A serious which 4WD question?

[scarps]

I'm confident that many will have an opinion and I'm happy to hear from you, but I'm also keen to hear from other swaggers who might find themselves in a similar predicament to mine.

I'm coming to the conclusion that the most viable solution is for swmbo and I to run 3 different cars/trucks/4WD.  Is 3 cars becoming a new norm?

1 x swmbo (her personal taste, smaller style, practicality). She's stamped her fist and said, "I don't want a large 4WD as my daily run about".  We now own her car, it's 4yo and has 50,000km's on the clock, so only now costing us the annual runnings costs of rego, insurance, maintenance and fuel etc. May as we'll keep it.

1 x me for work (can lease as part of my package and claim tax advantages). This I now realise may only ever be a short term vehicle, somewhat like having a company car that you turn over every few years. Not something I would add $000's of aftermarket accessories to.

1 x me/swmbo for weekend and long range touring. The 4WD.

I originally thought that I could have combined 2 and 3 as one, but the leasing/tax advantages really only applies to newer vehicles, and apart from maybe a 200series, (which I could just stretch the budget for), I'm struggling to find a new long range tourer that can tick all the boxes. Plus I work in the CBD at least 3 days per week and it can be a challenge to get a large 4WD into many CBD car parks.

So the other thought process is that I lease a everyday somewhat standard car for work, and buy a good 2nd hand 4WD as the long range tourer, possibly even only need to be a 2door ute style 4wd.

Now I'm thinking some of you are thinking 'poor you', 3 cars! 

But I come back to my original statement, looking to hear from other's who might also be in this situation.  Particularly in our case where the kids are grown and I'm not paying hundreds and thousands in school fees, and the work car is really just a company car.

Which 4WD have you set up, or what have you done?

[dazzler]

My 2c is that this is where Prado/Pajero shine.

They do lots of things well.  We were in a similar position to you and we now have two cars. 

TD Auto Prado 120 (04 update model).
2010 Corolla Ascent Sport.

We own both outright and use the Corolla for me to travel to work (160k's day) and the Prado for weekends and if its needed around town during the week.

The Prado gets a run up the highway to work once a week.  I would happily have a Pajero instead but at the time the Prado we got won the day.  (Its NVH is far superior to even a new Pajero and that is something I like).

I split 4wding into two 'categories'.

1. 4wding as a sport - You go looking for tracks to tackle and are going there for that purpose usually with others.  You like winching and bogging and all the fun that goes along with it.
2. 4wding as means to travel - You like to travel and see different places and to get away from the majority of people.  You like trips into places like Bendethera where normal vehicles can't go but you are not going to get stuck.  Generally you have an oztent on the roof or are towing a CT.

I used to be in the first group.  If you are in the first group then really you want something with a solid front axle so defender / patrol / early cruiser.  These cost more to run and are less comfortable to live with.

I am now in the second group.  The Prado/Pajero fit that category well but others would as well.  (Outback / Santa Fe etc)

So I reckon you need to work out who you really are.  (Really are - not the dream).  My dream was to be in category one but the reality is I am category two.   

The Prado / Pajero will get you anywhere in this country you could ever want to go within Category Two limits.  I think this is why they sell well.

cheers and have fun!

[Bad Scott]

Thought you got the Jeep setup well from what I have seen. Run 2 cars not 3.
Sent from .................

[oldmate]

i agree with dazzler, but i fall into both groups. Patrol works well for us

[D4D]

x2 with Dazzler

We own an '08 Prado & '09 Corolla. I looked at getting a car to drive to/for work and keep the Prado for weekends. With the cost of rego/insurance etc, the numbers just don't add up for us. I get to put the $ I was paying on vehicle leases into private school fees.

[austastar]

Hi,
   Yep.


Me only; motorbike.


She (shared driving); corolla.


Us (me driving); Landrover.


All need registering, and are seldom out of the garage at the same time.  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!


cheers

[Steffo1]

A nephew has a current Challenger which I had a good look at when camping with him & his family up at Gordon Country a few months ago & I was pretty impressed.
Steve

[V8CRSA]

Scott,

That's where we have been lucky,as you know we have gone back to one car recently.
Brooke has the 200 as her daily and our family car on the weekends and I have my dmax for work.
Works well for us,maybe you need to find something Sue is happy driving everyday that's a bit more of a compromise between a tourer and a smallish car......

Matt

[scarps]

Scott,

That's where we have been lucky,as you know we have gone back to one car recently.
Brooke has the 200 as her daily and our family car on the weekends and I have my dmax for work.
Works well for us,maybe you need to find something Sue is happy driving everyday that's a bit more of a compromise between a tourer and a smallish car......

Matt

thnx all. Great info to date.

Matt, yes, found one Sue likes, a Range Rover Evoque, and she let's me know it will tow the Trackabout.........

