Using your numbers I've just saved you 300 dollars!

All kidding aside, I know that the entry price for a tow rig, even a used one, would destroy many people's budgets, but if you have a dedicated trail rig, which most people that go to Rubicon and Moab seem to have, then you should be able to afford a tow rig to get those vehicles from the house to the trail and back again.

I've seen rigs break axles, steering knuckles and tear up tires here and because no one here has tow rigs due to distance, it becomes very hard and very expensive to get their trail rigs back to the house/shop when they do break.

 

Yeah right. Have you ever towed an 8000 block with an 8000 pound truck? You don't save on gas that way, unless you're talking about gas vs. diesel, but rest assured you don't save on the money spent on fuel. What you save is wear on the trail rig, which is usually not configured for longevity. The tow rigs are more comfortable and go a lot farther between major maintenance and repair, but they cost plenty to buy and plenty more to run.

If you want to save money, fly and rent a JK. You can do the whole trip for what would amount to one monthly payment on all the other stuff, not to mention all the time you'd save. But I acknowledge that people make other choices for a reason. You know what I mean? Do what you like. Have fun.

 

I can't say I have. My line of work and where I live has generally precluding me from towing much of anything. However the topic is not about what I would do, its about what some people have done.

The only way to truly save money is not spend it, but if you have already committed to doing such a trip, you may as well drive a diesel. I've had average tanks of 22 MPG in my Grand Cherokee CRD compared to peak tanks of 18 MPG with a similarly equipped 4.7 V8 Grand Cherokee. The CRD has more torque and better MPG and a high tow rating. That being said, most people will be using a domestic 3/4th or 1 ton trucks, but the same thing holds true for those as well.

If your rig is not configured for longevity, in what world would it NOT make sense to have a way to get something that has a high probability to break from the trail to the shop.

I can go out right now and buy a tow rig for under 10K, which even for my income, is not that much of an issue. And lets be honest, we are spoiled as Rover owners. We have all the comforts that many other trail rigs wouldn't have. So having that extra luxury for a potential trip of a couple thousand miles, why not?

I'd rather put 900 dollars [for just myself, let alone any family] for a flight towards my car, or even better save it. Have you ever tried renting a vehicle? Seriously? They don't allow rental cars to even be taken on dirt roads here in Hawaii. You want to take a [bone stock] Jeep and drive on Rubicon?! Not only is that stupid, but that would more than likely be a breach of the rental contract. Plus people don't want to attack a trail like that with a vehicle that they don't know all the quirks of compared to a personally owned, personally modified trail rig.

Remember the topic at hand was if a stock D2 could tackle the Rubicon trail and you suggested a stock Jeep instead. I was just saying that people who tackle that trail, often times have very expensive, purpose built trail rigs have tow rigs and gas money isn't and issue.

 

I don't know... I've always been told that the best off-road vehicle is a rental car with damage insurance

 

Well, yeah, but...

I took a rented sentra around backside of Haleakala 2 months ago.

As long as you wash it off, no ones the wiser

 

Or what ZG said

 

There's companies that rent lifted JK's in Moab, Rubicon etc. where trail use is expected. You can rent a lifted, 4-door JK for less than $200/day. 3000 mile flights across the US can be made for less than $300/person.

Back on topic: What this means is that most people don't need to buy a 4x4 adventure vehicle that can "do-it-all" in stock form. Land Rover hasn't made anything even remotely suitable for the Rubicon or Moab for over 10 years, and practically all the Jeep line-up is just as useless. People buy a Rzr instead and tow it to the parks with an RV. A few people with extensive fabrication skills prefer to build up project vehicles, and the older Land Rovers are a suitable platform but still rarely chosen because of considerable drawbacks and shortcomings. That's the end of my advice with regard to the hypothetical question.

More practically, you will have far more enjoyment on nearby trails and if you can get together with other Land Rover owners, that may be the best because then you won't be the only one without 40 inch tires or whatever. The collective knowledge of the group will be relevant and applicable. Your vehicle's foibles won't particularly frustrate anyone as they'll be well able to empathize. And instead of a once-in-a-lifetime experience that's not likely to be exceptionally fun by comparison, you can enjoy four-wheeling much more frequently. The more or less stock Discovery is better suited to Eastern North America. Other than "mudding" or "swamp buggy" stuff, I can't think of anything the Land Rover wouldn't be ideal for. It's perfect for the Northeast.

 

Land Rover never stopped making the Defender, which could definitely do the Rubicon in stock form.

 

I guess the trick is getting one through customs...

 

I wouldn't be that confident. There's plenty of D90's that have been through there and it's a fairly expected result that a stock one will suffer bad damage. Considering their market value, it's a terrible waste.

Stock for stock, a Range Rover Classic and a Discovery 1 have the same capability as a D90, save only a little less approach angle and the 10 inches wheelbase (which can help). They have the same suspension, and the approach angle can be solved with a sawzall. And most people would rather afford to trash a stock D1, than a D90.

All this is relative. The fact is, the little sluice and other traditional obstacles are being changed with fill rock, and stacking so that what was previously off limits to stock vehicles can be run in grandma's buick. There's bypasses on a lot of stuff for tourists. Like I wrote before, some guy can go through in a vw bus, but that's not what gave the trail the reputation it has or once had.