints, issues with it, and that they’d … It’s ARB. They fixed all of that.

They

Scott Brady: did.

Matt Scott: You know, I mean, this was their first, you know, I don’t wanna call it a racing shock, but there’s definitely- Some, some pretty advanced, you know, valving technology. You know, there’s very, very few rebound and compression adjustable shocks. Um, you know, most adjustable, and I’m doing the air quotes shock, you know, w- w- with my fingers, they’re compression adjustable.

Yeah. Which is, which [00:06:00] is, which is probably the capability of most people to just turn a knob. Okay, it feels better. It feels not better. Um, you know, the, the rebound just … I don’t know. It, it-

Scott Brady: I like the rebound adjustment. So for those that are listening, one of the reasons why we do wanna focus a lot on rebound is it con- helps us control how the vehicle reacts after an input.

So you have an event, and people tend to over- overdo compression damping, which then slows the ability for the suspension to, to take the input from the event. But why you want rebound is after this big event has happened, you hit a G out, or you hit a big rock in the road or whatever, it’s how the shock controls the weight of the vehicle and that mass in motion after the input, which is why rebound is so important.

So I actually like to go relatively light on compression and heavier on rebound, which is why it’s nice for me to be able to have [00:07:00] that adjustability. And, and I do, I do like the fact that I have additional fluid volume with it, so it has a remote reservoir. So I’ve got quite a bit of fluid capacity, so long distances of corrugated roads, the shock temperatures are gonna stay really light, and then it also

They look, they look super durable, really bomber.

Matt Scott: Yeah. They, they, they seem like a good product. And then you did AEVs new Toyota six lug wheels, I wanna say too, the Crestone?

Scott Brady: Yeah, that’s it. So, um, I’ve always been a huge fan of, of AEV for a lot of reasons, mostly because of the, the quality of the products that they produce.

But recently they made some of their wheels available for other bolt patterns. So you can … If you’ve got a, a six on five and a half, which could be a Nissan, many of the Nissan products, most of the Toyota products, so a 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, GX, Tacoma, you can fit these new Crestone wheels. And this is what makes [00:08:00] them really unique, is that it is a DOT legal beadlock.

So you can get either the faux beadlock ring just for aesthetics, or you can actually put the bead outside of the inner wheel diameter and then capture it with a proper beadlock ring, which is what I did. And you think, “Why would you need beadlocks on a GX?” And one of the things that I’ve learned in my travels is the benefit of extremely low air pressures.

So, um, I like the fact that if I’m … If I do get into deep snow, um, I’ve had times when I’ve been crossing over mountain ranges and ended up in feet deep snow, so I can go down to that one and a half PSI, two PSI if I need to, to get through that short- I mean,

Matt Scott: we’re not in an Arctic truck here, Scott.

Scott Brady: I know, but it

I know, but it feels like it, right? Yeah. Uh, so yeah, you can go really low pressures. And then the other thing that I like about a beadlock is you improve field serviceability. So you can remove the outer ring, of course take the pressure out, remove the outer ring. You can pull the [00:09:00] carcass back from the wheel and put in a, put in a patch.

You can access the inside of the, of the wheel to be able to do some stitching, et cetera. So I do like the field serviceability of it.

Matt Scott: Yeah. Yeah. They’re, they’re pretty cool, and, and again, DOT compliance on beadlocks is cool. I wanna say Hutchinson’s the only other one of the-

Scott Brady: Yeah,

Matt Scott: one of the few

Hutchinson’s are definitely like a true three-piece beadlock.

Scott Brady: Correct.

Matt Scott: I’ve had ’em. You’ve had ’em on- Yep … your G-Wagon. I think I had ’em on a JK a while ago. Great wheels. Very heavy, very purpose-built Super heavy,

Scott Brady: yeah …

Matt Scott: um, very hard to balance.

Scott Brady: Yep.

Matt Scott: But-

Scott Brady: Did you ever get yours balanced on your JK?

Matt Scott: No.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: That was- But I was also, like, super broke at that point- Yeah

and probably couldn’t afford to take it in for the $100, ’cause I spent all of my money on wheels- … as everybody does in their early 20s. Um, yeah, I don’t know. But what else is going on with the GX?

Scott Brady: So, uh, I’m, I’m trying to keep the vehicle as light as possible. Another thing I like about the GX is because it’s a [00:10:00] seven-passenger, it actually has a proper payload.

Yeah. So it’s fi- 1500-pound payload and air suspension. So one of the things that I wanted to do was try, try to keep the air suspension. So Matt and I are actually working on some ideas around keeping the air suspension. Now, it’s the BP-51 shocks, but in the rear there’s air … Instead of coil springs, there’s air springs.

So I wanna try to keep the air springs, and the thing I like about that is when I’m not traveling and the vehicle’s lightly loaded, I have good ride quality. Yeah. If I’m loaded up for a trip, I still have a good ride w- ride quality, so.

Matt Scott: Yeah, and, and, you know, I, I think that a lot of- People have had bad experiences with airbags.

And honestly, that’s all pretty much because of Land Rover. But you gotta realize Land Rover was at the forefront of this technology- Mm … for, you know, automotive, uh, passenger car use. You know, Firestone has been making a- airbags for, you know, semi trucks for- Forever … ever. You know, those [00:11:00] things, uh, are, are very, very durable.

And, and I think as Americans start to s- start to do more dual purpose vehicles where they’re driving it to work, they have the kids, they want it to be a nice car, they’re spending money on these things, it, it, it gives a certain amount of duality to the vehicle. And I think that, I think that that’s really nice.

Scott Brady: It significantly improves ride quality. And when you’re doing long distance driving, in my mind, that’s worth it.

Matt Scott: Yeah.

Scott Brady: And the fact that I can fully load it up, or y- if I wanna pull a sailboat or what- I can, I can tow things with it and it’ll auto level, which i- it adds a lot to the safety. And then the nice thing is you can push a button if you’re high centered just slightly- Yeah

you can push a button and raise the vehicle up another couple inches and hopefully get off the obstacle.

