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Trip Report Thank you all for joining the night drive.It was a great pleasure meeting new peaple and much more catching up with older ones . Arriving 20 min earlier and seeing couple of you already deflated and flagged up says how much passion you have brought along and respect to the punctuality and as a matter of fact every one was on time truly appreciated. after proper breifing we hit the track under the half moon light and the remaining half was illuminated by the convoy lights. The initial testing of the convoy response was truly impressive especially for @Saverio Arena who took the challenge to have his first Newbie drive in the night and who did very well throghout, couple refusals were normal and you recovered yourself amazingly well which says it all how attentive and focused you were upon the precise communication with the team.very well done. @Cristian very nice self recovery on the semiflat soft patch which was a good apportunity to feel of the difference between the 2WD and 4WD. 😉. @Marketa Dobesova Vitani .. most welcome 😉it was pleasure meeting you. you drove flawless . your communication and clarity was spot on. keep it up. @Xavi Moyano pleasure seeing you for the first time too. i believe you have enjoyed it safely.well done. @Mohit Gurnani and @Patrick the fellow FJC respectively. flawless drive gentlemen pleasure meeting you guys and same goes for @FERNANDO SYRIO very well done, @Arsalan Ehsan thank you for the tip and help when we exhanged the batries to @MohamedSherif wrangler toward the end of the drive at Riche's bar break. which was the fastest solution. getting to the nearest exit was backwords taking the sabkha to babshams exit instead of intended last exit. @Tom V you have done great job as a second lead keeping the newbie convoy out of troubles several times and on time upon my instructions thank you dear. @Imteeaz your suppost as a center forward was truly impressive and for me it was expected from a helpfull and attentive person like you. cangratulations for being officially now in the support team 👋 truly pleasure to have you in any drive buddy. last but not least special thanks to @Kailas for supporting the convoy at the back which made my task at ease leading. good to see you my friend after quite a while. all and all it was a lovely night drive. i enjoyed it very much and i hope you did as well . till we meet again take care and be safe Seidam https://youtu.be/yFjLF8-I1cg

@Gaurav @Davie Chase @Frederic @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler @M.Seidam @Vaibhav @Mahmoud Taha @Rob S @Looper @Patrick @Waqas Parvez @Gary F @Ranjan Das @Xavi Moyano @Anoop Nair @Varun Mehndiratta @ASAD. Thank you for your congrats gents - i will try to live up to your expectations. Until we get to drive together, take care. Cheers

Good afternoon guys and thanks for signing up for this drive ! @Richard Franks@DP1011 , Deepak wrangler@Rob S@Bjoern@Jona@Looper@AlexM This drive will offer a good blend of all the skills required as as FB+ driver. I have seen all of you driving before and know that with this convoy we can probably drive to Milkyway Spot in Abu Dhabi I expect to keep a high pace and lots of zig-zagging and cresting to make our way south towards Sweihan. We might come across @Gauravhis Newbie convoy over there, and if we do we will definitely go and say hello. The final exit point would be here: https://goo.gl/maps/MnzP3pRE7DAvpSRH7 This is easily a trip in the region of 150kms, so make sure you are fully fueled up upon arrival. We will stop around noon for a quick lunch so bring some snacks or salad/sandwich. (if you are not fasting). More info later this week with the convoy setup. Peace out !

Stick with the pajero if you have your eyes set on them, they are good value for money and plenty in the market which are not offroaded, im sure u will find a clean one.

Not to confuse you but if you are looking at a toyota then check the prado120 (pre 2010) or fortuner. Both come with a 4L engine (there is a 2.7L V4 variant as well but dont bother with that). Toyota reliability and much better offroad capability, for your purpose i would recommend these two more than the FJ.

Congrats @Imteeaz 👍👍

Congrats @Imteeaz. Well done buddy...

Very good remark, for that main reason I use the “satellite with labels” map as my main map in Gaia. Only in specific terrain where it doesn’t offer enough detail I’d switch to “World Imagery”, which is the same as ESRI. If you want to explore an alternative look into CalTopo which has a very good browser and maps. The mobile app is also good but I still prefer the Gaia one. PS CalTopo has a map called “sentinel weekly” which will show sattelite imagery from only 2-3 days back, which can be interesting to spot construction changes, seismic exploration, flooding, etc…

For 15k these days the only remaining options are: 1. Jeep Cherokee XJ. Fantastic offroad toy but will be like a project car (which can be fun too). 2. Pathfinder R50. Get the 3.5 engine, not the 3.3. Fantastic and fun offroader with spares available. 3. Pajero Gen 2 in 2-Door: Becoming very rare now and will also be needing regular attention. 4. Pajero Gen 3 in 2-Door: good option for this price, but many are not maintained well unfortunately. 2008 Xterra is now currently in the 20k range asking price, which might drop to 15 in summer season. Take into account another 5-6k at least in repairs to get it ready for offroading (bushings, mounts, all fresh fluids, etc...).

@Krishna R Thanks for the detailed response! I love the way you have summarized my thoughts in a single comment. The X and the pathfinders both are great off-roaders but I am still inclining towards the Pajero for all the reasons you mentioned! 👏 Its no easy feat lol, I'm being patient! Wanted to get one before the end of Ramadan but let's see!!! Are there any realistic options for that price? Any ideas? I was even contemplating getting a normal sedan and adding the off-roader later next year instead of getting into something halfway but I really don't want to wait that long

@taz911 My 2 cents on this. I was in the market for an offroader a few months ago and went through the same situation as you. As you are looking for a vehicle that can do everything (on road comfort, off road capability and decently spacious), FJ wouldn't cut it for you. Rear seats aren't spacious and you will have to rent a 7 seater when your in-laws are in town. For me, the decision to get an Xterra was simple as i was looking for a dedicated offroader. I have seen 3.8 pajeros do wonders in the desert, Maybe it cant do the other 5% that proper offroad cars can, but Pajero is a wholesome package and you will enjoy the desert sans the 5%. R51 pathfinder is a good offroader with decent on road performance and spacious as well, But the pajero is more handsome IMHO. R50 pathfinder - same as above but the overall look borders vintage. Again, very old cars = surprise issues and higher maintenance. I would suggest you to explore fb marketplace and you would be able to find mall crawlers and cars from people who are leaving the country. On a totally different angle, as your budget is around 35K, you can get a on road SUV for 15-20K and a decent offroader for 15K

Btw car needs to be in neutral to do it.

