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Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca

If you are thinking of doing up property then a double cab pick up is the sensible choice.
Of the double cab pickups there is only one worthy of consideration as there is only one that does not have reports of repeating problems, and that's the Hilux. The Amarok looks well specced because they are trying to entice customers to a campany with no history of building such vehicles, and history is important. The Amarok has a catalogue of problems longer than you could write a book about.

talking of History lets look at the others. The Ford rangers historically eat their gearboxes (as mine did) and have expensive problems with their fuel injection systems (as mine also did). This predates the model you would probably be looking at for a 10k budget, but it's history nonetheless.

Nissan Navara, well, don't even get me started. The problem hinted at above is they eat their bottom ends, they don't like heat so long motorway journeys or driving in hot condition kills them. They also suffer from structural corrosion in the chassis and there have been a number of reports of them breaking their backs (one when a demountable camper was fitted to one only a few years old, can't remember how many but something like 5). They are poorly made and flimsy.

The only other one worth of consideration might be the Isuzu, not really heard any repeated problems on those.

A Hilux may look expensive compared to the opposition, but they hold their value for a reason, and residual value is a consideration if you intend to sell the vehicle again to move abroad.

My suggestion would be a mark 5 Hilux double cab and keep the Yaris for whizzing about, that's kind of what I do.

I have a Landcruiser hj60 for expedition work, a 2012 hilux Invincible for general tough work, carting stuff about and the family vehicle. I have driven it for 20 hours in a day and it is a supreme motorway mile eater. The fuel for this though, at 30000+miles a year was getting too much so I bought a Toyota IQ3 for commuting. the £200 a month repayments are more than covered by the fuel savings and the tax is only £30 a year

A mark 5 will save you the problems of trying to travel with a euro 5 electronic everything engine, which is why I also run an HJ60. while the mark 5 is not as comfy on the motorways as the Invincible, it is simple tough, reliable hard as nails off roading.

If you do decide to go for a Landrover, buy on condition not age. I would go for a really good 300tdi, nothing later, but they will always feel pretty agicultural.

Your other option is an 80 series Landcruiser, you could get a really really good one (if you can find one) for a lot less than your budget (but the Hilux will be better on fuel.

I would suggest, if you want to know more about Hiluxes, have a look at www.hpoc.co.uk

it's a forum for hilux users.

Hi, this is my d-max and is for sale in ireland, good 4x4 for overlanding.

isuzu d-max For Sale in Meath : €5,950 - DoneDeal.ie

At the HUBB show I spoke to a few bikers who were looking to 'upgrade' to a 4x4 and as others have pointed out, one of the options was to go for a double cab pickup, something like the Hilux which is extremely well supported around the world which is ideal for your travels.

With a minor extension of the tailgate you can carry a couple of smaller bikes in the back so you can use it for the long stretch across Europe and then park up to play in the dunes.

The double cab gives you space to crash in the car initially whilst sprogless, but will take child seats when they arrive.

As your adventures build there are plenty of after market parts around to improve the range and capability as you get more adventurous.

It should tick many boxes.

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Cheers,

Julian Voelcker
Overland Cruisers - Specialising in Land Cruiser preparation and servicing.

I have a Land Rover Defender 200Tdi that's been kitted out for overlanding. I love it but you are not going to be able to get a suitably prepared Defender within your budget.

Have you seen the Land Rover Discovery that was recently posted on the forum? It has a lot of kit included for the price. It would be suitable for overlanding and could be used as a runabout (with the kit removed). However, when kitted out, it looks like it only has two seats available so wouldn't work once you have kids.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...pedition-72916

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2014 overland adventure to Russia and Central Asia in Land Rover Defender www.bermudarover.com