Matt Scott: I, I like the idea of air suspension. It’ll be interesting to, to kinda see where you go with that. Yeah. Um, you know, are you gonna do a bumper or anything on this?

Scott Brady: I’m doing an air, ARB front bumper and a Warn winch, which is kinda my [00:12:00] typical package that I do with this.

That works. Yeah. Still trying to decide if I’m gonna go with a roof rack possibly. I’m gonna put in the ARB LINX system just ’cause I wanna do a little more testing with that. Yeah, I’ve

Matt Scott: never, I’ve never had any experience with, with their-

Scott Brady: Yeah. I do like the fact that it consolidates everything down to the one screen.

But then, of course, you’ve consolidated everything down to one device. So if the device has a problem- Mm … how do you turn on your lights? How do you turn on your compressor? Yeah, that’s very true. How do you activate, how do you activate your air locker? And I’m not saying that there is issues with that, but that is something that comes to mind is you’ve really put all your eggs in one basket.

But that’s also a huge advantage ’cause now you don’t have wires going everywhere- Yeah … and the interface- I, I

Matt Scott: always say the number one risk to an overland vehicle is aftermarket wiring.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: Like, I have seen so many, uh, specifically Jeeps for some reason, I think ’cause they have a very small engine compartment, where wires are running over wires, and it just, just doesn’t go anywhere

Scott Brady: good.

Yeah, we’ve seen a lot of them burn down in recent- Yeah … years. So.

Matt Scott: You know, I, I think the cool thing with the GX project is that this is something … I mean, you [00:13:00] can, you can find one of these for under $10,000 now. Correct. Now granted, I mean, Scott, you’re, you’re doing premium stuff on it, but I think, I think the cool thing is- You know, for $20,000, you’re gonna have, you’re gonna have a very premium vehicle.

You’re gonna have something that’s really comfortable. Yep. You’re gonna have, you know, you’re gonna have more power than, um, well man, pretty much, pretty much any new vehicle of consideration. More power than a Gladiator Wrangler 4Runner. Um-

Scott Brady: Yeah, th- that motor was kind of a sweet spot. So it’s … And it’s

This is the newer variable valve timing model, so it’s 275 horsepower and, you know, over 300 foot pounds of torque

Matt Scott: and-

Scott Brady: It’s the torque. Yeah.

Matt Scott: That’s, that’s nice. Yeah. I mean, a lot of these motors these days for fuel economy make their power quite high up in the range.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: Um, but yeah, that’ll, it’ll be interesting to follow along with that.

Yeah,

Scott Brady: I’m excited. It’s good for me to, to try something new. I, I totally got into a rut just driving my G-Wagon every day and-

Matt Scott: Well, [00:14:00] it’s, it’s, it’s easy to do that.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: It’s kinda like a really nice firm handshake.

Scott Brady: It just works. It’s kind of comfortable. It just yeah, it works.

Matt Scott: Oddly comfortable. Um, yeah.

Scott Brady: But- So then what’s, what’s going on with your Gladiator?

Matt Scott: You know, I, I, I guess I’ve done a bunch to the Gladiator since I’ve really, really last talked about it. Um, you know, I’m still kinda chasing suspension problems. Not problems, I should say, but um, you know, I- It’s not

Scott Brady: where you want it.

Matt Scott: I started w- Yeah, it’s not where I wanted it, and I started with the factory Mopar lift kit because I had, and I probably have one of the first 100 VINs of Gladiators.

Mine was really, really early, and that’s what all that was available. And, you know, being also in the industry side, I, I knew that that’s all that was gonna be available for a while. So, so I put that kit in there. And I’m still running the springs. I still haven’t found a, a, a suitable spring. Like, I definitely need a higher rate in the back.

Mm. But I’m definitely starting to look at the idea of airbags, because when I run around town in that car, um- It can be comfortable, and it [00:15:00] is a very comfortable vehicle, but when I’m loaded up and we’re spending a month, you know, camping in the middle of nowhere, um, it, it would be nice to be able to throw a few pounds of pressure in those airbags.

Mm-hmm. Um-

Scott Brady: So you think you might replace the coil completely, or put an airbag inside the coil?

Matt Scott: I don’t know yet.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: Um, you know, I think, I think what I’m kinda leaning towards is I’m leaning towards just doing everything with Icon ’cause they have this variable rate spring. Yeah, that can do it. They can con- do all of the, all of the caster correction.

I think that’s probably where I’m gonna go.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: They have some new cool stuff coming out, and, uh-

Scott Brady: They’ve always done a nice job.

Matt Scott: Yeah, yeah. I’ve, I’ve, I’ve run their stuff before, and it’s worked pretty well, so, so we’ll check that out. And, you know, right now I have some Kings on there, and, and they’re fine, but I think it’s just how that, how the shock is tuned to those springs.

Um, I’ll be honest, yeah, I know that I can pull those things apart and I can valve ’em and whatever, but that’s really hard to do right [00:16:00] now. Like, we’re in Prescott. That means getting the vehicle to somebody that knows how to valve overland trucks, not race trucks.

Scott Brady: Sure.

Matt Scott: Which is pretty fine where I can kinda sell all that kit and just buy the Icon stuff, and, you know-

Scott Brady: It’s ready to go

Matt Scott: it’s ready to go and, and it’s, and it’s done. Um-

Scott Brady: Yeah, there’s so many, there’s so many elements that come into the tuning of y- compression, rebound, spring rate, and then the frequency rates, roll center- Yeah … all of that. And that’s where the, the OEMs, because they have access to all that data and they do all the testing, they tend to get those spring rates just right.

Yep. But then once you load it up, then now you’re outside of that-

Matt Scott: And then, yeah, your, your, your card’s off. I mean, this thing’s been modified so much.

Scott Brady: Um- It’s tough, yeah. It … And that’s w- another reason why I kinda like the air- the airbags. ‘

Matt Scott: Cause I- Yeah. I mean, they’re, they’re, they’re nice.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: You know, I, I, I guess where I have concerns is that vehicle was never [00:17:00] meant to have airbags.

Scott Brady: Right.

