Interested in

Hey guys

I think I've seen too many Camel Trophy videos and am dying to go offroad. But, seeing as I'm totaly green I'm not wanting to go all out and get a gas guzzling Jeep or 4Runner right off the bat, my question is this, is it really necessary to go that route or do you guys have any other better-on-gas ideas/suggestions that still can get dirty? And by "dirty" I mean something that's fairly versatile, I'm not interested in mud-bogging, sand dunes, or even rock crawling specific vehicles.

That's all for now, Thanks in advance. :)

-PB

Samarui or Sidekick. Even one of those cool Kei trucks with 4x4.

A VW based rail can be had fairly cheap. There is a runner with spares on our CL for maybe $800.

Small Nissan 4x4 pickup. 86.5-97 Hardbody. Get it with a stick and go to town.

Or old stock Jeep, like a J10 pickup. Hard to find unmodified, but indestructible!

Classic beetle easy mod can be done cheap

What is it that you want to do? If you're not talking anything too serious, a Subaru Brat could be exactly what you're looking for, and the 4WD Corolla/Tercel Wagons of the early 80s can take a serious punishment.

whats wrong with a 1st or 2nd gen 4runner? ~20 mpg on the freeway if stock and very very reliable

also, where do you live? i'm sure someone here would be glad to take you off-roading so you could get a feel for different kinds of vehicles

Ever consider a used Outback or a Forester? They can take a beating plus lift kits are available for them. I had an 86 Tercel 4x4 Wagon for a short amount of time and it had a low gear granny first gear and also true low and high range. If you really want to go green, have you ever considered getting a dualsport bike or even a beefy mountain bike?

Thatsnowinnebago: I live in Saskatchewan, Canada and I would LOVE IT if someone could do that for me. And I don't have anything against the 4Runner or something similar, but I guess the whole point of this topic was is there a more economical alternative? I guess I was even thinking along the lines of a Subaru Forester or an early toyota Rav4...

As for some of the other reccomendations, as much as I love the Samurai, Brat and the Beetle there just aren't any to be had where I live, so I guess I'm pretty much s.o.l. when it comes to those cars

-PB

you can "offroad" just about anything , 4wd isnt a necessity especially if your not planning on hitting the hard stuff. ive had no problem even in deep sand with a 70 vw bug , lightened only by rust holes and a whopping 60hp 1500 in it.. (just dont stop!) pick the lightest car with the most hp you can find, add decent tires and maybe lift the suspension a bit , and a good roll bar (at the least) and off you go...throw a come along or winch in as well... youll need it at some point , simple trails wont be fun anymore after a bit..

some ideas might be old vw's (golfs, rabbits, jettas, ) old fords (mavericks, comets, fairmounts), old hondas (civics usually abound) ect... though the most fun are early audi quatrros and beater subarus :)