Retirees, mount up!

Whether they’re staying within our borders or exploring well beyond them, these readers can’t wait for lockdown to end.

Built to last

2009 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 70 LX 4,2

Already loaded with kit, the demo Toyota Land Cruiser 70 LX that Hans Von Gordon from Port Elizabeth picked up, was a real steal.

I bought this year-old Land Cruiser in 2010 from a dealership in Cape Town, where it was being used as a demo model, and at the time had only registered 2 500 km on the odometer.

It was fully loaded, with an ARB bullbar, built-in compressor, drawer system, and Old Man Emu suspension system. It was also fitted with a Front Runner tow hitch, Escape Gear seat covers, dual-battery system, Front Runner roof rack and a long-range diesel tank that takes its total fuel capacity to 165 ℓ. All that for the bargain price of R399 000, which was more than reasonable given what kind of equipment it already came with, and its low mileage. Afterward, I also added an Ironman 4x4 snorkel and 12 000-pound winch.

My wife, Erina, and I have enjoyed many excursions up into the rest of Africa in our Land Cruiser, which we nicknamed

‘the Truck’. We’ve seen Botswana, Caprivi, Kaokoland, the Skeleton Coast, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Swaziland. The one that stands out the most was a self-drive 36-day tour of the Serengeti with Eco 4x4 Safari, which comprised of a convoy of 10 vehicles and resulted in our Cruiser clocking up 14 800 km. I would highly recommend this to anyone thirsting for adventure.

In 2019, I added a Sprite Swing road caravan to the equation because the offroad excursions with the old Jurgens Xcape were starting to make themselves felt in our old age.

The Cruiser is not the most budget friendly off-roader in terms of fuel consumption and returns of between

14-16 ℓ/100 km at the pumps are average on my daily drives. Those figures quickly climb to 20 ℓ/100 km when I’ve got 4x4 engaged and towing a caravan.

But I can proudly say that there’s nothing more reliable than a Land Cruiser. It’s really made for Africa, and parts and services are easily attainably anywhere on the continent. I gladly look past the fact that it requires 11 ℓ of oil at every service.

Aside from the Land Cruiser’s overlanding credentials, it’s also quite capable of towing; even if it’s at speeds around 80-100 km/h, and sometimes down to 50 or 60 km/h. Some advice for when it’s really slow going on dirt roads: stop and engage low range because while your tyres might take a bit of an extra beating, that’s negligible given the extra grunt and lower revs that allow you, in some cases, to tow in fourth gear instead of using the second ratio.

Ranger second time around

2014 FORD RANGER 2,2 AND 2019 FORD RANGER 2,2

After a flawless performance in the five years they owned it, Dirk and Nadia Crafford from Kleinmond replaced their Ranger with a facelifted model.

After retriring in 2014, we decided to start camping. We already had a 2014 Ford Ranger 2,2 and started out using borrowed tents. After a year, however, we wanted to commit to something a little more substantial.

So, one Wednesday we set off in the direction of Mossel Bay from Gansbaai, hitched a Jurgens Oryx there and drove back. By that Friday our towing combination was ready for our first trip together to the Kgalagadi and Namibia. Both vehicles handled themselves with distinction and of course a double-cab bakkie is a wonderful thing in which to pack all the items that don’t find a place in the caravan.

In 2019, we decided an upgrade was in order. We traded in the Oryx for a brandnew Jurgens Trooper X2 and the pre-facelift Ranger was swopped out for a new 2,2 XL model after a fuss-free 90 000 km. We were fortunate enough to revisit Kgalagadi and also make a turn at Mokala with our new towing combination.

We had a massive itinerary planned for 2020, though COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown has thrown the proverbial spanner in the works. Our favourite thing to do is to tie a few of the SANParks reserves together, like starting in the Karoo and then continue to Camdeboo, Mountain Zebra, Addo, Ebb & Flow and then Bontebok. We alternate the direction every second time. The SANParks facilities are always up to scratch and it’s a joy to drive around during the day and listen to the different animals.