XSeries-forum

Hello Folks,

new here, have a x5 3.0d 2003.

I have been considering Africa Overland trip and looking at Toyotas, Nissans, landy's (ooouch) - and then thought, why not convert the x5 to a overlander. I bought it for £5800 and it has tremendous power and grunt. Not sure if it has been chipped but it is fast. I've had a few things done to it already, new discs, pads, new a/c unit (blows ice old), changed engine oil a couple of times, EGR delete, will do gearbox and trans oil change shortly.

I want to keep things simple, the car is heavy enough, don't want to get bogged down in the deeps sands of Botswana/Namibia, all alone! Some of the enhancements I am thinking of is second battery, under carriage cover, 1 inch lift (no need of winch as I will have a manual winch with me), snorkel. Anyone know if this has been done before i.e. a x5 converted for overlanding for reasonable cost? I cant find anyone that makes a snorkel, this is a must for African roads, especially in the game parks, off road, considering that the engine air filter is engineered deep, I am thinking of having a pre-filter  that gets most of the dust which can be easily changed. I guess I will have to go to B & Q and cobble something out with drain pipes if I cant get a decent snorkel!!! ) )

thanks
Mo

PM me,
I can save you a small fortune with many of the mods you are requiring, & have done some Trekking vehicle Builds before.
Most of the X5 mods are dirt cheap, but some kit that is a MUST for this trip.

Great! Let me know. Definitely considering it, but, some things go against the x5, the air filter is a big issue, that needs to be cleaned out every 1000km.

thanks
Mo

I have absolutely no experience so just thinking out aloud..................

1.Given the terrain and debris, should you convert the rear self levelling suspension to std coil spring and shock instead of the vulnerable bags ?
2. How sensitive are the sensors that trigger airbags ? You don't want to nudge something in the bush and set them off.
3. Some kind of film on the glass in case of stone chips to try re-inforce the glass a little , like a tint film.
4. perspex headlight covers / cages for fogs / Cages on rear lenses.
5. Re-map for poor fuel
6. Some sort of radiator guard  and one for the aircon rad .
7 . Much bigger cabin air filters.
8. Tyre plugging kit

Im sure there is plenty more.

In theory i would agree with you a X5 could be a good basis for a 'Overland vehicle' but could end up costing you a massive fortune if anything did go wrong and they often do go wrong in normal everyday driving conditions,but pushing them too the limit of reliability in the harsh desert and other hostile environments that you will/can encounter.Of course if one has a humongous bank account then go for it.

One very popular vehicle that is used is one of the Suzuki range ie the early Vitaras or SJ or even the Jimny,small in size and also power plant but ultra reliable for the hostile terrain of deserts,repairs and spares are also dirt cheap compared with a X5.The old SJ's are one of the most popular motors used for trans-Sahara crossings.

Wish you luck in your adventure.

Having done plenty of this Trekking lark in the past & vehicle preps for specific terrains & climates...
I would absolutely NOT use an X5, or any heavily computerized vehicle....

I would not use any vehicle with underbody electronics of any kind...

My 1st choice would be a Discovery 300TDi, with a 2" SOFT lift kit, big fat tyres,
decatted, center exhaust box removed, winch bumpers &  winches front & rear, disk hand brake at the transfer box, extended break lines & shocks,
AC is a MUST + a lorry inter-cooler, snorkel, 2 air filters - one at the base of the snorkel externally...
All the sound proofing removed, grilled windows, ALL LED lighting + roof rail lighting, 2 batteries, generator, refrigerators.
Spare alternator, Radiator, belts, engine oil, axle oils, ALL new hoses & pipes by default, external wracking for 20 gallons of water, 20+ gallons of fuel.
electric fan AND original viscous fan to run always,
sand tracks x 4, awnings  on both sides of vehicle, roof tent, weapons.. compound bow + 200 arrows, knives, machete and a good catapult & a bag of bearings, box of distress flares to deter big cats, ultra-sonic pest scarer - again to deter critters, tyre plugger sets - lots. 4 spare tyres & wheels, compressor - proper one not a Halfords special lol.
To enable better speeds & less vehicle damage or roll over risk... have a trailor  - again with soft suspension AND soft shockers fitted with a 360' pin hitch connection... and 2 spare hitch pins... cos you always lose one.
Shovels/spades, rope - lots, 15 ton towing cables & strops

Total engine rebuild & new head gasket etc, and drive for 2,000 miles before even thinking of transporting it to use to winkle out issues.
Full under body armour, rock sliders, diff & gearbox shields, spare set of screen wipers, drinking water filters, cooking kit etc / military ration packs easiest.... etc.
Don't expect ANY CHANGE out of £10,000 per vehicle.. just for the basics, before you try to make it comfortable with showers, water pumps, toilet things etc

All this crap is off the top of my head, but it's just the start....
THEN
You gotta learn the art of Off Road Driving... just because you have the machine DOES NOT mean you know how to drive it... and even with my experience I would still do an off roading week to gen'-up again & get familiar.
AND, you need to be fit.... properly fit... as in, can you get your arse out of a chair & run  miles with a 10 kilo backpack & not die half way thru.

