Have you guys watched EXTREME 4X4 on T.V. ?
They take purpose built vehicles and crawl up rocks and creeks. They normally break something, but that is what they do to have fun. Their vehicles are made just for that activity.
If you take your daily driver and jump hills, when it comes down, tie rods bend, bad things happen to the suspension, tires, wheels, etc.
Have you ever seen a female drive over a speed bump at 30 mph, and wonder why she needs a alignment, and her shocks need replacing.
The point I am trying to make is that it amazing to me to see people destroy their main means of transportation, when they could build something specific to have fun with.
I don't know what kind of money tree you have at your disposal but mine produces singles and not very many of them.
I can't afford to build a custom rig. If I had an extra $20K laying around for no particular reason then maybe I would. However, it is much cheaper and easier to repair or replace a busted u-joint, sheared output shaft or twisted driveshaft now and then than it is to dump $20K into something that I am going to have to do the same thing to eventually anyway. You can wheel and mud responsibly without breaking things. You just have to know the limitations of your abilities and you vehicles capabilities. Proper maintenance such a lubing joints of all sorts and changing fluids when required will insure longer lasting parts.
I'm 32, I own my own house (a.k.a lease from the government), still paying on my truck and still love to play in the mud any chance I get! Sure it gets dirty. It's a freakin truck, not a vette. I take it hunting, camping, fishing and anything in between...again...it's a truck and that is why I bought it. The problem I see is people buying trucks when all they really needed is a car. I have seen several "pretty boy" trucks around that are all set up for having fun but they have never even seen anything less than pavement. THAT is what makes no sense to me. If someone wants to drive around with mud on their truck for a week, fine, it's not my paint so I could care less. However, there are a lot of times when i come back from a hunting or camping trip and I simply don't have the time nor the energy to put into cleaning my truck. So yeah, you will see me drive around with it all muddy until I have a chance to clean it. I could drive it through a car wash but that is not the way I prefer to clean my truck. I want it done by hand and I want it done by me.
Bye the way, I have never been given any vehicles. I bought my first motorcycle and car with paper route money and went up from there. But that doesn't mean I don't like to have fun!!! If I have to take my daily driver out and get'er a little dirty, the so be it. She'll clean up!