Puma or TD5 for epic overland
Discussion
A group of us are going to drive from Magadan to Scotland next year, we are going to source 3 identical vehicles and the choice is now down to TD5 or Puma 110 CSW. Have any guys in here got experience of the newer vehicles on extended overland trips. We know the Puma would be more comfortable on the trip and also when we bring them back to the UK, BUT I have a feeling that an early Puma might have more potential problems and be slightly less field maintainable than a TD5. Any input or links to articles would be greatly appreciated.
Stuart
Stuart
Lefty said:
Long Way round in reverse eh?
I'd be more tempted by the tdi tbh. And probably a 200...
Really! Parts availability is getting poor for 200's!I'd be more tempted by the tdi tbh. And probably a 200...
I would take a TD5 as thats what I know. They are also pretty easy to work on. I would take whatever you feel most comfortable working on should you need too.
I've done some prety remote long distance travel including the Simpson Desert across the centre of Australia in my td5 (as part of an 8000km trip in 16 days) with no issues atall, aswell as numerous other simiar trips.
Mates have done similar in Puma's, tdis and other td5s too. all seem fine. The biggest issue really is general condition, and not getting to bogged down on one specific engine.
Edited by Psimpson7 on Monday 13th September 05:07
Parts availability is great here and there are loads of suppliers who will ship anywhere in the world.
Make sure that the engines of all three vehicles are in absolutely tip-top condition before you go and take spares with you (you don't need 3 of everything!)
Judging by LWR, you will be doing a lot of river crossings. Properly waterproofing a td5 could be a pain in the ass. I would imagine the tdi engines would be easier for you and local mechanics to work on (no diagnostics required!)
What route are you planning? Are you doing Magadan and back again or are you going to get the cars shipped over the bering strait?
Watching LWR always makes me want to do something like that but, to be honest. I'd rather take a 'Mog than a Land Rover!
Make sure that the engines of all three vehicles are in absolutely tip-top condition before you go and take spares with you (you don't need 3 of everything!)
Judging by LWR, you will be doing a lot of river crossings. Properly waterproofing a td5 could be a pain in the ass. I would imagine the tdi engines would be easier for you and local mechanics to work on (no diagnostics required!)
What route are you planning? Are you doing Magadan and back again or are you going to get the cars shipped over the bering strait?
Watching LWR always makes me want to do something like that but, to be honest. I'd rather take a 'Mog than a Land Rover!
Plan is to containerise the vehicles in Scotland and ship them to Magadan. Plan is then Magadan, Road of Bones, then south onto the BAM road to the top of lake Baikal, from here heading south ( hopefully down the east side of the lake ) Head into Mongolia, across Mongolia into Russia again and head west to Latvia. Crew chnge for a couple of folk in Riga then Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, then start heading for home and out to Ardnamurchan for a BBQ
stuart1969 said:
Plan is to containerise the vehicles in Scotland and ship them to Magadan. Plan is then Magadan, Road of Bones, then south onto the BAM road to the top of lake Baikal, from here heading south ( hopefully down the east side of the lake ) Head into Mongolia, across Mongolia into Russia again and head west to Latvia. Crew chnge for a couple of folk in Riga then Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, then start heading for home and out to Ardnamurchan for a BBQ
Sounds amazing!Any progress on choosing vehicles?
stuart1969 said:
Plan is to containerise the vehicles in Scotland and ship them to Magadan. Plan is then Magadan, Road of Bones, then south onto the BAM road to the top of lake Baikal, from here heading south ( hopefully down the east side of the lake ) Head into Mongolia, across Mongolia into Russia again and head west to Latvia. Crew chnge for a couple of folk in Riga then Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, then start heading for home and out to Ardnamurchan for a BBQ
Sounds fantastic. How long do you think it will take all in? Have you been to all those places before? I wondered because it sounds like you know exactly where to go. I am Scottish and have never even been to Ardnamurchan!! Hi
We have done lots of research, and one of our group drove to Kazakstan / China border last year. The route is a collection of "special stages" on some of the toughest roads, some famous , some not so. The "Road of Bones" is a bit of a classic really and they have replaced this road completely with one further north. The BAM road was only ever a construction road for the Baikal / Amur mainline railwy and as such was never meant to last. It is most deffinately a road less travelled. As for our plans to go south down the eastern side of Lake Baikal there is a route through some fantastic terrain but again it was not intended to last and contains one of our major "tough nuts" but we are talking to others in country who have crossed it.
For us some of the places we will visit are also very special, Magadan Region was home to some of the worst camps of the gulag era and I have obtained a very accurate map showing their positions.
http://www.gulag.ipvnews.org/article20060901_01.ph...
google will translate the site above.
Others are the coldest inhabited place on earth Oymayakon, the Pole of Cold which has had temps in August ranging from 38C to -18C and in winter it has a record -72C in the town.
Abandoned cities, Lake Baikal that is at 5,500 feet deep the deepest fresh water on earth and aslo contains 20% of the worlds liquid fresh water.
All this before even reaching Mongolia
There are so many interesting places and it will be as much about meeting the people, photography and recoding the trip as it will be about the driving.
We have done lots of research, and one of our group drove to Kazakstan / China border last year. The route is a collection of "special stages" on some of the toughest roads, some famous , some not so. The "Road of Bones" is a bit of a classic really and they have replaced this road completely with one further north. The BAM road was only ever a construction road for the Baikal / Amur mainline railwy and as such was never meant to last. It is most deffinately a road less travelled. As for our plans to go south down the eastern side of Lake Baikal there is a route through some fantastic terrain but again it was not intended to last and contains one of our major "tough nuts" but we are talking to others in country who have crossed it.
For us some of the places we will visit are also very special, Magadan Region was home to some of the worst camps of the gulag era and I have obtained a very accurate map showing their positions.
http://www.gulag.ipvnews.org/article20060901_01.ph...
google will translate the site above.
Others are the coldest inhabited place on earth Oymayakon, the Pole of Cold which has had temps in August ranging from 38C to -18C and in winter it has a record -72C in the town.
Abandoned cities, Lake Baikal that is at 5,500 feet deep the deepest fresh water on earth and aslo contains 20% of the worlds liquid fresh water.
All this before even reaching Mongolia
There are so many interesting places and it will be as much about meeting the people, photography and recoding the trip as it will be about the driving.
Amazing. I would do anything to do a trip like that. It beats lying on a beach in Benidorm any day (not that I ever have)! Your photographs will be amazing (all posted on PH of course.........joke). Also, the experience and the people you will meet. I would keep a book every day on everything I did, people i met, etc etc. We will need to start a thread called 'amazing holidays' as this is meant to be about land rovers, isn't it!! I couldn't get that website into English but I will keep trying. I so want to read it all.
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