Driving from London to Australia advice

[bundubasher]

Not dissing the surf but after 3 years overlanding in East Africa: Solid axles back and front; factory fitted locking diffs; general all round build quality; extra space and the 4.2LTD make an 80 my choice for such a long drive.

You won't pay much less to get an 80 overland prepared rather than a surf: 6 new tyres; major overhaul of the suspension/steering components; OME HD suspension; hi-lift jacking points and hi-lift; roofrack; rooftent; maybe an ARB or TJM bumper and a snorkel (not essential but nice).

The 80 has a 24v starter system so that's pretty hardcore but some people still fit a third battery and split charge system for running extra spots, fridge GPS etc.

The list just goes on and on, on top of the purchase price I paid another 6k on equipment/servicing, you'll do that and more if you get carried away: 10K minimum total spend.

[datack]

Not dissing the surf but after 3 years overlanding in East Africa: Solid axles back and front; factory fitted locking diffs; general all round build quality; extra space and the 4.2LTD make an 80 my choice for such a long drive.

You won't pay much less to get an 80 overland prepared rather than a surf: 6 new tyres; major overhaul of the suspension/steering components; OME HD suspension; hi-lift jacking points and hi-lift; roofrack; rooftent; maybe an ARB or TJM bumper and a snorkel (not essential but nice).

The 80 has a 24v starter system so that's pretty hardcore but some people still fit a third battery and split charge system for running extra spots, fridge GPS etc.

The list just goes on and on, on top of the purchase price I paid another 6k on equipment/servicing, you'll do that and more if you get carried away: 10K minimum total spend.

I understand what you are saying but we aren't driving in East Africa. I would assume that we will be on roads for about 70% of the time, with some gravel or dirt tracks the rest. We will be following a very similar route to three guys who drove from Dublin to Sydney in standard BMW sedan with nothing more than decent all terrain tyres. They did get into a few spots of bad roads where they damaged the underside but they said they did that purely because of the lack of clearance, which I'd assume would be much greater on a hilux and would see us through?

I mean we'd still want to look at getting the suspension/steering fitted with better than average gear, but do you really think we'll need the strength and build quality of a Landcruiser over a Surf? Got me slightly worried now.

[Apache]

I dont have the experience of the Overland experts here, but I am assuming they hadn't realised you weren't going on an offroading odyssey.

I am pretty sure a well serviced Surf will suit you admirably for mainly road / some unsurfaced / dirt roads.

Good quality suspension parts etc will serve to make your vehicle more comfortable / reliable, and the 3.0TD is a rock solid engine as long as serviced properly.

We'd all love an 80, but I for one sadly dont have 80 money.

[bundubasher]

Don't panic! The Surf WILL do it! All I am saying is to do the best you can WITHIN YOUR BUDGET. The first major purchase is the vehicle: surf or LC, which can you afford? After that preparation costs are very similar. Someone has just made a similar journey to the one you envisage in a Tuk-Tuk so don't get too obsessed over your choice of vehicle.

I would actually say that we do most (80%) of our driving on tar: badly potholed; with no hard shoulder; heavy truck warped and at times severely currogated, but it is still tar. If it was all sandy tracks and murram then it would go much easier on the suspension: dropping into a big pothole, even at a moderate speed when heavily laden, can split tyres, dent rims and bust IFS.

When I bought I couldn't afford a cruiser and so went with the 4runner (which was better looking anyway) - over a few years I owned it, BEFORE we went to EA, I made it into a customised overlander, but I've bought and sold a few basically unmodified Surfs in EA to safari clients and they've had no real mechanical problems (if you've ever driven a LR then you'll know what I mean).

I think one had custom front and rear bumpers (to allow for hi-lift jacking) and the other a custom roofrack built to accomodate a canoe and a second spare wheel. Both people travelled far and wide and had great safaris with no mechanical breakdowns. I would look out for manual 3L 4runners especially - these are non EFI with mechanical lift pumps - the less electrickery the better.

(I've had immobilisers, starters and window switches go on me but luckily I've been able to bypass or strip out offending bits and pieces. I've broken tortion bars, and I currently have a gear box problem that allows be to travel albeit slowly. Most parts I've replaced have been service parts: CV boots; bushes etc.)

Here's one I am currently selling so you can see what I mean":

http://www.elphick-pooley.co.uk/htm/...sale.htm#Surf1