As I say goodbye to my Overland Jeep Gladiator here are my final thoughts on how it performed, what I learned, what I’ll do differently next time and where to from here.
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00:00 Introduction
00:33 Why Am I Selling The Gladiator?
03:06 My Previous Vehicles and Experience
04:44 How Did I Choose The Gladiator For Australia?
06:56 Reliability & Durability
09:48 What About The Tires
11:49 The Part I STILL Have No Come To Terms With
15:28 Outro
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Books I’ve published about my expeditions around the world:
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❱ The Road Chose Me Volume 2: Three years and 54,000 miles around Africa
375 pages of misadventures, stories, characters, politics and more from driving all the way around Africa!
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❱ 999 Days Around Africa: The Road Chose Me
75 page full-color photography book from each of the 35 countries I visited in Africa
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❱ The Road Chose Me Volume 1: Two years and 40,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina
265 pages of adventure, inspiration and antics from driving the length of the Pan-American highway
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❱ Overland Travel Essentials: West Africa: Myths, Misconceptions and Misnomers
Everything you need to know to undertake your own Overland Expedition in West Africa
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❱ Work Less to Live Your Dreams: A practical guide to saving money and living your dreams
The tips, tricks, ideas and perspectives I’ve learned to save the money I need to live the life I want
https://amzn.to/2OD6UtA
#Overland #Gladiator #4x4TouringAustralia
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Well done Dan, loved watching the build and adventure. Best of luck with the next one.
Hi Dan what's a good vehicle for budget overlanding for the Patagonian highway I live in the uk and it has rhd so i will have to import a lhd car. what's good advice you would give me?
Fitting end to a great series. Crazy to think I started watching your Africa adventure when I was still in high school and now I teach in high school and am starting my own overland trips! I look forward to seeing sandy again and am curious what your next adventure is going to be. If you ship to Europe again I'll tell you all the good spots in the Netherlands!
Tyres are a lottery. I've been out there a lot, you can do 3-4 years and have no trouble, and the next time you can destroy a tyre. I've had 3 flats in a day once. It just has to happen to you once and you get a bit nervous about it when it happens in the middle of nowhere. I agree about the Toyota fan boys.
Da, thanks for the great Australian adventure, really loved all the video’s. Great coverage! Greetings from the Netherlands
Dan, when younger back to Canada, buy a Jeep Wrangler rubicon JL and buy the JXL extension cab (similar to your JK), but a bit longer! This will be the best of both worlds! An integrated roof top tent, lots of space, and a little bit longer (35 cm) JL…… greetings from the Netherlands
It’s not that jeep in Australia is a bad car it’s that Jeep dealerships and backup is so bad . So bad that jeep in Australia basically put adds on TV with apologies saying they would do better.
🍻 How are you not sponsored by Jeep?
I would buy an Ursa Minor top as you described yesterday if it was available.
I use a 19 year old chevy tahoe. Not anywhere near as capable as other jeeps or toyotas or most other big brands. But! The only two things I've broke are one single cv axle and one set of tie rods. I rebuilt the entire undercarriage last year, I have a non electric transfer case waiting to be installed as well. However all of the important engine compartment bits with the exception of the intake inlet pipe sit way high. I do plan on adding a snorkel to address that. However the only low hanging engine part is the ac compressor, which is all but completely sealed to begin with and I'm still on the original compressor despite thousands of miles offroad. I had a Toyota fj cruiser before this truck and it really didn't handle the remote areas very well.
I'm waiting too for an Ursa Minor (or American Safari JXL) conversion for 2 people and full space rear+bedr pop up Roof !!!
You’re basically describing a defender with an alu-cab roof conversion. I’ll build you one.
I think a lot of jeeps bad rep in oz is as much to do jeep the company and some of the service horror stories.
You can't have something that will incorporate the cab and bed of a pickup. There's way to much flex and bounce between the two. It would destroy the addition in a few miles.
Every one likes their own brand. I just passed 60,000 miles on my Tacoma. No, I haven't driven it around a continent, but I've done a serious amount of off-roading in the past 3 years with it. And much like your Jeep, not a single failure.
And yes, two spares are ridiculous. 32,000 miles on my K02s over all conditions and not a single failure ethier.
Looking forward to your next adventure!
Dude, sounds like you should check out 4×4 vans! Check out Primal Outdoors rig
I totally agree with preferring a wagon to a pick up truck just for having everything in just one space. However cheers to the gladiator, it's been amazing everything it showed us
Love your summary, thanks for sharing your thoughts and wisdom
As for other N. America options, in the truck space I feel like the industry is moving more and more towards HD trucks. This might be because there are now more options with high load capacity, such as the F-250 Tremor. It remains to be seen whether the Grenadier is a good option. It looks to be an excellent option for overlanders, but it hasn't been independently tested.
I’m going to miss this rig! Always love your adventures
Your ideal rig almost sounds like a cross between a Gladiator and an old Ford Centurion Classic. Basically a dust proof “Ute” but the very back has a fiberglass top that could be replaced by an Ursa Minor thing. The closest modern version of that is the new Chevy Silverado EV with its “midgate”.
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
Dan you should do a Jeep commercial bro. Love your Gladiator! Hope it sells soon. Good luck, your series is great! Greeting from Brooklyn, NY!
Buy a Bronco 😏
Loved the jeep. Thought it looked great driving around and seems a great choice for touring
What a huge disappointment 😞. You built it completely wrong
I grew up with Toyota 4wd, I did get sick of how quickly the alternators failed and the CV joints were a joke. Toyotas are reliable on the forest trails or the beach, but mud and rock steps destroy them quickly. I’ve been a happy Jeeper since the KJ, JKU, WK and now the JL Rubicon.
So you took it back to stock. Does that mean you removed the extra fuel tank and the extra battery and solar stuff too? What are your plans for the kitchen, and softop, etc?
Dan, I agree!
I see EFRT extended WB ,but covered tracks I've seen. Looks habitable.
You might get along with Putin better with a Merc.. The Forces were using a G Wagon to fill a gap waiting for APV. Check surplus ♻️
It’s great to hear some respect for Jeeps. I have owned several and have had great experiences with them. Your questioning some of the assumptions many Australian off-road influencers insist upon is a breath of fresh air. Everyone has a right to their opinion but insisting one is an absolute authority seems to get a little out of hand sometimes. The Ursa Minor thing a hindered by the independent flex of the cab and bed.
Toyota's undeserved reputation for reliability is a delusion and Jeep's unwarranted reputation for not being reliable is completely false. Jeep is by far the most reliable vehicle on the planet, and Toyotas are by far the most unreliable vehicle on the planet. There is no debate about this.
So you want an earth roamer, but you don't want that big of vehicle. Have you ever watched the Turtle Expedition series? Look at there early turtle I vehicle. Probably still to big for you, but they drove that thing everywhere. Good and pleasant driving.