mark937

Hi all,

can anyone help, we are planning to fly to Oz next year and are planning to purchase a 4x4, "But which one!"

Which one is cheapest for parts and availability of parts.

Cheapest to run, etc.

Please help,


Thanks Mark

jensteve

We have an old range rover converted to gas, thats cheap to run! Hate to think about the parts though, I have been told Fords have a habbit of breaking down a lot, and have been told the Nissans are good. Dunno about much else though, you are probably better off deciding when you get here and pick a make that is still looking good on the roads when its 30! No joke lots of them around.
Jenny

sharon_gareth

My Hubby probably better at answering this than me but what I know he would say is go for a diesel (far more economical on fuel). As for make and model well a lot will depend on the $$ you have to spend. We started off with a Black Nissan Terrano (import) that cost us $11k ish. It was OK although black was not a good colour. Since then we have upgraded to a Landcruiser which is much nicer but then we did pay twice the price for a model from the same year as the Nissan (think it is a 93). Its huge though and surprisingly easy to drive. Toyota also much better for parts. Another popular make is the Nissan Patrol but feels much smaller once you have sat in the Landcruiser.

Think a lot will depend on why you want the 4x4 like are you planning to go off road or do you just want a big car. My hubby well he is into the boys toys and if there is a bit of dirt he will be the one driving on it.

Sharon
www.immigrateperth.com

Hels

My Hubby is also far better qualified to answer this than me as he is a Mechanic working for Toyota and works on 4x4's everyday.

However, he bought a Nissan Patrol SWB. Like someone else said it will depend on what $$'s you have as to the kind of 4x4 you buy. Also what do you plan to do with the 4x4? Are you looking for a Toorak Tractor or one that will REALLY go off road?

From the research my Hubby did, Patrols have the best reputation for going off road. Virtually indestructible from all accounts.

He also bought a Diesel. They are harder to come by here as most people seem to be going for duel fuel these days. But if you look long enough you will come across what you want.

If you want any more info, ask the question and I will check with him.

Hels

brisnick

i hope diesel is much more economical, because i saw unleaded for $1.09 yesterday, but diesel was $1.29 at the same servo!!!!

Fiona&malc

If you are going to get a 4x4, i would think about having a 'duel fuel' one, cause petrol is just way too expensive to fill up a big tank now !!! but gas is very cheap...for now !!!!

Hels

Fi,

Thats a good short term option, but Paul says LPG or Duel Fuel vehicles dont last nearly as long. Or should I say the parts dont and cost a fortune to maintain.

Think I got that right.....sure Hubby said something like that anyway

John Mc

Nissan make very durable and long lasting 4x4's but for off road you can't beat the Toyota Land Cruiser. My father in law did a stint in Iraq and the only 4x4 he saw was the Land Cruiser. They are fantastic off road and reliable.

Hels

Yes, they are good.....but from someone that works on them day in and out...he would recommend the Patrol more highly.

I think its horses for courses and you can get a lemon in any model.

Wal10

Hi,

If you are planning long journeys off the tar roads diesel is more readily available in farout places than petrol or gas. All the farmers keep diesel tanks, so there's more scope for getting diesel in an emergency. There's also a lot of research going on here for biodiesel for the future.

Diesel 4x4's will often get out of tricky off-roading situations more easily than the V8s, something to do with the torque ratios and being able to keep low revs.

If you are towing anything big you'll need either a full size Toyota Landcruiser, big engine Nissan Patrol, or Land Rover Discovery (I think the Range Rover has same capacity too) - they can tow up to 3.5 tonnes. If you have less than 2.5 tonnes to tow then you can get away with one of the smaller ones like the Prado Landcruiser, the small engine Patrol, Mitsubishi Pajero. I haven't researched the Ford Explorer, as they don't do a diesel. Also the F350s are readily available here if you want a serious gas-guzzler, and they can tow up to 5 tonne.

As for parts, standard service parts cost about the same. Major parts will cost a bit less on anything Japanese than a Land Rover, and may take a couple of days less to source.

Fuel economy varies greatly. I only know the diesel range: Most expensive to run by a long way is the 4.2 Landcruiser or Patrol, cheapest by a long way is the Discovery TDi followed by the TD5 and the Series III. Others are somewhere in the middle.

Purchase price new: Japanese are cheaper new than Land Rover.
Secondhand: Land Rover are much cheaper than the Japanese 2nd hand.

If you want 8 seats you'll need a Landcruiser or a Prado. Most of the others go up to 7 seats. 7 seater Discovery is quite rare here, but they are out there if you look hard.

Boot doors vary. The more recent Landcruiser has a split up and down, so you have to climb right into the boot to get stuff out, but if you have lots of picnics out of the boot then you've got a useful canopy over your head (Range Rover is the same), older ones have the split 'barn' doors. The Prado and Discovery have a single side hinged door. The Patrol has split 'barn' doors hinged on both sides.

If you are going to do lots of long distance driving on tarred roads then cruise control is a must. The Japanese models often don't have CC as standard until you get to the top of the range, which cost a lot more to buy.

We wanted a diesel, 7 seater, to tow up to 3.5 tonnes, with cruise control, so we went for a Discovery TD5. It's 5 years newer than the same budget would have bought in a Landcruiser (4 years newer than a Patrol), and uses much less diesel.

Other than that, if none of the above applies to you and you just want a little fun offroading, the Suzuki Vitaras were holding their own with us last week on the beach!

Hope this helps.
Y.

Hels

Or the Rav4!! Ours is a little beaudy!!!

dshole

I think I would have to ask myself, do I actually need a 4x4? Are you planning on living on a farm in the middle of nowhere? Or just another suburban driver that pretends to need a large car?

If I was to buy one, I would go diesel any day. The more K's the better. But obviously remember that diesel is more expensive and not as available over here as it is in Europe. But then you get more k's and punch for your money. It's more friendly on the planet as well.

glittababe

Its Mark937's better half here! Just to let you know he's at work until 4pm, so he'll reply later. Thanks for all the suggestions. He's going to need it for real off roading as well as the normal day to day stuff. He's worked on Landrover's ever since he was a kid and has owned too many to mention, but he's worried about the cost of parts. Anyway better not reply for him! Many thanks X

lawlaw

Totally agree, sick of seeing 1 person in car driving around huge 4x4, or families that claim they need them to drive to the supermarket and to school. If they cared that badly about there children they would not drive them anyway as they destroy the environment they will be growing up in.

They may be coming with a health warning in the uk as you are far more likely to kill someone if you hit them than in a regular car.

glittababe

He's an off roader. I'll be having the small economical car for school runs, shopping etc His one will be for real off roading and we'll 'hopefully' be living rural, as we live in the UK countryside at the moment, so we want it as near to what the kids are used to as possible.