vehicle advice
Submitted by speedo on Sun, 2009-11-01 19:38
Hi Guys,
I will be looking at getting a tinny soon (about 15 ft is the plan for the moment) and i doubt that my hyundai would do the job at towing it.
Just after some advice for a beginner's 4wd that wouldn't cost too much to buy and would be able to tow the boat to kalbarri or albany, what are your recomendations? what to look for and what to avoid?
any input appreciated
Cheers Guys
wopjrb
Posts: 1407
Date Joined: 05/03/09
get a toyota landcruiser mate
or a toyota hilux 2.8 diesal
PJAY
Posts: 1005
Date Joined: 12/05/09
i can't give you advice on
i can't give you advice on make or model but i strongly recommend you don't go any lower in engine size than 2.5 litre......from experience.
The Kimberley....perfect one day and more perfect the next!!!
wopjrb
Posts: 1407
Date Joined: 05/03/09
my dad has a 2.8 diesal hilux
its been fitted with an after market safari turbo - gives incredible power and under 10 litres per 100km - more like 8 litres un loaded and 10 loaded - stacks of torque
7739ian
Posts: 948
Date Joined: 25/06/08
WOPJRB
i would have thought perhaps you may have suggested a Mitsubishi or Nissan - do you know Toyota is Japanese for Morris?
wopjrb
Posts: 1407
Date Joined: 05/03/09
toyota
Tonnes - Of - Yobbos - Own - Toyota -Automobiles
wopjrb
Posts: 1407
Date Joined: 05/03/09
spells toyota
to me that says all i need to hear about toyota cruisers and hiluxes lol
fords_rule85
Posts: 116
Date Joined: 05/03/09
Agreed!
For a beginers 4wd you cant go past a hilux. Theyre reliable, Cheap to run and maintain and tough enough for even some of the roughest terrain out there. Good luck. Dont hold me to this but i have heard that some of the surf models with a turbo, around early 90s have had problems with heads cracking. I think around the 150-200k mark, so be careful.
wopjrb
Posts: 1407
Date Joined: 05/03/09
yer the ridgy dige hilux 4 runners are the best ones
heard a lot of bad things about surfs
jono.s
Posts: 440
Date Joined: 27/07/09
yer go the hilux ive got a
yer go the hilux ive got a 2.8 liter duel cab desiel its my first car and it is pretty good offroad and on the beach and is very good on fuel but havent towed with it yet.
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18069
Date Joined: 11/03/08
get a nissan navara , not
get a nissan navara , not the rolux, . seriously if your going to get a 4x4 stay away from the smaller ones like the rav 4 and turano, and imo stay away from the full time 4x4's, i have heard they have some probs with the diffs
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
mako
Posts: 22
Date Joined: 18/09/09
towing
Go big there's no substitute for cubic inches 6 cylinders or 8
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18069
Date Joined: 11/03/08
you dont need to go the
you dont need to go the extra grunt when towing a 15ft boat , the 3ltr turbo diesel will do fine and be cheaper on fuel when just driving around town
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
speedo
Posts: 28
Date Joined: 27/05/08
thanks for all the input
i will start to look around soon and what is out there,
thanks again for the advices.
cheers
Feral
Posts: 1508
Date Joined: 01/11/06
why the hell do you need a
why the hell do you need a 4x4 to tow a tinnie ?? i towed a 16 foot c/c to exmouth with a falcon and did it quicker and with less fuel than any 4x4 .. i own a 24 plate ally and i only need a nissan t/d to move that quite fine .. maybe you want a 4x4 but you really dont need it.
wopjrb
Posts: 1407
Date Joined: 05/03/09
true mate
a four wheeldrive comes in handy on the boat ramp tho especially when beach launching
AbooAyesha
Posts: 38
Date Joined: 02/12/08
Speedo, How many people do
Speedo,
How many people do you need to take and what is your approximate budget, if you don't mind me asking?
David
speedo
Posts: 28
Date Joined: 27/05/08
there is only 2 of us and
there is only 2 of us and budget wise i would not like to go above 4-5k for a start, need to get the tinny first and see how much i'm left with.
AbooAyesha
Posts: 38
Date Joined: 02/12/08
I would suggest something
I would suggest something diesel and 4WD. The diesels love lugging around loads, whereas the petrol vehicles often increase their fuel consumption as the weight goes up (especially in vehicles in your price range).
I think- if you are going to be making several trips north towing/fishing- that a 4WD is a better kind of vehicle for you. They are more versatile and if you want to one day try for Steep Point or another less-accessible fishing destination, you won't be needing to buy another vehicle to get there.
