9 Things to Think About Before Your First 4WD Trip

With more adventure opportunities comes more prep and planning, and 4WDing is no exception. Explorer Glenna takes us through what you need to consider before buying your next adventure vehicle!

Thinking about taking up 4WDing? Great choice and welcome to the club! However, there are some major decisions you need to make when planning a new kind of adventure, no matter how big or small.

If you’re keen to take some back roads (or sandy ones) and you can’t afford the newest, fanciest Land Cruiser with all the trimmings, purchasing a capable, reliable vehicle is key. Most of these points are crucial considerations when you’re purchasing a secondhand 4WD, but there’s still plenty to think about when buying new too!

Here’s what you need to consider before you hit the bumpy road.

Read more: I Never Thought I’d Become a 4WD Guy

Or sandy road

1. Start With a Solid Base

When heading to remote parts of the country, having a mechanically sound vehicle is the most important part of any adventure. There’s no point in having all the accessories in the world if the car can’t make it to where you want to go.

When buying a used 4WD, make sure you get it checked over by a certified vehicle inspector before purchasing. Used car dealers will tell you it’s already been checked, but ALWAYS get a second opinion from a third party. I use State Roads and it’s always been honest and reliable.

They’ll send a mechanic out to the dealership to give the car a proper inspection, usually within a few hours.

It’s an added expense that’s definitely worth the cost for peace of mind, especially if you’re buying a brand or type of vehicle you don’t know too much about.

You don’t want to be at Cahills Crossing and have a surprise problem – be thorough with your purchase!

A benefit of buying from a dealership, instead of a private sale, is that the dealership is somewhat responsible for the vehicle for a limited amount of time after purchase (check with the dealership about warranties). You also have a bit of power by way of review. If you purchase from a private seller, the price may be lower but the lemon law is harder to put into effect.

2. Know Your Purpose

Do you plan to tow a trailer? Are you going fully off-road or just sticking to bitumen and occasional dirt roads? How far away from towns do you plan on heading? These are all questions you need to consider as it will greatly impact your vehicle setup.

If you plan on being completely off-grid and not seeing civilization for weeks at a time, you’re going to need a completely different vehicle than someone sticking to the typical tourist track.

Is your rig ready for your adventure?

At a minimum, if you’re looking to go Outback or off-road you’ll need spare tyres, extra fuel tanks, plenty of water storage, and a UHF radio. These all add extra costs which are worth considering from the very beginning.

If you’re going far Outback, consider purchasing a vehicle that’s commonly found. These include Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi 4WDs. If you have a make or model that’s a bit less common, make sure you’re carrying spare parts or you’ll likely be waiting weeks for one to be delivered.

Read more: 10 Nifty 4WD Storage Solutions You Probably Haven’t Thought Of

3. Be Prepared to Compromise

We all want to buy the best but sometimes the budget just doesn’t stretch that far! Often most of the budget is blown on the non-negotiables and compromises have to be made on the other items. It’s important to work out what you’re willing to compromise on BEFORE you start budgeting and purchasing.

Our Nissan Navara came lifted and with some helpful extras, like the rooftop solar panel, aluminium back canopy, and wiring in the back for a fridge. These helped us stay on budget and saved us some time.

The well-accessorised steed

My advice is to work out your non-negotiables, then once you have them sorted, if there’s budget left over, you can start on the nice-to-haves. For us, safety is non-negotiable and the other things always come second. We also wanted a camper trailer, which meant we couldn’t put all of the bells and whistles on the ute.

4. You Will Lose Money

I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. Some people think that adding extras to the vehicle greatly increases the value.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. All the extras that you add are likely to be overlooked when determining a resale value, especially if the car is getting traded in or sold to a dealer. Think about how much money you’re willing to spend, knowing you may not get it back.

But what we lose in money we gain in memories… right?

5. Learn How to Do Things Yourself

I’ve saved literally THOUSANDS of dollars by doing things myself instead of paying people to do it for me. On vehicles, there’s so much that can be serviced or installed yourself.

YouTube is an incredible resource for learning how things need to be installed, and most companies selling car parts these days will have videos showing installation methods. It may be frustrating, hard work, dirty, and all around just a pain in the ass, but you can save yourself enough money to keep travelling for many more months!

DIY your worries away!

6. It’ll Take Longer Than Expected

The first few times my partner and I fitted out a 4WD for an adventure, we had very ambitious timelines. We thought we could get it all sorted in a couple of weeks. Boy, were we wrong! If you’re doing things yourself it’ll take you a lot longer than you expect.

You might be adventuring in your tent well before you upgrade to 4WD life

If you’re keen to find good deals online, add on ordering times and it can take months to get your 4WD ready for its first long adventure. Make sure you give yourself enough time to make the right decisions and it’ll benefit you in the long run.

7. Get the Highest Coverage Insurance You Can Afford

In 2013 my partner took a group out to the Australian Outback for a three-week road trip showing them the best parts of what Australia has to offer.

This all came to a grinding halt when the car blew its engine and the group was forced home by plane, with great expense! Thankfully his business was properly insured, and he didn’t have to pay anything out of pocket.

On another road trip, we needed two long-distance tows and multiple mechanic visits for things that really weren’t supposed to break.

We had all of the proper checks and servicing done on our vehicle, but towing a heavy trailer for thousands of kilometres took its toll. Our platinum RACQ membership has saved us thousands of dollars, and has been worth every penny.

Gives us peace of mind while we head out on the road

8. Do Your Research

In the age of the internet, resources are endless. Subscribe to YouTube channels, follow 4WD enthusiasts on Instagram, find an online group for your particular vehicle, and follow one of the Big Lap pages on Facebook. The information you can get from social media and forums is all absolutely free! Oh, and check out a little-known site called We Are Explorers while you’re at it.

It’s beautiful, but you still don’t want to be stranded out here for too long

9. Experience is Priceless

One thing we wish we’d done before we left (but we ran out of time and cash) was taking a 4WDing course. If you don’t want to spend big bucks, ask an experienced friend to take you out for the day. Get yourself stuck on purpose and make sure your vehicle and recovery equipment are up to the task while you’re in a more controlled environment – and before it’s a matter of serious consequence.

And in no time, you’ll be on your first 4WD adventure

But Wait, There’s More…

There’s an endless world of 4WD knowledge out there, but make sure you always have the appropriate safety and recovery gear and knowledge to get yourself out of trouble before you go full bush. You don’t want to end up on the infamous K’gari Wall of Shame (IYKYK), or have to endanger yourself to get help. Know your limits.

Not sure where to start? Check out 4WDing for Beginners to get started and have a great time out there!