Guns & Outdoors Forum

Or you could just buy a 25 year old 4Runner and drive it instead of working on it all of the time!

jkp wrote: ↑Thu Jun 19, 2025 5:28 pm Or you could just buy a 25 year old 4Runner and drive it instead of working on it all of the time!

Subtract 15 years from that. 2000 is a soccer mom mobile.

CPJ 2.0 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 19, 2025 2:57 pm And new frames are available for around $2,000.

You can quite literally mail order the entire thing.

I think I’m getting an idea for a project when I get my next house. I was thinking of buying a Roxor and modifying it for better off-road performance and making it road legal. This is better.

Then again my SIL has an early 1980s real Brit Defender laying around. Maybe I’ll just talk him out of that at one and restore it.

jkp wrote: ↑Thu Jun 19, 2025 5:28 pm Or you could just buy a 25 year old 4Runner and drive it instead of working on it all of the time!

I don’t think I’d take a 25+ year old 4Runner on the trails I go on. I can’t have a breakdown 20 miles into the dessert. It would have to be completely rebuilt and getting parts and upgrades is not happening.

Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Thu Jun 19, 2025 6:34 pm

CPJ 2.0 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 19, 2025 2:57 pm And new frames are available for around $2,000.

You can quite literally mail order the entire thing.

I think I’m getting an idea for a project when I get my next house. I was thinking of buying a Roxor and modifying it for better off-road performance and making it road legal. This is better.

Then again my SIL has an early 1980s real Brit Defender laying around. Maybe I’ll just talk him out of that at one and restore it.

Yeah, the Land Rover is the way.

CPJ 2.0 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 19, 2025 6:27 pm

jkp wrote: ↑Thu Jun 19, 2025 5:28 pm Or you could just buy a 25 year old 4Runner and drive it instead of working on it all of the time!

Subtract 15 years from that. 2000 is a soccer mom mobile.

I have a 2000 4Runner as a play around vehicle. It had one previous owner when I purchased with about 160,000 miles on it. Not a soccer mom. but I'd bet it was a little old lady. Had a Barry Manilow greatest hits CD stuck in the player!

And I'd take my almost stock (slightly lifted with new suspension parts) Toyota into the desert all day every day before an equal age or much newer Jeep!

I also had a 2001 Wrangler so I do have a basis of actual comparison.

I like 1970’s Toyota Land Cruisers. Manual hubs and all!

Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Thu Jun 19, 2025 2:29 pm

Gila wrote: ↑Wed Jun 18, 2025 4:59 am

Elk Creek wrote: ↑Wed Jun 18, 2025 1:49 am
So does all the cool stuff!

The problem is finding one that is intact...

Ok, now you’re just being silly…

The good news is that if you find one with a good frame and tub everything else to make it right is easily available and you can do it all in your garage. True Lego vehicle

Are you volunteering to clean my garage?

CPJ 2.0 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 19, 2025 8:39 pm Yeah, the Land Rover is the way.

Heck yeah! I'm sure my wife will let me mud the 90? Just jack up the air and punch it.......

jbp-ohio wrote: ↑Fri Jun 20, 2025 12:04 am

CPJ 2.0 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 19, 2025 8:39 pm Yeah, the Land Rover is the way.

Heck yeah! I'm sure my wife will let me mud the 90? Just jack up the air and punch it.......

20240902_153350.jpg

defender.gif

That’s a “Land Rover”.




This is a Land Rover.

The new Defender is a very nice car. Wife and I were looking at the 90 (and my buddy has a brand new 110 that I like) a few months back and she liked it a lot but then we went to the Mazda dealer who gave us a KILLER deal on a brand new fully laded CX-70 Turbo S Premium Plus and he even took her 4 year old CSX-9 in a very healthy trade-in deal. After driving the new 2025 the wife was sold, we drove out with her new car. In-line six with turbo putting out a NICE 380HP with an 8 speed transmission, paddle shifters and AWD, the damn thing is a sports car crossover with a killer electronics package so she went for speed and extra room. Hell, even I like driving the damn thing. It just eats up road....
The funny part is that the suspension control has an "Off-Road" mode! Asked the wife if I would try it it out and she basically said, "I'll rip your face off if you take MY car off-road." She's such a lady

In any case the new Defenders and the old 1980's defender share nothing but a similar shape and name. This is what I'm talking about, with the factory V-8 and right hand driver seat since he imported in from England when he was stationed there. Mechanically it's in great shape but body need a restoration. He's got all the parts, just needs time. But this is a bare bones farm/military/safari vehicle. No radio, no air conditioner, manual transmission, etc. I love the damn thing...

Love that thing!!!

Yeah, I kind’a do too…

Funny how the wives are like that. mine picked out a very nice Nissan Armada, a fairly capable off road vehicle in it's class. I've tried to take it on a Snowy's adventure to no avail. I just get the "like hell you will" look So the AWD Escalade has to make do.

They don’t quite get it

Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Fri Jun 20, 2025 3:35 am They don’t quite get it

They just take all the fun out of destroying cool stuff!

Fortunately, there's a spiritual descendant to the classic Defender:

https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/us/

Highly interested after they are a bit more “proven” as a manufacturer.

shotgunshooter3 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 20, 2025 3:54 am Fortunately, there's a spiritual descendant to the classic Defender:

https://ineosgrenadier.com/en/us/

HMMMMMmmmm

Interesting back story on the Grenadier. Made by a Brit in a former Mercedes factory in France. This has a lot of potential if it proves it's worth. The head of the company that makes the car decided he was going to build what LR had stopped building because he was pissed at them. Must be nice to be a billionaire.

Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Fri Jun 20, 2025 2:33 pm Interesting back story on the Grenadier. Made by a Brit in a former Mercedes factory in France. This has a lot of potential if it proves it's worth. The head of the company that makes the car decided he was going to build what LR had stopped building because he was pissed at them. Must be nice to be a billionaire.

Little more back story, he tried to buy the rights to the OG Defender but was turned down.

shotgunshooter3 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 20, 2025 4:43 pm

Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Fri Jun 20, 2025 2:33 pm Interesting back story on the Grenadier. Made by a Brit in a former Mercedes factory in France. This has a lot of potential if it proves it's worth. The head of the company that makes the car decided he was going to build what LR had stopped building because he was pissed at them. Must be nice to be a billionaire.

Little more back story, he tried to buy the rights to the OG Defender but was turned down.

I notice YOU have been suspiciously absent from a thread about geh cars. Hmmmmm

Yes he has….

Built in a former Mercedes plant with a BMW 3.0L straight 6 turbo

That BMW engine is one of the best in the industry and the one they use in a bunch of their high end performance models. It’s actually won a bunch of industry awards.