buying a 4wd

[Danw...]

Im looking at buying a 4wd i need it to be reliable, be capable of beach driving for fishing etc and i dont want to spend any more than 15k. Ive been tossing up between buying a stock sierra and having a bit of a project, a wrangler and doing something similar mild lift with decent tyres or buying a gls triton and keeping it relatively stock. Patrols and landcruiser are not what im chasing to hard to find for a reasonable price and with low killometres and not really a fan. Bassically just want to no peoples opinions and any advice and if they wouldnt buy either then what, i want it to be low killometres and be either petrol or turbo diesel (not n/a diesel).

Cheers

[mr_mike]

Sierras are pretty good offroad but i would suggest going for a drive in one before u buy. They are extremely small inside and very rattly and noisy plus if you wanna do any camping then you cant fit heaps of stuff in them.
$15k you could easily pick up a late 90's early 00's hilux SR5 or a Triton dual cab both a pretty comfy and for beach/fishing duties they would have no trouble

[South]

NL Pajero, eats up the beach, good engine with plenty of go, can fit 33s if you want to and is a true 4WD. Triton doesnt have have a centre diff lock...

[mod]

I have a Sierra as a daily bought it for 2.5k, you might want to test drive one before you decide buy it.
Its not the comfiest ride, it noisy, shit rattling everywhere and no aircon, and does not have a big space in the rear to put shit in and 40L tank gets about 250-300 depending on the carby, hasn't failed me yet.

In saying that put 30" tyres, 2" sus lift and it will go where any big 4wd will go. Later on add diff locker/reduction gears it will go even further - BEST BUSH BASHER EVER

For 15k a hilux SR5/4runner, diesel patrol(some going cheap on gumtree)

[Passage GT]

brother picked up a tj wrangler for 15k or around there, 3 inch lift and 33s, not super roomy inside but he took his back seats out which doubles the size inside, plenty of room for weekend trips for 2 people and half the time he doesn't even put it in 4wd for the beach, just floats along the top.
has air con too

[Lasoya]

try and stick to a non IFS if u plan on doing things that require flex or ground clearance.

For that money you could get an 80 series, GQ patrol etc, stay away from the tritons

[MrSparkle]

try and stick to a non IFS if u plan on doing things that require flex or ground clearance.

For that money you could get an 80 series, GQ patrol etc, stay away from the tritons

In his first post he said he wanted to go to the beach and that sort of stuff something reliable and not too expensive. He specifically said not a cruiser or patrol. Try reading whats written before jumping on the IFS= shit bandwagon.

Solid axles are not the be all and end all of having a decent 4wd.

15k can get you any number of different extra cabdual cab/single cab 4wd utes and all of them will be fine for what you want. Wranglers or prados or even pajeros are great if you want a wagon as well. Wranglers can be modified to within an inch of their life and with the back seats out they are definatly a better alternative to a suzuki sierra. I prefer petrol engines but TBH most of the later model turbo diesel engines go pretty good and are reliable enough if you look after them.

I would probably choose a wrangler or maybe a cherokee because they are worth nothing and are actually pretty cool little 4x4's.

[grogers]

a swag a tackle box an engle all you need.. a zook is fun but not for a long trip.
comfort wize i would look at the trition.

[mr_mike]

try and stick to a non IFS if u plan on doing things that require flex or ground clearance.

For that money you could get an 80 series, GQ patrol etc, stay away from the tritons



An IFS 4wd has better ground clearance at the front than a solid axle 4wd due to the diff sitting higher than the hubs. On a solid axle 4wd the bottom of the front diff is probably the lowest point.
If you want to go bouncing over big rocks and shit then yes solid axle for sure as u cannot argue a coil/leaf front gets better articulation but if you want a 4wd for beach cruising and light 4wd duties then a IFS vehicle is the pick for sure.

