which 4x4 is the best

[donald9826]

I have about about $20 000 budget to buy a 4x4 and was wondering if you guy's would recomend a forby, i don' t have any 4wd experience and something for beach and bush would be good.
i am thinking of a 2001 land rover discovery 2.5-litre TD5 at this stage.

thanks
don

[Tangles]

dont do it youll get addicted like the rest of us ;D,,, no seriously you cant go wrong with a Patrol, Landcruiser or Pajero.. i dont know about discoveries... suggest you check out the forums re reliability or issues on any of them and make up your mind.
One thing, id buy something cheaper and put 6k into accessories like tyres/suspension/recovery gear etc so its specd up for what you want... id get an older patrol or Landcruiser myself for 10-14k and spend rest on accessories, tats my advice

mike

[Leigh77]

All depends on how serious you want to get with your 4wd-ing. If you are happy to leave it relatively stock standard then for $20000 you could get a nice 80 series, Hilux or GU Patrol.

But as Igusto said, you could always look at getting something a little cheaper which leaves a budget for mods (tyres/suspension and so on.)

Take your time and test drive as many vehicles as you can. Even if you spend a day travelling the car yards "pretending to be interested" just so you get to test drive each brand of vehicle.

Find the one thats right for you...as you are the one thats going to drive it.

[Poodroo]

Most 4wd's are good but only limited to the driver ability. Only thing I can say about the Discovery is they are a good 4wd and reliable but more costly than most on repairs apparently. I have been on many 4wd trips with others and can honestly say that they all perform great these days. I have nothing against Toyotas, Nissan, Holden, or Mitsubishi but can only speak on experience with the Pajeros. My wife and I own two Pajeros and neither of them I can fault with regards to performance. Mine has the 3.0 litre V6 in it and has reasonable economy and performance for a 4wd and the wife's has the larger 3.5 litre V6 coupled with an auto gearbox. The 3.5 litre provides loads more grunt but the economy is substituted somewhat. The thing is it is ultimately your decision and what you like in the end. When you ask the question about what 4wd is the best 9 times out of 10 you will get a biased opinion ie: Nissan drivers will say Nissans are best, Toyota drivers will beg to differ etc. Good luck and feel free once you have purchased your 4wd to give us a PM and we can organize an outing to up your experience in it.

Regards,

Poodroo

[kingtin]

Dunno a lot about 4bys but this is my laymans observations.

I have an 89 Pajero and a 99 Prado and both have handled offroad well. If I had the choice at the time, I would have gone a later model Paj instead of the Prado. The Prado guzzles juice, particularly when towing, and although it can pull more weight then the Paj, it doesn't like uphill at all and I'm often in 2nd with the Prado whereas the Paj would take it comfortably in 3rd.

I also find that when slowing at red lights, if there's any ruts in the tarmac then the Prado grabs at 'em and doesn't come to a halt as smoothly. That may just be the tyres though (BFG) as I've had the vehicle checked out and it's ok. It certainly doesn't handle as well as the Paj, even though the Paj is a lot older.

The paj is on it's 3rd engine btw and nobody could give me a reason why they blew. The first time was around 20000ks and I have a feeling that despite being told differently by the seller, that the timing belt had never been changed at 150000.

kev

[whynott]

Can't go past a G.U. Patrol

[BenDover]

I Had a 99 hilux, then a cruiser for 3 years. But can honestly say patrol for comfort and reliability wins hands down. But power wise they are crapppp!!! If your serious about 4wding then anything with a live axle front is tough... Namely cruiser or patrol. Anything else with out live front, brakes and bends under tough conditions.
But most mid range 4wd's are good for road, beach and low grade hills.
And poodroo, drop me a line when your 4x4ing next, have to test the new donk out after its run in. Do you guys run lockers, winches and extreme tyres?
BD

[QldKev]

I paid (just over your budget) $22,500 (inc transfers) for my 100 series TD. Love every moment of it. It already had steps/bullbars/tow. I added CouplerTec and CB. Shop around there are a few good buys out there. Now for some decent rubber :)

