Gaurav

Volvo, Audi, Merc and BMW. All are very good until warranty ends, after that you will be paying a lot as it gets older and older, probably same as the car cost in next 10 years time. I keep trying new cars every two years. Buy car 1 year in warranty, drive another 1 more year after warranty with fingers crossed and sell it at 20-25% depreciation for 2 years. So that I can try a lot of different brands at similar depreciation that I would pay for 1 car in 10 years. I had a great experience with Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Not very great but OK with ML500 and Range Rover. Tried twice to buy BMW and got scared after seeing the previous owner maintenance history big pile of receipts. The higher you in luxury segment, expensive the maintenance its gonna be. If you plan to stick to 10 years then you are better off with japanese - Lexus or Infiniti. I would vote Lexus (personal choice) as most Infiniti are build in US or Aus (I guess) and not in Japan anymore.

Let her drive Lexus GS 350 especially F sport model and ask her to decide. 2017 ish must be close to 100k range. I had Lexus GS430 back in olden days prior to my offroad life, and I still miss and regret selling that 1 car in my whole life.

Option 1: Learn to live with what you have and practice more to overcome the challenges. Option 2: Buy another capable desert toy with stock capabilities. Option 3: V8 swap, if you have solid wasta to get RTA approval or trailer. Option 4: Twin Turbo, if you have solid wasta to get RTA approval or trailer. Option 5: Supercharger. Option 3, 4 and 5 will also open HUGE can of worms in getting weekly visit to mechanic and keep tinkering things left and right that eventually you might sell TJ after spending 30-40k in six month time because it will become a money pit with tons of headache. What Sri is referring to an old member who have installed supercharger and kept trying to climb Pink rock - 80% height and failing every week, whereas same model stock Jeep wrangler climbs 70-75% in completely stock state. God knows if he still drives the same Jeep and manage to climb 100% or settled with 80% . If you still opt to go for this route then you should also listen to Sertac as why he is saying not to so old jeep, as there is no magic potion that you plug and play turbo or SC and car will climb higher. Instead you also need to verify if your old engine internals can survive that boost. Many times it wont, so you have to rebuild the engine with forged internals before going Turbo or SC route.

Congratulations @Jack Thomas 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 drives are required within last 6 months for Intermediate promotion. (Drives can be a mix of Newbie, Fewbie (50%) and Fewbie plus, depending on your adaptability, learning progress and Marshal’s feedback) 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 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