Land Cruiser vs. Land Rover
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 Toyota Land Cruiser  Land Rover Defender |
We started the research process in March, we read books, magazines; spend endless hours on the internet and spoke truck with aficionados, as well as other Overlanders (sometimes sparking up a good debate!) Eventually, based on our wants, needs and information received we decided to focus on two types of vehicles: the Land Rover Defender and the Toyota Land Cruiser. These are by far the most popular choice of truck in the Overlanding community.
The Land Rover Defender has a tremendous cult following, especially in Britain. Technologically, it's a very simple truck. It's built by hand, not machine so it can be taken apart and put back together with a box of spanners. That mechanical simplicity, the rugged good looks, availability and affordability make it an attractive option. The storied history of the Land Rover in Africa was also a wonderful draw. Of the choices available in Defenders, we preferred the 110 Defender over the Defender 90, it has a longer wheel-base which offered more room for Sharikay's shoes, a.k.a payload capacity!
Then there is the Toyota Land Cruiser, considered one of the most reliable 4x4s in the world. Armed with engines and gearboxes that just keep on going and going like the Energizer Bunny! It's the choice of aid agencies and oil companies, so we knew parts availability would never be a problem. Once we found out that the Land Cruiser was the first vehicle to have recorded a trans-African trip without a single mechanical breakdown - well...we were sold! When taking the trip of a lifetime - why would you want to spend all of your time repairing your Land Rover, when you would have more time to enjoy a cocktail hour if you drive a Land Cruiser.
Once we made the decision to purchase the Land Cruiser, we now had to choose which one!! Everyone was pushing the 80 Series, but we didn't give in - our first choice was the 75 or 78 Series Troop Carrier. It's the classic overlanding vehicle, the perfect blend of the rugged good looks of the Land Rover Defender, while still being the long running, reliable truck that Toyota is known for building. Unfortunately, since the Troop Carrier was never imported into the UK, finding one was a major problem! We left no stone unturned, searching from Australia to the UK trying to find one that was suitable enough for the trip. We came up with nothing. Any truck we came across was either way over priced, in such bad shape the cost of repair work would far out weigh the benefit or they were simply just too far away to warrant the shipping cost and too complicated to register in the UK. It was a tough decision but we reluctantly abandoned the 70 series and decided that the 80 Series was the way to go. Although a bit more flash then we wanted, it's still a relatively simple vehicle that is the most comfortable option of any truck considered. Since it was going to be our new home - comfort is key!! The 80 comes in a few different models we opted for the basic GS model with the fewest amenities we could find - one might as why in the world would u do this?? Well amenities generally = liabilities! When dust, dirt and heat are involved you never know what can go wrong and where we are going - there is no Toyota dealership on the corner to fix it!
In the end, we found a 1995 Toyota Land Cruiser GS 80 Series with a 4.2-liter turbo-diesel 24 valve engine. It had a very cush life, came from a good home and had absolutely no idea what kind of wild ride it was about to embark on!