[Niva]

Just be carefull buying something like a zook and throwing 31's etc on it. It will go alot better on the beach without them.

short wheelbase GQ with factory locker and 4.2 petrol will do just about anything you want and can be had for cheap. Plus they seem to be pretty fucking tuff!

[Niva]

p.s dont buy a jeep

[mr_mike]

Hilux's roll over all the time
jeeps catch fire
patrols use to much fuel
IFS has shit tavel
solid axle has harsh ride

Every vehicle has something someone can say something bad about.

[Niva]

unless you have a lada

[mr_mike]

lada make u communist

[Niva]

Every vehicle has something someone can say something bad about.

:confused:

[Friar]

what about a 90 series prado there a good daily get a decent petrol for that money or even a turbo d with a few kms on the clock good for beach work etc and not that expensive to fix if ever a problem
plenty of power and good long range ability for touring still get over 1000kms out of 180ltrs in a petrol

[1cut808]

Don't rule out something like a 90 series Prado or a Mitsi Challenger. Cheap enough to buy and come with all the mod cons especially if you can find a Grande in the Prado range... Even have a fridge in the centre console...

[KPWISHN]

Early to mid 90's Vitara. You'll get a good one for about $6000. Very similar to Sierra but more comfortable. Very capable in the sand. Spend a few grand on it in the right places and it'll go anywhere.

[Danw...]

cheers for all the input. wranglers or tritons are probally more what im looking at i was looking at prados aswell. The biggest thing i want it reliabilty, comfort and low killometres dont want to buy someone elses shite. The most i would do is 33's sterring damper and a lift of some sort. Are the SR5 hiluxs better than the surfs of the same era because i no they werent the best?

[MikeS14]

Keep the 32 and walk to the beach you tramp.

[Danw...]

Mikes14 is also looking for new taillight and and rear bumper if any one has any connections.

[mr_mike]

cheers for all the input. wranglers or tritons are probally more what im looking at i was looking at prados aswell. The biggest thing i want it reliabilty, comfort and low killometres dont want to buy someone elses shite. The most i would do is 33's sterring damper and a lift of some sort. Are the SR5 hiluxs better than the surfs of the same era because i no they werent the best?

SR5 hilux's from '90 onwards are IFS and from '97 onwards i think it is all hiluxs are IFS.
The only diffrence betweeen an early model SR5 is that it has some extra luxurys like carpet, clock and cup holders.
The later model Sr5's has wheel arch flares, aircon and electric windows aswell.
for $15k you should be able to pick up a pretty tidy SR5 with the 3rz petrol motor a solid motor that will go for ages.
If you just doing beach work then i wouldnt bother putting 33's on as u wont need the extra clearance and the negatives of fitting bigger wheels for what you want to do far outweighs the benifits.

If you dont need a ute then have a look at Toyo Prado, SWB Pajero or even a mitsu Challenger. All are very capable for beach duties yet dont make any sacrafices inside for being a comfy daily.

$15k is a great budget for buying a 4wd as there is so many options for good 2nd hand 4wds around that price.

[Boza]

Don't rule out something like a 90 series Prado or a Mitsi Challenger. Cheap enough to buy and come with all the mod cons especially if you can find a Grande in the Prado range... Even have a fridge in the centre console...

grande prado = win, got a 120 series grande...

90 series can be found cheap but grandes in that model still around 20k odd. 90 series still a good bus with all the luxuries as mentioned just the 3.4 v6's are a bit sluggish...(low range fixes that prob tho)

[gt86wa]

Have the vx grande 90 series my self
Good cars, especially once you do lift and tyres
Paid 15k around 18months back
Good touring range too with the factory dual tanks

[Boza]

Have the vx grande 90 series my self
Good cars, especially once you do lift and tyres
Paid 15k around 18months back
Good touring range too with the factory dual tanks

cheap for a grande, price difference from 90 to 120 series is atleast double what you paid...

[Danw...]

