Moving from commuter to 4wding. Keep the Jeep or move on?
 

Hi all,

I've got a 2014 JGC Limited Diesel that I've owned from new, love it, never missed a beat. I'd like to get in to some more serious 4WDing and I'm not sure whether I should spend the money getting the Jeep up to spec, or sell up and buy a Hilux or LC 200 series. I spent the last week away with 3 mates, 2 with Hilux utes and one with the Landcruiser 200 series, camping in the Vic High Country. All of their vehicles had lift kits and offroad tyres, where as my Jeep is stock standard :)

As I'm new to offroading we did a few basic tracks. The jeep was fine on basic stuff but it became clear very quickly that it needed a lift kit and some offroad tyres should I want to go much further as I was often scraping the car in places the others went through with ease. On the last night as we all sat around the campfire, all 3 of the Toyoto owners unsuprisingly suggested I sell the Jeep and invest in a "more reliable" 4WD rather than throwing money in to the Jeep.

I lease the car for work and the lease is up in September, so the options are keep the Jeep, throw on a lift kit, bull bar, tow hooks, rock sliders, and undercarriage protection which will come in around $4K to $6K....or....sell the Jeep and most likely get a Hilux or LC 200. I understand buying another vehicle would require the same modifications, the questions really is should I invent in the Jeep platform.

So rather that asking a bunch of biased Toyoto owners I thought I'd jump on here to hear from other Jeep owners. What are your thoughts? Is the WK2 a reliable, dependable offroader worthy of investing in, or are the other boys right, is the Jeep best left on the tar and basic dirt tracks?

I'd really appreciate your genuine thoughts, I'm not at all sure what to do so would welcome all the input I can get!

Thanks.

Personally, I’d keep the Jeep so you have something that isn’t a fuel guzzling, crap handling bucket of boring to drive day to day, and spend $25k on a new Suzuki Jimny that’ll probably embarrass just about anything off road... and it’ll be bargain compared to the cost of buying and owning a LC.

Hi GJWS, after 30+ yrs of 4wd club stuff with a fully decked out GU we opted for a Quadra pk ltd WKII, yes they are a formidable weapon when set up but has its draw backs & we do take ours moderately (now) offroad, as they are EXPENSIVE to repair if you ding it (we know) as you're just getting the "taste" for 4wding getting another 4wd you won't mind burying in mud or ripping a side mirror off might be the way to go

As the other members have said, it depends what you want from the car, every car is a compromise one way or another.
For bush bashing a Hilux would be good, but crap to live with day to day.
The 200 series, big heavy on fuel, crap in sand and expensive.
The Suzuki Jimny, magic off road, crap for highway cruising and carrying gear.
The JGC, great on road, good off road, but expensive to fix.
If I was wanting to bush bash, and have a nice daily driver, I would buy two cars.

Here is what I did....... I was faced with the same delema, so I decided to keep the Grand (same as yours) and buy the most capable off road vehicle off the shelf..... a Jeep JK Rubicon.

The Rubicon is easy and cheap to modify and will literally go anywhere. Because of its stance and ground clearance, they are hard to damage.
This way you have the plush riding, reliable Grand for your every day commute.

Cheers, Craig

Thanks lujabe. We carry dirt bikes and a ton of other stuff with us on trips so the Jimny isn't an option, but certainly thinking outside the box :)

Thanks Mudguard.

When you say ding it, you mean regular panel damage? If so, why is the Jeep more expensive to repair than others?

Getting an older, less precious car is certainly an option, I'm just being a bit precious about my daily commute :) One of my mates recently purchased a 2004 Pajero, he doesn't give a rats ass about it and you 're right, he has an absolute ball and can get that thing just about anywhere. As for repairs, he's not really doing any of that :)