Stick with the Japanese stuff from Toyota.  It's what they all drive and is practically bomb proof and doesn't break.

Land Rover would come in as my second choice.

Cars with the electronics that X5's have in that environment is just not worth risking.

thank you all so much for the responses.

Indeed, I have considered converting the air bags to springs. There is a kit available on ebay to do that and also cancel and error code. There is a guy called ANDREW ST PETERS, who is British and lived most of his life in South Africa (he is now back in the UK). He has used a stock Isuzu overlanding (factory) and confirmed it performed very well, but then again the Isuzu was probably built for that terrain. 

While the x5 engine itself is pretty solid, it is let down by the gizmo electrics that could and probably will play havoc in the wild. In parts of Botswana and Namibia the next person will probably be about 100km away. The last thing I want is to be broken down in some place with local thugs looking for easy target, yes, there are places like that along the main roads. Even if I can get to someone, a bush mechanic will probably take one look at my x5 and ask "what kind of land rover is that"  ) ) )

I think the other problem is the autobox. A manual is probably more suited to that kind of terrain. Blow one gear and at least one can keep going on the others. Blow the autobox and its food for the lions!!! 

I guess I am defeated, will have to settle for a Discovery 1 (basic as anything), get one with a/c and one where someone else has done all the suspensions etc etc. Parts are dirt cheap for the discovery. I have come across loads on ebay, where most of the work has been done, some really nice examples, only to find no a/c.

I have found a Land Rover Defender "safari" V8 in Dubai (from Japan). That is factory fitted with a/c. My son who works in Dubai went to see it, says, it is built like a tank. The gears feel firm and tight, only problem is that it is LHD (darn!!!!), which means it wont be allowed in Kenya (as they have recently passed a law about LHD cars). I propose to ship from London to Mombasa (avoid north Africa all together - too much trouble in that region). Roll on roll off is about £750 + £150 processing fee. I can get temporary 24 hour permit for LHD, but, it would be nice to spend a few weeks roaming around in Kenya. So, the trip is - Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Nambia, South Africa and return to Tanzania where I will discharge the carnet de passage - sell the car (it is much easier to do that in Tanzania)

thank you all for your responses.

thanks
Mo

Its just an observation.....................

The UN use Toyota land Cruisers and they have 1000's of them......for a reason.
Every insurgent you ever see in the news is driving a Toyota of some description.
Given how they use and abuse them , i would suggest that if they are good enough for them then they are good enough for the likes of you and me.

I have no / little experience of what you want to do , but I have known many many people who own Land Rovers of every description. reliability is shocking.
My weekly routine is to call a friend of mine and ask " how many times have you broken down this week ".
If my life depended on it, i wouldn't be using anything with the Land Rover badge.

To a great degree, I agree with NAT...
Toyota & Mitsubishi were pushed hard into the Middle-East & Africa by the Japanese... and Landrover MISSED the boat badly when the Series machines were replaced by the Defender.

From an Off-Roading perspective, a Discovery Mk1 / ala Discovery 300 is a 100 inch chassis, & whatever way we like it, it is always the primarily chosen climbing & mud plugging machine, due to the geometry, simplicity & the fact it is a big mechano set with an engine...
Personally I like the Discovery for this alone - only.......and agree, reliability is nothing short of bloody awful, & I must admit (grudgingly) that the Toyota offerings simply last longer, are more reliable.. and are about now with 180,000++ miles on them with the original engines, drive line & gearboxes etc... and not a hint of rust... and even then, they were kitted with every luxury we enjoy in a well specced X5's...

Leather seats, AC & tinted glass, fabulous music systems etc were a standard fit in Toyota 4x4s... and Landrovers were pretty bland, ugly & basic by comparison. 
Some of the Old Pajeros & Land Cruisers look modern still at 20 years old... and there are VERY FEW Discovery 300's that are still in one chunk or original running gear, let alone look good.....

So with this in mind, reliability & the availability of spares.....
so...YES... Nat has a very valid point...... & I think I will actually eat my words here, & would use a Land-Cruiser as a trekker if I ever built another one.

and if they were good enough for Osama Bin-Laden, then they are surely good enough for me ha ha..

Grant B

folks

I totally agree! The saying goes:

"if you want to go in the bush, take a land rover, if you want to come back, take a toyota"  ) ) ) )

Indeed, Nissan Patrol or Toyota is probably the way to go. I am now more inclined to the Toyota HiLux as demo'd by the Top Gear crew before Clarkson met his match (the talaban carrier!!!). The reason for the hilux (commercial variant) is that many came with a/c, strengthened chassis and it is a relatively light car, which means it won't get bogged down in deep mud/sand easily.