Someone further down suggested a GQ diesel. This is what I ended up with after a non-biased search (I was also looking at Pajeros, 60 series Landcruisers in Petrol, and others). For the price you are looking at, probably one of the best options. The 4.2 diesel is not quick by any stretch of the imagination but it is near bullet-proof. They tow very well (I didn't notice much difference in fuel consumption with towing vs not), as big lazy diesels do very well in this regard. Very tough driveline, a lot of modifications (if needed) are available, very very capable off-road. The downsides are they are a heavy 4WD and although coil suspension, live axles all round make them a little less nimble on-road than something with an independant front end (most dual and single cab utes).
Other vehicles you may consider in that price range:
60 series landcruiser: from my research, the pick of the Landcruisers in terms of reliability is the petrol. These are leaf-sprung all-round (vs coils in the Patrol), so would be a little less comfortable on the long haul. Tough. Prone to a lot of rust.
Pajero: a little iffy in your price range, unless you can pick up a V6 with low kms or a diesel which has been looked after. Excellent tourer. Would be more comfortable than the Landcruiser and Patrol (especially on long trips), very good for the money. You need to check these over mechanically. This goes for nearly most other vehicles you will look at at this price range; most vehicles' drivelines just won't be as strong as the Patrol or Landcruiser's.
Hilux: these are probably going to be too expensive for what you get. They are very tough vehicles but their reputation means that they are priced very high for what you get. I don't know too much else, except the 2.8 diesel is probably the one to look for. Someone else mentioned they towed with the 2.8 succesfully; I think the bigger vehicles would tow better. But hey, if it worked for them, I have no experience with Hiluxes to negate that.
Rodeo: an interesting one to take a look at. Generally cheaper than the equivalent Hilux and made by Isuzu, so they should be decently reliable.
Sportage: someone mentioned this vehicle. The older ones are a proper "separate ladder frame chassis" 4WD, not the small-car-on-stilts like the RAV4/CRV/Xtrail brigade. Being petrol, they may get a little expensive towing any significant load (I think they are a 2.4, yes?), but better to ask someone with experience. They should be decent off-road, though, with a proper 4WD system.
Pathfinder: imports came in a diesel form. The engines were meant to be pretty decent; but is it just me, or do I keep seeing these vehicles blowing black smoke more often than not? I have read that they are one of the better imported diesel engines, though. Most I find are automatic. I prefer manual when buying a vehicle gettting up there in km/age. Autos- when they are worn- cost a bit to repair.
I need to go for now. Hopefully this will help you think of some options you have. I may be able to return if I think of any other options. In the meantime, there was a discussion some time ago when another forum member was looking at buying a 4WD which had quite a bit of information on it. Perhaps a search would bring it up for you?
David.
wopjrb
Posts: 1407
Date Joined: 05/03/09
" the pick of the cruisers in terms of reliability is the petrol
the petrol is less reliable than the deisal mate ( dizzie spark plugs etc etc ) - get these wet and ya stuffed - the deisal on the other hand is a lot simpler relying on an injection system and compression less electronics to fail
AbooAyesha
Posts: 38
Date Joined: 02/12/08
Yes, sorry about that, I
Yes, sorry about that, I meant that out of the Patrol and Landcruiser petrols, the Landcruiser is more reliable. I got my wording wrong in the post above.
When I researched, it appeared that the Landcruiser was the pick of the petrols (TB42 Patrol petrol had a tendency to crack the heads between the 5 and 6 cylinders- especially when on gas) and the Patrol the pick of the diesels.
Hope that clears that up.
speedo
Posts: 28
Date Joined: 27/05/08
thanks for that
thanks for that,
a lot of useful info in there, i will sure consider when buying!
cheers for the help
7739ian
Posts: 948
Date Joined: 25/06/08
Buy a late
90's or 2000's Kia Sportage - go absolutely anywhere and tow up to a 12 footer piece of cake.
Bluebonefamily
Posts: 218
Date Joined: 15/08/09
Speedo We started a few
Speedo We started a few years back with a 1981 toyota landcruiser wagon petrol model and had a gas conversion put in. It was nearly 18yrs old when we bought it. It went great until the body started to rust away. But it was a good start and it took us through the Kimberly and all over WA.
Our suggestion would be to think about what you are going to use your vehicle for and then weigh up if you need good looks, and speed, or more likely to need towability , seating configerations and the ability to take anything you throw at it for several years to come.
