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To start off, I absolute love my Manual XJ for driving either on road or offroad. So I am going to try and keep my bias aside and give you as Neutral an answer as possible: Good Points This version of the XJ has minimal electronics, and if you look around within our Club as well, you will notice the amount of electronic failures that keep happening on newer cars especially Wranglers. So from the electronic angle, there is very little which can go wrong. The engine, gear (both manual and automatic), transfer case and differentials are super reliable and I will bet my money on this than even a Toyota or Nissan The car does have a border line overheating issue, which will need an upgrade of radiator, aux fans. But once added, you will not face any troubles either on engine side or for transmission, unless there is some other underlying issue Car is pretty simple and there are things that can be fixed by yourself if you have an interest. Today, I can change my steering pump, tensioners and few other basic things, Parts are relatively easy to get and the aftermarket supply from US is enormous. Negative Points Firstly, we need to realize that we are buying a car that is about 22 - 23 years old. So you will have to change all the bushing, rubber parts, etc as they would be completely worn out by now. So you will need to be patient and consider it as a Project. Steering components are a bit of an issue, and a bit of misalignment or worn tyres and you can have the famous Death Wobble which you seriously dont want to experience at 100 km/h. As with all Jeeps we are more eager to modify it by lifting it, putting bigger tyres. We tend to do this less on Japenese cars. Such modifications do change the drive train angle causes additional wear than in stock condition The automatic transmission does have an upshifting issue from 1st gear to 2nd gear once you cross 50 km/h. So the automatic version is not a big dune climber like the Manual version @sertac suffered mainly on the air conditioning system of the car and had multiple repeated work which was sad to watch. I bought my car for AED 11.5K in 2017, and have spent till date approx AED 30K on it over the past 4.5 years and this is with pretty heavy offroading. And I have Zero regrets till date.

Wonderful drive. Thanks everyone for signing up and attending. All arrived, and started moving by 2:15 pm. Went through Mahafiz dunes and bowls. Started with small dunes and bowls, warming up, till we reached the bigger bowls. All were performing perfectly well. Nothing to mention, minor refusals, where self recovery was done immediately. After that reached the dirt track, heading to Faya. Climbing dunes of Faya was again easy for every one, with minor issues, again no tugs no shovels. Self recoveries and moving till we reached the top of Faya. Stopped for sometime enjoying the weather and views. Unfortunately, @Ahmad Shaker was not able to enjoy the first stop, while climbing, was little fast, and had to continue going down. We then reached the top again from the back side, and again all managed to reach the top easily. Thank you @Fabien Monleau for being second lead. Great support by @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil and @Mario Cornejo. @Simon Claes amazing on your first FB drive, managed the crest quickly, and good fighting exiting the soft patch. Good to meet you for the first time @Ahmad Shaker @Trekado and @Stav, amazing controlling cars, despite issue with the FJ, hope will be fixed soon Glad to meet you again @Vaibhav @Davie Chase @Mohamad Anwer @Naim Aoun @KAMALIO Look forward to meet again, nice week ahead. Posted some photos on the gallery.

