Are you a born 4x4'er?

[Rabbiddog RIP 7/6/21]

The fist time I drove a 4x4 was in Lesotho was when I was about 12. It was my brothers series II. We got permission to drive around the area from the Chief.
Got stuck all over the place, and they used tractors for the recoveries.
Didn't get to 4x4 much till my brother moved to Heidelberg in the early 90's where we used to play with his 3 series II and forward control's.

I then bought a series II from him around 97, and sold it around 3 years later.
Got the Hardbody around 2004 and traded that in on the D3 in 2010

SueAnne started driving, and spotting for me, around 2011/2, and got the D4 about 3 years ago.

[BushWacker]

I basically learnt to drive ‘off-road’
on a farm in Broken Hill (kabwe)
as a young teenager 13? onwards and mainly
used the early toyotas mainly 2wd but also
LandCruisers, and odd LR and even a Haflinger
also buzzed around in MiniMoke w big wheels!
After Varsity was Geo and used 4*4s quite a bit
expln in SWA Khan Swakop Rvrs Namib etc
and in Sultanate of Oman... then on mines inPits
and UG.
From 1981-90 I hardly went off road at all
(except picnics , fishing etc in Beetle !
The, then ... 1993 bt RRover Classic 2 dr and went everywhere in it weekends and 1mths leave a yr
till 2003 when bt the 130 and then offroad quite a lot
and increasingly till now
so :

Childhood...4yrs lite exposure
Geo..........4yrs wkends and leave
Uk etc.......0 yrs
RRvr yrs....10yrs camping & B-Watching etc
130 .........15yrs increasingly ‘off-road ‘

Did my first ‘Trial Trail’ about 10 yrs ago
Joined 4WDC about 15 yrs ago just after clubhouse
was built

Most interested in Overlanding and remote camping
... more than tricks on mountains but its cool ...

[Mike Nel]

Lots of good stories here

[XJ Junkie]

I’m busy teaching my 14 yo twins to drive at the moment inside the reserve. So technically they only know how to drive offroad (light stuff). When they get to drive in tar it’s going to feel very strange for them.

[Mike Nel]

I’m busy teaching my 14 yo twins to drive at the moment inside the reserve. So technically they only know how to drive offroad (light stuff). When they get to drive in tar it’s going to feel very strange for them.

They will probably be better 4x4’ers than most children born or raised on a farm

[grips]

I do agree with Manny I do not think you are born to 4x4 would rather say you are born with a love for 4x4`s. The love for 4x4`s will also not make you an outstanding 4x4 driver. You can be driving 4x4`s for many years with very little experience in the more difficult stuff. The people with who you wheelie also add to personal experience.
Have seen lots off guys making them self out as seasoned 4x4`ers battle on simple trails. In the end someone that wheelie every weekend could easily gain more experience in a few years than a guy that claim to have 30 years 4x4 experience en only do an outing once a year.

My two sons Christopher and Ignus have more 4x4 experience than I had at their age. They have impressive 4x4 trail lists. But even I still learn some skills everyday.

Born nope, Exposure, experience and training yes.

Then as I have said so many times one mans anthill is the next mans mountain.

Was reading some posts the other day where a guy were implying how difficult these two trails were. To me they were very nice trails but down to sort of easy.

What is hardcore for DVR and Flipside will in most cases almost be impossible for me.

[KurtG]

8 years Manny.

I purchased a Forester in 2010 when my first daughter was born and we had heaps of fun. Did the eastern cape passes around Rhodes, Sani Pass and as much gravel as I could find when going on holiday.

The bug had bitten and Then I upgraded to a LWB Pajero 2008 model (in 2012) that had 180,000km on the clock. I had done my research and knew it would be reliable.

Two years later we bought the Metalian and another two years later I bought the SWB Paj.

All I can say is, there is no way IN HELL that you are born into 4x4’ing, it grows on you and each time you go out on a trail you learn something new, EACH TIME.

[Mike Nel]

I had the most amazing pizza Saturday night. It was called the Namibian which is strange because nothing amazing comes out of Namibia.

Well. The scenery in Namibia is amazing, but thats about it

[Martin de Jager]

Hi everyone, in 2008 I started my own business, and I needed a bakkie and family vehicle, bought a 2005 Legend35 3.0D, what a vehicle. with that I enjoyed some 4x4, Till 2013 I was a hard fearless cyclist.
Bought my 1st Pajero in 2013, 2016 bought my second Pajero. That's where it really started, then I joined Bridgestone Challenge, 2016/2017, even kicked some Manny ass,
Bridgestone Challenge and 4x4 Action brought the real wild side out of me.
Today I believe I am a force to be reckoned with.

[Bugger]

Does my Baja bug count I built in 1989
As with the Baja bug I did lots of off road driving
Then a bug in 2001 up and down Sani

Then a few Beach Buggies
Baboons Pass in 2017 with a Buggy

And Always wanted a Syncro
And bought mine in 2008
And my SJ Last year 2017



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Johannes]

Bought my own first Landy in 1992 . Used mainly for beach driving on the North coast of KZN . Back then you were allowed to drive on the beach . When they stopped the beach driving , we started going more inland for camping trips !

Also started driving on a farm at a young age. My dad had 2 Series landy's back in the day , was mostly used for hunting in Rhodesia where i grew up.

[Hedgehog]

I grew up in areas like Kaapmuiden and Kangwane(Diepgezet) and they mostly were accessed by gravel roads then. My dad was mental on gravel and I have this vivid memory of him grinning like a maniac while going sideways around a bend up Saddleback pass.

I drove alone in these little towns from when I was 10, and accompanied my dad on deliveries of tyres to Kruger North, in a Ford F150 4x4 - We once got so stuck in a riverbed we stayed there for 3 days, and eventually my dad had to go and get help on foot.. (Yes, I stayed at the vehicle alone - I was 12, and yes, I was driving when we got stuck )

I had my first official off road training when I was 18, and that was were it really started. - I deviated for a while into tuned cars, but never too far..

[grips]

Seems most at an early age start learning 4x4 in a Series Landy

[Prof]

I wasn't born on a farm, but have a small one now.

Bought the first 4x4 in 2009...a 410SJ. Had lots of fun in it, even over landed thru Lesotho.

I now have two Rocky's and I am still learning.

[Rabbiddog RIP 7/6/21]

Seems most at an early age start learning 4x4 in a Series Landy

Was going to say the same thing

My first "on road repair" was a series on our way to the Drakenberg. Thats where I learned that spanners, skrews and bolts as spares are required in a landy