Reflections on the cost of 4wding

Thought a similar thing on my most recent desert trip. Here was me chugging along in my 20K's worth of HZJ75 with swag and old 40L Engel in company with my mate with his 130K Sahara with all the fruit, top of the wozza 8 room tent and a Waeco fridge that was bigger than my home Westinghouse. We still had a great time both of us and sure he arrived at each stop looking pristine and springing from his vehicle while I crawled out to find my shaken loose false teeth but at the end of the day was there really 110K worth of difference? Still with him being a Cardiologist and me a salaried Hospital doctor that probably was in parity with the discrepancy in our income! Each to their own I say.

Yes Clay , no one is right or wrong , just what you want if you can afford it.
I personally like to keep things simple and cheap although I can afford better,
I suppose I am a conservationist at heart , can't stand waste, money or anything for that matter.

Cheers Dave L.

I think the baby boomers are now retiring and they are fortunate to be the most affluent generation in history. That little workers cottage in Subiaco / Prahran / Paddington is now worth $1 - $2million, the holiday block in Yallingup / Hawkesbury River / Great Ocean Road purchased in the sixties for 2 grand is the same. The ones who were fortunate enough to not have their parents great depression era values thrust upon them have probably killed the pig in real estate and the stock market has seen some spectacular action with Australia's current resources boom, allowing us the opportunity to ride on the coat tails of China / India etc.

This retiring baby boomer generation had the luxury of full-time, permanent employment. Heck, you could get a job in the civil service, stick it out for a few years and be made 'permanent'. Set for life with weekends off, 40 hr week and superannuation at the end of it all. Try getting a permanent position these days. 3 yr contract max.

The other factor is the 'Ski Club' (spending the kids inheritance) mentality is more popular these days with the old values and religious beliefs becoming less of a force in lifestyle choice.

Consumerism has definitely gone mad though. There has always been the 'keeping up with the Joneses' thing, but now with the average Australian being a far more culturally aware and having access to a world of new information via television, internet and glossy magazines, the 'wish list' is going crazy. We have always led a fairly sheltered existence in Australia, but the world is rapidly changing and our nation with it.

I see runaway consumerism on these forums daily. The amount of rubbish sprouted about all the 'must haves', 'essentials' etc for 4x4'ing / camping is crazy. But......it's BIGGGGGG business and the sales reflect it. There'll always be a dozen 'experts' telling everyone you can't do anything without all the gear. I used to earn my living in remote exploration and we didn't have half the stuff. The station owners and worker have NONE of it.! Len Beadell MADE the tracks with an old Land Rover - running on petrol, with skinny tyres (no MTR's / BFG's / Coopers), no GPS / Laptop / PDA / OziExplorer, no camper trailer, no Oztent, no deep cycle batteries, no Engel / Waeco fridges, no snatch straps, no rated recovery points.........etc etc etc

One the the most endearing things about 4wd holidays is that people who are pretty hard up can have just as much fund as the wealthy types. When you sit around the campfire at the end of the day you are all equal - does't matter whether you are in a Porsche Cayenne at one end of the spectrum or a Patrol at the other ;-))

I must admit that what I find amusing is two elderly people in a huge motor home where the five of us squeeze quite happily into our camper. Not sure why they feel they need so much room but when I am old and grey like.........some of you then I will probably be the same.

Andrew

I have wondered at times how people can afford there respective vehicle and then all the stuff to go with it. But i guess if you got the $$$ and you want it get it.

As for me my rig is quite simple single cab ute nothing flash but it suits me and I own it :) ........ Not spending the kids inheritance but I have a plan in place for my retirement to get a bigger rig and caravan and just travel, if that dips into the kids inheritance so be it.

I don't need the biggest and best to enjoy myself but as long as i'm comfortable it will be fine.

My preferred vehicle at the moment for touring would be a 80 series cruiser

Brian

Good post Footy.
On my recent trip I wondered almost exactly the same thing.
I guess it's just a reflection the things said above, basically a more prosperous society.
This society does not seem to be as intent on traveling overseas as much as they used to, perhaps a result of the current state of the international world that we live in.
In the end its their money and I guess they can spend it as they please, but $hit there is a lot of it driving around the remote areas of this country.

Like most of our age (over 65's) we are SKI and the kids want us too. In the 70s I use
to take the kids away in an old Lwb Landy and camp in a 6x6 tent, over the years we have slowly improved our rig's and now looking forward to the new arrival.
Yes some do spend a lot but you can't take it with you and life is too short not to make every moment count doing what ever makes us happy. We owe it to the previous generations who made this country (the lucky country).

