Cheers, this reminded me back of the old days when my dad took the family out on 4x4 adventures along with his mates, and their families. I'm not keen too much on off-roading, since I prefer tarmac, but it was fun while it lasted 😄! My had had an old Suzuki Vitara once, which was replaced by an old Jeep Cherokee, and then a Mahindra Scorpio, which I'm driving nowadays.
The Mahindra isn't a proper off-roader, because it's rear-wheel drive apparently, which gives it a somewhat sporting credential, but I remembered getting stuck after having parked it in a wet field. But the old Vitara and Cherokee were pretty great at trekking off the beaten track, and I recalled dad driving us deep into the forest, going for a swim at rivers and waterfalls, and enjoying the breeze at the top of a hill. Though that was a long time ago...
Getting off the beaten rack is not possible for some, through lack of equipment or knowhow although it's awesome fun as you can attest to. Getting properly set up for off-roading can be very expensive and because it's easier to get deeper into trouble with a 4x4, it's very necessary.
Having said that, a lot of fun can be had with a soft-roader too.
Yeah, I can attest to that. There's a 4x4 modding shop near enough to my place, and every once in a while, I'd drive past with my dad, just to see what they're up. Always, there's some jacked up Jeeps and Landcruisers, and I always wonder, how much did they spend on all that?
Remember my Ford Ranger?, I've posted about it before. I spent $25,000...I worked for ARB Australia at the time though, so with my discount it only cost $9,000. (Anyone else would have paid full price.) It's expensive! (But worth it.)