What 4WD for under 20k

[BBwilly]

Hi guys once again I have some more questions this is more about 4WD's we are not in a hurry with this our Ford will do us for a bit but what I would like to find out is what 4WD would you buy if you only had 10k to spend right off the bat.

Now I understand you could be buying someone else's problem and a 200k plus 4WD would need ongoing maintenance and a bit of work more so then a new unit but what would you be looking for would you buy something for say 5k and spend 5k on it etc maybe a 80 series etc what would you need to sepnd.

Brands don't worry me and I don't mind page long rambles the more info you give me cut and paste etc will only help me maybe one day I will return the favour and pull you out of a ditch.

Needs, Tug for CT as well as going where no car can go Two adults two children two small dogs maybe the extra child :-)

Sorry bit bored the wife is working over xmas so we are just doing some day trips the focus is really for the new year aims objectives so on.

[D4D]

Pajero

[GeoffA]

Pajero

No need to call him that......

[Swannie]

 If you have patience you could find a good quality petrol 80 series.
Swannie

[Garfish]

Disco or jackaroo.

[Andrew_C]

Good and cheap - is it gong to be driven by your wife daily?

90 series prado, pajero would be okay and a well maintained one would be reliable and pretty comfy.

Otherwise for a play car, gq4.2 diesel, or 80 diesel pov pack.

Cheap for parts, are not going to fall apart, can be fixed by a monkey with a paddle pop stick,

But not smooth, cheap to run or like a car to drive.

[Foo]

GQ

Foo

[Jon]

NM/NP Pajero, no dings underneath.

[muzza01]

NM/NP Pajero, no dings underneath.

X2

[BBwilly]

Pajero

No need to call him that......

lol Yep thanks for that

Good and cheap - is it gong to be driven by your wife daily?

90 series prado, pajero would be okay and a well maintained one would be reliable and pretty comfy.

Otherwise for a play car, gq4.2 diesel, or 80 diesel pov pack.

Cheap for parts, are not going to fall apart, can be fixed by a monkey with a paddle pop stick,

But not smooth, cheap to run or like a car to drive.

Na Na Na wife will learn to drive but probably only for emergency's

I am only about two traffic lights and 8mins from work no traffic when I start at 2am or when I come home midday :-) so fuel cost aren't a big one for me either.

Needs a few creature comforts but i am quite at home in anything as long as it has Aircon for real bad days, yep bit of a grease monkey and have no issues at all mucking around with stuff that needs to be done.

[BBwilly]

Ok So lets list up what we have so far would this be the order you would go guys I am sure some of you will favourites.

Toyota 80 Series Landcruiser
Mitsubishi Pajero NP/NM
Toyota Prado
Nissan Patrol GQ
Landrover Discovery
Holden Jackaroo

[Bird]

GQ.
then the 80. 

[noel_w]

If going for the GQ make sure it's a 4.2D, avoid the 2.8 like the plague.
I love my GQ except for the constant feeling the motor will blow again. If it was the 4.2 I would keep it forever.


My list would go like this
GQ
80 series
Pajero
Disco
Prado if you could find one at that price

[Nomad]

Rather than being model specific I think you need to be looking for condition of the vehicle, k's, etc and find your value that way.....
Good luck with the search

Cheers Nomad.

[BBwilly]

Rather than being model specific I think you need to be looking for condition of the vehicle, k's, etc and find your value that way.....
Good luck with the search

Cheers Nomad.

yes your quite right Nomad and something I will keep in mind.

[Diver]

Have a look at the 3.3 litre V6 Nissan Pathfinder.  I had the 1998 TI model that comes with aircon, ABS, dual airbags, 6 stacker CD and a few other creature comforts.  I spent another $1,000 on a Dtronics chip that gave me around 150KW.  It is genuine 4WD with high and low range and took me into some serious 4WD bush tracks and was better on the beach than many larger and heavier 4WDs.

The missus loved it around the city as it was an auto with overdrive and not truck like to drive. It is a 5 seater.

And it is rated as 2000kg towing so It had no problems at all towing a largish boat that I had.