Big Al

What a great guilt trip "spending the kids inheritance ", "SKI CLUB "

My kids can get off their arses and work to make money like I did . They will have a decent deposit on a house from me , but apart from that I have no qualms about my wife and I enjoying the rest of our life to he hilt , with the money that we worked our bums off for .

If there is plenty left over they can have it , but I am not losing any sleep over it .

Willie .

I think most people start the 4x4 days with a tent or swag and gradually improve their comfort level over the years. We have gone the other way.

Once upon a time, I reckoned traveling with a good caravan would be the way to go. We hired one as a trial and did a great trip. With our 3 kids, and a new Pajero, we went from Qld through the Vic high country and on to visit friends in Melbourne (no off the black stuff). It was a great trip but towing a heavy van was not my wife’s cup of tea and I hated the reduced range between fuel stops. Fuel cost was not the concern – just the poor range.

Later we purchased a Cavalier C/T; set it up with some mod-cons and have had some great holidays in remote areas carrying loads of unnecessary crap in the trailer. But it was still a bit of a pain sometimes trying to get parking going through larger towns and keeping everything stashed properly on long heavily corrugated roads.

I still have the C/T but bought a canvas center pole touring tent. Now most of the time we leave the C/T at home and just take the tent. This means we travel with a fraction of the gear but we both enjoy it better. We only take the C/T if we plan to stay in one spot for more than a couple of days.

We have all the creature comforts at home and a good offroad van would not break the bank but it’s different strokes for different folks.

Cheers,
Doodle

Footloose and all,

What a great bunch of replies and this is what we are all looking/striving for.

We do it cause we can and we do it in the best way we can cause that's what we want to do.

I reflect everyday on the same things.
I've spent the money on the 4by two years ago and now waiting for delivery of the new Kimberley Karavan.

Apprehension and excitement all in one!

Did I do the right thing spending the money? Petrols going up!!

Could fly and then drive maybe.

Wouldn't have 60k sitting in the driveway waiting to go somewhere.

But you know what. I want to do that and go and see the places and meet all the great people that are out doing the same thing in the way that's best for them.

Sitting around the fire at night with all those stars and sharing that experience.
Its about the experience and at 50years old nearly I can't wait to get into it with my friends and whoever else we meet on the journey.

But you know apart from all the material things of what you do it with none of them
can compare to

who you do it with........and that money can't buy.

Now I'll get of the soapbox or is it a hole I'm in!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Garth

People spend their money in different ways... some burn it between their lips, some piss it up against a wall, other pay people to feed them 'fine' food and finer wine. Some of us save our pennies.

Being somewhat younger than the implied demographic, hopefully where giving our kids (8 & 5 by the time we go on our Trip) an education.

regards, Nige

I know what you mean. It's interesting readin though. Personally I'm not sure what category we fit into.

We have an 11 year old Grey import Toyota.
It is a Turbo diesel
It is comfortable (very) with all the mod cons
It has proven to be very reliable
It is extremely capable
We have running water
Electric blankets
good food
a $300 compressor fridge that keeps my beer nearly frozen
Great camp lighting
All the bells and whistles you can think of.

I reckon if you added EVERYTHING including camping gear and vehicle/mods we would have spent around $35,000 if that.

The time, however, that I have spent on it, I would not be able to put a price on.

I think that's the difference isn't it. Some people have the time, some have the money. It's just two different ways of looking at it depending upon your chosenn life style.

Of course then there are the people that just don't give a crap about that stuff and head out in the stock hilux or 60 with the esky with no lid on it in the tray and a swag for a seat around the camp fire which doubles as a bed for night.

I don't know about you guys, but even though I may shake my head at the guy with the $95k landcruiser with the $100k caravan on the back in amazment wondering "Where do they get the money" or shaking your head at the two blokes sitting on their swags drinking luke warm beer eating baked beans out of a can round the fire thinking "How do you do it" you have to have respect for both of those scenarios because they are happy, they are out there and good on em'!

Funny how when you're travelling hour after hour your mind takes to philsophising.
Like others I too have pondered this. My conclusions was this.

You can't buy experience, but often you have to pay to experience the sitiation which then becomes the experience.

However the biggest payment does not guarantee the best experience, your personal outlook and approach to things does that.

Sorry if that's a bit deep, but as I said I spent a lot of time thinking about it.

Hows it going Footloose,

In 2004 we went around OZ, We hardly ever ate out and slept in a swag 95% of the time.

This was a big lesson to me . 99.9% of the time the thing that you are hanging out for isnt essential . This has to be right if you can fit everything you and your vehicle need to get by , except for fuel , in the back of a Patrol.

This doesnt necessarily reflect my income.

However there has to be a sensible approach in everyday life, I hope to own my house , and if I save a bit to give my kids a bit of a headstart so be it !

Glenn.