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Thank you for leading us yesterday Fred . Great trip, which I felt started on soft and tricky sand conditions and moved to harder sands as we approached Pink Rock. Thanks also for taking me a second lead. I was a good first time and will surely help me understand the role better. So, I provided a bit of shovel time for all (thank you all, maybe a good thing in these days of almost no physical activity?). An unforced error on my part, and a reminder that you cannot let your concentration drift, not even for a second... Thanks again Fred, and great to see everybody. VIDEO-2020-05-16-10-15-35.mp4

TRIP REPORT The Badayer region is generally known for extreme buggy offroading, lots of noise, and dunes which are beautiful but can mess you up pretty badly. For this drive i wanted to let the extreme stuff behind, and just focus on getting back in the sand and enjoy the afternoon with our Carnity family. @Shamil joined us with a friend in a voodoo-blue FJ Cruiser, which gave me back nice memories from having owned the same one in Saudi Arabia, but luckily Shamil his car was a 4WD and not a 2WD like mine With @Martin. as my second lead, we headed off to see what this afternoon would bring us. The first two hours i ventured into an area of Badayer which was slightly more challenging for Newbies due to the loose sand, and some cars needed to be woken up again after having spent time in the garages due to the lockdown. This meant we had some recovery work to do, but that always gives us something to learn, and both @Ale Vallecchi and @Shamil provided excellent support, but also most other members were very pro-active and offered to help, which is of course more difficult now because of Covid restrictions but nevertheless we kept it sane and followed the guidelines. After about 2 hours, i chose to go for a more gentle track which leaded to the back side of Pink Rock and we chose to drive around it as it was getting a bit dark and we wanted to take a break for Iftar prayers. All in all a very pleasant drives with a few challenges where we all had to think as a group to find the best recovery course of action, but as you see we always strive to find the safest option and that brings us all safely back on the tarmac. @Nizam Deen @E.C. TAN @Pancho @luwaimn @Shiju Manuel @Vanessa8580 @Denizzalbayrak @Ale Vallecchi @Shamil @Martin. Thanks to all for joining the drive and i hope to see you all soon again ! https://www.relive.cc/view/vPOpWMQ18Ev

@Chaitanya D Both the Xterra and Pathfinder 3.5 are very good and capable vehicles in stock condition. If you have the budget go for the Xterra, but if you are tight then go for the Pathfinder (subject to being in good condition). The TJ is going to be a gamble as it's most likely been already abused extensively. While fun to drive there is a high probability that you would be visiting the garage quite often in the initial period to get it in shape. But once in shape, I can assure you that would be the most fun car to drive in this lot.

Thanks @Srikumar for a nicely organized drive. Thanks to @Emmanuel @Jeepie and @Brette for the support. Good to be back driving in the deserts . Great to see all drivers enthusiasm and being at the start on time. Cheers and stay safe.

It’s was absolutely a nice drive after a long gap to desert. First it was little tuff for me due to the tire pressure heat up and this several stuck also the summer loose sand. Thanks to @Frederic and every one helped for the recovery. Once set the correct tire pressure I could feel a very much difference in drive and everything goes well. Today was a good learning for me to know how to drive on the loose sand in summer. Once again thanks for everyone and waiting to see you all on next drive.

I think everyone pretty much covered everything here. Still my few points to help you get some clarity to make a perfect choice. Drive all of them as you are downsizing from comfy Patrol, see what matches to your driving standard as close as possible. If any of these 3 has a soft corner for you or your family, then go with that as you can't go wrong with any of these 3. Go strictly for road driven only, so that you can extract good usable off-road life out of Engine, Gearbox, 4x4, Suspension etc. the most costly stuff in any off-road vehicle.

You have shortlisted 3 very good vehicles for the desert. From what I’ve seen it’s getting more difficult to get a clean 3.5 pathfinder nowadays as they are popular within the off-road community. in any case it’s important to go for a vehicle that is stock, and haven’t spent too much time off-road. The Xterra is still often used as family vehicle or mall crawler and you should be able to find a clean one that hasn’t been off-road. For the Jeep Wrangler it’s quite certain that this car will have spent time in the desert so you’ll need to inspect the car throughout and even if possible take a mechanic with you. 3 different vehicles that all drive totally different. Try to to some test drives and see which car you feel more at home in. I am also in favor for the 3.5 Pathfinder. They seem to possess a classic image and spare parts are easy to find.

Great to be back out there. Thanks all 👌🏼

Welcome back everybody, was a nice day out in the desert again. Good to see all faces again. Hope that everyone arrived home safely. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Xaf

I hate to say it but as a pure off road toy Get the TJ Wrangler. Make sure it's a hardtop and not a soft top. Comfort is not it's thing.

