..I've recently discovered the joys of extreme off-roading,Unfortunately my KIA Sportage as good as it is off road ,isn't up to the task as far as ground clearance and power .Most around here are driving either Jeep CJ's ,Land Rovers or FJ 's.I wouldn't own a Chyrsler product on a bet and the I don't need a third set of tools so anything British is out,I'm seriously considering the Trails Team Edition of the FJ Cruiser ..any one have any good/bad experiences with it?

One of my knifemaker friends in Texas is putting the finishing touches on a really nice one right now. There is a thread about it on our knife forum but you have to join the forum in order to browse there. PM me if you would like the details.

OK, he has pics on his website. Here's a teaser

That's the issue I have with the FJ. It would be an aswesome jeep, but it's got the worst aspects of a jeep with none of the benefits.

But that's nothing that 10K in mod's wont fix.

Perhaps i should clarify things a little.I've veiwed many videos on youtube concerning perfomance modifications as well as visited several other aftermarket sites ,and have come away impressed by the capabilities of the FJ ,but I could spend 10 k on my KIA and make similar mods that would rival those .
My primary interest right now is reports from those who own basically unmodified (save for factory mods)FJ's.Satisfaction ,would they buy again etc.

One of the baddest offroad rigs in my area is an old Suzuki Samauri with a rotary engine. He has about 15K into it and it will out crawl any other street legal vehicle around.........and we have some serious ones.

Originally Posted by FL Knifemaker

One of the baddest offroad rigs in my area is an old Suzuki Samauri with a rotary engine. He has about 15K into it and it will out crawl any other street legal vehicle around.........and we have some serious ones.

Many of the older Suzukis were made by KIA with Mazda engines ,the engine in my KIA is a mazda 2.0 l 4 cyl....heck if KIA had stuck with more of an SUV in their Sportage lineup and less of a crossover/car I'd likely just buy another ,but like many manufactureres they couldn't leave well enough alone ,instead of upgrading that line to a more capable SUV/offroad vehicle ,they went the other way towards a more luxurious car that one can occasionally take off road .

Originally Posted by daddiozz

Many of the older Suzukis were made by KIA with Mazda engines ,the engine in my KIA is a mazda 2.0 l 4 cyl....heck if KIA had stuck with more of an SUV in their Sportage lineup and less of a crossover/car I'd likely just buy another ,but like many manufactureres they couldn't leave well enough alone ,instead of upgrading that line to a more capable SUV/offroad vehicle ,they went the other way towards a more luxurious car that one can occasionally take off road .

Ya, those early Sportages were nice. The new ones are glammed up, watered down soccer mom haulers.

Originally Posted by daddiozz

..I've recently discovered the joys of extreme off-roading,Unfortunately my KIA Sportage as good as it is off road ,isn't up to the task as far as ground clearance and power .Most around here are driving either Jeep CJ's ,Land Rovers or FJ 's.I wouldn't own a Chyrsler product on a bet and the I don't need a third set of tools so anything British is out,I'm seriously considering the Trails Team Edition of the FJ Cruiser ..any one have any good/bad experiences with it?

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forum...body-rips.html

Early Pinzgauer promotional video (1970's) (14 min 32 sec)

Puch Haflinger - Werbefilm (22 min 20 sec)

VOLVO SUGGA (4 min 1 sec)

I found some Jeeps for ya, take your pick....

http://bringatrailer.com/2013/01/01/...52-willys-m38/

http://bringatrailer.com/2012/09/07/...959-jeep-cj3a/

http://www.eastcoastminiclassics.com...GPW1941-45.cfm

Originally Posted by Usta Bee

I found some Jeeps for ya, take your pick....

http://bringatrailer.com/2013/01/01/...52-willys-m38/

http://bringatrailer.com/2012/09/07/...959-jeep-cj3a/

http://www.eastcoastminiclassics.com...GPW1941-45.cfm

Love the full SS jeep.

when you see trucks going off road in third world countries on various TV shows, I don't recall ever seeing a jeep CJ or otherwise...almost always toyotas.

Knifemaker, that pic brought back lots of memories to me...

When living in Venezuela I had one of those....
4.3 L straight six, 4 speed manual trans.
In 4 wheel drive, low gear, that thing was almost unstoppable.
We went off roading a lot, took trips into the interior of the country, crossing creeks and small rivers, at times I would be in the drivers seat, with water up to my belt line, engine never missed a beat, both the air intake and distribuitor are mounted fairly high on the engine.
Those were the days....

The old Toyota Land Cruisers are the prized vehicles in many middle east countries. They are amazing and fun to drive but a rough ride when on-road. My brother had one years back.