Vehicle choice

[Thinkofsomethingkwik]

Hey all,

Currently trying to decide on a vehicle to take for a south American excursion down to Argentina. I've traveled across northern Canada to Alaska in my V6 2015 Silverado with a topper/bed in the back and absolutely loved the minimalism of it but also wished for a different platform at the same time. I'm looking for a platform with KISS as the main philosophy. I want a system that doesn't need a suspension rebuild every ten thousand km's


The only modifications I plan to do are: winch, suspension if needed, skid plates, roof top tent/shower, slide out kitchen drawers/fridge and a snorkel.

I'm definitely not a rock crawler and my style of driving would be similar to Dan grec.

Now I'm not well off and personally would prefer to spend my money on what really counts to me (traveling experiences) so I'd be looking at these vehicles in the used market. I'm a Canadian so unfortunately I can't get a land cruiser unless it's a lx570 but those come with air suspension which sucks hard.

Currently favouring the base model Lexus gx460 (non airbag suspension), Nissan frontier, Tacoma (afraid of weight being an issue), Nissan Armada (unsure of its capabilities but for a 2017 for $34k how can you argue) and the jeep gladiator.


Any help is greatly appreciated. After this south america trip I'd most likely be headed to Australia in a year and a halfs time or Africa (now this is my pipedream trip and is more likely to be 3-4yrs away). I'd want to use the same vehicle on those trips as well so reliability is huge to me

 

[tdferrero]

Of the ones you listed, I would go with the GX without a doubt. It will give you the least issues, last forever, and definitely be the most comfortable. Though the Gladiator does have an edge in the cool factor.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Suspension rebuild every 10k km?

 

[Halligan]

Do you prefer a pickup or SUV? I'm 6'2" and sat it a Gladiator out of curiosity when they landed on dealers lot last year and my right leg rested on the center console, very uncomfortable. For me the seat would need to go back a few more inches. How secure do want your gear, In the back of a SUV secure or under a tonneau cover secure? You can't knock Toyota/Lexus reliability.

 

[alanymarce]

None of the above (although possibly the Frontier).

You need something sold in the places you're going - to be able to find spares, have the vehicle maintenance done, etc. I think your options are Toyota LC or HiLux (if you're into pickups) or Mitsubishi Montero. We've used a Nissan X-Trail i for South America, a Land Cruiser for Africa, and a Montero for Australia and South America.

I'm a Canadian so unfortunately I can't get a land cruiser unless it's a lx570

You could buy the vehicle somewhere outside Canada presumably?

 

[Thinkofsomethingkwik]

Suspension rebuild every 10k km?

Sorry that was my bad attempt at a joke, I want a robust suspension system that doesn't require heavy maintenance

Suspension rebuild every 10k km?

Sorry that was my poke at people with extremely complex suspension setups. I just want a no hassle suspension setup.

 

[Thinkofsomethingkwik]

Do you prefer a pickup or SUV? I'm 6'2" and sat it a Gladiator out of curiosity when they landed on dealers lot last year and my right leg rested on the center console, very uncomfortable. For me the seat would need to go back a few more inches. How secure do want your gear, In the back of a SUV secure or under a tonneau cover secure? You can't knock Toyota/Lexus reliability.

I'm 6'1 so that's close to yourself. I need to definitely go sit in them first. Truth be told I loved my truck because it was extremely spacious and had alot of interior room for adjustment. But I'm also very happy with an SUV. Reliability over comfort is fine by me.

I'm not carrying any high value items but security is important without a doubt. I felt uncomfortable with the tonneau cover when carrying my bikes ($6000) downhill bikes in my country let alone a foreign one, so perhaps SUV is the way to go

 

[Thinkofsomethingkwik]

None of the above (although possibly the Frontier).

You need something sold in the places you're going - to be able to find spares, have the vehicle maintenance done, etc. I think your options are Toyota LC or HiLux (if you're into pickups) or Mitsubishi Montero. We've used a Nissan X-Trail i for South America, a Land Cruiser for Africa, and a Montero for Australia and South America.



You could buy the vehicle somewhere outside Canada presumably?

What are your thoughts on the Lexus GX that is a rebadged land cruiser Prado (150) for the trip?

Without a doubt parts procurement is an absolutely huge factor. I don't want to be there with a broken axle and have to overnight ship parts to a foreign country.

Do you have any suggestions for purchasing one out of country? I've looked at the USA market land cruisers but they have a 43% price difference due to import fees and our current CAD to USD conversion rate. So for a decent example I'd be paying almost double what I would for an example up here and there has been two land cruiser (200s) posted in the past year up here.

Wow you have the experience, any advice you could give me would be wonderful. If swapped the air suspension off the Lx570 do you think it'd be a decent option due to sharing the parts with the 200 series?

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

I agree with Alanymarce — us Canadians are going to be limited in the NA market with vehicle options, because we have so few “world” platforms for sale here.

The midsize trucks you have identified are NA specific vehicles (Taco and Gladiator). Have you considered the Ford Ranger? My understanding is that is a world-wide platform so you should be able to get most parts. It just came out in 2019 though, so the used market is a bit sparse:

Ford Ranger (T6) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Thinkofsomethingkwik]

I agree with Alanymarce — us Canadians are going to be limited in the NA market with vehicle options, because we have so few “world” platforms for sale here.

The midsize trucks you have identified are NA specific vehicles (Taco and Gladiator). Have you considered the Ford Ranger? My understanding is that is a world-wide platform so you should be able to get most parts. It just came out in 2019 though, so the used market is a bit sparse:

Ford Ranger (T6) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

That's a completely fair point, it's unfortunate that we've been seemingly burdened by manufacturers with non global platforms. Do you think the ranger is robust enough as a platform?

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I'd go with a regular cab, full size, 8' bed. Stronger in every way than a Tacoma and has much more room. A mid sized will be at its GVW by the time you pack your stuff in it.

I honestly wouldn't worry about using the same vehicle for Australia and Africa. I'd worry about that when it actually happens.

 

[Buddha.]

Whats wrong with the current truck?

 

[Thinkofsomethingkwik]

I just about purchased an f250 regular cab this year but couldn't pull the trigger. Any recommendations?

I'd go with a regular cab, full size, 8' bed. Stronger in every way than a Tacoma and has much more room. A mid sized will be at its GVW by the time you pack your stuff in it.

I honestly wouldn't worry about using the same vehicle for Australia and Africa. I'd worry about that when it actually happens.

 

[04Ram2500Hemi]

What about a Ram Power Wagon? Front/Rear Lockers and a winch from the factory.

 

[Thinkofsomethingkwik]

Whats wrong with the current truck?

Frame damage unfortunately