Matt Scott: Um, but I mean, they’ve been doing these things forever, especially after market, you know, kinda load-bearing stuff. But yeah, you know, we’ll wait and kinda see for some good kits to come out on that. Mm-hmm. I think initially I kinda, kinda rushed into what was available, and I bought the best that was available.

And I do think because of that, you know, buying King’s, I, I’ll be able to sell those shocks for nearly what I paid for ’em- Sure … because there’s a sev- You know, at this point, I mean, before COVID there was, you know, a two-month wait for them. So I think that’s the other benefit of buying really quality kit is if, if you’re not happy with it for whatever reason or you, you wanna move to something different, you can always kinda-

Scott Brady: Sell it

Matt Scott: sell that. And that’s … And I know people will kinda be like, “Oh man, this guy spends a lotta, a lotta money on stuff,” but I, I, I think that I just spend my money in the smart way. It’s, it’s just never a total write-off, I guess. So I think most of my modifications on the Gladiator have come from the, uh, you know, from the AT Summit that I have on the [00:18:00] back.

I’m gonna convert the entire electrical system to all Redarc gear. Um, I had some other stuff in there that I was testing actually, actually to import, and it just didn’t meet my standards, so we’re not gonna do that. I’m just gonna go with the, with Redarc. It’s- Tried and true … tried and true, and the stuff works.

Um, I have their Manager system, and I kinda working on wiring for that, you know, right now. What I’m, what I’m doing now is I’m, I’m, I’m redoing the wiring. I redid all the wiring in the camper, made harnesses for this Redarc kit, and then once I get back from Colorado, we’re gonna spend a few weeks up there.

I’ll, I’ll get that in and …

Scott Brady: I think Redarc has become like the Apple of-

Matt Scott: Yeah …

Scott Brady: of automotive electronics because if, if you’re looking for a bunch of disparate systems, and that’s, I, that’s been my experience, my challenges. You bring in a solar charge controller- Yep … and then you bring in, uh, maybe a solid state- DC, DC

Matt Scott: charger

Scott Brady: yeah. Whereas all of this stuff, it works together. It’s all- [00:19:00] Having been in their facility, I was in their facility a few years ago, and seeing the amount of attention that they put towards quality, and they produce everything in Australia- Yeah … and right in Adelaide. It’s really impressive to see. And they’ve got solar panels all on the roof, and the Tesla power walls, and it’s a really amazing facility.

It’s really cool. And, and it makes me recognize that when you, when you’re looking at integrating electronics in with your vehicle, you’re probably better off going with something that where everything talks, and everything is designed to work together- Yeah … and you can end up with a fully integrated system.

Matt Scott: My, my next step beyond that, um, currently, um, this system is sitting somewhere in either customs or on a boat or somewhere between Australia and the United States. I, I should have the first, uh, Redarc RedVision system that I’m pretty, I’m pretty excited for. That allows you to, you know… It’s, it’s so comprehensive.

And, and again, with Redarc, it’s all meant for four-wheel driving. It’s all meant for overlanding. Um-

Scott Brady: [00:20:00] Yeah. They, they pot all the electronics so that it can handle high-frequency vibrations- Yeah … and high heat, and even temporary water submersion, stuff like that.

Matt Scott: Yeah. So this, this Redarc system, um, is- It will control everything.

You know, we’re gonna add some, um… I think I’m gonna do these, like, rigid lights on the outside of the camper just, um, you know, as you know, uh, we’re huge greyhound people, so when we’re in the middle of nowhere, we wanna take the dog out at night, it’s just nice to, “Okay, let’s just flood this scene in light.”

Yeah. So it’s late, I wanna go to bed. Um, but this system is computerized and it has all of these inputs. It’s kinda like an S-Pod or a Switch Pro or the ARB LINX system, but really meant for more of a camper installation. Um, so you can control lights, you can see the temperature of your refrigerator, um, you can see how much solar’s coming in, how much, uh, is coming in from your DC-DC charger.

So cool. I can control fans. I can control everything, and it’s all in one system. [00:21:00] It’ll really clean up all the wiring on the vehicle, ’cause right now, like most of us, I’m using like a Blue Sea fuse block.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: Which is fine. It works. That’s great. Um, I’m just curious to, to see what the… where the industry’s going.

I think, um, if, if it’s not us that tests this stuff-

Scott Brady: Yeah … what’s about it? We gotta test it. Yeah.

Matt Scott: Yeah. We gotta- So- We gotta try it out … it’ll be interesting to, interesting to, to check that stuff out. You know, I got the Manager, Redarc Manager30, which is the DC-DC voltage cutoff, um- Solar charger, yeah … solar, AC mains charging.

I mean, it’s, it’s a lot of things all in one. Um, and the quality seems really great on it.

Scott Brady: That’s a really impressive system.

Matt Scott: It’s big. Yeah. Um, that’s probably the only downside is it’s, oh man, it’s probably 20 inches long. Um, luckily I can mount it on the, the inside wall of the camper, but- Yeah … it’s definitely something that, like if I had a Jeep or a 4Runner, it’s definitely overkill.

But for all of the DIY, kinda building your own camper guys, um, you know, it’s, it’s expensive, but I think it’ll… [00:22:00] I think in the long run- Yeah … it’ll save you money.

Scott Brady: It will, and it’s, if you think about all the systems that it includes, if you put all those different units together, it’s the same size. It just happens- Yeah

happens to all be in one. And I used that system pretty extensively in Australia, and I was impressed by it. I, the, one of the Hema Map Patrol vehicles, it’s a ’79 pickup, and it had it, that installed with the lithium batteries and- I remember just driving across Australia, y- if you’re in a campground, you can plug it in.

Yep. If you’re, if you’re out and, and if it’s a cloudy day, you can plug it in. If it’s, if it’s a sunny day, which it usually is in Australia- Yeah … you got plenty of solar power, so- Yeah … they’re, it’s an impressive system, for sure. Yeah.

Matt Scott: I’m, I’m looking forward to it. I mean, we ended up putting another solar panel, so we have two, I think they’re OVERLAND Solar 160 watt really low-profile panels.