PS. Its actually grey, just looks white in the pic as I had just got back from 4wd'ing

[Poodroo]

I Had a 99 hilux, then a cruiser for 3 years. But can honestly say patrol for comfort and reliability wins hands down. But power wise they are crapppp!!! If your serious about 4wding then anything with a live axle front is tough... Namely cruiser or patrol. Anything else with out live front, brakes and bends under tough conditions.
But most mid range 4wd's are good for road, beach and low grade hills.
And poodroo, drop me a line when your 4x4ing next, have to test the new donk out after its run in. Do you guys run lockers, winches and extreme tyres?
BD


I will give you a call when the original donk decides it wants to give up but 362,000 klms on and still no signs of tiring. I guess I can't complain about that really as I am getting my monies worth out of it.

Kev I guess it sounds like you too are pretty happy with the Pajero's performance. Mine is a 1993 model and the wife's is a 1995 model and both are giving a flawless innings.

Poodroo

[finding_time]

Nissan drivers will say Nissans are best, Toyota drivers will beg to differ etc. Good luck and feel free once you have purchased your 4wd to give us a PM and we can organize an outing to up your experience in it.

Regards,

Poodroo

In this case it's very easy to tell who is telling the truth................the ones that say Nissans are the best are the truthful ones!!!!;)

[finding_time]

Seriously though if i was looking for a good 4x4 ( not a mums taxi) the things i would want are.

Live axles first and formost!!!! Anything with IFS can be left off the list, its fairly hopeless as it has limited up travel and no drop if wound up and is only there for road comfort eg mums taxi.

Strong drive train. because if you break something here it expensive.

Good supply of aftermarket extra's eg suspension, lockers,differant gears.

So we have culled the list and are left with in your price range, toyota 80 series, nissan GQ and maybe GU's, and landrover county's and discos and some of the jeeps( disco's and jeeps do have a few reliability issues though)

Ian

Ps. i say again the above list is for good vehicles that can be turned into great 4x4's but if you just want a beach vehicle or a rig that will get you from the curb to a picnic table , most will fit your needs.

PPs. and before all you pajero boy's jump down my throat ,next time we do a trip if i can find a nice bit of track i'll show you what i mean

[Poodroo]

Well Ian I went back to Mt.Mee and did "The Hill" not once but twice in the Pajero so it isn't that bad a 4wd. :P But as I said earlier I'd be happy with a Nissan, Toyota, and most 4wd's for that matter. At least I am a non-biased Pajero driver. ;)

Poodroo

[finding_time]

Poodroo

While that hill is the best bit of terrain on that track, it's not really what i'm talking about it's probably going to take a demo to show you what i mean. I really do think it's about time we organized a weekend away to somewhere like

www.levuka.com.au (http://www.levuka.com.au)

This is a great camping area and has some good tracks, if it's been raining it has some impossible tracks as well:o another option would be Mountain View 4x4 park down toward Beaudesert.

I think we should organize a M/G at levuka awesome place


Ian

or www.levuka.com.au/4wd.htm (http://www.levuka.com.au/4wd.htm) it really is this pretty

[BenDover]

Hey poodroo, I ment my new donk mate... We should all take our 4x4's to the local compton rd tracks or even ormeau tracks. (none of this sunday driving stuff)Everybody who's interested can come (especially those who are looking to buy their first 4x4) would be a big eye opener. All 4bies welcome, and put them all through there paces. Make the hills tougher and tougher and see who makes the last extreme hill. But i garantee some trucks wont even make it off the road and over the bolders into the tracks!!! They will be parking and walking :)
I will be missings a front locker and winch but ill be the official recovery vechile :)
BD

[finding_time]

Hey poodroo, I ment my new donk mate... We should all take our 4x4's to the local compton rd tracks or even ormeau tracks. (none of this sunday driving stuff)Everybody who's interested can come (especially those who are looking to buy their first 4x4) would be a big eye opener. All 4bies welcome, and put them all through there paces. Make the hills tougher and tougher and see who makes the last extreme hill. But i garantee some trucks wont even make it off the road and over the bolders into the tracks!!! They will be parking and walking :)
I will be missings a front locker and winch but ill be the official recovery vechile :)
BD