I would say that if your engine has been using 20w50 and since it has already clocked 250k km, stick to this grade. Plus this grade is acceptable in your owner's manaul. Generally as engine gets older some suggest to go for thicker oil and with the summer approaching better to have a thicker oil

If budget not an object i would go for Xterra. Newer is better for reliability.

The drive started smoothly as it was, for many, the first one after a few weeks of lockdown. The enthusiasm was evident, and @Gaurav’s lead allowed all drivers to have fun as he gradually escalated the difficulty. Still, all drivers, including Newbies, were able to follow the pace with almost no refusals. We, hence, had more playtime, in addition to reaching the other side of Pink Rock before Iftar time. I personally had lots of fun and was so glad to be back and see familiar faces as well as new ones! Thanks @Gaurav and @Xaf

Was a great day out after so long - thanks all !

Perfectly executed covid complaint drive ! Always love @Srikumar 's Qudra routes . Good support from @Emmanuel and @Bretteduring this drive for many of the refusals and stuck situations . Definitely a good revival of the deserts fresh air and the feet flooring the pedal after a long long time !

Hello all. Now that weekend desert drive has kind of become a routine , my family is upping the ante against me for taking the patrol y62 to sand and getting it back all dirty. I have decided I will go in for a used weekend desert drive car to save myself and also my y62 which has been a very comfortable drive for all at home. I have shortlisted few used cars as below 1. Pathfinder 2005 3.5 L V6- 160000 km run for about 13.5 k (2nd owner) 2. Wrangler TJ 2006 4L V6 - 120000 km run for about 22 k.( 2nd owner) 3. X terra s 2010 4L V6 about 2 lac run for 25 k.( ? Probably 3rd) All cars have been GCC , without any mods and have been Registered recently. All from direct sellers I would like to have the suggestions from the forum on going ahead with these. Concern being all of them I think will not have a diff lock and how does that matter in the long run?? Personally if the pathfinder is good after checks , I will go ahead with it with some negotiation on price because it's quite cheap and probably easier to maintain. Thanks in advance

Roshan in red pajero Who’s in the wrangler ?

And those some need to be shot for giving false information to spoil engines for increasing their livelihood. After all this is what you get from an "electrician" and not a mechanic or a technician. All researchers, scientist motorsport industry and multi billion dollar corporations are really stupid......? As the price difference from the cheapest and the most expensive oil is a 100 or 200 dhs for 5000 kms = 2 or 4 fils/kms. NO ONE SHOULD DRIVE THE CHEAPEST OIL FOR OFFROAD VEHICLES IN UAE. PERIOD. Check the below video explaining the basics of engine oil and importance of using fully synthetic engine oil for extreme conditions (offroad) and in extreme temperatures (UAE). @Asif Hussain my highest recommendation is to switch to "Fully Synthetic 5W30" engine oil of any "reputed Company" which claims for 10k kms, but change at 5,000 kms if you are driving your Xterra for offroad. Mobil 1 (the best), Castrol, Shell, are all good brands to trust. During offroad in summer, when car runs warm (slightly above normal temp range) then Engine oil breaks down much faster and mineral oil will lack in providing good all round lubrication during those warmer times and might fry engine internals. That's why going for fully synthetic is highly advisable and changing at half life because you are touching extreme temperature every week. Race cars change engine oil before every race because engine oil test really comes in play at high revs and in high temperatures.

I follow the used car a lot. I spend quite a long time on internet looking for used cars and off road videos. I can see there is drop in car sales as car are on sale for a quite a long time and not being sold may be chances that seller don't want to negotiate. On the contrary the cars like you had mentioned are quite less in market to sell. So if you want to buy the car and get to know any good condition car then grab it. Make sure to negotiate well.

Thanks @Frederic it was a beautiful drive.

Thank you all for the drive. Well done, for being the first time out after such a long break. Thanks Fred for the lead and for taking us to see such beautiful sunset view. See you soon on the hot sand.

Uploaded few pics that I could take in the gallery

I love my TJ. It is indestructible. It is direct. It has phenomenal capabilities. There is bags of power. It looks cool. I would go for a Pathfinder with the right engine. What I miss in the TJ are just a few creature comforts and room for kit (mine is a 2 door). The Jeep, well, it's a Jeep. We were lucky to find one like this, but even so it needs attention ... like a favourite child. The Nissans. Reliable. String. Well made.

Another one to explain further.

@Chaitanya D Hi, I think X terra is better option than pathfinder. It has good ground clearance. More power than Pathfinder Latest model than pathfinder and TJ There are many who use's X terra. And I have seen it doing extremely well in desert.