Trip Report: Newbie drives are always fun to catch up with new friends , and of course some old buddies. We all met on time , while I came out from the desert 😊as I camped there overnight to come fresh for this drive. Great to see all arrive on time and prepped. We drove in AlFayah region of Abu Dhabi which has sand similar to what is in Qudra, white with moderate dunes . But in some areas there are some steep bowls which we entered and backtracked, some areas have huge rock formations and some have dense vegetations/bushes on the side slopes when you exit. Considering the challenges we drove close to 38 km in out planned time which was filled with some very good learning experiences. All that was discussed during briefing was out there experienced practically -momentum, not to fight gravity, follow your positions and keep a close watch where you stop and park. Fantastic 2nd lead by @John Vanderbleek, very clear in coms and stopping in split seconds . You did save us from lot of shoveling. Thank you👍 Momentum is the key, was learnt in the apt way by @Anna Dillon when she was crested in a small dune coming over a soft patch. Always better to get stuck the way you did , than to fly. Well done @takeshi sobue did well , but as Russ pointed out you need to be clear on the radio and acknowledge which is very important. AT one point I saw you over taking Ann when she was reattempting, which should not be done. If any car has any refusal in front then it is always safer to stop, communicate and reattempt @Omar ElGamal, @Bharath Rao and @Salman Farooq (Welcome to the club) did well , and especially learnt the way to get out from stuck situations with the manual A trac, or the Blip Blip technique with steering. I wonder you all are now well versed with this and know how to get out when stuck in soft sand. Gas is your friend as long as you are moving, if not then more gas= more you sink in sand. @Osama M did well controlling his beast Qx80, car has a lot of power to get you to the tallest dunes. You were very controlled in few tricky areas which was wonderful to see @Imran Kashif driving the prado managed well, all the little challenges and with good coms. Las but not the least, @Russ support on this drive was phenomenal with clear coms, directions and asking for more help when needed. Always a comfort having you at the back. Well done and thank you.🙏 Some more pictures are in the gallery as below link ,have a look. You can add your pictures there Newbie - Al Fayah - Abu Dhabi - 10 Dec 2021 - Page 2 - Carnity.com For members who have completed the required number of drives, please apply for your promotion online. Remember this is not a race to get to the next levels, but to enjoy this hobby in a safe manner as the drives become more challenging, faster and more thrilling as you get to next levels. See you all some time soon and enjoy your week

Thanks @Hisham MasaadforMasaadfor the great drive today and the great time. It was a very nice view from the bottom guys 😂

Actually i've kinda accepted it, I'm looking for a broken LC200 V8 5.7L that I can get cheap & fix to use as my next offroad carriage 😅 Once I get that, the LC100 will be kept in parking and Dubizzle until someone who appreciates classics will come for it 😁🙏🏻

@Hisham Masaad thank you for having us all in your drive and leading us throughout the route at a good pace and perfect timing, so perfect we reached top of Al Faya a the right moment of sunset. It had been a while since the last visit to Mahafiz and Al Faya area, its scenery never fails to impress, I've posted a few pictures in the gallery. From the "tail of the convoy" I can comment it was a fluid drive, in spite of the churned soft sand, everyone did an amazing job in maintaining great lines, controlling their vehicles and most of all, observing safety. The bowls provided the perfect theatre to test drivers' skills and their cars, I am sure everybody had fun. The last part of the drive, climbing to Al Faya was indeed a challenge which was later rewarded by the vistas at the top of Faya. It was a pleasure driving with all of you and hope to see you soon in the sand. Have a great week ahead.

Hi @Thomas Varghese, you can click on the "Going tab" in the calendar and once it throws a single drive message, it also gives you the option for doing your second drive waitlist automatically.

Congratulations @Zed for reaching the Intermediate Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. INTERMEDIATE Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 Fewbie Plus drives are required within last 6 months for Intermediate promotion. What you'll learn Basic GPS and navigational skills Basic tow rope and winch recoveries Extreme side sloping and long hill climb Tall dunes ridge riding and criss crossing Precise control over technical dunes Fast pace desert driving Clear radio communication skills Advance recovery skills Self recover from dune crest Soft sand recovery Pop-out fixing Skills required Adventurous and thrill seeker but in a safe manner Level headed under stressful situations Responsible, dependable and accountable Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS. Drive teamwork Manage center forward position with Trip Lead’s permission Learn/assist recoveries under Trip Lead’s supervision Re-route convoy and coordination, when needed Learn to lead small portion of Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision Drive Joining Join Newbie, Fewbie, Intermediate and Exploration drives only Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

I envy you Guys, it would have been my 1st time in Faya. Nevertheless, happy for all of you. Alhamdulilah all is well with my son. But I’ll see some of you next Saturday. Cheers!

