I've been given 2 options from "Above" (that's the wife that is)
I can either get a new vehicle (probably ML270CDI) or I can get my (t)rusty Surf "improved".
I've found a 2" suspension lift kit for circa £530, a locking diff for £250ish, and some wheel spacers (to make it look good) for £140ish. Then there's the new winch bumper I've found, that's £360, then I need a winch etc etc.
Obviously it's cheaper to get the parts and get someone to put 'em on the truck than it is to buy a new vehicle. AND I can run this on anything combustible. But then I do like the Mercs, and kinda wish I'd kept the last one I had.
Soooo, I dunno what to do now? Any thoughts? Anyone want to earn some $$$ by helping me put the bits on the Surf?
mmm nice but when roads get clogged how good is it at off road? I have seen a few like it which are great for mums but when it comes down to it their not so good off road... Whinch is a must on anything.
If i was going to do driving i would be looking at army jeeps like the land rover 90 their just short of 5k not flash looking and easy to hide. but thats just me I would have cammo nets and a jeep like that and move and hide if it came to driving off road. I'm personaly looking at walking. Using the railway lines as nothing will be on them ( some jeeps are the same size as the rails so worth looking into
)
http://militarymart.co.uk/index.php?_a=c...&cat_id=67
(3 July 2012, 13:01)James Jackson Wrote: [ -> ]mmm nice but when roads get clogged how good is it at off road? I have seen a few like it which are great for mums but when it comes down to it their not so good off road... Whinch is a must on anything.
If i was going to do driving i would be looking at army jeeps like the land rover 90 their just short of 5k not flash looking and easy to hide. but thats just me I would have cammo nets and a jeep like that and move and hide if it came to driving off road. I'm personaly looking at walking. Using the railway lines as nothing will be on them ( some jeeps are the same size as the rails so worth looking into )
http://militarymart.co.uk/index.php?_a=c...&cat_id=67
I had a lovely 90. It'd won off-road competitions. 35" tyres, dislocation cones, superb articulation. But, it took seconds to get into, when it rained outside it rained inside, it had no brakes (apart from brick wall / other vehicles) no acceleration and the QE2 has a better turning circle - not that it really mattered with those wheels.
Surf is a bit more family friendly. Well, it's a lot more family friendly.
I'm not planning on attacking off-road courses with it, had enough of that in my younger years.
You could have the best off-roader in the world, but the car is only as good as the driver.
i know a lot of people like 4WD and talk about going "off road" when TSHTF but i wonder just how practical that is? using country roads, green lanes and bridleways is one thing but going across fields? are you going to put bull bars on the front and ram all the gates? not all field gates are wooden many are metal and not that easy to smash, and what if its winter when you bug out? even the farmers with their huge tractors cant get across muddy fields in the height of winter..and they've got more sense than too try.
(3 July 2012, 13:25)bigpaul Wrote: [ -> ]i know a lot of people like 4WD and talk about going "off road" when TSHTF but i wonder just how practical that is? using country roads, green lanes and bridleways is one thing but going across fields? are you going to put bull bars on the front and ram all the gates? not all field gates are wooden many are metal and not that easy to smash, and what if its winter when you bug out? even the farmers with their huge tractors cant get across muddy fields in the height of winter..and they've got more sense than too try.
No off-road plans here. I'm bugging in anyway. But you wouldn't need to ram any gates, decent set of bolt cutters (or lock-picks / shims if you want to go incognito) will see you right.
The only reason I want to make any changes to the truck is to:
A) Increase the ride height
B) Improve the handling
C) Make it look better
D) Give me better ability off road / in crap weather
OT, but: My mate Daz went clean through a metal 5 bar gate. Came off his R1 @ about 130mph, went spiralling through the air, hit the gate and kept going. The firemen & ambulance crew were absolutely stunned he was still alive. They were even more shocked when he was walking about. Lucky bugger didn't brake anything. Badly bruised but that's it. So the moral of the story is, if you're going to hit something, hit it hard and fast.
(3 July 2012, 13:46)00111001 Wrote: [ -> ] (3 July 2012, 13:25)bigpaul Wrote: [ -> ]i know a lot of people like 4WD and talk about going "off road" when TSHTF but i wonder just how practical that is? using country roads, green lanes and bridleways is one thing but going across fields? are you going to put bull bars on the front and ram all the gates? not all field gates are wooden many are metal and not that easy to smash, and what if its winter when you bug out? even the farmers with their huge tractors cant get across muddy fields in the height of winter..and they've got more sense than too try.
No off-road plans here. I'm bugging in anyway. But you wouldn't need to ram any gates, decent set of bolt cutters (or lock-picks / shims if you want to go incognito) will see you right.
The only reason I want to make any changes to the truck is to:
A) Increase the ride height
B) Improve the handling
C) Make it look better
D) Give me better ability off road / in crap weather
OT, but: My mate Daz went clean through a metal 5 bar gate. Came off his R1 @ about 130mph, went spiralling through the air, hit the gate and kept going. The firemen & ambulance crew were absolutely stunned he was still alive. They were even more shocked when he was walking about. Lucky bugger didn't brake anything. Badly bruised but that's it. So the moral of the story is, if you're going to hit something, hit it hard and fast.
No mate, i was just( me thinking out aloud again) about something JJ mentioned about off roading, i get the impression that any city/townies who have never been to the country( i dont mean anyone in particular here just generalising)think that A the countryside looks nice but have no idea that it is managed to look like that and without animals and farmers it will soon revert to scrub and eventually woodland and B think they can just drive across fields and farmland willy nilly, 1 you'll get the business end of a shotgun up your jacksie and 2 most fields are at least roped shut if not chained and padlocked so you are going to have to get out of your vehicle at every gate to unlock it.