I don’t have much offroad experience, but I would go for the pathfinder. This is just from experience what I have seen with my own eyes from our group (Rahimdad and the other white Pathfinder, forgot his name) and also in other groups. The car has different versions of engines, try to get the one with the higher volume. @Rahimdad Rahimdad has the smaller one, he is doing fine with it, but he is also an expert and knows how to take everything with his relative smaller engine. Good luck with the choice.

It was wonderful to be out again. Thanks to Fred for leading us. Thanks to Ale n Shamil as well for being there to help. Thanks everyone for the good company even with social distancing. Looking forward to next weekend's drive.

unfortunately not, went back to the Inflating Point at 24.801074, 55.370360 https://goo.gl/maps/8amceGajaNcriFwy6 and searched but no avail... i'll post on the drive thread maybe someone knows someone, otherwise just have to let it go as a ramadan gift In case anyone in today's drive is wondering, it's this long cable that can deflate/inflate 2 tyres at a time:

Trip Report - Finally after a long delay. A day started with drizzling had a good indication that it's going to be the best day for many of us. Following recent culture of being on time, everyone showed up at meeting point before I showed up. With little distant greetings, we started SHARP at 8:00 AM and head over to the deflation point. As I had all the intermediate and advance drivers so I wanted to up the challenge little bit by starting the drive without the deflation. Off course without deflation, we wouldn't be able to make it very far, but the actual idea was to show the importance of deflation and also how you can manage your vehicle if you have to step in sand without deflation. With proper instructions, precise control and careful approach we all did good dunes, side sloping, crossing the crest at 35 PSI for first 15-20 minutes. After the deflation, I gave up the lead to our new leaders and @Shamil was the first one to get in line to test his leading skills. He started bit on a shy note, but picked up very well and reached the pylon track within 30-40 minutes. Shamil had a pretty commendable and confident pace to lead and he knew where he is heading. He had a good sand reading and judgment of dunes to enter and exit safely. He need to work on keeping a close eye on the convoy behind and also time management skills. Overall @Shamil scored 7 out of 10. Next comes the "under cover" Raptor - @Xaf. He got the instruction to take all of us back to the starting point from pylon track, which will be facing the slip face on most of the dunes (tough battle for a new lead). But he was super cautious, well planned in using steps/stairs technique without me explaining or teaching anything on that. After a little while he was given a green signal from my side to boost the level the best he can and then lower down accordingly if any of us get stuck or refusal. After this instruction we all have seen new Velociraptor in making. Amazing sideys, ridge riding and tall climbs he plan and manage to sneak the whole convoy safely under his wings. He needed a very little fine touch to tweak the lead or alternate path by using the second lead effectively and hone his leading skills even better. He needs to practice this more with a free mindset and learn to make interesting spaghetti routes through the dunes. Overall @Xaf scored 8 out of 10. Then we have given the chance to lead to our "Youngest Off-roader" - @Jeepie (as per he experience). Initially she thought of giving it up - may be she genuinely wanted or prepping our mind for her first lead - genuine first lead, unlike Shamil and Xaf who have done the lead before. So we got to start with Matrix example that no one has made in the first attempt. Luckily she could see the Fossil rock on a clear day and she was instructed to take the convoy there. As a first time lead, she decided to stick to the tracks and did couple of sideys and chosen the very safe and doable path for all the cars behind. Her leadership skills is far too great than she actually realizes it. As a good leader she is open for evaluating all the suggestions and then decide her path. Unfortunately she has beaten the Matrix example - to made through the whole stretch without any stucks or refusal. She need to believe on herself and try more leading drives to get accustom to the idea that she can find her own path. Overall @Jeepie scored 6 out 10. Last but not least comes @Ale Vallecchi with his trusted FJC, that is waiting to be pushed to the next level. He has got the most difficult patch to lead from pylon track to the top of the fossil rock. His navigational skills are quiet good and he manage to circle the convoy to right side for an exploratory purpose. We recovered couple of locals there and find our way to the top of Fossil Rock, of course with an hour of delay due to extra recoveries. Ale needs to work hard on connecting the dots on what he sees on the navigational screen and where he drives. He also need to realize that his FJC holds lot more potential than what he is realizing it currently. Overall @Ale Vallecchi scored 7 out of 10. All four new leaders did amazing job and exceeded all my expectations that I had in the morning. They all need to hone their skills and practice the lead more often under supervision. They all need to get involve and start leading all recoveries and have their first say on the technical recoveries. They have learned the importance of angles, precision, physics and weight than just speed and full throttle tug. Hope they continue to learn and advance further to master this amazing art of off-roading and help others to learn more from their knowledge and experience.