Hi everyone!
I'm a passionate offroader & nature photographer (as a hobby, not as profession unfortunately
).
This part of the world has so much to offer in that respect, very diverse terrains and breathtaking landscapes - and mostly within just a few hundred kilometers apart or less.
From the beach to almost 2000m (6000ft) high mountains takes an hour at places. And everything in between - lowland swampy areas, hilly areas, grassland, deep forests, high mountain plateaus, through deep mud to several meters of snow...
Also, the terrain is rocky in the mountain regions (karstic) - becoming at places an impassable sea of sharp daggers sticking from the ground mixed with endless deep "craters".
There's something for everybody - well, except deserts! But I'm not a big fan of sand so...
I'm actually not that much into offroading for the sake of offroading - rather I enjoy the process of "getting there" or "almost getting there" ...
You know that feeling while traversing slightly winding and undulating trails with good suspension and fat aired-down tyres... that gentle rocking and rolling makes it seem as if you're "sailing" through the landscape...
It's a kind of meditation almost for me! Tricky bits on the other hand add for a bit of excitement, but I'm always threading lightly and often stopping to admire the nature.
My favorites are day-long "adventures" combining offroading with mountaineering... getting as close as possible to a destination by vehicle, and then continuing on foot for a kilometer or two more.
I don't really care for full-day hiking trips - also because I'm very allergic to wasps and hornets, so in case I get bitten I'd like to stay at maximum half-hour hike back to the car.
So I really need a vehicle that can get me there and back - great offroad capability with extreme reliability is what I'm looking for.
Decent road manners and comfort, carrying capacity and reasonably safe - so I can use it as a daily driver too. Also the least possible amount of electronics (well, every car has them now, no way around it really) - goes into "reliability" category.
I'm only slightly alarmed by reportedly "ship-like" (talking about sailing, eh!?) turning circle - as there's a lot of narrow trails here.
Currently I use 2012 very much off-road modified Mitsubishi L200 diesel, but he started to give me a more and more trouble lately.
First fuel lines and injectors, then DPF, than electricals, than turbo... Just too much worries so I'm not confident anymore to use it for more than just a few km away from the "civilization".
A good thing about it it that it's simple machine - with a exceptional turning circle and self centering! It's 11,8m I think for 5,3m long vehicle - and 13,4m for Grenadier's 4,9m! Whoa!
That'll take some getting used to. But I guess it'll come down to my skill as a driver. Occasional 3-point turn it not an issue, but 5-point turns would soon become a nuisance!
I hope it's not that bad in reality ;-)
Seems Grenadier is everything I wanted the new Defender to be, so I'm getting one for sure despite the steering.
I'm looking for a one with either reasonably low mileage or from the dealer... I'm not sure how long is the wait for new orders right now?
I was using AutoScout24 and Mobile.de and seems there's no lack of decent options there that more-less fit my bill...
I'd like to find a Trialmaster Station Wagon with factory installed winch, roof rack, electrical outlets, snorkel and rock sliders.
Only thing I'm going to do is to fit an Eibach lift kit 30-40mm and a set of 33'' or 35'' Cooper STT Discoverers (a huge recommendation for those!) - and I'm done.
I prefer Magic Mushroom color as it packs that good-old "safari" vibe
Basically the only dilemma I still have is that eternal one - diesel vs gasoline?
But I guess this is not the right thread to start off such discussion, I'll better look elsewhere on the forum!
Cheers!
I'm a passionate offroader & nature photographer (as a hobby, not as profession unfortunately
).This part of the world has so much to offer in that respect, very diverse terrains and breathtaking landscapes - and mostly within just a few hundred kilometers apart or less.
From the beach to almost 2000m (6000ft) high mountains takes an hour at places. And everything in between - lowland swampy areas, hilly areas, grassland, deep forests, high mountain plateaus, through deep mud to several meters of snow...
Also, the terrain is rocky in the mountain regions (karstic) - becoming at places an impassable sea of sharp daggers sticking from the ground mixed with endless deep "craters".
There's something for everybody - well, except deserts! But I'm not a big fan of sand so...
I'm actually not that much into offroading for the sake of offroading - rather I enjoy the process of "getting there" or "almost getting there"
...You know that feeling while traversing slightly winding and undulating trails with good suspension and fat aired-down tyres... that gentle rocking and rolling makes it seem as if you're "sailing" through the landscape...
It's a kind of meditation almost for me! Tricky bits on the other hand add for a bit of excitement, but I'm always threading lightly and often stopping to admire the nature.
My favorites are day-long "adventures" combining offroading with mountaineering... getting as close as possible to a destination by vehicle, and then continuing on foot for a kilometer or two more.
I don't really care for full-day hiking trips - also because I'm very allergic to wasps and hornets, so in case I get bitten I'd like to stay at maximum half-hour hike back to the car.
So I really need a vehicle that can get me there and back - great offroad capability with extreme reliability is what I'm looking for.
Decent road manners and comfort, carrying capacity and reasonably safe - so I can use it as a daily driver too. Also the least possible amount of electronics (well, every car has them now, no way around it really) - goes into "reliability" category.
I'm only slightly alarmed by reportedly "ship-like" (talking about sailing, eh!?) turning circle - as there's a lot of narrow trails here.
Currently I use 2012 very much off-road modified Mitsubishi L200 diesel, but he started to give me a more and more trouble lately.
First fuel lines and injectors, then DPF, than electricals, than turbo... Just too much worries so I'm not confident anymore to use it for more than just a few km away from the "civilization".
A good thing about it it that it's simple machine - with a exceptional turning circle and self centering! It's 11,8m I think for 5,3m long vehicle - and 13,4m for Grenadier's 4,9m! Whoa!
That'll take some getting used to. But I guess it'll come down to my skill as a driver. Occasional 3-point turn it not an issue, but 5-point turns would soon become a nuisance!
I hope it's not that bad in reality ;-)
Seems Grenadier is everything I wanted the new Defender to be, so I'm getting one for sure despite the steering.
I'm looking for a one with either reasonably low mileage or from the dealer... I'm not sure how long is the wait for new orders right now?
I was using AutoScout24 and Mobile.de and seems there's no lack of decent options there that more-less fit my bill...
I'd like to find a Trialmaster Station Wagon with factory installed winch, roof rack, electrical outlets, snorkel and rock sliders.
Only thing I'm going to do is to fit an Eibach lift kit 30-40mm and a set of 33'' or 35'' Cooper STT Discoverers (a huge recommendation for those!) - and I'm done.
I prefer Magic Mushroom color as it packs that good-old "safari" vibe
Basically the only dilemma I still have is that eternal one - diesel vs gasoline?
But I guess this is not the right thread to start off such discussion, I'll better look elsewhere on the forum!
Cheers!