Been looking around and wondering how much to spend when this popped up can anyone tell me what thsese engines are like things to look out for and carbie engines are they reliable ? http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=10690776&__Qpb=1&Cr=9&__Ns=pCar_Odometer_Single%7C0%7C%7CpCar_RankSort_I nt32%7C1%7C%7CpCar_PriceSort_Decimal%7C0&keywords=&__No=30&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294962861% 204294962537%20904%201622%20413&SearchAction=N&silo=1011&PriceTo=413&seot=1&tsrc=allcarhome&__Nne=15&trecs=137&__sid=12D4D97FE26D

[mr_mike]

Basically an Oz delivered Surf minus all the electrics, 22R motor is a solid motor but an absolute slug. I had one in my old ute and with 33's you'd fall asleep waiting to reach 100kph.
Although in 4wd i didnt have to much trouble heaps of torque but its not gonna break any land speed records any time soon.
Being a wagon that will weigh a shit load more than an extra cab and no doubt be even slower.

If your really keen you can fit EFI of a Toyota Corona.

[Danw...]

so in other words there slow and over weight? haha how would it handle doing beach work

[mr_mike]

my ute was pretty good up Lano but being a ute would be lighter than the wagon so didnt really sink in. In low range 2nd it had no trouble climbin up steep dunes and stuff like that.

[Passage GT]

that looks damn clean for the money, see how you like it, always plenty of options in the future for engine conversions when you want more grunt.

[family guy]

There is a national and local perth surf forums too, Great places to find lot's of info on them.

[suburban]

jeep cherokee

pick an update model up for under 10k with good kays (150thou)
4L has balls and drinks about as much as a patrol and challo
light, solid front and rear axles and all but diesel (forget it) are auto - perfect

plenty that can be done - mine had a 6" spring / 33" combo - showed many haters up

[Danw...]

got a car booked in down my mechanic for compression check, cooling pressure test etc its a 2004 hilux 3.4ltr efi petrol really nice car to drive so hope all will go well and will have the beast by next week :)

[Wrench]

thread revival. Looking at getting a 4x4 pretty set on a SR5 Hilux as I feel it'll do what i want it to do. tow, beach drive etc. Just want to know what to look for when buying one. whats going to be better in the long run, auto or manual, petrol or diesel, and km - at what point do i need to start worrying??
Edit** price range, rather not pay too much more than 17ish k

[MadDocker]

Manual diesel in my opinion. Auto is better for beach driving but fuck that. Not sure you'd find heaps of autos out there anyway.

Mines an 03 SR with 165000K and never skipped a beat. Battery, tyres, fuel and that's it. Been a mint car.

[XsQuiZiT]

Manual diesel or auto petrol imo.

I've got an 2010 auto petrol. Has a bit of poke and easy to drive on the beach but it guzzles fuel.

I found the 4sp auto diesel gearing a bit long therefore felt sluggish.

[ENYXR]

As above, I've got manual diesel (in a surf but similar running gear)
Easily the most convenient car I've owned.

[HotAe92]

Early 2000's Hilux 3.0TD manual would be my pick for that money.

[Brett_J]

Fuck manual, I love my car not losing momentum going up boggy hills and shit while it's not stuck revving its tits off.
But each to their own, which model had the injector issue?

[Chivalry]

Get a Land Rover, unless it is either a ex-army (Perentie) or a 3.9 Isuzu County, a Land Rover will let you "get over" owning a 4WD quicker than any soul-less Japanese POS 4WD.

Otherwise get a Sierra.

[MaTMaN]

I'm looking at picking up a second hand 100 series Cruiser. Any comments or experiences with the V8 2UZ-FE engines?

I am already assuming it will guzzle the juice.

[butters]

another thread bump, looking at getting a 4x4, basically the only reason I want/need one is to tow the evo as i don't fancy getting stuck in collie again. Have been looking at prados and pajeros mainly, don't really want to spend more than 8-10k but the main advice I'm after is Petrol or Diesel? There seems to be a lot more available in my price range in petrol but I'm concerned it will run out of puff towing. Other than that it will be my daily as well, if that makes one option better.