@Hisham MasaadThank you for all making the FB drives as challenging as possible while keeping it safe as well and within the convoys comfort level. Always fun being led by you. See you on Saturday again! @Alain Canivet-AbikhalilGreat catching up with you buddy and was good to have you looking over me always and many thanks for the video shooting 🙃 @Mario CornejoThank you for keeping us moving and love your car dude!

Congrats @Zed. Waiting for that ride with you. Some day..

Yes @Zed great news!

Congrats @Zed...see you soon on IM drives!!

@Zed Congratulations. Didn't get a chance to meet you for a long time. see you soon.

Oh no!!!! @Zed you really don’t value my opinion on how to care for your 💙LC💙 well I guess I have to congratulate you for being a superb driver and hope intermediate drives don’t lead to extreme! many congrats- well deserved and really looking forward to being a drive again real soon!

Well deserved @Zed !!

Congrats @Zed

Congratulations Zed!!!

From the looks and your mechanic feedback + price, it sounds you will be buying a Cherokee shell only. My two cents: Stay Away, unless you like to rebuild from ground up with 10-20k expense.

Very nice drive indeed. Very well lead by @Hisham Masaad and driven by everyone, following safety rules and discipline. The convoy really did well, especially climbing Faya from the back and it looked cool... looked like a Mad Max scene at some point Have a lovely week everyone and see you soon !

@Chaitanya D I finally figured out the automatic name selection! I think Newbie rating should include one hour for bashing through the website!🤣

Although I did have plenty of refusals at the beginning, I did enjoy recovering myself and learning new tricks. It had its ups and downs but it was a great drive! I will definitely sign up with you again @Shaaz Sha I’d like to thank the support team, and I always enjoy seeing and driving with familiar faces and getting to know new ones. thank you again @Shaaz Sha for teaching me a new trick that I’ll keep practicing! See you all soon in the sand!

Thank you @Ale Vallecchi for the very nice drive this morning. It was great to go back to the DTC tracks, and to see that cutting through the technical areas was totally manageable for a group of good drivers. Still it was amazing to see the big cars, Y62 for @Rawad and @Lawrence_Chehimi, and the trucks of @Amir Amiriand @Dodi Syahdar keeping the flow in the tight dunes and narrow bowls. Congratulations for the lead @Ale Vallecchi, we did a great time, and it removes nothing to the performance of Richard@Wrangeld and his team. They did it discovering the WP on the spot, they are the real champions ! The second part of the drive, was just pleasure and enjoyment to wander through the wider area between Solar Park and Qudra, with a convoy in perfect configuration, 2 Jeeps, 2 FJs, 2 Y62, 2 trucks ! @Sunil Mathew, it was nice driving with you, @Archibald Jurdi also, I hope your car can get fixed without too much troubles (great mechanical support from @Lawrence_Chehimi). Thank you all for the drive !

I agree with @Davie Chase, thank you @Hisham Masaad for another amazing day. What a display of amazing 4x4 Wranglers & Toyotas today, especially the unique LC75 and the Nissan Vitec!!! 😀 Looking forward to meeting on the desert again soon. Best regards, Mohamad

congrats @Zed

I intentionally drive with the Intermediates in the "unofficial" trips to camouflage my actual level 😂

Congratulations bro @Zed, did not realize you were not yet .

Congrats @Zed👍👍 enjoy the new level

Congratulations @Zed well done

really enjoyed the drive, felt very safe with all of the advice from Chaitanya, Russ and John. Thanks so much!

