Thread: Budget Family 4WD

nothing beats fucking up your daily driver over the weekend and having to sort out a ride to work for the next few weeks

MBraga - I see you are in Christchurch like me. Chch is 4x4 central - good clubs, great tracks throughout the south accessible in a day or weekend from here. Canterbury, Reefton, West Coast, Central etc. But if you are getting interested in offroading and plan McCauley Godley type river trips, a soft road all wheel drive will not be advisable. Too many limitations - Flyblown's cautionary advice is right - as is No 3s.

As a 20+ year Chch 4x4 club offroader myself I suggest you decide what level of offroad activity you want to do first - and buy to that. We grade all tracks from 1-5, 1 being easy farm tracks and 5 being coast to coast style truck busters. Been there, done that.. To take a soft roader out into southern river terrain is dangerous. That river can be a 2 or a 5 - often within 30 minutes. River levels rise very quickly, stranding you up some mountain valley, and with low ground clearance you're also at real risk of parking on boulders you can't see. Anything other than ideal dry conditions and you're in deep shite with road tyres or all-terrains, and low ground clearance. We don't even allow them on trips.

You need a truck for the task, and modified for it. Example - these days my 4wding is somewhat easier, and I run a 96 Bighorn diesel. Good basic unit with strong drivetrain, 32" muds, 2" lift, tight LSD, tuned, snorkel, safety hooks/equipment etc - and that's basic spec, adequate for moderate southern offroad tracks. I wouldn't want less. A Mitsi as suggested, Bighorn, Prado (watch the 1kz motors) etc can do your job - can all be modified to get you in and out of our mountain terrain safely. Also important - try and find others to do your trips with. Travelling alone as a newbie up some mountain river is not a great idea - can go wrong very badly. Go to a 4wd club night and listen, then chat to people about tracks/trucks/mods. Find some mates, and find out what you need. You do not need to bash up your truck and have it parked in the shed after every trip. I never have - even doing toughest coast-to-coast tracks. You learn to drive WITHIN your truck spec and keep it safe and sound. Canterbury Recreational 4wd club is good -variety of trip levels.

You may end up with two vehicles - your modded diesel truck, plus a wee commuter car. You won't get an under 120k truck, modded, for your 15k budget. Most of the clubbies go for 'pre-electronic' (to some extent) 90s vehicles - and they usually have 200-350k on the clock, and we don't often use them also as day drivers. If you want to chat about your truck plans, feel free to PM me.

Bill's point above also good to ponder. If you're on a budget - and who isn't - 4wding can be expensive with maintenance. Might cost 3-6k to mod a standard diesel truck depending on where you choose to go, and if you push truck hard on tougher grade 4-5 tracks it can become a VERY costly hobby.. Bearings, bushes, seals, alternators, starter motors..etc etc - you name it !!!

This guy went up the Macaulay in his lifted Subaru!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4W3Bc1uuAo&t=13s

Originally Posted by 40mm

That is just a random image, i shall try find a picture of mine. Done some fun sstuff, but dont want to bash it up too much as it is a camper

Nope no Bunji here, thats me, mid 90s ish on Thompsons Flat near lake Daniels. Nelson 4WD club trip.
Also on the trip was a Ford Transit V6 with Jeep J20 running gear under. Built up by a local now retired small motors mechanic.


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Originally Posted by Bill999

If you can get a Hack (no longer regesterable) and have the space to store it that really is the go

4wding just wrecks vehicles

either that or get a trailer and a cheep quad and go ten times the places,

I wouldn't attempt any serious water crossings on a quad and that is what the o.p is talking about doing, you really need a proper 4wd set up for water crossings to attempt that (snorkel, diff and gearbox breathers, etc).

If you are really serious about going bush through swamps and rivers, this setup may be just what's required. Big enough to take your jet boat along for the trip.

I can almost imagine the guy in the drivers seat as a much younger version of Mudgripz, if it weren't for the Mongolian throat singing in the background

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2cP--iVbFU

Lets be honest most of the time you do not need a 4wd.
4wd gets you out of trouble.
The majority of 4wd ability is due to what tyres you are running and a bit of experience.
Get experience where it doesn't cost you ie not in the middle of a river.
Play where you can save game without damage.
We learnt in a Series 2 Land rover with an old man who rarked us up if we left wheel marks.
We used to take mates spotlighting who were amazed where we could go and not loose traction.
Practice where you can get back out.
Go with others who can teach you.

you sound like you might need a Sherp...

(We all need a Sherp... shame it fails the "budget friendly" requirement...)

Originally Posted by RV1

you sound like you might need a Sherp...

(We all need a Sherp... shame it fails the "budget friendly" requirement...)

Take my money now!

Don't think tyre wear would be all that flash if you used it as a daily driver!!! But traffic jams would be a thing of the past...Just drive over them with those monster 3psi tyres

Those little Japanese 4w4 light trucks are very interesting, not road legal but very capable when given a little stilts job and some slightly bigger feet. A wee bit lacking in grunt (some are only 550cc) but the one the farmer mate has pisses all over the side x side's and comes in at 1/3rd the price. Much more comfortable cab, uses standard Repco automotive parts which are a fraction of the cost for spares and service components.

The weight distribution is also quite interesting with the rear-engined versions, as i understand it the mates one is quite unusual being diesel powered and not petrol. Not sure if that's something that happened here in NZ or it started life like that?

Possibly a bit light for wading and crossing duties and as I said the road-legal aspect is limiting but if you were in off-road areas only they'd be spiffy.

Just looked at the cost of those sherps, US$115,000 - ouch!

Originally Posted by ROKTOY

Nope no Bunji here, thats me, mid 90s ish on Thompsons Flat near lake Daniels. Nelson 4WD club trip.
Also on the trip was a Ford Transit V6 with Jeep J20 running gear under. Built up by a local now retired small motors mechanic.


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I meant that picture of the 4wd hiace I posted is a random one!
Your van looks ok, pretty hard to compare it to the 'king of thee road' hiace though...

Originally Posted by 40mm

I meant that picture of the 4wd hiace I posted is a random one!
Your van looks ok, pretty hard to compare it to the 'king of thee road' hiace though...

I got ya. Well of course a Toyota would be hard to beat..

Originally Posted by ROKTOY

I got ya. Well of course a Toyota would be hard to beat..

Know your place!

Hard to beat, except for the departure angle etc.... Those Mitsi's are much better like that, just not enough room inside for what I need.
My mate has an old L300 4wd, really old shape one, cool as .