4wd and Caravan / Camping Advice needed please.

Many cars can tow that weight Lueage but I think you will be well severed with a 200 series.

You don't say though how cost will affect your choices.

Friends of ours use a Work & Play - great with the bikes , but not suitable with 5 young kids.

If you are planning to tow Base Station why not look at the Jeep, not sure about the 7 seats but they are well specced and quite a bit less expensive than the LC200.

I would avoid the patrol as it is under powered for towing something like the Base Station.

The LR Discovery is also a 7 seater and would tow that easily as well. Nearly bought one of those a while ago, but my instinct went with the LC200. They are probably equally reliable nowadays, but the availability of spare parts and service in remote areas was the clincher. On our travels, I'd say you would pass 100 Landcruisers and about 1 Landrover...so there has got to be something in that (apart from their marketing budget).

In terms of accommodation, the Basestation looks good...you would need to spec it up a little in terms of solar power, batteries and water if you wanted to camp remotely for a week though - you are taking a whole netball team with you!

Cheers

Chris

any other suggestions of alternatives to the basestation that align with our parameters?

camper trailers?


regarding budget - I have a self imposed budget of about 130 - 150k. It is all about value for money incl resale value. If I can get what we need for only 70k, then fantastic.

It really depends on what you want to do while travelling.

Do you intend to just stay on the blacktop or do you want to be able to have the freedom to explore?

If you only intend to stay on the blacktop, then vans are somewhat cheaper. If you want to explore then a 4x4 van can cost quite a lot.

You also have to think about towing it, you are not experienced (nor am I). I think you would be well served to do a course that teaches you how to load it, how to tow it and how to recover in an emergency, as well as other aspects of owning a caravan.

While I don't have 4 kids at home anymore (we have 9 rugrats). I do care fulltime for my adult son who travels with us.
When I was trying to decide on what to get, it took me ages, I have always wanted a van. If it was just the two of us the choice would have been a lot easier, but because we had to take into account our son, it meant we had to look at vans that were quite large and had a bed for him, but also allowed us some privacy.

I finally decided on a camper trailer, it much easier store at home, easy to tow, uses a lot less fuel and can get me into a lot more out of the way places than a van would. It was not about the cost, the camper cost us quite a lot but it is what we want.

If you decided to go with a camper, get a soft floor, there is more room. Also look for one that doesn't take all day to setup and has minimal poles.

The Camper we have is a Grand Tourer Elite, made by Adventure Campers. It's called the Elite because we had a diesel hot water system added along with a shower, spare room and some other options.
The design is very different than most other campers out there, it can be fully setup in 15mins, with very little effort.

www.adventurecampers.com.au/

Hi Lukeage.
My opinion for what it's worth...
There are some great advantages that come with camper trailers - most go everywhere your car goes for example.
I've done the camper trailer bit, with the kids, and had a great time.
We have a van now and I wish I got it sooner.
Most camper trailers have heaps of canvas to set up, but it's usually only worth the effort of setting it all up when you are camped up for an extended stay. It possibly could become a chore over time???
The van will be much better for both on the road, and extended stays.
We had great intentions of pulling over and making lunches while on the road (with the c/t).
But when you are faced with wind, flies, hot, cold, etc, it became easier to buy lunch at a roadhouse. This is not only expensive, but also a lucky dip with the quality of the tucker.
It all depends on you circumstances and budget when planning your travel outfit.
I think you are on the right track given your circumstances.
The 200 series and the outback Basestation will probably be your best bet, given the amount of time you will be spending on the road, with such a large family. Like someone has already stated, you will need to set yourself up with plenty of solar and battery power - and that's a whole new thread for you to open up here on Exploroz. :-)

With 6 in a tug and caravan for that period, you will be overloaded.
Don't take that risk.
Buy a motorhome.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome.

Interesting comments on 200 series Toyota versus a Discovery 4. Some say parts are more available for the Toyota? Have you ever asked for a reasonable simple part for a 200 series in Katherine or Alice Springs and found they actually had it? Often anything slightly out of the norm needs to be flown in.

I wouldn't argue that the Toyota is much more common in the bush and with dealers in most large towns, and that does give a sense of security.

Well on Tuesday bought a jayco expander 21 foot 2014 model at melbournes caravan and camping show.
Wednesday bought a 200 series landcruiser.
Can't wait!
Thanks for everyone's input.