Why ruin a perfectly good IFS Xterra?  

For the money spent on the original vehicle ($22,000-$24,000), accessories ($500 roof rack, $650 bumper, $250 roof lights, $900 Warn winch), and redesigned Solid Axle Swap ($3,000-$4,000, conservatively), amounting to about $28,000-$32,000 the owner/butcher could have bought this (in Recycler):

Description--$7,500, 1996 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 1 107152 miles engine rebuilt at 100000. lift, rock sliders,newer tires, looks and runs great, green #a503935 $7,500

And (after severe mods) still had money left over for a WHOLE OTHER TRUCK!!!  Or at least a driving trip around the world, with all new top-of-the-line gear like lockers, roof tents, etc.!!!

Let's see, $7,500 for the aforementioned Used Landie hull with brand new engine, lift, and sliders, $500 for license/registration fees, $500 for mechanic's run-through, $750 for new BFG AT/KO's (even though he says they're new, they might be crappy), $800 ARB bumper, $900 Warn winch, $800 Hannibal roof rack, $250 PIAA off-road lights, and that brings us to (drum roll please).........

$12,000.00!!!

And the Land Rover Owner would still have stock solid front axle, as well as parts available on six continents, and the knowledge that though it will eventually break down (it is after all a Land Rover), certified mechanics can look in a well-worn manual and see the same parts in front of them.  Parts engineered en masse in plants all over the world.

If you really were a stickler for reliability, let's do the same thing with a Toyota Land Cruiser, utilizing one of the most well-respected and reliable petrol engines and platforms in history...this one, also used (from Recycler):

1991 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 4WD, 6 cyl, snrf, air, CD, 3rd row seat, tow pkg, orig gry, nd top pnt, 109M, xlnt cond, pp#987541,$6950

$6,950 for a good-running Land Cruiser with solid front axle, and stock lockers.  Now, add $1,000 suspension lift, $500 to Rhino-Line the chipped paint on the roof, $300 sliders, $500 for license/registration fees, $1000 for mechanic's run-through (because the engine is a bit old, even though 100k miles for a Toyota is nothing), $750 for new BFG AT/KO's, $800 ARB bumper, $900 Warn winch, $800 ARB roof rack, $250 PIAA off-road lights, and $250 to detail/clean/shampoo/wax entire truck and that brings us to...

$14,000.00!!!

Still less than half of the ~$30,000 Xterra, with internationally available and recognized parts and technicians, a respectable drive-train, and solid front axle (stock) with lockers (stock!).  

For more than half a century, both these trucks have been the workhorses of Australia, Africa, and Europe, and they handle accordingly. They also carry a huge aftermarket following, the competition of which keeps the prices low.

Vehicle mods are meant to enhance the vehicle's reliability (skid plates, snorkle), to protect its passengers from being stranded (tires, disconnects, winch, recovery gear), as well as increase its efficiency and self-sufficiency (jerry cans, roof racks, batteries, etc.).

For my purposes, it must have available parts and techs from Canada to Panama, have close-to-perfect reputation for reliability, a transfer case with 4LO gears, and acceptable fuel range.  Meanwhile, it must also speed down freeways to get my ass to work on Monday, haul all the bags of sod and gravel my wife buys from Home Depot, and not require a lot of attention or maintenance.  My Xterra is perfectly suited for this.
There's a guy in Arizona with an expedition-built Toyota Tacoma, called Baja Taco.  He has a website, www.bajataco.com which shares a wealth of experience in getting from point A to point B, with interesting stops in between.  His philosophies about Solid Axle Swaps and other musings on rig platforms are denoted in a really interesting article entitled "The Tacoma as a Platform to Build On" (link: http://bajataco.com/tacoma-platform.html ), which brought me to a new appreciation of my Xterra and its articulation-challenged IFS.

Wake me up when someone swaps out the V6 for the 2.8 liter turbo diesel!