moggy1968

Well, my 2 penny worth on some of the subjects discussed so far: Discovery 3 as an expedition motor, no thanks. the words landrover and electronics don't sit well together and trying to sort an electronics gremlin that has immobilised you in the middle of the desert doesn't sound appealing. thats why I just bought a 300tdi defender. TD5, mums got a disco one and it's the worst 4x4 I've ever driven. wouldn't have one if you gave it to me! Trailers, I have never tried one on an expecition, but everything I have read about expeditions says don't do it! I have used them on miltary vehicles and would say they put massive shock loads through your chassis and drivetrain, ad considerably to the drag through sand and mud, are a bxxxx to reverse, especially off road (and I've spent several years driving artics so know how to reverse a trailer!) and they are not at all easy to recover if seperated from the vehicle. If you need a trailer you've got too much kit! I have taken my H60 landcruiser to russia and Africa and it was fantastic, although the H60 I bought to travel with mine taking a load of school books to the Gambia needed repairs on a daily basis. although they were straightforward to do and nothing seized. On the way back though my gearbox started to fail, I think as a result of (relatively) high speeds through europe in hot weather. I looked at 3 landcruisers for replacement boxes and they were all on their last legs, is this a weakspot? Tom Shepperd, of vehicle based expeditions fame drives a merc G wagon now, and he's pretty much tried them all! the only reason I now have a 130 is to turn it into a camper is cos the missus wants a toilet and I can't fit that in the landcruiser!! 'If you want to go on an expedition take a landrover, if you want to come back take a landcruiser!'

well, I finally sold the Mitsubishi and bought a 130 from MRM Landrover. wouldn't buy another from them, but now we have agreed an out of court settlement I am a little happier! Simon, see the Azali feature earlier in this thread, was a great help and I contacted Azali. with regards to price the conversion is about 25000 euros, which was not bad a year or so ago but a bit pricey now!! all the same, it is comparable to a decent demountable, but see below. I also considered the foley 6x6 route but am coming round to the idea of the azali. I hope to visit the factory in the future to have a look round them. I seem to recolect reading about a big foley 6x6 which did a major trip which seemed to suffer a lot of prop shaft problems. In the interim, until funds permit, I got hold of a cheap demounanle on ebay to use as a trial. I liked the idea of an alaskan demountable so that I could still use the truck as a pick up. The one I currently have is an american one, so a fairly decent size. being built for US trucks though it wouldn't clear the cab of the 130 so I had to build a wood frame underneith to lift it about 4 inches. it looks very top heavy but the handling is suprisingly good, better than the wolf ambulances I have driven. It has been a useful exercise though as I have decided a demountable is not the route to go down. even with the weight of this unit (probably about a ton) the ride is very harsh and I just don't think a demountable would survive the vibration of African roads. The Azali on the other hand is purpose built for exactly that kind of environment. I would be intersted to know if, given the relative light weight of the Azali, Simon kept the original springs or went for standard 110 items. although this would soften the ride I think this is what they have done on the wolf ambies and the resulting body roll is hideous.

HI all from a newbie, appologies for sticking my oar in but neither the government or C&E make the rules. The rates are set by the countries you are travelling too, thats why there are variations. There are very extensive discussions about carnets on the horizonsunlimited forum. Originally for bikers it also caters for 4+ wheelers and is probably the most definitive place for info on foreign travel. I always refer to it when planning a trip. Andy TLC H60 (dare I say it here!) Mitsi L200 former 101 owner and aspiring 130 owner! www.captainmoggy.com