Not a great idea Ben there's just to much damage to be done in those places if you not 100% sure what your doing or feeling pressure from the crowd, but yes i would be a real eyeopener( i'm not trying to be condecending but most of it's fairly extreme.) Lots of ROCK too:-[

Ian

[BenDover]

naa, Some of its extreme. But theres alot of fun and tricky obsticals too learn how too overcome. Little things like an extremely steep 3 metre high mud bank that needs a run up. (too the eye it looks like you would never make it up it) But having said that, there are big tyre ruts in it so no chance of coming down sideways or flipping it backwards. Most 4x4's with a half good lsd would make it up that. I thought it would be fun!! Especially with people like you and me spotting them on the uhf.

If any1 wants to practise, theres another fun little 30 metre hill in mt cotton. (not steep but suspension and spotting needed) Its on gramzow rd (off mt cotton rd just after the tip). Next to the police driving training centre. Easily accessable by car aswell. If anyones keen message me and ill come and spot you.

But then people will get the bug and spend tones of money on their trucks :).
BD check it out...

[bastard]

Hey poodroo, I ment my new donk mate... We should all take our 4x4's to the local compton rd tracks or even ormeau tracks. (none of this sunday driving stuff)Everybody who's interested can come (especially those who are looking to buy their first 4x4) would be a big eye opener. All 4bies welcome, and put them all through there paces. Make the hills tougher and tougher and see who makes the last extreme hill. But i garantee some trucks wont even make it off the road and over the bolders into the tracks!!! They will be parking and walking :)
I will be missings a front locker and winch but ill be the official recovery vechile :)
BDIm keen to go to ormeau and show the pajeros up.:D

[BenDover]

:D Laugh at Bastard... Shhhh your going to start a truck war!!! Round 1 "ding ding" Pajero vs (what ever Bastard is running).
Does any1 know if ormeau tracks are still even accessable? Havent been there in years.
Where are some good gps 4x4 tracks around southside?? ;D
So far we have a mild suspension hill (gramzow rd, map 245 b11)and mud pitt rally course (map 245 g12) in mt cotton (some good ground there). I think they will do at first then we have ormeau and compton rd. When people start felling brave...

[donald9826]

thanks guy's you have given me alot to think about, will follow the advice to leave money for modifications for sure.
don

[VADLEM]

The best fourby I've ever own'd was a :o Daihatsu Rocky it went everywhere and nothin ever could kill it we did the gunshot one year and the snowy's to simpson the next, rough as guts but hey we didn't go rock climing in it..lolol.
We then had a DID NP Pajero..... awsome plunty horeses but not enough clearence for my liking. Our daughter unfortunatley has some very special needs and the Pajero was just to hard to get her and the wheelchair in and out of... SO to fill the gap whilst looking for something we bought this import a L300 4wd van ..... A Delica.. Two years later we still have it and to be honest other than it's a bit down on horsepower, I wouldn't swap it for quids it has better ground clearence than the Pajero, it seats 7 adults not 5 + 2 kids in comfort, it's got dual climate control, Dvd, Twin Batteries, Winch and every modcon you can poke a stick at. And it owes us $12g's.. My brother has a GU that replaced his Prado and we have not ever had to be dragged out of a bogg when we have been way togeather.. Thats draggin the camper as well.. Anyway it wouldn't be everyone's cuppa but hey the come in later models with 3.0-3.5 v6's for similar money.. Well that smy two bobbs worth anyway.. Happy hunting..http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i127/VADLEM/Deli002-1.jpg

[Tangles]

Don,

Mate, when you decide which truck is for you, do your research on the accessories your really going to need first up and set your mod's budget, ask the question do you really need it? Also id look at doing your vehicle in stages maybe,, do the crucial stuff first, drive it around for a bit then decide what else you need. When i got mine i got a couple of things first up, when in hindsight i could of waited a bit for them