If you are going to spend some money on it ie borrow money buy something you are going to 'grow into' Don't be fooled by gimmiks and when you are looking at vehicles, picture it in all of the places you want to take it.(sand dunes, beaches and beach launching boats, scratchy bush tracks, limestone boulder bunny trails, corrigated cattle truck gravel roads...I could go on) Of course we are biased and would always recommend a Toyata Landcruiser.
But you may find that another model suits your lifestyle budget and needs.
Member of Cockburn Power Boats Association
Stevef
Posts: 478
Date Joined: 27/02/08
If you want a new vehicle,
If you want a new vehicle, the Kia Sorrento Diesel is worth a look for around $35k.
I have had one for 18 months and I cant fault it. Tows my 5.3m Razerline easily and is nice and gentle on the juice.
I wouldnt be using it foheavy offroad work, though I did see a 4x4 TV show earlier this year and the bloke in it drove the Kia and he certainly got into (and I presume out) of some pretty tough territry.
Cheers Steve
macka17
Posts: 46
Date Joined: 15/11/07
Hi. Cheap Reliable. Can't
Hi.
Cheap Reliable. Can't kill it.
One of the old Nissan "Terrano" Diesel. 2.4ltr.
Imported "Grey" Pathfinder with extra's.
I had one for yrs. Can pick 'em up for about 4 to 5 grand.
Magic little truck. Mainly all 3 door jobs. But a great boat tower.
Runs rings round those Gutless Toyota's too.
None of them could touch Nissan Specially on hills. Till the new 3 ltr came out.coupla yrs ago.
Keep your money for a decent boat.
Macka17
PS.
Just make sure it's had the fuel pump resealed (About a grand) and New Air Cond Compressor.
Original units had the old type gas in them.
wopjrb
Posts: 1407
Date Joined: 05/03/09
i reckon my toyota will run rings around ya nissan mate!
hahaha shes not finished yet but will give nissans a bad name when im done
Asahambe
Posts: 154
Date Joined: 14/10/09
Best 4x4
Land Rover Discovery Series II V8
They can pull 3.5ton and a tinny is nothin
Born to Fish
Forced to work!
HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
yeah get a Land Rover
if you want an unreliable car - consistently near the bottom of reliability surveys. And factor in around 15L/100km around town, and 20 - 30L/100km towing so your standard 80/90L tank wont get you far. But they are plush inside...........
If you want a 4WD and you need it to tow, IMO you'd be a fool to get anything but a diesel. But if you dont specifically need 4WD, then look at diesel 2WD Hilux/Rodeo/Bravo etc.
The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........
wopjrb
Posts: 1407
Date Joined: 05/03/09
yer i second that
landrovers suck
speedo
Posts: 28
Date Joined: 27/05/08
thanks guys
it might come down to the budget, i'd like to be able to launch from beaches and go off road but i guess that i won't really have the opportunity to do that a lot, so a diesel 2wd might be the go
cheers for your thoughts
Lamby
Posts: 3145
Date Joined: 04/08/09
LandRovers
ahh the landie haters, pure jealousy.... best stock 4x4 there is. However like any car you buy problems will exist with poor maintenance aside from obvious manufacturer malfunctions that can occur (Toyota, Nissan and Landies all have em!)
Have to agree with some other members here that a Hilux is probably the way to go if you want to mix it up with your tinny. I loved my old lux, she suffered from a lack of grunt at times but made up for it in heart, took some stick and was easy to source parts and fix by myself.
HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
not jealousy
in previous jobs I was closely linked to the automotive industry and we got these owner reliability surveys (from various countries) religiously and they (Land Rover) sucked - fact of life. For a car company that ostensibly made 4WD's and nothing else, it wasn't a very good record.
And any 4WD with a petrol V8 will eat the juice - that includes the Landies, Cruisers etc. Suggesting one to tow a small 15' tinny is like shooting a rabbit with an RPG..........silly.
The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........
wopjrb
Posts: 1407
Date Joined: 05/03/09
i reckon it would be great fun to shoot a rabbit with a RPG lol
here bunny bunny bunny......." BANG"....." were'd it go bill?"......
Rig
Posts: 2925
Date Joined: 27/12/06
GQ patrol
4.2 diesel tow anything anywhere cheap as chips tough as nails heaps of spare parts and cheap mods available on the market
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18069
Date Joined: 11/03/08
realistically any of the
realistically any of the toyota and nissan 4x4 utes will do the job and with only 2 seats (unless dual cab) you wont get any bludgers coming along, you will find a big range of these around but definately go diesel , altho the mazda bravo have a good record as well from what i have heard
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together