Edit: I realistically will only be towing the evo 4 ~ 6 times a year, so not like it's pulling it round all year.

Cheers

[Brett_J]

I think the V6 Prado (3.4) and the Turbo Diesel have similar torque in that price range.
Petrols cheaper these days, but it'll use a tiny bit more. It's only 90l tank on these too, so take that into account.

[turboknapp]

Got a 4x4 rodeo single cab going up for sale soon :-)
1998 model 3.2 v6

[Brett_J]

Stretch your budget for one of these if you want a wagon, I drove one to Broome and it went hard, was decent on fuel and has 180l tank capacity.
Don't let K's worry you if it's been maintained :)
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/midland/cars-vans-utes/2004-toyota-prado-dropped-price/1064184409

[Passage GT]

just drive them dude, my old petrol GQ patrol made fantastic torque down low, i'd chugged up hills at 800rpm without it stalling no worries at all, my uncle had a 3.4 petrol prado that he used to tow his van around half the country, he had no issues, they're just thirstier than diesels.
people whinge (on patrol forums mainly) about how the y62 doesn't have a diesel option, despite the fact it makes 90% of it's torque from 1600rpm, in normal driving and even off road mine rarely goes over 2000rpm, even towing a fully loaded dual axle trailer up north recently...

[HotAe92]

You're on the right track Butters with the Pajero/Prado, though I'm a little biased.

I have one of these (http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/armadale/cars-vans-utes/mitsubishi-pajero-diesel-7-seater/1066207405) and it is a great tower, it's all I use it for (towing the camper).

Auto trans would be better, but the only thing to worry about on the manuals is the dual mass flywheel. Wouldn't stress about the km's on these engines either, a few guys on the Pajeroclub forums have now passed 500,000kms and still going strong.

[South]

...despite the fact it makes 90% of it's torque from 1600rpm, in normal driving and even off road mine rarely goes over 2000rpm, even towing a fully loaded dual axle trailer up north recently...

They have ample torque and power... How many tankers do you need on standby every few hundred kms?

[Passage GT]

They have ample torque and power... How many tankers do you need on standby every few hundred kms?

with standard rubber i was getting 12s in the highway and 14-15s around town, and definitely not afraid to use the power, every chance i get, putting the 35s on has increased it by about 1l on average.
i know several diesel patrols getting worse with a third of the power...
with the car loaded inside and roof racks, and towing a dual axle trailer full of furniture back up to the pilbara at 110kph i got low 19s.
dropping by even 10kph improved it noticeably but i was in a hurry.
my brother was towing an identical trailer in his td42 patrol, just over 200hp at the wheels, ufi turbo etc.
on one of our fill ups mid trip i put in 9l more fuel than he did, on another it was 5l difference. though i was paying a fair bit less for 98 than he was for diesel.

[butters]

Awesome, thanks for all the input guys, it is much appreciated. Just gotta sell the current daily now and then on to one of these.

Cheers!

[blaize]

if i had a budget of 15k id buy a 3l turbo diesel hilux. most go for about 10-13k and have some serious work done to them. Some for sale atm have 4 inch lifts with tyres and all that stuff. they do have alot of km on them though but when i sold my old one it had 300000km on it and didnt look like it was dieing any time soon.

[Brett_J]

Glue a pillow above your head for when the inevitable happens ;P

Yeee haaaaaaaa

http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k507/doyta/lux.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n22/spankerblade/11042009039.jpg

Both these were just driving along a flat road, then BOOM, upside down :P

May or may not be true, ahhahaha

[butters]

LOL am well aware of the roluxs, a mate has rolled 2 within 6 months of each other, the second one being the brand new replacement he bought after the first.