Scott Brady: Nice.

Matt Scott: So that charges the lithium battery, um, like instantly.

Scott Brady: Um Yeah. Yeah, you showed me that lithium battery the other day. That thing is sweet.

Matt Scott: Yeah. I- Who

Scott Brady: makes [00:23:00] that one?

Matt Scott: Uh, th- this one’s just from Renogy. Okay. Sure. Um, you can get it on Amazon. Um, you know, from my research, there’s really not yet a market leader in these lithium things that, batteries that are really doing anything else.

Um, so I went with a, the largest company I could find. Sure. Um, and it just so happened to be that under my drawer system, this thing’s nearly a compression fit, so it was really easy to install, and I was able to get 170 amp hours versus 100 that I would have gotten with, uh, the other battery configurations and sizing.

So, um, you know, a lot of different lithium stuff out there these days, and you just have to fit what works- Do the research … you know, you know, figure out what works for you. Um, but yeah, that’s so nice. I turn the little heater on in that thing, and- It’s so sweet … it’s so well-insulated, like- It’s so sweet

somebody can be talking outside of the camper and you can’t even hear it.

Scott Brady: Right.

Matt Scott: Um, I love that thing, so.

Scott Brady: Yeah. No, that, your whole, that whole system, that truck has come together very nicely.

Matt Scott: Almost [00:24:00] too well. Yeah. Like, you know, uh, those that kind of follow me know I have a glutton of trucks right now. Um, some of them are kind of, you know, more for work with Maxtrax and Venture Imports as a show vehicle, which is kind of the Gladiator and the, was originally the 80.

Um, but I think that we might, we might start seeing some consolidation, but the Jeep will… No doubt, the Jeep is gonna be our new global platform. Um, I can service it anywhere.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: I mean, there’s a, there’s just- Everywhere around the world, people want a Jeep Wrangler

Scott Brady: Yeah

Matt Scott: So, you know, and parts are cheap enough to where, you know, if something fails on my Land Cruiser that’s 30 years old now and is the pinnacle of, you know, simplicity for an overland vehicle, I think, well, I can’t

Where, where do I get the parts? Like, y- you can’t go to a Toyota dealer and just, “Hey, I want this classic car part.” You know, Toyota’s pretty good, um, and the parts are just- It’s still gonna take a while … the parts are so expensive. Yeah. I’m tired of [00:25:00] paying for Land Cruiser parts. Like- Yeah … like truthfully, the parts for my Land Cruiser, replacement OEM parts are more expensive than the OEM Mercedes parts for the G-Wagon.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: Like, I, I, I’m, I’m a little bit tired of that.

Scott Brady: Yeah. Um- They’re expensive. And, and for that vintage of vehicle, because so many of them are still on the road-

Matt Scott: Yeah …

Scott Brady: and they’re still so desirable, and they’re expensive, so that means people have money to, to-

Matt Scott: Yeah …

Scott Brady: replace the steering wheel if they want to.

Matt Scott: Yeah,

Scott Brady: yeah. So they, it becomes very expensive. There’s

Matt Scott: scarcity. I mean, like I, I currently do not have a factory alternator in there, um, because the factory alternator’s $2,000.

Scott Brady: That’s a lot of money.

Matt Scott: For a, for, for what was honestly when the car came out probably outdated technology. Yeah. And now it’s 30 years later.

I don’t know. I … A little bit frustrated with that one. Don’t be surprised if … I mean, it’s a great vehicle if you’re really enthusiastic about it. Um, my, my motivation is travel, and travel, travel, travel. I [00:26:00] really am trying to refocus on that when, when we’re allowed to travel again. And, um- Yeah.

Scott Brady: So what does that, what does that consolidation look like for you?

Uh- If you wanna sh- if you wanna share.

Matt Scott: Right now I’m, I’m kinda… A, a few things. Um, I think that the G-Wagon, while I love it, and it’s kinda like the Overlander’s equivalent of- If it scratches, if it scratches, it itches … it’s the Overlander equivalent of a Louis handbag. It’s, it’s kinda like… It’s just, like it’s really well-made- Yeah

and you really like it- Yeah … and, and you love it, but-

Scott Brady: I love the fact that I had mine before it was the Overland equivalent of a Louis handbag. Yeah. I’m so grateful.

Matt Scott: Um-

Scott Brady: Uh …

Matt Scott: you know, I’ve, I’ve modified that thing very lightly. I think the cool thing with the G-Wagon is that they don’t need much. They

Scott Brady: don’t need anything, yeah.

Matt Scott: But I’ve really realized if I want to actually use that, it’s gonna need more extensive suspension upgrades. It’s gonna, it’s gonna need a little bit of work, and I’m n- I’m just not r- really willing to continue throwing money [00:27:00] towards something that I know that I’m never gonna travel in.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: Um, so I th-

Scott Brady: And if travel is your goal, then why put all that in?

Even money aside, why put the energy into it, right?

Matt Scott: Yeah, yeah. So I, I think that I’m gonna end up doing a, doing an AEV Prospector. Um, you know, they’re, they’re not cheap, but after you’ve built a few vehicles and, and you’re really, you’re really transforming these things, um, you know, $17,000 or 17,5 or something, AEV converts a 2500 or a 3500 of your choice, and it’s done.

It’s on f- 40-inch tires.

Scott Brady: Fully eng- Four-inch … fully engineered, fully integrated, yeah.

Matt Scott: It’s done. And, you know, the, the trucks aren’t super cheap, but, you know, you can get a, you can get a brand new… I’m looking at, like, the 3500. Um, you know, you can get one for 50 grand. I, I don’t exactly know where my [00:28:00] spec is gonna land, but, you know, if you look at it, so you can get…

And I’m talking about a diesel- Yeah … 2500. You can get one of those all day long for, for $50,000 or less right now. Um, they’re offering 0% financing for 72 months. Um,

Scott Brady: and- Thousand, 1,000 foot p- foot-pounds of

Matt Scott: torque. I- i- now, that motor is more expensive, but yeah, 1,000 foot-pounds of torque available and, you know, so for- Your

Scott Brady: truck will have more to- torque than all of my vehicles combined.

