This XV-JP is owned by a gentlemen named Mike Hiscox, who has a fleet of expedition type vehicles, including the Toyota Tacoma once owned by Expeditions West owner Scott Brady, which Brady has taken from the Arctic Circle down to the Darien Gap.
Hiscox purchased the XV-JP off ebay from an auto dealer in PA, with about 4,000 miles on it. He then hired an Expedition Portal member to drive it from PA to OR for him last year. It has been undergoing an extensive remodel since.
I asked Brady last December why his XV-JP went back to Earthroamer and it was due to what he felt like, were areas that had room for improvement after he took it through Central America with his wife for a few months. He stated the Jeep foundation did great, no problems there. Speaking to others who have traveled with XV-JP owners, I have heard comments like "gutless pig", "too heavy for the Jeep drivetrain", etc.
As a concept vehicle, I thought it was a brilliant all-inclusive package with so many possibilities. However, having seen a few of them up close, I was stunned by the minimal interior space and awkward tent design... I think it is a project that still has a tremendous upside after some fine tuning & tweaking. People will always debate the purchase price of products from Earthroamer. I won't because lots of things these days are overpriced IMO. It's worth whatever someone will pay for it.
Here's another Earthroamer XV-JP I saw in Silverton, CO last September during the WTW Rally. I talked with the owners and they had also driven it to Central America. They were quite pleased with it overall.