Probably an interesting point and Im sure there are many guys with different views on what you need first up, but heres my suggestion for first up ( and in no order)

1: Rated Recovery Gear,, snatch strap and shackles, shovel, also good jacking plate
2: Air Compressor and good guage, (Bushrangers a good brand)
3:Radio, (Uniden or GME) if travelling in a group you need one,, can get a handheld one... Poodroo uses one and it works great. ask him for details
4: Proper Toolkit and some spares ( a basic set of spare hoses/belts/ filters and oils/coolants I have for the Patrol is about 250-300 bucks... as a guide
5: Bullbar and spotties
6: Good tyres.. hopefully the car you buy will have decent 4wd rubber, but if not?
7: Suspension? some will say suspension first up as well with the tyres, but you could leave that till next stage depending on what your using it for,, for beach stuff no immediate need. If your planning climbing rocks and stuff, its the first thing you'd do along with tyres
7: If doing a lot of beach work get some decent floor mats
8: Fishing rod holder, new ones on the market now are removeable, they work well and youll be legal when you dont have rods in them
9: Snorkel if a diesel
10: Rust proofing if doing a lot of beach work,, your choice here.. search the forums here, there is plenty of advice as to pro/cons of various methods, ultimately you have to be satisfied with your choice.

After that basic list mate the skys the limit as to what you can spend. It depends how you want your vehicle setup, ie dual batteries if running a fridge, or can you use an esky for a while? Things like cargo barriers, roof racks.. yep the list goes on.

Im pretty sure i missed some stuff in the list and hopefully others will chime in and add to it.

Also if you have a better half you need to explain your spending money on the car, always use the 'safety' angle, works everytime, ( even if there are other good reasons to get it. like you just want it ;D)


cheers
Mike

[bastard]

:D Laugh at Bastard... Shhhh your going to start a truck war!!! Round 1 "ding ding" Pajero vs (what ever Bastard is running).
Does any1 know if ormeau tracks are still even accessable? Havent been there in years.
Where are some good gps 4x4 tracks around southside?? ;D
So far we have a mild suspension hill (gramzow rd, map 245 b11)and mud pitt rally course (map 245 g12) in mt cotton (some good ground there). I think they will do at first then we have ormeau and compton rd. When people start felling brave...Nearlly all of ormeau is still open ,there is a lot of good stuff in there if you know were to look,i reckon ormeau has more challenging stuff than cruiser park,ive layed of the 4wd a bit lately and been concentrating more on fishing.

[Brett1907]

Hi Don, Ian is correct about the front suspension to a point. A live front axle does give you advantages over an IFS setup, but for most people it won't matter. I have a new Hilux with suspension, bigger wheels/tyres and Lockers. I have yet to get caught up, but it will happen one day.

IMO your best option would be, in orde of best to worst

[Brett1907]

Hi Don, Ian is correct about the front suspension to a point. A live front axle does give you advantages over an IFS setup, but for most people it won't matter. I have a new Hilux with suspension, bigger wheels/tyres and Lockers. I have yet to get caught up, but it will happen one day.

IMO your best option would be, in orde of best to worst - 80 series, patrol, jeep wrangler/renegade?, prado, pajero. I wouldn't go a Landrover as thay do have reliability issues and are expensive to repair. The vehicles I have listed have all proven reliable (steer clear of the early patrol 3.0TD) and have a plethora (I've read a dictionary! LOL) of aftermarket goodies available.

As anyone who knows I am a definate fan of Toyotas, I've been driving them since I was about 4 or 5yo up in Arnhem Land and Kakadu. I leaebt to drive in shorty cruisers stripped for buffalo catching. The only vehicle they would use was landcruisers. And my Father-in-law has had Pajeros for many years and has spent almost every Christmas on North Straddy for the past 15 years, towing a 1.5 tonne trailer (no mods and HT tyres on the Paj).