Matt Scott: The R- the G-Wagon already does that.

Scott Brady: Yeah, z- yeah. Yeah.

Matt Scott: Um, no, but, you know, uh- I, I guess I’m trying to justify this to everybody, and I really don’t have to. But, you know, for 75 to $80,000 at, at the lower end of the … Depending on how you, you spec that truck, you have a really, really well-built, engineered vehicle that’s gonna retain its value.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: Um, I know dozens of [00:29:00] people that have spent far more than that trying to put 35-inch tires on their 4Runner or Tacoma. Yeah. ‘Cause think about that. You’re talking fiberglass fenders and paint. You’re talking long travel suspension. To do it right- All the labor and everything, yeah … a new rear axle. All the labor, all the stuff, and all the time that goes into it.

And I, I don’t know. I, I, I think that the … Where I had never really considered a Prospector before because I thought they were just so out of my realm, I guess what I didn’t know is you can just, you can just convert a 2500 you buy yourself.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: So, um, I think, I think that’s probably where I’ll go. And, um, whether

Right now it’s three months to get a truck, like, ’cause I’m gonna order it, and then it’s about a month to have AEV do the work. So, you know, we’ll-

Scott Brady: And those vehicles work really well. I, I drove a bunch of the Prospectors up to Tuktoyaktuk in the wintertime- Yeah … up the ice roads and everything. And the thing that impressed me most about [00:30:00] the Prospector was I was driving a vehicle on 40-inch tall tires.

One of them actually had 41-inch tall tires on it. But you can have, you can have, like, a completely relaxed conversation- Yeah … in the cab. Y- you know, the, the steering wheel is heated. The seats are heated. The engines are, are so drivable, and they have so much power when you need it. Yep. But then you can also just be idling down the freeway at 1,800 RPMs and getting much better gas mileage than I get with my G-Wagon or even with the GX- Yeah

I get better gas mileage.

Matt Scott: You know, and, and, and the trips that we’re looking at doing … You know, we were supposed to be in Alaska now. You know, we were gonna do Tuktoyaktuk. We were gonna do Deadhorse. Yep. You know, we wanted to really spend a few months up there. And, you know, I, I, I do have to say I haven’t really made a choice, but, you know, I’m looking at this Gladiator and I’m like In what way is, you know, does the Gladiator become that global [00:31:00] vehicle for me where that’s what- That would make sense, yeah

we send overseas to, to, to, to, to travel in and, um, but we don’t even know what that trip is yet. Does it actually make sense to just have one vehicle? And I think that’s where the Prospector is so cool because a six-and-a-half-foot bed crew cab, which is the most common configuration, uh, of all full-size trucks, um, I parked one next to my Gladiator at the, at the dealer the other day and I’d lined up the rear axle.

And granted, I kinda knew this going into it, but I lined up the, the center of the rear axle, and it was, you know, dead-on in the back as far as, you know, where the bumper was. Obviously, my d- departure angle’s better ’cause I’m on 37s and lifted and stuff. Um, but then I looked at the front end, and it’s maybe eight or 10 inches shorter, the Gladiator is.

Yeah. Now, the Gladiator feels, it’s lighter. It drives easier. I mean, it weighs- Slightly narrower … 18. Yeah. Slightly narrower, but once you put [00:32:00] 37s on it and you space those tires out, I guess that’s a wash ’cause you’re gonna do the same thing in the Prospector, but-

Scott Brady: Yeah …

Matt Scott: I, I have to say, like, maybe, maybe I just go down to one vehicle and really just focus on travel.

Scott Brady: That sounds like a good plan.

Matt Scott: I, I, I really like it. Spend less … You know, everybody is very proud of built, not bought. Well, bought, not built allows me to spend more time on the trail. And every- There are, there are options now … and

Scott Brady: everybody gets, some people enjoy building their vehicles. Yeah. I

Matt Scott: mean, I do.

They make- I, I was just geeking out on my Gladiator. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It’s an Erector Set- Yeah … for, for adults, but-

Scott Brady: Yeah

Matt Scott: Yeah, I don’t know

Scott Brady: And then you, you recently finished up a KTM 950, which is, I think, one of the greatest adventure motorcycles of all time.

Matt Scott: I, I love it. I mean, it was a, it was a, it was a machine that was built for Dakar.

Um, I wanna say Fab- Fabrizio Meoni, I- I’m likely butchering his name, but early 2000s, I mean, he was winning Dakar on this bike. The, the cool thing is that bike isn’t that different than the production model.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: Same engine. You know, they obviously made their… It, it’s Dakar. [00:33:00] They’re the world’s best riders.

The suspension that they want is not the suspension that Scott wants or I want- Yeah, sure … or, you know, someone else wants. But I, I love the shape of these things. This was the motorcycle that I always looked at as a kid.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: You know? And I’m like, “Oh.” I think I was… You know, I, I’m young. I think I was 13 when these things came out.

Sure. And I just, I looked at the, the newer options, um, the 1190 or the 1290 KTM, um, the BMW stuff, and they had less suspension travel. You know, they, they had more horsepower, um-

Scott Brady: Not much more …

Matt Scott: but not much more. Y- you can’t use it all anyways on a bike. I mean-

Scott Brady: Not on

Matt Scott: the dirt … the o- the off-road modes on these new KTMs are actually limiting them to less horsepower than, than the 950 has.

I, I like that it’s really simple. I know how to rebuild carbs now, ’cause I’ve rebuilt my carbs. I, you know, did everything but split the cases on [00:34:00] this engine down to the frame, and every wear component, every seal, um, anything that is, that is a known issue with these, I, I, I’m gonna say restored it. Um, and I, and I really love riding it.

It’s, it’s… Like, I, I was replacing bolts with factory KTM bolts just because they had some wear on them. But the cool thing is, is this was a project that was great for me, and it, it cost me way less than a roof tent to completely refurbish this, this motorcycle. And now I actually know what I’m doing, uh-

Scott Brady: You can fix it in the field.