Hi friends, I have noticed sometimes the 4x4 dashboard indicator disappears in Xterras and the 4 Lo gear refuses to disengage after recovering from a stuck situation. This creates panic and confusion to the driver as one would think the transfer case has failed. Nothing to worry about, if you will understand why and how to overcome the situation. 1st thing first. Don't try to drive further without doing these steps. This happens when lot of stress is created inside the transfer case and the gear is unable to shift back to 4Hi as the stress is not released. Please understand the gear is not in 4Hi as you would expect after going into neutral and the switching back of the knob to 4Hi. The transfer case is still engaged in 4Lo and if you drive the car assuming its in 4Hi you will only damage the transfer case if you speed up and end up to be towed out of the desert. You can feel this when you try to drive that the gear is still in 4Lo. Announce on the radio you have a situation and explain that your dashboard indicator for 4x4 has gone blank and your car is stuck in 4Lo and request the trip lead to halt the convoy for 2 min. There are 4 steps you should follow and your car will be fine and the 4X4 indicator will come back online and the transfer case will work smoothly as if nothing happened. Step 1: Go back to the 4 Lo position as you would normally do - By putting the gear shifter into N and pushing the knob of 4X4 to 4Lo. Drive a small distance in very slow speeds on flat ground and stop the car. Step 2: Switch off the ignition and wait a minute to restart the car. There is no need to reset the ECM by disconnecting the battery terminals and it won't help as the issue is not with the ECM. Step 3: Complete the procedure to push the 4X4 knob to the 2Hi position. Neutral 1st, then push the 4X4 knob into 2Hi position by pressing the knob. Don't worry - the display will still be not be on but will if you do the next step soon after. Step 4: Drive the car forward for half a minute or more by stepping on the accelerator little more than what is necessary. Immediately you will see the dashboard light for 4X4 is online and the transfer case has shifted to 2Hi and you can feel the car gearing is now much more free than when the lights went blank. Shift to 4Hi as you would normally do and enjoy the drive. Announce on the radio your 4X4 issue is sorted out and the convoy can continue moving. Have a great day.

@Shaaz Sha 3 drives in 3 weeks has been great! Thanks for another good one today - beautiful and challenging terrain in area 53.... thanks @Matt.T and @Chinthaka Ruwan for keeping us all together. Great to see familiar faces.. Appreciate everyone's patience towards the end when I didn't make that dune, and my subsequent try's - a bit disconcerting for me, as hasn't happened before - even though I know my rev limiter issue. Must now find some ways around the problem, and move forward. Have a good week everyone 👍

Great drive @sertac! Many thanks for choosing a nice route so that me in my new car ( @Thomas Varghese it was 422k, what’s with that huge discount my friend 🤣) got a nice workout AND my friends and I had an amazing time. They also understood why we drive in convoys now and were mightily impressed with all the helpful people around in the middle of a desert Special thanks to @Srikumarand @Warren FlayFor their assistance, it was very much appreciated especially with @PaoloMarazitirecent incident fresh in my mind 😱 PS @Fredericyou seemed a bit disappointed when you arrived on the scene mate? Not sure if it’s because you were expecting my FJ40 or because it was too late to render assistance !? hahaha Clearly it was my own fault for getting it stuck where I did but I learned to steer down quicker and use the power of the car even in the same ride a few times after this mishap, that’s what I’m looking to get out of this, fun and better driving so mission achieved and no need for apologies 🙏🏻 upwards & onwards guys !

Well what an eventful drive! My first at sweep and I have to say first of all, respect to all the previous sweeps out there, that soft Dubai sand REALLY gets choppy by the time nine other trucks have slid, skidded and wheelspun their way across it! We had a nice technical, ridgy didge track through the dunes with lovely cool temperatures to keep things calm. Quite a few refusals and stucks indicate the the challenge was real but I have to say, as usual the teamwork was tip top and we all swung in behind the fellows in need to get things moving again. We enjoyed a special 'learning event' when the mighty land whale of @Michel Van Woudenbergdecided to have a little lie down in a pocket which required managment intervention to help extricate. All good, lots of opinions voiced (thanks @Thomas Varghese) and a safe rescue was achieved. My thanks to @sertacfor planning an interesting course and to @Serafinofor keeping a steady hand on the tiller with a special mention to @ShereenMKrolling at number 9 in such a competent and sure footed way, I never had to worry about what was happening in front of me, I could just concentrate on picking the ruts I was going to plow through Already looking forward to the next one.