indycole
GOLD Star
This forum and the members have been a huge influence in my build process and I figured it was time to give back. This is less of a how-to build thread and more of a retrospective. I’ve lived with most of these modifications for a while and try to focus on lessons learned through iteration, trial, and error.
First, a little background.
Why a Land Cruiser?
Growing up, Ouray, Colorado was our family’s favorite summer vacation destination. We would drive out for two weeks of four-wheeling in the San Juans every couple years from the late eighties until the early 2000s. I remember originally renting jeeps but after a couple trips my father got a Bronco and later a Suburban but he was always envious of the Land Cruiser.
Fast forward fifteen years and my wife and I were in a position to get a new weekend vehicle for camping and adventures. I’d been driving a 2008 GMC Yukon that was starting to require some significant investment despite the fact that it had been perfectly maintained. Our search for the perfect replacement vehicle didn’t take very long but we did consider a number of options: Tundra, Tacoma, LR4, Dodge PowerWagon, used LX, used LC, and a new LC.
We ultimately decided on a new 2016 Land Cruiser after the test drive and my super-scientific method of concluding that it was a “solid vehicle” based on the sound of opening-and-shutting the door. We placed our order in October of 2015, sold the Yukon, and eagerly awaited our December delivery.
Unfortunately, the delivery was delayed and then delayed again due to the factory running out of terra leather (at least that’s what the dealer said). As of early January, the estimate from the dealer was that it would be delivered in April or May. We were down to one vehicle at this point which was pretty annoying. A buddy of mine in North Carolina called his local dealer who happened to have stock on the exact vehicle we wanted. So, we canceled our order with the local dealer, bought the car from the North Carolina dealer, and ended up getting $8k off the price we would have paid in California and split the shipping cost.
We named the truck Pennypacker because my wife and several of our friends have a strange obsession with Seinfeld. H.E. Pennypacker was one of Kramer’s alter-ego’s in the show, so it’s basically a joke.
The truck was delivered in February of 2016 and we’ve been enjoying it ever since.
This is more of a build retrospective than an active build thread. I’ve spent about eight months with the truck and have learned many lessons through iteration, and trial and error.
Build Goals
Both of us grew up in rural, farm country in Indiana and have never gotten used to the amount of people in the SF Bay Area. We’re also busy folks (who’s not these days) and wanted the truck to be ready for spontaneous trips to the Santa Cruz Mountains, Big Sur, the Lost Coast, the Sierras, Death Valley, and longer off-road vacations throughout the west. Maybe we’ll eventually go on an extended trip to Baja, Alaska, or further afield.
My perspective on the build is to simply make self-sufficient camping as simple and easy as possible over time. As you all know, that’s a tricky balance given the weight of the truck, fuel economy and capacity of the stock gas tank, and built-in storage space.
I’m writing this thread in hindsight and focus on lessons learned along with answers to questions I had along the way to help the next guy/gal.
First, a little background.
Why a Land Cruiser?
Growing up, Ouray, Colorado was our family’s favorite summer vacation destination. We would drive out for two weeks of four-wheeling in the San Juans every couple years from the late eighties until the early 2000s. I remember originally renting jeeps but after a couple trips my father got a Bronco and later a Suburban but he was always envious of the Land Cruiser.
Fast forward fifteen years and my wife and I were in a position to get a new weekend vehicle for camping and adventures. I’d been driving a 2008 GMC Yukon that was starting to require some significant investment despite the fact that it had been perfectly maintained. Our search for the perfect replacement vehicle didn’t take very long but we did consider a number of options: Tundra, Tacoma, LR4, Dodge PowerWagon, used LX, used LC, and a new LC.
We ultimately decided on a new 2016 Land Cruiser after the test drive and my super-scientific method of concluding that it was a “solid vehicle” based on the sound of opening-and-shutting the door. We placed our order in October of 2015, sold the Yukon, and eagerly awaited our December delivery.
Unfortunately, the delivery was delayed and then delayed again due to the factory running out of terra leather (at least that’s what the dealer said). As of early January, the estimate from the dealer was that it would be delivered in April or May. We were down to one vehicle at this point which was pretty annoying. A buddy of mine in North Carolina called his local dealer who happened to have stock on the exact vehicle we wanted. So, we canceled our order with the local dealer, bought the car from the North Carolina dealer, and ended up getting $8k off the price we would have paid in California and split the shipping cost.
We named the truck Pennypacker because my wife and several of our friends have a strange obsession with Seinfeld. H.E. Pennypacker was one of Kramer’s alter-ego’s in the show, so it’s basically a joke.
The truck was delivered in February of 2016 and we’ve been enjoying it ever since.
This is more of a build retrospective than an active build thread. I’ve spent about eight months with the truck and have learned many lessons through iteration, and trial and error.
Build Goals
Both of us grew up in rural, farm country in Indiana and have never gotten used to the amount of people in the SF Bay Area. We’re also busy folks (who’s not these days) and wanted the truck to be ready for spontaneous trips to the Santa Cruz Mountains, Big Sur, the Lost Coast, the Sierras, Death Valley, and longer off-road vacations throughout the west. Maybe we’ll eventually go on an extended trip to Baja, Alaska, or further afield.
My perspective on the build is to simply make self-sufficient camping as simple and easy as possible over time. As you all know, that’s a tricky balance given the weight of the truck, fuel economy and capacity of the stock gas tank, and built-in storage space.
I’m writing this thread in hindsight and focus on lessons learned along with answers to questions I had along the way to help the next guy/gal.
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