Matt Scott: Yeah, exactly. So, um, you know- I, I like it, and I paid $3,800 for this motorcycle Yeah So-

Scott Brady: I, I have a similar love for the, for that bike. Obviously, it was my first motorcycle, was a KTM 950. I bought it in, uh, 2009, and it’s still parked here in the- Yeah … in the Overland international headquarters. It, it, little bit worse for [00:35:00] wear, but I-

I rode it, I rode it across the TransAmerica Trail, and I somehow survived, so. Yeah,

Matt Scott: yeah.

Scott Brady: But it, I think that it’s a really special motorcycle, so it was cool to see you build- It’s,

Matt Scott: it’s just- … build beauty up … as, as a form factor, I just l- it feels like a big dirt bike to me. I can actually move my weight all the way forward on the seat- Yeah

and all the way back on the seat. Like, these new adventure bikes that have stepped seats, well, then you can’t move around on the bike, and then people put these tank bags. And maybe, I, I’m not a super technical rider, but I, I do compete in motorcycle trials at a, at a, at a beginner level. Um, and I do do a few enduro races and stuff.

So I, I, I just… It feels natural to me, that bike.

Scott Brady: Sure.

Matt Scott: I get on the new stuff, and I feel very constricted. Um, and again,

Scott Brady: it- They’ve made them SUVs now. They’ve like made them- They’ve made them

Matt Scott: SUVs …

Scott Brady: they’re two-wheeled SUVs where they’ve got, you know, nav and heated, heated seats and – Yeah … they really do

Matt Scott: Which is, which is, as a- Yeah

touring, overlanding travel bike-

Scott Brady: Yeah …

Matt Scott: that’s great. I, I [00:36:00] w- I wanted like a, I wanted like a Dakar style bike that I can go, like really rip on or drive to Ushuaia. Yeah. Um, you know,

Scott Brady: I- You bought the G-Wagon of motorcycles.

Matt Scott: Yeah, yeah. And you know, I had the suspension redone, um, by MotoLab. Mm-hmm. They really, they really know their big bike stuff.

Yep. And they’ve done all my small bike stuff. Um, so they, you know, Rob over there knew how I, you know, knew my riding style, knew my capabilities, which aren’t, I’m not professing them to be anything crazy, but you know, it, it’s just-

Scott Brady: It’s a neat bike …

Matt Scott: it’s neat. And they’re really special. And it’s fun. Like, when I lived outside of Telluride and Ridgway, you know, some of the roads out there were just rally stages.

Yeah. And it was, you know- Magic … you’re just like on the front end of that bike. Magic. The back end’s coming out. Uh-

Scott Brady: It’s magic …

Matt Scott: I love it.

Scott Brady: It’s totally magic. And,

Matt Scott: and I’m, and I’m- It’s not that expensive

Scott Brady: No

Matt Scott: Like $3,800 into the, into the bike initially, and then I, I’m gonna exaggerate and say that I put five into it.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: So find me… But that’s what? A new [00:37:00] KLR?

Scott Brady: Yeah. Just a little more, a little more- A little

Matt Scott: more, but-

Scott Brady: Not much more. Yeah … you

Matt Scott: know. So I don’t

Scott Brady: know. That’s a cool project. I like it. Yeah. I like it.

Matt Scott: But-

Scott Brady: And then my, my other vehicles, I mean, the Defender 110 doesn’t need anything, and there’s no reason- This is perfect

there’s no reason to- Yeah … anything that I did to it would ruin it. It starts every single time. It leaks a little bit of oil, but it runs every single time. As

Matt Scott: long as

Scott Brady: it’s not empty. Yeah. Yeah. So it-

Matt Scott: So what’s going on with your G-Wagon? Have you made any changes to that recently?

Scott Brady: Well, I put some Continental all-terrains on there just to be able to test the tires- Yeah

and I ended up liking them so much that I kept them on the vehicle because- Which

Matt Scott: tires were those?

Scott Brady: So they’re the, uh, TerrainContact.

Matt Scott: Okay. Yeah, I’ve seen those.

Scott Brady: Yeah. So it’s like a 34, 1050 on stock wheels, and it just drives so great. And, and with a G-Wagon, because they can take such a large tire and the fact it has triple diff locks- Unless you’re in mud country, like [00:38:00] if- unless you’re in- dealing with mud on a regular basis- Yeah

you don’t really need a super aggressive all-terrain. Whereas this is still a light truck construction, so heavy-duty sidewalls, but it drives great, get better ga- get better gas mileage. It’s all noticeable. I did, uh, put a roof tent on it recently, ’cause we’re doing a, a hard shell roof tent test for Overland Journal.

So I’ve- I actually had a bunch of different roof tents on there, and right now I’ve got the AutoHome, uh, Air Top, which I forgot how much I like those tents. I mean, really, really nice tents. They’re really nice places to stay. And you … Those of you listening that if you were to check out Overland Journal, you’ll see our, our recent roof tent test, and the timing around this podcast we can kind of share.

But the, uh, the Air Top is, in my mind, one of the best options out there right now.

Matt Scott: Yeah. Interesting, yeah. I mean, the, I think the thing that I like about your G-Wagen is that it’s old enough to not be the, the handbag.

Scott Brady: Yeah. Right? Yeah. I- I’m- It’s, it’s 20, 20 years old, dude …

Matt Scott: yeah. Well, yours, it looks [00:39:00] so purposeful- Yeah

and it is purposeful. ‘Cause yours was brought in by Europa.

Scott Brady: It is, so it’s

Matt Scott: a gray- Yours is technically like a gray market.

Scott Brady: It’s a gray market. A bunch of the badging still is in German, and-

Matt Scott: Yeah …

Scott Brady: and the cool thing about it is that it uses a lot of their global platform motors. So you can go to pretty much any Mercedes mechanic anywhere in the world, and they’re gonna know that transmission, they’re gonna know that- Yeah

engine. You know, it doesn’t have … It, it has a single computer in the whole vehicle, which is for the ECU. So it’s very mechanical, which- Yeah … which I like, and it’s the reason why the vehicle has been so reliable for me. Yeah.

