There aren’t lower-priced alternatives, actually. Unless you think of them as a car- conveyance- only.
My jeep is a 1989 YJ. I only made one payment on it. 300,000 miles or so on it. Starts at -32*F to 100*F that I know about.
Unless you dropped $8-$10k your rubicon won’t follow me a lot of places - at least not without damage.
A YJ? really?
My first conveyance was a 1953 CJ-3B. 4cyl. (which I drove in an off-road race at age 18) I have owned a 1949 willys, wagon with a Ford V8 I shoehorned in W/advanced adaptors. A 1972 CJ-5, a 1974 CJ-5, a 2001 TJ, Various XJ's old gladiator's, etc.
I also owned Many other brands of 4x4 vehicles, like a late 70's V8 scout II. It was far superior to any of the Jeeps of that day, as was my Toyota FJ40.
Jeeps are great, but there are many other vehicles with just as good and better off road performance. I owned 4 original bronco's (2 6 cyl, 2 V8)
I had a 1968 Bronco I built with a 302 with cam, exhaust, manifold, and holley, suspension, tires that would easily smoke any Jeep off-road.
I also had a mid 70's Toyota Land Crusier FJ40. Far, far superior off-road to any stock jeep of the day
And My rubicon wouldn't have that much trouble following. Other than tires and lift and skid plates and winch, (which I have), most of the so-called off-road bling is just that.
But this is way, way off my point. So, you are a master of DIY. That's great, Good for you. You are a special case. But for the average person, all of my points are perfectly valid. Do you buy the cheapest quality parts for your Jurassic Park Jeep? JC whitney?
I always bought the best parts I could afford for my trucks and jeeps. I have been stuck in the boonies with a busted vehicle too many times for that.
The same applies exactly for generators. The cheap stuff is built for light duty, occasional, use. Honda's and Yamaha's are built for heavy use and abuse. And they always start when you need them. It's really simple.
The lead-acid / LifePo4 comparison is not even close to a simile. It's an analogy illustrating my point.
Different kind of offroading maybe ?
19’ anything would leave you stranded in a few hundred feet if you take a right out of my driveway instead of a left?
With experience comes awareness of your surroundings. My trailer is my basecamp. I choose my locations wisely. It's not a competition. That sort of attitude faded in my late 20's. I'm all grown up now ?
It's about wringing the most fun out of a trip, without interruptions caused by breakdowns.
But, if you are as much of a DIY wizard as you say, you will have no issues whatsoever fixing your cheap generator when it breaks down in the middle of nowhere. I choose to not need to worry about it. That's the real value of a Honda.
powerequipment.honda.com
