caravelle or discovery or...?
Discussion
a slightly different angle to the 'best camping car' thread.
i'm predicting that the stresses of my job will end up bringing on some form of life crisis in a couple of years' time. instead of buying a porsche
i would be pretty much in heaven packing lots of things into a car and randomly wandering in an easterly direction across europe, siberia and onto the mongolian plains (though not so random as not to have thought of visas etc, and the savings fund has already begun).
which vehicle would you choose? bear in mind some mobility problems, so i don't really want to put up a tent in wind and rain at night and reliability would be very important. initial thoughts point to a vw caravelle 4motion. i'd appreciate the interior comfort (heard that a mattress is one of the vw options) and plenty of space for 2 people and a good stock of essentials. i like the fact that it looks unassuming and wouldn't stand out too much. it also comes with 4 wheel drive - curiosity tends to get the better of me when i see an interesting looking track. though this would be a dry season trip and nothing extreme.
the land rover discovery 4 is another option. obviously much more capable, but i'm not sure how comfortable it would be to sleep even with the rear seats removed/folded. unfortunately a lwb defender is not an option because i don't think they do autos.
in summary and in descending order of importance: automatic, reliability, space, off-road ability.
what are my other options
i'm predicting that the stresses of my job will end up bringing on some form of life crisis in a couple of years' time. instead of buying a porsche
i would be pretty much in heaven packing lots of things into a car and randomly wandering in an easterly direction across europe, siberia and onto the mongolian plains (though not so random as not to have thought of visas etc, and the savings fund has already begun).which vehicle would you choose? bear in mind some mobility problems, so i don't really want to put up a tent in wind and rain at night and reliability would be very important. initial thoughts point to a vw caravelle 4motion. i'd appreciate the interior comfort (heard that a mattress is one of the vw options) and plenty of space for 2 people and a good stock of essentials. i like the fact that it looks unassuming and wouldn't stand out too much. it also comes with 4 wheel drive - curiosity tends to get the better of me when i see an interesting looking track. though this would be a dry season trip and nothing extreme.
the land rover discovery 4 is another option. obviously much more capable, but i'm not sure how comfortable it would be to sleep even with the rear seats removed/folded. unfortunately a lwb defender is not an option because i don't think they do autos.
in summary and in descending order of importance: automatic, reliability, space, off-road ability.
what are my other options
Depends entirely what you want from the trip.
4WD into the wilderness and a Caravelle won't cut it.
Enjoying driving tarmaced roads and the Disco is second best.
Adventuring in really wild places and your best choosing an older, simpler model that you can get fixed by the roadside.
When I looked at this I bought a P100 with a V6 engine (to enjoy the roads) and an old dirt bike in the back to enjoy the trails.
Then I got married and it never happened
4WD into the wilderness and a Caravelle won't cut it.
Enjoying driving tarmaced roads and the Disco is second best.
Adventuring in really wild places and your best choosing an older, simpler model that you can get fixed by the roadside.
When I looked at this I bought a P100 with a V6 engine (to enjoy the roads) and an old dirt bike in the back to enjoy the trails.
Then I got married and it never happened
VW T25 Synchro? I don't off-road but these are supposed to be very capable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR7TccW8Fzo
Best of all worlds. Van space, VW reliability and simplicity plus proper 4x4.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR7TccW8Fzo
Best of all worlds. Van space, VW reliability and simplicity plus proper 4x4.
You would find an Auto TD5 Defender 110 I would have thought. Depending on budget. If you go older, then you will certainly find a V8 Auto. However, as the owner of 90 and previously a Disco, yes they are great off road, but you DO NOT want to rely on one! They require almost permanent maintenance.
They very rarely let you down to the point where they will put you stranded at the side of the road, and yes they are very capable off roaders, but the last thing you want is to be sat in a place for days waiting to fix yet another niggle. If you are going onto a "wilderness" style trip, get a proper 4x4, if it's tarmac roads and "visiting places" trip, get the camper.
What is it the aussies say? "If you want to go into the outback, buy a Land Rover. If you want to come back, buy a Land Cruiser"
They very rarely let you down to the point where they will put you stranded at the side of the road, and yes they are very capable off roaders, but the last thing you want is to be sat in a place for days waiting to fix yet another niggle. If you are going onto a "wilderness" style trip, get a proper 4x4, if it's tarmac roads and "visiting places" trip, get the camper.
What is it the aussies say? "If you want to go into the outback, buy a Land Rover. If you want to come back, buy a Land Cruiser"
A4069 said:
europe, siberia and onto the mongolian plains
Assuming you mean this literally, then the most important factor is the combination of reliability and repairability (i.e. the ability to find parts and sufficient repair expertise locally, assuming you aren't doing to do everything yourself).In this case, you are IMHO down to the Land Rover Defender or an older Toyota Land Cruiser.
The Defender is repairable by the roadside but there is no auto option.
The Land Cruiser is the one to go for. They are used throughout the developing world because they can go anywhere and are very reliable. The older ones are relatively easy to repair with basic tools, repair manuals are available and there is a greater chance of finding used parts locally compared to other vehicles.
Get the Amazon (big) version and put the rear seats down and you can probably sleep well enough.
A Caravelle is nice, but it won't cope with the poor quality of Mongolian/Siberian roads, and the chances of finding a VW turbo assembly or common rail fuel pump in rural Mongolia are close to zero.
The mindset you should have is not "what car would be most comfortable for the trip" but "if I was in the middle of Siberia, with no human presence for miles, -20 degree temperatures and biting winds, and my life depended on reaching civilisation as soon as possible, which car would have the greatest chance of getting me there".
AmitG said:
The mindset you should have is not "what car would be most comfortable for the trip" but "if I was in the middle of Siberia, with no human presence for miles, -20 degree temperatures and biting winds, and my life depended on reaching civilisation as soon as possible, which car would have the greatest chance of getting me there".
MX5?A4069 said:
the land rover discovery 4 is another option. obviously much more capable, but i'm not sure how comfortable it would be to sleep even with the rear seats removed/folded.
I've seen pics of a D3 with a double mattress that just slotted straight in. As the D3/D4 share the same floor plan, it should fit in a D4 too...Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff