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Hi @Ale Vallecchi really looking forward to this long distance drive! Willing to assist in any role you see fit for me.

Thank you @Ale Vallecchi I will be there

Great! Thanks. I look forward to the drive!

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi i joined fewbie plus for Saturday. I will remove myself

Hey Ale, great news, I will be happy to be added to the convoy!

Dear @khlief, @Yurybel and @Misha Puskar (as well as @Giacomo, who I recall being on the WL), I have decided to open the convoy to the waitlisted members. Please confirm that you'd like to join before I sign you up for this Sunday Full Day drive. Thanks a lot.

@Bjoern Hi Buddy I put you on the manage tab

This is a million-dollar misconception. Let me explain to you why. I have been under the same influence (in 2006) and bought Land Cruiser - thinking, it was a king of desert as all desert safari companies are using it. After the first few drives realized its boat size was heavy and long and not practical for any good dune bashing. Why Desert Safari companies use it because it's the most forgiving and economical car for their daily business - which require a 15 min - 30 min desert trail in a 5 km radius for tourist to show sand splash, few sideys and moderate climb at sunset point. This train track route is miles away from what weekend offroaders do - explore, push the limits, and cross the desert from one side to another. Fast forward two years, after seeing so many Patrols flying thru the dunes - bought a SWB patrol in 2008. It was much better than LC but still unable to fly through anywhere. The simple reason was Patrol used by local and racers boys has been heavily modified with a buffet menu of 400 HP - 800 HP - 2000 HP depending on how deep your pocket and wasta. Now, if we buy a new car and are scared of voiding the warranty, we have to limit our reach and find peace somewhere in between. Why ppl love Patrol to be modified is the core reason that it has a huge engine bay with the smallest engine size, that can fit a hell of a mod, turbos, fans, and headers and still disguise as regular Patrol. If you really wanna base your offroad car purchase, go to any offroad club drive starting point and see you will find: 75% cars with a mix of Wranglers, FJC, Patrol (SWB) and Xterra (older model) 20% Land Cruisers, Patrol Safari LWB, Prado and Pajero's 5% Patrol Y62, Grand Cherokee, Discovery, Liberty, Fortuner etc.

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

Am going to have to withdraw... was looking forward to it!