Good luck in looking around and I hope the addiction bites as hard as it has for some of us.

Brett

[BenDover]

Landcruiser has the strongest chassi out of all of them. But their biggest problem and always has been is the rear off centred diff. Doesnt distribute the power evenly to both wheels. Thats why cruiser lsd's are crap!! And as soon as you put lockers and big tyres on them they spit the short drivers side shaft at will. Even after i put 6 high tensile dowl pins and the strongest bolts and cone washers you can get. (and welded the bastard up). So in my books patrol is king. But cruiser has way more power.
BD

[bastard]

Landcruiser has the strongest chassi out of all of them. But their biggest problem and always has been is the rear off centred diff. Doesnt distribute the power evenly to both wheels. Thats why cruiser lsd's are crap!! And as soon as you put lockers and big tyres on them they spit the short drivers side shaft at will. Even after i put 6 high tensile dowl pins and the strongest bolts and cone washers you can get. (and welded the bastard up). So in my books patrol is king. But cruiser has way more power.
BDIve never seen a capable leaf sprung cruiser,there is to much to hang up in the front,pretty hard to go past a coil cab gu patrol though,the missus just brought a new wrangler and apart from being a girly car it doesnt do to bad,plenty of go,i was also on logan 4wd clubs last night run and there was another very capable wrangler,but we all no you need a hilux to play hard.(with lots of chromoly bits added.)

[Horse]

If you really want off road capability, ease of cleaning and corrosion resistance for on the beach etc consider a Defender but otherwise the Disco will do everything you want. Landrovers cost about the same as any other 4X to repair if you stay away from places like Southside etc.
I got 275 000km out of my last County with no major repairs in 17 years. My current Disco (1998 TDI) has had a few oil changes and no other repairs in the two years and 60 000 km I have had it.
Landies, Cruisers and Patrols are a much higher level of capability than most of the others but they will still get you almost anywhere you want to go to wet a line

Cheers

Neil

Cheers

Neil

[BenDover]

Hey bastard,
Yeah mate my cruiser was very capable. I got together with carroll springs and got extra long custom leafs and long greasable shackles. I even made my own reverse drop down shackles brackets for the front. To make for a much smoother ride and to stop the shackles inverting. I could go 950 cm high on a suspenson ramp. But unfortunately the shackle reversal made my wheel base longer so I didnt score well.
But arent coil spring patrols good...
BD

[Chimo]

Hey bastard,

But arent coil spring patrols good...

BD

:-* Yes indeed!!!8-)

Chimo

[Tangles]

;D love the patrols;D

Mike

[Black_Rat]

Personaly I dont mind an early 90's Lada Niva :P ::) ;D ;D ;D

[Tangles]

does it come with vodka standard? ;D;D

[Black_Rat]

Nah dipers !

[Poodroo]

Personaly I dont mind an early 90's Lada Niva :P ::) ;D ;D ;D

Question : Why do Lada Niva's have rear window demisters?
Answer : To keep your hands warm while you push them. ::)


Poodroo

[MY-TopEnder]

Im keen to go to ormeau and show the pajeros up.:D

Good idea... lets go see if a Pajero will make it up Chicken Track or Tower of Terror... heck not even a GU Coil cab can do it without braking a rear shaft :P

[bastard]

Good idea... lets go see if a Pajero will make it up Chicken Track or Tower of Terror... heck not even a GU Coil cab can do it without braking a rear shaft :PYou left out some bits,the gu is twin locked on 35 inch claws,with pretty much the best suspension you can buy of the shelf,double cardinals in the tail shafts,and as much boost as you can pump through a 4.2 safely.I forgot to mention the six inches of lift.;D

[MY-TopEnder]

Well yeah if you want to really ruin their hopes i spose you could add those details... haha... oh and they're 37" Bias Claws now... the old 35" Radials are on the Hilux

It is a pretty impressive track. I'm itching to take the Surf up it now... would have last time but the 60 series with us wouldn't have made it, and i'd lost brakes on one corner so we opted for chicken track.