4WD; What do you drive and why?

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Rockhunter62 said:
ironrock said:
Thanks for the replies, madtuna, you never mentioned if you`ve ever had expensive repairs to make?, probably would`nt matter with the amount of gold you`ve found over the years!!! Rockhunter probably one of those well off`s? who probably upgrades new every few years, so would`nt have to worry about any expensive problems? C`mon anyone had to spend bick bucks repairing a diesel?
And what do you reckon about auto`s, probably not good for really rugged terrain, not that i`m planning to ever go where i`ve got a good chance of screwing up the car, but i am a lazy driver and never really liked manuals, anyone bush bashed in an auto; if so, how did it go?
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Well Ironrock,

I can see that you must come from the newer age of people that expect everything to be given to you.

I can assure you that both Madtuna and myself have done the hard yards to get where we are now. MT has battled over the last several years and has only just started to have a bit of good luck. I myself have owned 5 4wds over the last 37 years with only the first one being a petrol model. Although I may work in the mines, I still have kids, wife, mortgage and other debts to pay. We have no investments. If I could own a Landcruiser I would, they are a hardy 4wd and generally fault free.

I hope that with your vast experience you will be able to find a reliable diesel 4wd on the budget that you have.

If all else fails go and buy a Lada Niva. Oh, that's right, you probably don't know what they are.

Cheers

Doug
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I bought a new Lada Niva back in 96, It was a great little truck and brilliant in the Snow and it had the best heater I have ever found a vehicle, they do about 37mpg which is not bad for a petrol 4x4.

J
 
LoneWolf said:
Nothing wrong with an Auto in the Bush.... I thought the same until I got one... Nothing else for me now.... After all, us Humans were only made with 2 legs...

Diesel (Latin for Die and Sell)... ]:D

LW...
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Auto's do real well in the bush and depending on your driving style, when for example if you're in the more challenging areas of the Victorian High Country you'll burn out a manual transmission clutch before you kill an Auto Transmission. If your mate has a diesel and yours is petrol fueled you're in luck cos he has room to carry the spare fuel you'll need to get home.

casper
 
Buy a 79 series land cruiser ute with less then 300000 kms,bit of slug to drive but won't let you down.Factory turbo would be the best but you will need a bit more coin to find a good one(everyone wants one).Stick with a diesel you won't regret it .Dont get a Auto you may need to have some control if your in NQ .
 
Stick with a diesel mate, pick the right one and look after it and you'll get 750,000 + out of it.
a good example is this one, all the hard work done, has a lift, snorkel, bullbar and winch, roof rack, spotties etc.
All for $20k negotiable.
https://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Toyota-Landcruiser-Prado-2005/SSE-AD-4887939/?Cr=0\\

1501278665_4wd2.jpg


1501278678_4wd.jpg
 
A bloke that lives across the road works for Holden..and drives a new Colorado duel cab..He gets a different car every 3 mths..I said are you keeping this one ,Last car ,No...loves the car but said they only last for 320k and the motors are shot..That's what you get when your pushing 150-180 killer bees out of a 2.8 lt motor and run them lean to get the economy..On the other hand with the older 3 Ltr 5 L and 5Le motors in the earlier Hiluxes mine put out 45 kw and 65 with after market turbo exhaust and chip..and feels like a race car now..But will last for ever and recon short motor $3500 exchange..
 
I've got an 08 turbo diesel hilux, I havnt spent a cent on it bar tyres and servicing.
By far and away, the best car I've owned. I get 600km per tank, and I travel at 130-140kmph on the highway about once a week , parts are easy to source,and every mechanic knows them backwards. They hold their value.
Bad points , not a lot of ground clearance, I do bottom out occasionally, not as good off road as the old hilux. But still pretty good off road. High price for 2nd hand in comparison to other 4x4,s but worth it.
Not as flash inside compared to other similar 4x4,s, but hey, I'm a grubby fisho, prospector anyway!

I love my hilux, best car I've ever had. Previous 4x4,s I've had, petrol Mazda bravo, petrol Diahatsu Rocky.
 
The geezer said:
Buy a 79 series land cruiser ute with less then 300000 kms,bit of slug to drive but won't let you down.Factory turbo would be the best but you will need a bit more coin to find a good one(everyone wants one).Stick with a diesel you won't regret it .Dont get a Auto you may need to have some control .
Click to expand...

If you end up with an Auto I would read up in the vehicle handbook about the in and outs of the using the AT. My 4WD in low range not uncommonly has a "manual function" which locks the torque convertor in whatever individual forward gear you select and the engine and driveline are locked together just like when the clutch is engaged in a manual transmission vehicle.

Just need to be aware that in this state it is possible to stall the engine when coming to a stop if you dont push the transmission selector handle to the neutral position in time to disengage the transmission - the clutch pedal facillitates this need in a manual transmission vehicle ;)
 
Look at a second hand Isuzu, they are the only 4x4 with a truck rated motor that seems to last forever, they are extremely reliable, economical to run and are affordable. Before buying a "popular" 4x4 do a google search on the model, you may be surprised at how many people have serious problems with them.
 
mudgee hunter said:
"I BOUGHT A JEEP"! And the ad's are sooo true! When you buy one your lawn grows really high because you dont get a chance to mow it........
BECAUSE YOUR TO BLOODY BIZY FIX'N THE YANKY PEICE OF CRAP!
:D
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So true, a shame really because if you could only keep them on the road they go pretty good.
 
Toyota's are over priced. Good car and reliable but nearly 10 -15k dearer than their nearest competitors (thats the second hand market btw). I bought a navara d22 3ltr. (made sure I got a later version without the detonating engine)

12k with 145,000 on the clock. 1 owner. Immaculate condition. It's never missed a beat and never let me down. Pushing 300,000 now. Just had to overhaul the suspension to make it more suitable for the rough stuff. Snake racing control arms for the 3" lift, EFS suspension, idler arm brace, air lockers, 2" body lift. The usual stuff for serious terrain.

Only gripe is she's a bit gutless on the highway when fully loaded with camping gear.

Anyway point of the rant is this.... You can buy and build a reliable, tricked out rig with all the bells and whistles for the same price as a stock-as-a-rock landy (good nick, good year) that still needs all the coin spent on it to set it up for serious touring.

Seems like a no brainer to me.
 
Toyota all the way, if you head west from the coast you will start to notice something everywhere you look you see Landcruisers and there is a good reason for that. Just about every station has a Crusier ute on it and they are stock, no lift kits or fancy crap, just split rims, skinny tyres and know how and these things do more real four wheel driving in one month than any of these tricked out soccer mum trucks do in 300,000 kms. I understand not everyone has the coin to buy a Landcruiser but if you can why not as some might say over priced but quality comes at a cost.
 

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