She has expensive taste, but then she picked me, so there's an oxymoron:-)

[speewa158]

scarps  lf you get the Range will you also get the optional tilt tray to bring it home when it dosent want to play the game  .. Will Sue be happy driving the tilt tray till the Range is returned for more part time use .   
You reckon you got a bagging for the ' Jeep '   
 This will be worth following , Sooo much to consider 

[Bird]

whats wrong with the firepit?

just work out 730ea rego + insurance to sit there all year get expensive quick....

[lino6]

We have 3 cars, but country rego (plus the fact work pays 1) makes things a bit easier.

Ever thought about buying something cheap as a tourer and spending the $ on the upgrades and mods?

[Bird]

We have 3 cars, but country rego (plus the fact work pays 1) makes things a bit easier.

Ever thought about buying something cheap as a tourer and spending the $ on the upgrades and mods?

how would you go with another rego and insurance at your address

[Nay-DMAX]

As lino6 said we do have the 3 but ute regos are cheaper than cars not sure if that applies in city areas as well. We do pay rego on a road bike that sits in the shed a lot I guess it just comes down to what works best for you. I don't care if he has the bike cause I have the horses here I am lucky in that they do not cost me a lot as we have made our own hay and don't have to feed out all year. I think the other thing to be thinking about is what is going to suit you better for the towing/touring vehicle, if you go down the path of having 3 vehicles and you get a 2 door ute are you going to get a space/extra cab and if not where is Holly going to go and then when you go camping you don't have anywhere to lock your gear and you have to cover everything with a tarp etc when you pack if the weather is crappy.  Lino6 loves his tray ute and it certainly has it's place in our set up good on the farm and for collecting firewood and we used to sleep in it when we camped but I like the dual cab for somewhere for the dogs and even though I didn't want a canopy now we have it then it really is good to have somewhere to lock stuff away even just when shopping

[lino6]

how would you go with another rego and insurance at your address

Might look a bit sus with 1400 vehicles registered to the same property 

[Bad Scott]

Might look a bit sus with 1400 vehicles registered to the same property 

You love cars, utes, 4x4 and Trucks

[scarps]

As lino6 said we do have the 3 but ute regos are cheaper than cars not sure if that applies in city areas as well. We do pay rego on a road bike that sits in the shed a lot I guess it just comes down to what works best for you. I don't care if he has the bike cause I have the horses here I am lucky in that they do not cost me a lot as we have made our own hay and don't have to feed out all year. I think the other thing to be thinking about is what is going to suit you better for the towing/touring vehicle, if you go down the path of having 3 vehicles and you get a 2 door ute are you going to get a space/extra cab and if not where is Holly going to go and then when you go camping you don't have anywhere to lock your gear and you have to cover everything with a tarp etc when you pack if the weather is crappy.  Lino6 loves his tray ute and it certainly has it's place in our set up good on the farm and for collecting firewood and we used to sleep in it when we camped but I like the dual cab for somewhere for the dogs and even though I didn't want a canopy now we have it then it really is good to have somewhere to lock stuff away even just when shopping

thnx Nay, thinking I could buy SJI's when He's finished complete with the lock up rear canopy.

[scarps]

scarps  lf you get the Range will you also get the optional tilt tray to bring it home when it dosent want to play the game  .. Will Sue be happy driving the tilt tray till the Range is returned for more part time use .   
You reckon you got a bagging for the ' Jeep '   
 This will be worth following , Sooo much to consider 

hey, pretty sure I saw 3 cars at your place, plus I do recall a little incident of smoke coming outa the back of a Pajero, or should we not talk about that:-)

[heath74]

Funny but there seems to be a pattern here...
We've got the prado, and an i30.

Similar to above, the prado does everything I want, interms of towing the van and off roading.

Plus I drive in heavy traffic daily, so the prado is a good balance.

If I wanted to do any more extreme off roading, it would get difficult. I can't see us justifying three cars.

[Bad Scott]

thnx Nay, thinking I could buy SJI's when He's finished complete with the lock up rear canopy.

Sorry scarps, going to have it for a while. But when I do sell it I will give you a great price

[scarps]

Sorry scarps, going to have it for a while. But when I do sell it I will give you a great price

cool, hang on to it and I'll save my pennies:-). $5k ok?

[scarps]

how would you go with another rego and insurance at your address

i think that's fair if Fuji registers lino's trailer to his place:-)

[Landyline]

If you can afford it and have the space then there isn't a problem.

Personally we went from a city car and a 4wd park car to one new touring 4wd. Mainly due to wanting to do touring instead of 4wd parks. I'd still like to have the option to do a 4wd park but reality was that after 10 years of it I was a bit over it and my wife never liked it.
We also don't need cars for work and live in a country town so have no need for multiple cars or city cars.

[JCOJ]

We have three.  Two have our company logos emblazoned all over them being a VW Golf and a Kia Rio, then we have the LC200 as our travel/tow car.  It is a big jump going from the VW/KIA to the LC200 or vice versa, especially if you haven't driven the Cruiser for a while!!

[Bad Scott]

cool, hang on to it and I'll save my pennies:-). $5k ok?

That will get you some rims only. Add another zero plus 10k cause I own it and another 10k for been a swagger should put it pretty close