Matt Scott: And you had the … You, you kinda had that refurbished. So you had the transmission and the- I did everything

engine com- I mean, new pistons and everything. I

Scott Brady: put in a brand-new factory motor. So it had a Brabus long block that I, I managed to put the, uh, one of the piston- pistons through the side of. Um, I, I don’t know what happened. Something let loose on one of the connecting rods and, and it, and it- Yeah … and it

‘Cause I was just going down the freeway, [00:40:00] maybe 3,500 RPMs, and it all let loose. But so it’s maybe making 260 horsepower, which is not a lot in that car. It’s very heavy. So it’s slow. But I don’t mind that. I think, for me, a governor is a good idea.

Matt Scott: Yeah, yeah. I mean, mine, on the other hand, has the four liter bi-turbo, and I’ve put the Renntech, uh, chip on it.

So I think it’s, like, 525 horsepower- That’s insane … and eight-

Scott Brady: Twice the horsepower …

Matt Scott: eight squillion foot pounds of torque. Yeah. And I think the cool thing with the G-Wagen is that you can, you can feel what that car is doing more than, let’s say, a modern car, because the chassis from the ’70s. It

Scott Brady: is.

Matt Scott: The body, uh, a lot of the stampings are the same stampings they’ve been using since the ’70s- That’s right

when it was the 460 and then the 461, and- Yeah … now we’re on the 463. I- You know, I’m sure there’s a G-Wagen guy out there that’ll correct me on this, but for the most part, all of those components are-

Scott Brady: Very

Matt Scott: similar … to a degree- Yeah … very interchangeable. [00:41:00] Um, but I can, like, I can feel … I, it feels like a dragster when I take off.

Like, it’s like thinking, thinking, building boost, getting eight billion pounds of mass rolling- Yeah … and then it takes off, and I, and I swear it’s like a dragster. Those tires are like Those tires are, like, twisting. Yeah.

Scott Brady: Yeah, the sidewalls, you can see them buckling, yeah. Yeah.

Matt Scott: It, it’s actually

Scott Brady: buckling- Mine doesn’t do any of that stuff.

Matt Scott: Yeah. I actually remember in my Land Rover 109 beating you- Oh, yeah … in a drag race like 10 years ago.

Scott Brady: Yeah, that’s

Matt Scott: right. Um, and I think that’s the cool thing is you had that car for so long. I

Scott Brady: have.

Matt Scott: Like-

Scott Brady: Yeah, I’ve had it since, uh, 2007, 2008, something like that. Yeah,

Matt Scott: yeah. Really, really cool machine and, um-

Scott Brady: And I’ve completely redone it.

That’s the nice thing about a vehicle like that is it’s, it’s a, it’s a modern classic. So, you know, I had it fully repainted. I had all of the drivetrain redone, found all the little pieces of wood trim that I could replace. Yeah. And, uh, yeah, it’s got a Front Runner drawer [00:42:00] system. Um, it’s got some really nice Fox shocks.

It has a ComeUp winch on the front on a G-Wagen Accessories mount. I went with a factory tow pin front bumper. Uh, that’s it. It ha- Yeah … literally has very few modifications ’cause it just doesn’t need it. Yeah. I think, I think overdoing those vehicles completely ruins them.

Matt Scott: I, I, I think so, too. I, I went to 33s on mine.

Um, the newer G-Wagens have a little bit more advanced, um, you know, ABS, traction control system- Do you have stability? … so I didn’t really wanna mess with that. Um, with this 33-inch tire size, I was able to get a … There was kind of a size preloaded into the computer that was very similar. Um, but much, much higher than that, you really start looking at portals- Yeah

and that kind of stuff on the new ones. But I can’t do a bumper. Um, well, I guess I can. Yeah, intercoolers,

Scott Brady: yeah.

Matt Scott: Um, I have the two intercoolers up front. I don’t have the G63 ones that stick way down. Um, it actually is the same bumper that, like, the [00:43:00] G350d or the diesel Professional gets, um, ’cause those do have intercoolers.

But yeah, it’s, it’s … Th- G-Wagens are so fascinating. Like, it’s the only car- They really are so different … like, you start to get into them, and it, it took me six months to really, really, totally figure out the level of craftsmanship with that car. You know, the body is … I, I wanna say it has two coatings before it’s painted for rust resistance.

It’s galvanized or E-coated or something. But, um, the, the thing that blew my mind was seeing all of the- All of the hardware is, like, galvanized or heat coated. Mm-hmm. Um, but then they’ll use, like, a copper-based anti-seize. Like, almost every bolt on that thing has anti-seize. Like, how German is that? Yeah. But that means some, some dude, ’cause it’s hand-built in Austria by Magna Steyr, is, is actually, like, putting that on there and then- Yeah

getting that bolt in, and then you-

Scott Brady: That’s why they cost as much as they do.

Matt Scott: Yeah. The, the, the body underneath is all hand-sealed so you don’t get noise, you don’t get fumes that come up. Um, [00:44:00] you know, the … It’s, it’s just a fascinating car. Like-

Scott Brady: They’re really, they’re really unusual, and the fact that they’ve been, that they have been used so much around the world by militaries and NGOs and everything else, um, and the fact that so many countries have Mercedes dealerships.

Other than Toyota, Mercedes is the most prolific-

Matt Scott: Yeah …

Scott Brady: for dealerships. So if … I wanted to always have this car ready to go, so tomorrow if I needed to leave and start, start driving to Chile, I know I could get the vehicle serviced along the way.

Matt Scott: You know, it took me … I, I guess I’ve owned my G-Wagon since September.

I really just appreciate, I appreciate how it’s made. Like, I like things that will last a very long time. Like, the G-Wagon is very well made. It’s, it’s exceptional. Like, the moment you close the door on that thing, you know that it’s, that it’s different. It’s, it’s of a different caliber. And it’s so cool that no matter if, you know, vehicle one that’s coming off the assembling line is [00:45:00] going to Kim Kardashian, same assembly line two, you know, vehicle two might be going to the Canadian or Australian military, or three might be a six-wheel drive Brabus that’s going to some- In

Scott Brady: Dubai, yeah.

