Jump to content

New to Sweden: which pickup to choose?


Umeå_Brexile
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hej! I'm learning Swedish slowly, so my first posts here will need to be in English.

My partner and I are moving from the UK to Umeå very soon. We have begun to dip our toes into the world of overland travel, renting a fully equipped Land Cruiser 79 for Bushlore in Namibia earlier this year (see photo). It was an incredible trip and I recommend Bushlore without hesitation. We hope to do the same thing again in South Africa and Botswana in the next year or two.

For our new life in Sweden, however, I am starting to plan our very own truck; something that we can buy immediately and use for a while as a daily driver, but which we can begin to build into a camper for trips from our base in Västerbotten into Sweden, Finland and hopefully northern Russia.

The first question is a fairly fundamental one: which truck to buy as the base of our project? I am assuming it comes down to a choice of three: Isuzu D-Max, Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger. We are two people, and (this will be a surprise to most Swedes 😆) we have no children, and we know we never will. There for an extended cab looks like the best choice for us: some extra storage space in the cab with a longer bed. On our budget, I reckon we can afford a new or nearly-new extended cab of the three models above, but I wanted to know what the consensus is about which to go for.

I've been very impressed with the camping equipment made in South Africa. We didn't love the Eezi-Awn tent on the roof of Bushlore's Land Cruiser, but the Alu Cab Gen 3 rooftop tent looks very appealing. Likewise I'm impressed with the canopies and storage systems made by Bushteck and Alu Cab, and expect my choice will be between those two. But that will come later, as we think about the build.

Thanks in advance for your ideas and recommendations!

 

IMG_0152.JPG

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice!  Welcome here to the forum pages :)

Envy a trip like that, with a 79 Toyota 😁 That’s a car we would love to get here as well...

Yes, it makes life easier if planning around a car doesn’t include a set of kids and dogs. True!

I guess you are aware of the fact buying the truck is just the initial cost. Then add 100-200% on top and you are ready for a trip :-D 

Maybe check if one of the suggedted ones has acceptance from manufacturer running it on the fairly new HVO100 diesel replacement?  Might be a good thing if you plan to keep it for many years.

I also suggest having a full treatment of Dinitrol, or similar, to try and prevent rust, which is an issue here. Do that straight away when car is new.

Good luck shopping now, and welcome again

 

Edited by CampForCer
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

Welcome to Overlanding.nu :) !

Have a look in the " garages " here, maybe that will help you to decide what truck to go for.

And also, if you can fins the time, look in to our Expo later this year. That will be a true fiesta of Overlandingtrucks to have a look at :D .

https://www.overlanding.nu/forum/index.php?/forum/10-i-garaget-in-the-garage/

https://www.overlanding.nu/overlanding-nu-expo-2019/

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If i were you i would get me a nice cruiser thirty years old to have one thats not require some computers, paying nada in tax and you can almost do whatever you will whiteout trouble from the myndigheten vägverket but thats me...  and i dont even live up to that...  driving a 1999 crusa...  

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Gaup said:

If i were you i would get me a nice cruiser thirty years old to have one thats not require some computers, paying nada in tax and you can almost do whatever you will whiteout trouble from the myndigheten vägverket but thats me...  and i dont even live up to that...  driving a 1999 crusa...  

Newbie-question; what is the rule in Sweden regarding tax? Does the car have to be 25 or 30 years old?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Gaup said:

30 year is the limit for not paying tax and if they raise the tax this year as they are saying it will be rely expensive to drive newer trucks..

Thanks for explaining; it's similar in the UK - no RFL (road fund license) is payable over a certain age.

2 hours ago, CampForCer said:

Maybe check if one of the suggedted ones has acceptance from manufacturer running it on the fairly new HVO100 diesel replacement?  Might be a good thing if you plan to keep it for many years.

Second newbie question. I understand that HVO100 is a biofuel, and that is claimed to be compatible for all diesel engines in big trucks and rigs. Is there a recognisable standard I can look for to see if a small truck can use it?

Thank you everyone for the welcome. I may share a few photos and details of the Namibia trip in a separate thread. 🇳🇦

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...