When purchasing a car I always revert to what my local Dictators/cartel/UN use
No1.
Toyota, any Toyota will do.(Hilux, Pardo, FJ, landcruiser) Landcruiser is the best and they will all transport your 50cal with ease.
Best suited for: war zones
reliable: will out last your natural life and your sons
No2.
Nissan, y61 is the pick, great out of the box with minimal mods required. wouldn’t look at the others, they make brilliant drive trains but the rest of the car tends to fall apart around it.
best suited for: light AA/rocket launcher work, transporting livestock.
reliable: will last until retirement
No3.
mitsubishi, only look at the 3.8, great for the UN/governments on a budget. Does nothing particularly well but won’t let you down and parts are cheap.
best suited for: budget oriented dictatorships, old men towing caravans.
reliable: will last until the next civil uprising or cartel leadership challenge, probably 15-20 years
No4
Jeep, has not been used in anger since the Korean War, can not find any government or warlord who has ever put their trust in them. Great as long as you don’t dive above 80km/h.
beat suited for: frat boys driving to the beach, make sure there is a workshop on the way. Also good in movies
reliable: should make it to the beach this weekend but will need a rebuild afterwards.
😂 I jest, get what you like, they all have pros and cons, some you have to spend a little more on as you move up drive levels and some are more difficult in the sand but that’s part of the challenge.
I would Always look at what the locals and tourist drives are using as that a good indicator as to what works (they are out there every day unlike us weekend warriors)
word of caution, get one that a good support mechanism as most workshops here are rubbish, the simpler more common car would be my pick as they would have the most experience repairing.
good luck.
p.s. get the super safari