Which 4x4

[Englander]

Hi,

When I move to Bribie island I will be looking for a 4x4, preferabley a diesel, any recomendations? plus is there a 4x4 dealer near bribie.

initialy I only wanna spend about > $10000.00,

any info greatfully recieved.

Ta

[Feral]

For that sort of money, probably better of buying privately. You should a good 10 - 15 year old Diesel toyota hilux or similar for that sort of money.

[Englander]

cheers mate I'll look them up

[Angus]

Yeah the best thing you could do is check out the Trading Post, and Cars Guide when you get here.

Especially in an area like Bribie, there will be a variety of things on offer.

Angus

[Feral]

Safest way to buy a 4wd on the coast in Australia is to crawl underneath and stick your fingers in the chassis rails. If you feel sand, walk away, its been used on the beach.

[kriso]

mate as a mechanic i recommend toyota's 4x4 (hilux.land cruiser etc) except import surf 4runner as known problem with number 3 cylinder problem resulting in new motor required and with deisels that big dollars.

mitsubishi triton and pajero preform quite well

have had auto trouble on the older model though

nissan patrols are bloody tuff units in the serious off road stuff. but generally more expensive

one thing to remember with diesels look for a good service history - they need oil change every 5000klms to stop sludge build up and good diesel oil with good detergents to break down sludge that might build up

cause of the stress of high compression they are very sensitive to oil condition. also airfilter and diesel filter every 15,000klm is best.

on the turbo's good thing to have but very expensive to repair or replace just a reseal can set you back a thousand no worries. i recommend you have it inspected before buying any vehicle and will generally cost about $50 at most garages

good luck and any q's just ask me

cheers

p.s any one having car dramas and has questions just pm me and will do my best to help you out

[AlsHilux]

go the mighty hilux :laugh:

kriso, i wish i knew you were a mechanic before i just got jacked 1250 bucks from ultratune.. woulda thrown some business your way.

[dhess]

$1250 jesus christ!

What on earth did they do? Replace the engine or something?

[kriso]

yeah sounds major cause ultra tune normally has a fair labour rate, but toyota parts can be expensive sometimes

[mackmauler]

being a pommy have to be a shitty land rover wouldnt it?

[Ash]

Now i may get laughed at for this, but here it is anyway. The best 4wd ive been camping in so far is the susuki sierra. Not big and manly i knw, but they,re light and fast. And you'd have to be a complete tool to get bogged! They're not that expensive to buy, not bad on fuel and are heaps of fun on the sand. A few of my mates swear by them.

Of course if your wanting to big stuff, or have a family to tag along, maybe not so great. If i hadnt been given an old jackaroo to do up, i'd probably have grab a sierra for my beach bashing/camping time for Moreton etc.

Depends on what you want to use it for i guess!

Post edited by: webmaster, at: 2007/06/01 22:06

[kriso]

i know quite a few guys with the suzi's with 6inch body and suspension lifts and 32's under 'em and they have put em through some serious stuff and come out with flying colours

[dhess]

I have to agree with you. Sierra's are great in the soft stuff. Their light weight is a real advantage.

Unfortunately they are one of the last vehicles on earth you want to be in when you crash.

[AlsHilux]

new brake pads and rotors in the front, new brake lines, hub seal kit on the front passenger, adjusted handbrake... $600 in parts, $650 in labour...

originally was quoted 799, then on last call before going to pick it up was gonna be 'just under a thousand', 15 minutes later when i got there was 1250... bugger.

on a different note, the suzi's are great.. if i was just gonna get a little basher i'd definately go one of those, but need the space of the hilux to move stuff around..

[Line Tangler Dave]

Feral wrote:

Safest way to buy a 4wd on the coast in Australia is to crawl underneath and stick your fingers in the chassis rails. If you feel sand, walk away, its been used on the beach.