Matt Scott: Yeah, like … But the, the point being the chassis and a lot of the driveline and everything, like, you know, compared to, let’s say, a Range Rover, I, I think the Range Rover in, in almost every measurable way is a better vehicle. It’s quieter, it’s more comfortable, arguably a, a quicker vehicle to drive. Um, but they have a little bit more of a temporary feel to them, where the G-Wagon just feels like

It’s like buying It’s like buying a really, really nice pair of hiking boots.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: It- they’re like Zamberlan hiking boots- Right … where you’re gonna buy them and have them for a really, really long time.

Scott Brady: I’ve had my Zamberlans about as long as I’ve had my G-Wagen.

Matt Scott: Exactly. So they’re, they’re fascinating vehicles, and I wish that people would see them for more than just a, again, I’ll [00:46:00] call out my COD piece, right?

‘Cause there are so many people that just buy them and, and I will frankly say suffer through them because what they say about you, you know, they’re not really that comfortable. Um-

Scott Brady: No. But, but it is, like compared to a Defender, it is more… I, what, what I think I-

Matt Scott: They’re just a better Defender …

Scott Brady: what I think I liked about it was, and, and of course when I got mine was before, um, they were a celebrity choice.

But, um, for me it was the, as close to Toyota reliability as I could get, could get, but then it had the kind of the uniqueness, the funk factor of a Defender.

Matt Scott: Yeah.

Scott Brady: So it was kind of that combination of Toyota and Land Rover, um, at Mercedes level of build quality. And, and for me, if I look back on that vehicle, I have, I’ve never replaced it with another car.

So I’ve, for 12 years I’ve driven the same vehicle. Think about how much money I’ve saved.

Matt Scott: Yeah.

Scott Brady: I have saved so much money by just buying the right vehicle for me the first time [00:47:00] around. Yeah. And so that, that has made me very grateful for that car, ’cause I’ve saved a lot of money. It’s, I’ve had wonderful experiences with it, driven it all the way down the length of Baja, and it’s been all the way out to St.

John’s and everything else. So, um, it’s a, it’s a vehicle that I’ve take- taken great pleasure in dro- in owning and driving every single day, and I’ve not, I’ve not lost a lot of money

Matt Scott: on it. Yeah. I mean, that’s the thing with

Scott Brady: mine- It’s worth as much as I go- I paid for it, so …

Matt Scott: where I talk about getting a Prospector.

I’m not gonna lose a cent on this G-Wagen. I mean, w- new they’re like 120 to 140.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: Or more. Or more. I think the, the, now the new one, the new, new can get up over past 200 with the G63.

Scott Brady: Easily.

Matt Scott: You know, mine, I paid substantially less for that. Uh, less than that. And I don’t know, like driving the car for a year will maybe cost me 1,000 or $2,000.

A couple grand, yeah. And, you know, that’s a, that’s a sizable amount of money. I [00:48:00] mean, that could support me on the road for, you know, a month or two. But it, it was an interesting experience.

Scott Brady: Yeah, they’re a different kind of vehicle. Yeah. And they’re not for everybody.

Matt Scott: Yeah, I mean, basically, again, you hear me use this roof tent analogy a lot.

Like, you know, owning a G-Wagon for a year will cost me about a roof tent.

Scott Brady: Yeah.

Matt Scott: So-

Scott Brady: And now you’re gonna get a Prospector. That’s exciting.

Matt Scott: Yeah, maybe. I mean-

Scott Brady: Maybe, possibly. We’ll

Matt Scott: see. Probably. For the listeners that don’t know, I have, um, a, a very horrible case of vehicle ADD. I guess, I, I guess this is part of my job.

Like-

Scott Brady: Yeah …

Matt Scott: I, I drive all of the latest stuff, and I see these new technologies, and I’m really fascinated in it, and I’ve kinda, I guess, found a way to buy and sell at the right time. And maybe this is even something for another podcast as to like, okay, well, why does Matt have three vehicles? Well, because for 15 years I’ve been buying and selling cars in a- In

Scott Brady: the right time

Matt Scott: in, in a right way, and-

Scott Brady: If you could time the stock market the same way.

Matt Scott: If I could time the stock market the right way. Some people have talents with stock markets. You have, you, you got the vehicle thing. [00:49:00] Um, I, I just have a bunch of vehicles and trucks. Um-

Scott Brady: And I think for those that are listening, o- one of the things that Matt and I have both learned is that if you buy the right kind of vehicle-

Matt Scott: The desirable

Scott Brady: stuff

a desirable vehicle that has a good legacy and heritage behind it, where it will be popular and desirable for a long time, you can really lower your overall cost of ownership. Yeah. So it may seem like, like, oh, buying a G-Wagon seems so expensive, but if you own it for 12 years- It’s not … and you’ve not bought any other vehicles, then it’s super cheap actually.

Matt Scott: Yeah, I

Scott Brady: mean- At the end of the day …

Matt Scott: you know, and, and, and everybody can do this, you know? It, it, this can, this is as applicable to somebody buying a 2 to $3,000 car that they can put a little bit of work into. Like, I never buy the cleanest car. I, I never buy the most expensive. Like, it’s just a different way of looking at things, I think.

Scott Brady: It is. And, and I think that these projects are great for Matt and I ’cause they keep us exposed to all of the new products on the market. It [00:50:00] allows us to share with our listeners our experiences, our positives and negatives that we’ve experienced with all of these various products, and that’s why it’s good to do these little updates every once in a while.

Matt Scott: Yeah, yeah. So maybe this is something, you know, that we’ll do a little bit more regularly. We wanna make sure that we keep this podcast focused on overland travel, ’cause that is what it is about. But we’re all, we’re all car people.

Scott Brady: The cars are also super fun too. Yeah,

Matt Scott: yeah. Yeah,

Scott Brady: absolutely. Thank you all for listening, and we will talk to you next time.

Matt Scott: Take care.