[joshoisasleep]

I would say a 4x4 diesel Toyota Hiace van would be my first choice if I were to do it all again.

There are a lot of reasons, but the main one is living comfort. If you're on any long-term expedition, I think it's hard to modify a large SUV to equal the comfort level you can get in a small van... comfort matters after a while on the road, and can save you a lot of money.

An expo modified SUV probably can't take passengers as it likely will have no back seats... the comfy little van can. It's nice to share your adventures.

From where I've been parts availability is massive for these little vans as they're everywhere outside Canada and the US.

Nobody's going to steal it if you're in a third world country because it will blend in as 80% of the taxis/small buses are the exact same van. Likewise cops won't hassle you as much... you'll blend in and that is a massive asset. All you have to do is not put lots of stickers on it and paint a huge world map on the side!

They're tough little suckers. If you don't believe me, drive from Georgetown to Brazil... it's a very long, very rough road through the jungle in the middle of nowhere and these vans are what is used for the local buses... that alone would convince me.

If it's white, you can keep a magnetic red cross with you for "worst case scenario" situations and pretend you're an ambulance... (would work for an expo 70 troopie too as long as you have no junk on the outside).

The one really off-putting point was mentioned above - accident safety. I really like having like 3 feet of steel and engine block between me and oncoming traffic.

Anyway, that's my opinion... I guess as usual it all depends on your defenition of expedition, and what you're planning to do (ie cross deserts for weeks, or continents for years).