Buying a VX and sending to Mongolia. HELP!

[Hybrid1098]

Since you like to go water fording; then you might want to bring a spare OEM Alternator for the VX, as our alternator's are mounted very low in harm's way of rivers/streams. See pictures in the below thread:

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...t=17157&page=2

Another good choice besides an FJ Cruiser, may be a used Nissan X-Terra.

Good suggestion! They just opened a Nissan dealership there I heard. But I fell in love with the Vehicross.

my long held suspicion that the weather in Fargo is on par with outer Mongolia...

Winter temps here have been known to dip to -40, & -30 in not uncommon during the coldest month(s).
My VX has been my daily driver since 2004, & has never failed to start, has never been garaged, & never had the benefit of a block heater, or any other external source of engine heat.

Equipped as seen here...



It will easily plow through 1 - 1.5 feet of drifted snow.

I think credit should also be given to the Optima red top battery & Amzoil synthetic fluids in every orfice...

Outside parking? Similar temps? No block heater? Daily driver? I need to copy exactly you and go the extra mile just for the what ifs... You, sir... need to be my friend lol.

If you are not adverse to a little (okay, a lot) of cladding trimming you can fit 35" tires with only a 3" suspension lift.

35" tires may get a little too heavy for the differentials or transaxles or whatever you call them. I may end up having to get new gearing. MAybe I should change them anyway since I want all new.

I love my VX, and I plan on being buried in it, but I gotta say, it seems like a tricky choice to be taking somewhere so harsh, owing to the scarcity of parts and the general reticence of some mechanics to even crawl underneath. Wouldn't buying something manufactured more locally (a Land Rover) or with a TON more available parts (dare I say Jeep) make more sense on a trip like this? Hell, you can probably find your choice of military surplus off road vehicle for cheap, and those things tend to be designed so almost anyone can repair them with nothing but a pocketknife to carve tools out of soapstone.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck in any case, sounds like it could be a hell of an adventure!

yeaaa well, I am buying another 4x4 for my wife. She will be driving that around as her daily driver. It will probably be a Land Cruiser (like most Mongolians drive there as they are amazing vehicles), FJ Cruiser, 4Runner, or Tundra. Land Rover would be too expensive to fix and Jeep reliability and sourcing of parts would be harder since it is American while the Isuzu is Japanese.

I basically want to have a cool little RC looking truck which I can take off roading with me and have fun in it while not having something too big. Then use my wife's car for other trips that I will use to tow the ATV's that I am hoping to bring.


Thanks for all the suggestions people! So many replies and it isn't even noon yet. I can tell you all love the VX and I can see why.