(3 July 2012, 14:21)bigpaul Wrote: [ -> ] (3 July 2012, 13:46)00111001 Wrote: [ -> ] (3 July 2012, 13:25)bigpaul Wrote: [ -> ]i know a lot of people like 4WD and talk about going "off road" when TSHTF but i wonder just how practical that is? using country roads, green lanes and bridleways is one thing but going across fields? are you going to put bull bars on the front and ram all the gates? not all field gates are wooden many are metal and not that easy to smash, and what if its winter when you bug out? even the farmers with their huge tractors cant get across muddy fields in the height of winter..and they've got more sense than too try.
No off-road plans here. I'm bugging in anyway. But you wouldn't need to ram any gates, decent set of bolt cutters (or lock-picks / shims if you want to go incognito) will see you right.
The only reason I want to make any changes to the truck is to:
A) Increase the ride height
B) Improve the handling
C) Make it look better
D) Give me better ability off road / in crap weather
OT, but: My mate Daz went clean through a metal 5 bar gate. Came off his R1 @ about 130mph, went spiralling through the air, hit the gate and kept going. The firemen & ambulance crew were absolutely stunned he was still alive. They were even more shocked when he was walking about. Lucky bugger didn't brake anything. Badly bruised but that's it. So the moral of the story is, if you're going to hit something, hit it hard and fast.
No mate, i was just( me thinking out aloud again) about something JJ mentioned about off roading, i get the impression that any city/townies who have never been to the country( i dont mean anyone in particular here just generalising)think that A the countryside looks nice but have no idea that it is managed to look like that and without animals and farmers it will soon revert to scrub and eventually woodland and B think they can just drive across fields and farmland willy nilly, 1 you'll get the business end of a shotgun up your jacksie and 2 most fields are at least roped shut if not chained and padlocked so you are going to have to get out of your vehicle at every gate to unlock it.
I know what it's like, I grew up in the Fens. Been chased by farmers many times. One chased me for ages, I mean miles and miles. His 4x4 couldn't keep up with my Honda Big Red though, I left him stuck down a very wet and muddy lane.
The worst things are the overgrown ditches. Can't really see them from the vantage point a 4x4 or a quad provides, very easy to drive nose first into them. It was ok on the quad cause it was able to drive back out again, but no chance in a vehicle.
(3 July 2012, 14:52)00111001 Wrote: [ -> ] (3 July 2012, 14:21)bigpaul Wrote: [ -> ] (3 July 2012, 13:46)00111001 Wrote: [ -> ] (3 July 2012, 13:25)bigpaul Wrote: [ -> ]i know a lot of people like 4WD and talk about going "off road" when TSHTF but i wonder just how practical that is? using country roads, green lanes and bridleways is one thing but going across fields? are you going to put bull bars on the front and ram all the gates? not all field gates are wooden many are metal and not that easy to smash, and what if its winter when you bug out? even the farmers with their huge tractors cant get across muddy fields in the height of winter..and they've got more sense than too try.
No off-road plans here. I'm bugging in anyway. But you wouldn't need to ram any gates, decent set of bolt cutters (or lock-picks / shims if you want to go incognito) will see you right.
The only reason I want to make any changes to the truck is to:
A) Increase the ride height
B) Improve the handling
C) Make it look better
D) Give me better ability off road / in crap weather
OT, but: My mate Daz went clean through a metal 5 bar gate. Came off his R1 @ about 130mph, went spiralling through the air, hit the gate and kept going. The firemen & ambulance crew were absolutely stunned he was still alive. They were even more shocked when he was walking about. Lucky bugger didn't brake anything. Badly bruised but that's it. So the moral of the story is, if you're going to hit something, hit it hard and fast.
No mate, i was just( me thinking out aloud again) about something JJ mentioned about off roading, i get the impression that any city/townies who have never been to the country( i dont mean anyone in particular here just generalising)think that A the countryside looks nice but have no idea that it is managed to look like that and without animals and farmers it will soon revert to scrub and eventually woodland and B think they can just drive across fields and farmland willy nilly, 1 you'll get the business end of a shotgun up your jacksie and 2 most fields are at least roped shut if not chained and padlocked so you are going to have to get out of your vehicle at every gate to unlock it.
I know what it's like, I grew up in the Fens. Been chased by farmers many times. One chased me for ages, I mean miles and miles. His 4x4 couldn't keep up with my Honda Big Red though, I left him stuck down a very wet and muddy lane.
The worst things are the overgrown ditches. Can't really see them from the vantage point a 4x4 or a quad provides, very easy to drive nose first into them. It was ok on the quad cause it was able to drive back out again, but no chance in a vehicle.
see thats another thing..ditches, at the moment they are maintained by the farmers but after TSHTF they wont be managed, they block up, the silt, mud and water flow across the road, the birds drop seeds into it and pretty soon you've got a tree growing in the middle of the road!
I would stick with the Surf personally. I used to have a Hilux Mk III and I really regret selling it. Easy to maintain and easy to work on.
I would love a sorted Surf.
Surf has longer load bed and load bearing drop down tailgate. Surf is tough & reliable. Surf is plentiful with many others around to cannabilise if needed. You know your Surf already and so won't be buying an unknown vehicle with potential unseen problems. Surf is narrower and lower than it appears visually. That is useful for squeezing down & through tight spaces. Surf has busy online forums for backup & resource.:-)