Land Rover versus Land Cruiser Debate - Update 2
Saturday, November 15th, 2008
Apologies for the gap in writing these past few weeks. We’ve been busy trying to fit a new kitchen and trying to transform it from it’s 30-year old predecessor. We’re still not finished just yet but are slowly getting there.
We’ve had some contact from Graham of the drive-to-oz.com team who’ve been having serious problems with their Toyota Land Cruiser and are now abandoning from their base in Thailand and moving onto Australia by air. Many may have been following a past debate that we had regarding our vehicle choice. Will let you make your own minds up. Please see extract as follows:
“I come bearing some hopeful news and a full stomach after eating my hat. Our car has gone completely kapput (big end gone) in Thailand after 6 weeks of waiting for them to fix other problems. We’re leaving the car here to get fixed/new engine and going onto Australia and hiring a 4wd for 2 months which is cheaper than us shipping the car (that’s not obviously the good news). There are Toyotas galore here and dealers/service centres everywhere but they dont’t have our Land Cruiser here at all. We would have been better off with a land rover especially with the parts as we’ve had 5 shipments of overseas parts at a massive cost. No the hopeful news is that we met a UK family (Dwight and Tessie Wood and their 18 year old daughter and 5 year old son(http://www.freshwaterfilter.blogspot.com/) who overtook us and have reached their destination (Singapore) and they were travelling in a £300 Citreon ZX with modified halford trailer so ignore what I said before!!! Ok so it didnt do the roads of Kazakhstan but they really did travel cheaply and very well so well worth getting in touch. Will give you a much more positive angle on your budget I promise. They are really lovely people and have helped us loads. Keep your pecker up”.
Our response as follows:
“Rather than eating your hat - we think it just goes to show that there is really no right or wrong way here - there are benefits and drawbacks to both manufactures.
Our option remains a tortoise in comparison to the niftiness and power and mod cons of the LC. Think of us when we’re shivering and bonerattling and aching somewhere in the world with a huge heavy caravan in tow (and our children silently wishing they never had us for parents!). Not to mention the A/C you have enjoyed while we sweat to death somewhere!
Just think - at least you know the reality and can report back to people like me and other overlanders who have yet to go or are still deliberating etc.
We were really genuinely sorry to hear about the vehicle and have been following your progress via your blog updates. Quite serious then!!!!!! - and here we were thinking ‘what a great excuse to continue hanging out in Thailand!!’. Seriously - cannot be anything more annoying than receiving parts at huge prices from overseas only to find it still doesn’t sort the issue. How unfortunate is that.
We gather from your blog that your shipping LC back to UK to live another day.Another cost. You will have to provide an estimate of expenditure when you get the chance - total spend that is from start to finish.
How are your elder two children bearing up? - especially your oldest - often wonder if she is homesick for school and friends or not bothered - just think about now and again regarding our own two - feels so serious that we will be tearing our children out of school and away from their friends - get great pangs of guilt and regret now and again and hope it remains a great decision to have made in the future - and we haven’t even left yet! Suppose wouldn’t be human if didn’t get the heebie jeebies and think along these lines now and again. Fact remains - we are still going - by hook or by crook!!!!
Glad to know you have a plan B and it seems that hiring vehicles in OZ is perfectly the norm and they are well kitted out to deal with your final leg of circumnavigating the perimeter of Oz all the way round. Better still to know that this option is cheaper than having shipped your vehicle in - maybe there is a God after all! Small mercies - OK tiny - but at least some good news!
Will catch up with Dwight and Tessie’s blog. Thanks for the update and the link. Much appreciated!!!!!! “.
All that remains is to say Good Luck to Graham, Eirenne and the girls for the remainder of their trip - GOOD LUCK GUYS!
