Our story in choosing an Exped Vehicle and Builder.

foxhunter

Adventurer
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We looked at the U500 and it was a strong contender for our build as the Unimog is the undisputed king (emperor to be more gender nuteral) of off road vehicles. The issues with maintanece and parts availability in the US pushed us toward the M1083. Our cab will only have twthe o seats so we are hoping that the lack of the third seat will allow easier egress between cab and cabin. Although the M1083s cabin is "extended" it would be nice to have a couple of jump seats in place if some friends want to join us. Alas there are always trade offs. Where have your travels taken you to? Do you find yourself using the Unimogs off road capability?

We have used it off the grid and off road the most in Utah, Co, NM ,Nevada and Arizona. We have needed its off road ability in all those areas, and many times the vehicle's abilities has exceeded my willingness to push it further. No plans to go anywhere except USA and Canada for now. We will be joining a small group of RV's consisting of U500.s, other unimogs and an M1083 or two to travel off road as much as possible from the Mexican border to the Canadian border in July,along the Great Divide. Then my wife and I will meander back to Illinois, while several of our friends will continue in their rigs to the Arctic Circle. I have a farm with livestock and just can't spend 4 or more months on the road right now. I do feel comfortable taking it places now that would have scared me to death when I first started driving it. Those locking diffs are life savers off road, but the winch has come in handy a couple of times as well.
 

srqsup

Observer
Sounds like a fantastic trip. Please feel free to pass on any suggestions or tips. We are planning on driving to the arctic circle as well. Hope to see you on the road (or off-road)
Cheers
Martin
 

S2DM

Adventurer
How is the progress on this? Have you had a chance to get much behind the wheel time on the m1083?

We originally had a Unimog u1300, and I test drove a few m1083s. I actually found the Mog to be a bit more civilized on and off road, comparatively. Service is an issue though for sure. With that being said, even the 1083 is hard to service in the states in that many mechanics lack imagination and will be less inclined to work on a platform they are unfamiliar with, even if the drive train is common. Most guys just don't have much motivation to wade into something less common.

The old adage is true, there is no perfect overland vehicle, its all about really clearly defining what your goals are and then finding the platform that checks the largest number of those boxes. We opted for a gas f550 and are mostly happy with it, and much happier than we were with the Mog. We needed the crew cab, and after a year of going through all the systems ourselves, wanted something we could get serviced by just about any mechanic. In defining our goals, it became clear that we weren't terribly concerned about 1000mile range for most of what we do. And so, while there are definitely drawbacks, and we spent a lot upgrading the offroad performance, it suits most of our needs. But our truck for another might be a terrible choice or not satisfy the dream of not refilling for a whole continent :) That said, I see the downsides of our rig, and still contemplate switching back from time to time. Never an easy choice.
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
I'm waiting for Mercedes to hopefully release the Cab/chassis in 4x4 in the near future and build our Expedition camper on that. For us as a family we need something that can cruise on the highway efficiently and fast but also offers enough off road capabilities to taggle roads normal RV's can't drive.
I truely believe that a 4x4 chassis with a composite camper at the rear will appeal to many people. As much as like the "big trucks", it just doesn't make sense to maintain a huge rig like those for the travelling we are doing.
 

S2DM

Adventurer
I'm waiting for Mercedes to hopefully release the Cab/chassis in 4x4 in the near future and build our Expedition camper on that. For us as a family we need something that can cruise on the highway efficiently and fast but also offers enough off road capabilities to taggle roads normal RV's can't drive.
I truely believe that a 4x4 chassis with a composite camper at the rear will appeal to many people. As much as like the "big trucks", it just doesn't make sense to maintain a huge rig like those for the travelling we are doing.

Agreed. If the 4x4 sprinter was an option when we started, we likely would have gone that route. I've heard a rumor a gas version may be in the works as well. I'm salivating for a crew cab and chassis gas sprinter, which would result in my GF killing me :)

That said, a rig like the OP purchased is a good choice if contemplating an around the world trip, extended time off grid and off road, etc. Also a good choice for those wanting a bigger, heavier camper. An 18ft camper on an f550 is a giant rig, not too bad on the BAE.

I just found vehicles in that class to be somewhat exhausting for domestic use. Our f550 has some downsides to be sure, but over time we've come to realize our most common trip is an 85mph 8 hour run to the border of mexico and then a few weeks in a Baja. The 550 can handle most of the off road stuff the Mog could, and what it can't, I wouldn't want to take my camper through. That was the other big turning point for us, I'm chicken with our camper on back because of the time and $ investment. I never touched what our Mog could do because I didnt want to risk the camper.
 

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