Before I bought it 2nd hand I also looked at the 3.4 Litre Prado.  The Prado was bog standard, no ABS, Single air bag, no CD.  It was also $4,000 more expensive.  I never regretted the decision to go with the Pathy and my son bought it off me a year ago for $8,000.

You would easily get one under $10,000 and have a really nice 4WD.

[dirtpilot]

As above, Pathfinder or Mitsubishi Challenger. The Challenger runs Triton running gear and is cheap to keep on the road. Cruisers, Patrols, Pajeros and Prado's are popular so you will pay more with higher km's. Think outside the square. Comes down to if you want petrol or diesel.

[BBwilly]

Something that hasn't been said is a Troopy what are people thoughts on these seen one today driving back from the coast in a Sales yard just had a quick look, the wife wasn't impressed with the seats even though she didn't get to sit in them but I guess I could always have the passenger side reupholstered lol.

No idea if you could put kids seats in them, I guess you could though in some way.

[DaveR]

Avoid at all cost the Jackaroo model with the 4JX1 3 liter Diesel Engine.
I am learning that lesson now, 2 x trips home on the tilt tray, still off the road. Got to go out tonight to pull the flywheel out, again.
The worst crime is, the car is great, loves having the CT behind, small enough for the wife to like it, yet a 6' bloke can drive it with another 6' in the back seat.
If a Jackaroo you find has a different diesel engine, grab it, great car.
The 4jx1 was the experiment in common rail diesel that went wrong and everyone has learned from.
The Pajero is a great car, but very .... Ummm...... Strange back seat for 3 kids.
Have a good look at 1 and you will see what I mean.

[BBwilly]

Another question when it comes to 4Wd,s better being a manuel or auto petrol or diesel.

Pro's with diesel manuel torque, control.
Pro's with Auto wife can drive it the need arises (she can drive a manuel but something this size may scare her) cant think of anything else.

Now I guess I am putting together a wish list what I would liket probably wont be what I get but I can try this is an are that i should be able to get tough.

[dazzler]

Avoid at all cost the Jackaroo model with the 4JX1 3 liter Diesel Engine.

The 4jx1 was the experiment in common rail diesel that went wrong and everyone has learned from.

Kind of sort of.

The major issue, though of course there are exceptions, is that once they were out of warranty and no longer being serviced by holden many owners did not use the EXACT correct viscosity of engine oil and this creates all sorts of problems that lead to failure.

If you can find one that has a perfect service record they are a great machine.  Finding one now will really be difficult though.  A one owner grey nomad machine would be sweet.


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[dazzler]

Hi BBWilly

There is a bit of a sleeper vehicle out there that can handle high k's and is generally pretty cheap.

Have a look at the 90 series Toyota Prado RV 4cyl petrol.

This was the model from 96 to 2002.  It is a plain jane model that has the big 2.7l four cylinder in line four.  It makes its power down low better than the V6 model so while they don't make as much power what they do make is more useable. 

They generally came in white though there are a few coloured ones and they don't have the plastic trims on them like the higher spec models that are now faded and look crap.

To me they make a lot more sense than the v6 or the diesel as repairs are very easy and cost effective.  Being Toyota the quality is pretty well unbeatable and you should be able to pick up a good one for around the $8k.

Have fun.


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[BBwilly]

Hi BBWilly

There is a bit of a sleeper vehicle out there that can handle high k's and is generally pretty cheap.

Have a look at the 90 series Toyota Prado RV 4cyl petrol.

This was the model from 96 to 2002.  It is a plain jane model that has the big 2.7l four cylinder in line four.  It makes its power down low better than the V6 model so while they don't make as much power what they do make is more useable. 

They generally came in white though there are a few coloured ones and they don't have the plastic trims on them like the higher spec models that are now faded and look crap.

To me they make a lot more sense than the v6 or the diesel as repairs are very easy and cost effective.  Being Toyota the quality is pretty well unbeatable and you should be able to pick up a good one for around the $8k.

Have fun.


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This isn't the former dazzler from Port Macquarie?

[DannyG]

2.8 Patrol

[D4D]

2.8 Patrol

What's the saying, 'always late in a 2.8'