JEEP LOVERS AND OTR THREAD

[Skyman]

I hear punjab has good jeep tuners.Might cost you 6 lakhs in total.Vehicle plus mods.

[seedha.admi]

Where in punjab?

[Skyman]

Dunno, but i saw a tricked out jeep that the owner said was done there.Apparently it gave 20 plus to the litre.

[marthandan]

@ moin...looking for a jeep myself. but i am looking to rebuild the vehicle myself as a learning experience. no doubt, there would be many instances when i would be cursing my decision but that's what i want. will let you know if something worthwhile turns up. you should be ok picking up a jeep that has been rebuilt / restored to its standard spec. lookout for such WIP threads on TBHP.

[Moin.]

And here's mine!

Is that a dune buggy At. Dubai ?

[Moin.]

@ moin...looking for a jeep myself. but i am looking to rebuild the vehicle myself as a learning experience. no doubt, there would be many instances when i would be cursing my decision but that's what i want. will let you know if something worthwhile turns up. you should be ok picking up a jeep that has been rebuilt / restored to its standard spec. lookout for such WIP threads on TBHP.

Thanks mate. I am followi g team bhp for quite some time. I HAVE been advised to look for a civilian 550 rather than an ex army disposal. Im looking lets see.

[dev]

Moin for what its worth, having read team bhp for a while, it seems like the Thar will be the safest bet.
There is an incredible amount of heartache in building a jeep from scratch.
I am on my second Bolero, this one is the crde engine. Initially, I had booked a Thar.
But due to glitches at the dealer's end I switched back to the Bolero.
For those who don't go more off road than trials, it is more than adequate, plus comfy enough.
The body is very strong and the crde engine makes the car go like a rocket.
It is way faster than my old XDP3 engined one.
I still eye the Thar but realistically the Bolero serves me well enough, with the occasional off road being tackled with ease.
Mind you I can't fathom buying a vehicle for about eight lakhs and then trying to hurl it off cliff faces, call me yellow but that's how I see it.

[essdee1972]

Mind you I can't fathom buying a vehicle for about eight lakhs and then trying to hurl it off cliff faces, call me yellow but that's how I see it.

Gentlemen, any suggestions for a good SUV for say 10 lacs or so? I would be happy with a well-cared-for pre-owned model which has not been chucked off a mountain!! Would prefer 4WD, a decent turn of speed (should be able to overtake that pesky Volvo bus on the highway), say ability to do 120+ kmph. Decent space at extreme rear to carry a frisky 50+ kilo puppy. Off roading required in order to drive off the shoulder of the road to overtake long traffic jams. Once saw a chap drive over the divider and onto a service road, but that was a Range Rover.

Not Duster - that thing is smaller than my car! Not the giants in the class (Ford Explorer, Toyota Land Cruiser, etc.). Can't afford the Land/Range Rovers!!

Tata has a pickup called Xenon. The crew cabin (two rows of seats) version converted to full-body looks quite cute (http://www.tataxenonxt.com/the-xenon-factor/highlights/). Apart from that, The M&M offerings look good (Scorpio, Bolero, XUV 500).

Well, I actually need a big family vehicle like Tata Winger (the "minivan" type), but the latent macho guy inside me cringes at the thought!!

[Skyman]

Second hand pajero's and stuff go cheap.You can pick one up and do it up.Will still be cheaper.

[dev]

Hi essdee,

A 4X4 Bolero is made to order though it won't get registered in any of our mahanagars. If you stretch your budget to around 12 then you might be able to grab an SLE 4X4 Scorpio.
A Thar would work till fitting the bouncy puppy in but the other occupants would need forward facing seats and that is another pandora's box, as is that soft top.


Regards,

Dev

[puru baruah]

i suggest you to go for scorpio 4x4 .well its well within range,trust worthy,good dealers network,spare parts reasonable cost

On the other hand Pajero is good but i suggest you not to go for a second hand. I bought a new pajero two years ago and had to sell off recently due to lack of good servicing fecility here and to get spare parts it takes time. Go for a brand new Scorpio 4x4 and i guess you will enjoy it

[essdee1972]

Thanks, guys! Wish I could afford a spanking new Land Rover Discovery. (unfortunately, their best model - Defender - is not available in India through JLR India, you have to import it directly). It seems the M&M range is what I'll have to go for, and even that will wait till next year.

Dev, the Thar looks like you need to have a nice Mannlicher or something (with telescopic sight) in your hands as you step down from it, in full safari gear, including sola topi, belted tunic, boots, holstered revolver, the works!

[dev]

Thanks, guys! Wish I could afford a spanking new Land Rover Discovery. (unfortunately, their best model - Defender - is not available in India through JLR India, you have to import it directly). It seems the M&M range is what I'll have to go for, and even that will wait till next year.

Dev, the Thar looks like you need to have a nice Mannlicher or something (with telescopic sight) in your hands as you step down from it, in full safari gear, including sola topi, belted tunic, boots, holstered revolver, the works!

When I manage to plonk down the money for the Thar, I'll let you gift me the mannlicher and the revolver .

[Skyman]

Is the defender the best model? Range rover for me.Sport if you want to go faster.

IMO, if you can find a good mech/SS, a second hand pajero is a no-brainer.Scorpio rolls too much.I feel it's kinda half cooked.

[AgentDoubleS]

The irony with OTRs is that places which truly need a 4x4 are ones where you'll not have the heart to take you expensive SUV- at least not more than once!

I'm surprised no-ones mentioned the Gurkha till now.

If I were to draw a two scale graph of comfort and off road performance and divide it into 4 quadrants my ranking would be:

High comfort, mid/low off roadin ability:
Scorpio 4x4, safari 4x4

Low/mid Comfort, high off road ability:
M 550, CJ3b, gurkha, thar, old M540s

I have seen the safari perform exceedingly well off roads, but can't vouch for its long term performance and maintenance.