I'm obviously missing something here, but aren't 4X4 designed to go on beaches and isn't that what they would be used for a lot when fishing? So if a second hand 4X4 has been used on a beach, don't buy it ... because it's ruined or something?? What about if you got a new 4X4 and took it on a beach ... have you stuffed it or something?

Feral (or anyone else), could you please educate me!

Cheers, Fisher_191

[Gazza]

If you find sand there is a good chance the 4x has not been washed down after use on the beach.

Rust is the biggest killer of 4x4's salt water = rust

But if a vehicle is properly washed down after use at the boat ramp or beach etc it should not be a problem

If i was looking for another 4x4 I'd be hunting for one inland away from the coast

Gaz

[Feral]

Exactly!

Although the majority of them in the city dont do anything but pick kids up from school, I'd avoid anything that has been anywhere near a beach. particularly these days where you are not aloud to wash them down.

[faulked]

personally id buy a \"shitty land rover\" leave it stock and use it on the beach and never wash it and abuse it fishing and drive a nice car every where else. ive owned several 4x4 anything but rovers have sufferd badly on beaches the suzi and rover take to the sand better than the rest and bribie being small its not like a long distance drive where the suzi and the rover suck big hairy ones. we own a old 3litre v6 pajero now its comfy and nice to drive with aircon and other nice things but as a 4x4 rovers kick arse.

ps the old patrols and cruisers are good beasts too but the rust catches them too quick on the beach.

pps ex army 4x4 s are generally galvanised making them last.

good luck hope this biased crap helps.

ppps did you guess i came from pom land he he:P

[Englander]

mackmauler wrote:

being a pommy have to be a shitty land rover wouldnt it?

, Thanks Mackm' can you nick me one when I come over?

Thanks Chaps, I might import my shogun sport, pending prices etc, at least then I'll known where its been.

cheers

[Feral]

My Pommy father in law imported his Rover from England last time he moved back, he whinged for years because he was made to modify it before he could register it! It was only a few hundred dollars worth of mods!

He whinged even louder for even longer when no one would trade it in for him!

[Brian D]

Be Warned - do not buy a Xtrail - they are not a real 4 wheele drive. It is a great car for a dirt driveway in your back yard but when it comes to strength they are no match for the real deal.

Further, the towing capicity of the xtrail sucks. It would be ok for a small tinny but anything around the tonne or bigger will do damage to the car.

Mine, which purchased from new, was returned to the dealer for 12 different warrenty issues and a machinical failure was partly to blame for it being involved in a road accident which resulted with the car being written off. Not 3 years old.

On the flip side - the car was strong enough for me to be able to walk away from the same accident with only minor physical damage. I am lucky to be alive.

Needlees to say I have a hate / love memory of the car.

Post edited by: Brian D, at: 2007/06/06 04:42

[Feral]

I'll never forget the site of being passed by her towing the cannonball at Lenthalls, all 6 wheels in the air, and the cannonball about a foot higher in the air again!

[Brian D]

Like I say - not a real 4x4 and besides the cannon ball is only a small tinny.

[Master Sardines]

Englander wrote:

Hi,

When I move to Bribie island I will be looking for a 4x4, preferabley a diesel, any recomendations? plus is there a 4x4 dealer near bribie.

initialy I only wanna spend about > $10000.00,

any info greatfully recieved.

Ta

I think It's all personal preference. At least you know you want a diesel, thats a good start.

Myself, I needed a ute, diesel, but a duel cab for the kids. So ended Up with a holden rodeo. Not as much power as I'd like but never the less it's cheap to run compared to the 80 series landcruiser i had.

[img size=266]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/cruiser_and_rodeo.JPG

[Dan23]

Dunno much about 4X4 but my old man had a 2001 Patrol and said it was good but has a new Pathfinder and says it is better even though it's way smaller. Both Turbo Diesels.

[Feral]

Petrol with slimey johnny's Gas subsidy is a good option other than diesels these days. (Ever paid for one of those turbos?)