Hello,
I'm in the market to purchase and build an overland vehicle. I need to be able to travel cross country and to remote locations frequently. I have owned many Jeeps older and current and I know from my experience, Jeep is definitely not an option. I have been looking at higher mile vehicles as a platform and the 3 that stand out for my needs are, the Ford Excursion 7.3 diesel, Toyota Sequioa 5.7 V8 and Landcruiser 5.7 V8. I'm leaning towards the Sequoia overall. I have been a subscriber for a long time and value your opinion immensely. I'm also wondering if the 4.7 V8 in the sequioa/Landcruiser will do the job and hold up to pulling an airstream base camp. Its about a 16 foot camper around 2700 LBS.
Thank you in advance for input and advice.
Kindest,
Mick
Those are 3 good choices with 3 good engines (7.3 Powerstroke and the 2 Toyota V8 gassers). None will have any issues towing the Basecamp.
The 7.3 is one of the best diesel motors ever. Very durable, and you will have no trouble finding diesel mechanics qualified to work on it. Couple downsides. 1) it's slow. It just is. It doesn't have the pickup of newer (less reliable) diesels. For overlanding, not a problem. But if it's your daily driver too, you will need to think about whether you really want something so big and lumbering. Also, they haven't made the 7.3 or the excursion in many years. Finding one in good shape will require patience and $$$ (they are very desirable, so you aren't gonna pick one up cheap).
Regarding the Toyota motors, IIRC there was some overlap in production, but obviously the 5.7 will be mostly newer trucks, whereas the 4.7 will be mostly older. Both are good, but the difference is in upfront purchase costs and long term maintenance costs. If I found one in my budget, I'd get one with the 5.7.
As far as Sequoia versus Landcruiser, there are good reasons to go either way. The Cruiser is definitely more off-road-worthy and has much better off-road aftermarket support. I would imagine that you can use Tundra-specific lift kits and so on for the Sequoia, but double check fitment. The biggest difference is differentials; the Land Cruiser will have locking diffs, but I am not aware of a factory locker being offered on the Sequoiah (other than maybe the $$$ TRD Pro).
If it were me, I would search for all of them, then narrow it down to the best individual truck in your area (low miles, low $, maintenance records, inspection report, etc).
Good luck.
PS: pinging @toyotagrl
Thank you. Appreciate.
Wow, that's some project. A 2600-pound trailer is nothing for any of your choices. If your sole purpose for the vehicle is overlanding and nothing else; I'd say the Excursion, Landcruiser, and Sequoia. The Toyota products are a toss-up. Landcruiser's are setup for more for off-road use from the factory, but the Sequoia has more cargo room. The Excursion has both the roominess and power/torque due to the big diesel to get the job done. Will really depend on what you have available for sale where you live. A consideration is parts availability and cost for repairs too.
I'm going to vote for the Land Cruiser especially if you are fine with higher mileage ones then you'll have better chance at finding one at a lower price. I mean if you find a 150k mile Land Cruiser that has been properly maintained it has a lot more life left to it; these cars can go for many miles with proper maintenance. And if you can afford going for a newer model year you'll have more years of easier time finding parts for it. Take a look at Bring A Trailer to get an idea on what kind of prices they are going for to help you decide.
I wouldn't try building something like that unless it were on a SuperDuty platform, excursion.