[ForgedV6]

Anybody have advice on buying a 2001 TD5 Land Rover Discovery with 200,000kms?

They seem to be good value for money and i have access to relatively cheap parts.

[millzy_88]

Disco's are underrated. Great cars and very capable off road, only problems are generally around electrics and little bits and pieces like window mechanisms failing. The TD5 motor should be pretty solid but I have heard of a few 300Tdis cooking. Just need to keep an eye on temps when you test drive etc.

[DRKWRX]

I had a 2001 v8 Disco..... everything broke! fuel pump,power steering pump, window motors, water pump, joint on front shaft snapped just taking off from the lights, radiator I am sure I am missing things, all with in 100 thou kms, bought my Patrol nothing has broken in the same ammount of kms, fuck land rover.

[Chivalry]

TD5s can be really expensive motors to maintain and D2s are not the most reliable Land Rovers ever made. Some of the worst problems I can remember off the top of my head with D2s are injector pump rebuilds (TD5), slipped cylinder liners (V8), auto transmission failures, transfer case failures and electrical issues. One of the common electrical issues with them is so good it even got named by enthusiasts, it's known as "The three amigos". Some people love TD5s but they are not the sort of motor that can be easily or cheaply fixed and the 4L V8s they used in the D2s are just rubbish so don't even think about those. D2s are much like P38 Range Rovers in the way that the early ones are horrible and they only really got better just before their production ceased.

IMHO a very late (1998-1999) D1 300TDI would be a better choice. 300TDIs are much simpler than a TD5 and the D1 has loads and loads of aftermarket support. There's a reason why the later model D1s still go for decent money, especially the 300 TDIs with the R380 5 speed, mechanically they are incredibly strong and reliable. 300TDIs do sometimes cook heads and do head gaskets but setting up a proper temperature monitoring device pretty much prevents the only major mechanical issue they have.

But as usual if you want to buy a Land Rover you only need to check out the AULRO forums to find out absolutely everything you need to know.

[ForgedV6]

Cheers guys. I have perused the AULRO forums and found most of the common issues to look for. The TD5 do seem to rack up far more kms than the V8 models looking at those currently for sale. Everywhere ive looked to date for information has been 50/50. Guys that havent had any issues and then guys that have had every issue. If this one im looking at on the wkend is the goods i'll probably take the punt. If not ill check out the later model D1's. Cheers for the advice

[DRKWRX]

yeah mine had the 3 amigos too hah did till the day I sold it.

[S133LTR]

Comparing between automatic petrol 06/07 100 series v 08-09 4.8 patrol v 09 4.0 pathfinder v 08-09 4.0 Prado.

Basically looking for a big station wagon that can drive over a roo, do the odd gravel track/beach run and tow my silvia.

Not hugely fussed on consumption but want good range.

Opinions would be appreciated

[PHIL]

prado every day man. 4lt v6 180lt tank and the reckon 1200km to a tank. i get 1600 to 1700 to a tank in the d4d model

[Brett_J]

prado every day man. 4lt v6 180lt tank and the reckon 1200km to a tank. i get 1600 to 1700 to a tank in the d4d model

I made it to Kumarina roadhouse before I got scared I wasn't going to make it to Newman, but that was near on 1100km, not bad for sitting on 120 -130km/h from Perth :)

Awesome car to take for a long distance drive, it's what I was supposed to have bought instead of the FG..........

[S85FI]

Not hugely fussed on consumption but want good range.


Um...

[Brett_J]

Um...

Geez man, he's not fussed about how fast it goes, but it has to be fast.... no wait
He doesn't care what it looks like, but it has to look good....... wait, I'm getting there
He isn't fussed if it's good off road, but it has to be awesome at 4WD'ing....

I think that's it :)

[S133LTR]

As in Im less fussed if I have to pump 200ltrs into the pingpingpingping prior to leaving than I am about it having no grunt..

A thirsty car can have good range with a big enough tank.