Which are the most fun off roaders

obi_waynne

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I was wondering which country make the best off road cars in terms of being fun to drive.

The Shoguns are not much fun but the Suzukis can be modified and made into real monsters.

What about the 3.5 V6 Landrover SWB - they are surprisingly quick. If I had to choose one though I think I would probably go with a very powerful Range Rover because I like abit of comfort but perhaps I'm missing the point.
 
There are quite a few jacked up Sj413's round our way and I'm pretty sure they don't have the 1.3 engine them still! They do look like fun.
 
Dinky toys guys!! :lol::lol::lol:

Proper Offroaders are Land Rovers mate!! Can't beat them, in fact if you're a real glutton for punishment and lack of power it has to be the leafsprung ones with a archaic 50's designed 4 pot. Manual steering, now power and all the suspension sophistication of a cart!!
If you can drive them well off road anything else is easy.;):lol::lol::lol:
 
sounds like my willys there MTJ. Built in 1954 and only improvements ive made are in the engine and suspension (lifted her quite a bit) love being able to feel every bump and rock in the road. also the steering is a pain in the rear due to it jerking all over the place even at slow paces. but sure is fun to climb up lions back with her.
 
Yep mate, good old fashioned "Blacksmith engineering" at its finest!! You know exactly what I mean mate!!;):lol:

Steering was vague at best, and steering input was more of a general request to turn in any given direction. The good old days of 4x4's!!:);)
I love the old Willy's too, I have a 1969 Airportable which has the same sort of suspension set up.

Ah, but what about the brakes, tiny drums and shoes front + rear. I used to drive a 1969 Land Rover Airportable/Lightweight as a daily car which was fun. Had a hairy moment one day with too much standing water and very wet brakes. Exciting to say the least. You guys are spoiled now with your hill descent control, coil springs and disc brakes!! :lol::lol::lol:
 
The Lada Sport is great, on wider tires it's so light it'll float over the snow and any mud. If anything goes wrong you can repair it with a hammer and a screwdriver.

If something bigger is needed go for a Land Rover, they are rugged and as with the Lada you can fix anything with a hammer and a screwdriver but I would recommend a wrench to be added to the toolkit. The two Land Rovers we have at the SAR unit were among the fastest and most reliable on a mutual rehersal. Never got stuck and left the 44 inch modified Land Cruisers and Patrols in the dust (well really the snow...).

My friends father allso has a really fun car, a 54" modified Ford F350 Super duty. This thing can go everywhere with the right driver. That is a real comfort car while the others are more of a real offroading machines that you can put through anything
 
SJ and vitara are competent and fun and value for money. V8 range rovers (classic) are my preference although they have a long rear over hang, +40mm springs will make them go a long way in comfort. whichever you buy expect to get your hands oily and do your own servicing and repairs. you'll need a fat cheque book to pay someone else. off roading inevitably abuses all your suspension and drivetrain components. the phrase "money pit" comes to mind when i reminisce about my old range rover
 
Buy an mot failiure like this

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Then do this to it

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And park it next to a stock version for a giggle

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This was my previous car before I swapped it for an Audi A3. I did all the work myself on my drive and it never let me down, it was used for playdays, laning and as a daily drive. I've had water up to the bonnet and buried it in mud till the tyres were out of sight(they were 31's) If I were out to buy another 4x4 I get another Vit hands down.
 
FORNASARI RR450
BOWLER WILDCAT 200

Well if you have a lot of money
 

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Quite a transformation. There's a Suzuki off road club down my way - "The raging rhinos" and they have jacked up and tuned up Suzukis and are not afraid to get them a bit muddy!
 
While in mud my Vit was fantastic, rarely getting stuck and often showing Lawn Roamers up, on the road it was an absolute nightmare. When it was stock I was getting about 30-35 mpg and the handling was reasonable(for a 4x4) but once the armour was added(6mm steel bash plates), the wheels went from 15" to 16" and the tyres grew from 27" to 31" with now 7" sidewalls, bodylift, suspension kit and removal of the anti-roll bar allowed a massive amount of flex(I have pics) but gave a nauseating ride on the blacktop. The gearing also went out of the window. 5th gear was only used when going downhill, acceleration went from sedate to dire and the mpg fell to between 15mpg on a good run to about 10mpg when off road.
 
Almost forgot, the Vit had power steering, cd/radio, cb, bucket seats and I kept all the carpets in(most people take them out) for comfort and noise reduction and I spent, including buying the truck in the first place and all the mods, £1200!! The Calmini spring kit and winch bumper ate most of that.
 
i used to take the sj410 and lada niva cossack off roading and they were great fun and with them having a very short wheelbase the didnt get bogged down as much as the landys and paj's.
and when you could pick em up for 150 quid it was well worth it.
 
i have just got my sj410 on the road
and went out in the lanes saturday night /sunday morning left at 7pm got back at 2am
but so much fun and only got stuck once when i went off into the woods were the rest could not get to cos of a big ditch

i am hoping to go out again next week just have to do a bit of rewiring first as some of the earths for the lights are bad and maybe a front wheel bearing
 
oh yes one is fast and loud
the other is slow and loud inside lol was coming back sunday morning at 70 on the m2 and me and my passager could not talk to each other cos of the nose
 
really i dont know i had done that lane 2 days before but he other way but rain the night before made it really muddy and slippy and must of just been to far on the left

just clad the trees were there to stop me falling down the bank
 
I've off roaded a Discovery 3 and it's quite a machine there just sooo much stuff to help you out the engineers at lode lane are brilliant, best modern off roader I think...Yes I know the bowler nemesis is quicker but I'm talking production cars now,

Might not be adventure to drive like the old land rovers but if you want to go to place that a normal car can't go in comfort then this is the car for you,

The range rover is good but is heavier and not as advanced as the 3, i guess the 4's underpinning's are much the same
 
I still have my old 1945 World war 2 Ford jeep in my garage, had some great times with it in the 60's and 70's, Right now it is jacked up, and only entered for classic and vintage car rallies
 
My Vitara is quite a capable offroader. Its offroad ready out of the box. And it has more potential once modified. I had mine lifted by 6" and fitted 31" Mud tires. never failed to bring me home from the trails. :)
 
Always has to be Landrover for me if it is pure offroading. A SWB with good tyres.

It is the only one that looks good with dents and scrapes.

I have a Freelander at the moment, but it is just for the snow in Northumberland, never really taken it offroad.
 
My Vitara is quite a capable offroader. Its offroad ready out of the box. And it has more potential once modified. I had mine lifted by 6" and fitted 31" Mud tires. never failed to bring me home from the trails. :)

These are supposed to be pretty good, I've seen a few with XUD conversions in them as well..
 
over our way the 3.3l patrols rule the hills. there is a crew of 4x4 men next to us, they only deal with the LR 90's etc. they getting the off-road scene going by setting up days to bring your own and try beat them. with all the hype of the land rovers i thought nothing could beat them, incorect james, nissan patrols all the way, eat them for dinner and tea. class watching the men getting beat at their own game ha!!!
 
we have a few Suzuki sj410s here powered by Lexus V8s , awesome , then I Havnt seen The Toyota hilux / Surf mentioned much ,
 
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