There are a couple of old timer Toyota Land Cruisers on ebay - with "a/c" -these are the simple ones (4.2 diesel), but heavy cars, even Mr. Bean can drive one, but, problem with them is spares (Toyota FJ60 and FJ62). I know of one dude, who took a FJ60 to Africa, gearbox broke down somewhere in Zambia, the poor dude suffered badly, had to spend endless days with promises of a reconditioned gearbox (while he lived in a povo spec African hotel, caught malaria etc), paid for the replacement gearbox, only to find when it came that it was for a different model. Getting your money back out there is a like squeezing blood from a stone. He had to abandon the car as there were no FJ60 spares in that entire region, paid tons in import duty (as he was leaving the car behind) and had to fly back home.

The jury is still out - the contenders are:

1) Toyota Hilux double cab pickup
2) Toyota 80
3) Nissan Patrol

There is one more and I have been searching for a reasonable one to fix up:

4) Mercedes G wagon 300 (Petrol or Diesel)  - LWB - none I can find "for reasonable money" so far. Any car I take on, it will need new "most" things.

Read the story of Gunther and his G Wagon (Otto). The guy spent 26 years on the road (900,000km!!!) with a LWB G Wagon (petrol) and he only needed basic things fixing, nothing more. That is a tank of a car.

http://www.ottosreise.de/en/start.html

There is a "5th element" - I am also considering buying a car in Kenya (my starting point). I did find a Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ74 (guy wanted £2300), old thing (ex safari company - rear part of the car was extended - ideal), this one had no power steering but it had a/c (it was in Narok - Kenya). I sent a mechanic from Nakuru to see it, but, it was well past its prime, needed a lot of work doing, a lot of welding, engine and gearbox reconditioning etc etc, it was just not worth it. 

thanks
Mo

My God man... you will want power steering if you venture off a smooth tarmac road in anything in Africa.
You could have shoulders like Mike Tyson, but they would soon be sore as hell  :'(

Trooper / Nissan patrol / Land cruiser...

re coming back out of the bush.... mmm agree, you would leave the Landy & come back out on foot... )  :blink:

I spent many years travelling in remote regions in Southern Africa as a doctor - my "go to " vehicle was my beloved Nissan Patrol, of the pre-electronic era, the model much-used by WHO, NATO, the UN and other such organisations and seen in many a news clip.  Nissans of that era, and Toyota Landcruisers, were the mainstay of overlanding alngside the Landrovers of the time (frequently seen in a beaten-up and broken down state, the Landies, but again, pre-electronic era, always "fixable")

My Patrol racked up 300 000 (!) miles and was still going strong when, after importing and driving it in the UK when we returned here some 20 years ago, I part exed for a P38 Range Rover!!!

I also had a mobile clinic built on the base of a Forward Control Landrover (ex military).  It was a beast given the lack of power steering (although we concocted one from a gas suspension strut! )

The Nissan was by far the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. 

Lots of tales about driving down river beds and mountainsides etc ........must dig out some old photos!


Nissan also had a purpose-made conversion available in SA at the time called a Nissan Sani, which I also owned and used in my work.

Lots more info about conversions etc if interested..........


AVOID modern electronics in cars, they WILL let you down in the remote bush somewhere!

PS the Patrol was very comfortable and relatively luxurious for its time -most Overland vehicles are a bit sparse on comfort and given the huge distances you want to cover, comfort is important to some degree.

We used to hire Nissan Patrol's for military training when 'official' units weren't available as there were loads of places they would go that a LR would curl up and die if we tried.  Never let us down.

folks

No G wagons available (preferred). I have also found a couple of Land Rover forward controls on ebay. Brute of a "thing" and indeed a good one of those will be great - but - there is a big - BUT -
....I have heard that in some game parks in Botswana and Namibia they do not allow such large "beasts" as they make a mess of the tracks, elephants do enough damage, let alone a forward control  ). So, that one is probably out of the running.

Nissan patrols 3.0 or the Toyota 80 series are the ones to consider (semi-basic), but old ones do have spares issues. From 1998 onwards is electronics - whichever car (due to emissions etc). There is a very nice Toyota land cruiser HZJ73 (1992) available for sale - legend of a car, but the guy wants £7900 for it and it has factory a/c. Spares from most of the HZJ series would fit. It has a built in winch (somehow connected to the transfer box). It is a work horse. I once drove 2000km in one of those stopping only for about 4 hours over a 24 hour period. It just kept going in 40 degree heat. That is a car that one could depend on. Africa is not what it used to be 30 years ago. Massive population increases with lack of jobs has resulted in lawlessness in many places. Unsuspecting travelers do get robbed and I suspect in another 10 years time, it will be worse (if nations dont sort themselves out). The HZJ73 would be a good buy for about £4k, but nearly £8k is way too much as it will need some about of prep work before the trip (new starter, alternator, dics, bushes, pipes,  etc etc).

Another important factor one must consider on such a trip is the carnet de passage. This is a must for Kenya and recommended for all the other countries. The carnet is calculated based on the value of the car. So, if the car is very expensive, then the carnet will reflect in the price and if I read the details correctly, if you don't bring the car back or unable to discharge the carnet (e.g. police report of an accident would discharge the carnet etc), then you pay the balance of the value of the car calculated - a little messy.

thanks
Mo