Single press that above TC button = Traction off. Long press for 5 sec = TC and ESP off, which makes offroading real pleasure without any interference. Everytime you restart your car, you have to long press TC button.

Press it for 10-15 sec … are you seeing the esc off message on screen? That’s the message you need to get - Owise it’s not fully off.

Congratulations mate. Look forward to our next catch up in the desert

Congrats @Gary F. well deserved. looking forward to drive with u again in the new lvl

Fantastic addition to the team. Congrats @Imteeaz

Congrats @Gary F !!

Ohh the video is awesome @M.Seidam!! Thank you 🙏☺️

No need for apology my friend , these things can happen to any one of us and in Carnity we all enter together and leave together and no one is left behind 😉

Congratulations @Imteeaz!!!

Congratulations @Imteeaz for making it official now!

Well done @Gary F, congratulations.

Congratulations mate! Well deserved considering your almost the best gladiator driver on Carnity 😂😂😂 enjoy the new level and see you out there soon pal 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Liwa 2008 Eating together was norm (and must) - Liwa 2008 (2 day) Black Camels, somewhere in Liwa Wrangler TJ were hot cake - Pink Rock - 2006 Hot TJ were normal at Faya base - 2008 SWB - pref choice - 2008 Parking Skills - 2010 Office drive (often incomplete) - 2009 Long hair version - 2010 Jabal Jais (no road, no restriction) - 2014 Real Legend Salalah, Oman - 2010 Exploring Sweihan - 2010 Big Red - 2008 My first 4x4 - 2003 LC100 - In 2006 My Second 4X4 - 2006 Patrol - In 2008 My third 4x4 - 2004 LR Discovery Series II - 2009 My forth 4x4 - 1999 Range Rover in 2009 My sixth 4x4 - 1999 Pajero, 3.0 in 2010 My last 4x4 - 1999 Pajero, 3.5 - Since 2010 onwards

Well done @Imteeaz, looking forward to availing of your support.

Congratulations @Imteeaz you have always demonstrated helping attitude and supported in drives,it is always great to have you in drives

Congrats!! 🙌

Congrats @Imteeaz, I still remember our first fewbie ride together! Its been great driving with you and watching your skills grow and the Patrol modification journey! Looking forward to seeing that Patrol supporting and sweeping from the back of the convoy . . . . Welcome to the team!!

Congrates My friend. @Imteeaz

@Imteeaz congratulations on the promotion. You will learn a lot at this level. See you soon Mate.

Hearty congratulations @Imteeaz very well deserved buddy. Your support in the last night NB drive was outstanding. All the best brother

Mabrook @Imteeaz bro, looking forward to our next drive in same convoy. I might purposely get myself stuck so you can practice your Support skillz 😅

@Frederic any way to get the Hybrid Maps from ESRI? They will have labels on them.

These are at 50 m resolution. Open Street Map Google Satellite: Google Satellite Hybrid: ESRI Satellite Imagery (low res): ESRI Satellite Imagery: You can see all the vegetation in the final image from ESRI which is most detailed..

Congratulations @Gary F !

Welcome to the team @Imteeaz !! Nice addition to the Support group !

Congratulations @Looper on your first lead. It was a very fun drive and am looking forward to more of your drives in the future. Likewise, it was nice meeting you after a longer period of time. @GauravSoni, @premindra rajaram and @Juan R it was nice meeting you all, hope to catch up again soon.

Goutam calling Gautam, nice.

Apologies. I will follow the grading structure which I just understood. 😀

I have had my eyes on the XJ for a while(my instagram is full of XJ and Toyota 4 runner videos), if not now I'll obviously do this at a later point in life when I have the luxury to. Unfortunately, I don't see it happening right now. What on road SUV I can get in the given range that is reliable?

@Gautam Banka you have recently joined and hence you have to do Newbie drives first. This is a fewbie drive open for fewbie and above.

Well done @FERNANDO SYRIO !!

Congrats @Joseph Raju

Muchas gracias @Xavi Moyano! Veo que ya en más una salida tambien vas a ser Fewbie! 🙌 Thanks everyone! Let the adventures continue 😃

Thank you all and special thank you for @M.Seidam for rescue and lending me his battery to get my car out of the middle of the desert. Even after all gone, he waited with me till the technician complete my battery swap job. my apology to all convoy member for delay occurred. It was learning experience and we now know that in order to get Jeep startup we need to replace the entire battery( jump start seems not enough for Jeep) if dies it gone

Congratulations @Joseph Raju enjoy your new level

Fantastic and well Done @Imteeaz Congratulations & Welcome to the club and looking forward to seeing you soon !

Thank you Thank you Thank you! Dekuji Dekuji Dekuji @M.Seidam for a super adventurous and marvelous night drive! I really enjoyed it, especially the beautiful spots for our breaks, just breathtaking 🥰. Thank you, @Tom Vfor a perfect track and thank you, @Xavi Moyano for great night lights 😁. It was wonderfully spent night with all of you, thank you for being such an amazing community 🧡.