What should i do?. Hilux? Rodeo? Other?

[Brades]

After reading and researching til my eyes are almost bleeding and i couldnt be more confused! I've decided to put it out to those with experience to hopefully help me out...

The dilemma... I need a reliable beach and tow 4by (towing roughly 1800 - 2000kg from sunny coast to 1770. I also intend to maybe tow DI and launch rainbow side only expected difficulty would be the cutting to rainbow).
Got about $25k to spend (less would be better and would keep alot of parties happy. Has to be dual cab, comfier = better too, and Turbo Diesel id say for economy.

I'm stuck between a 04 upwards rodeo (3t?) or... i have found an 02 sr5 hilux (1.8t?), which i like but I'm worried the hilux will struggle.

We towed the boat to 1770 with a 3.2d navara a few weeks ago, was slow going (averaging 90, sometimes doing only 40-50 up hills) and chewed about 150l. We were constantly overtaken by semis (some on double lines), too scary for me so i would prefer a bit more speed and power!!!

Can anyone help me out?

Also, would there be much difference in the rodeos before and after common rail was introduced?

Thanks in advance!!!!!

[BILLY THE KID]

i would be searching for a good GU patrol 4.2ltr t/deisel or petrol
what ever you prefer
comfy as ( 4 coils ) and pull like tractors down low

i think they are 3500 kg rated ( braked ) dont quote me on this though

can pick them up around $18k >> 20 for decent ones

[Brades]

they drink like a camel though...? I'm really attracted to the 10l/100km on some of the smaller vehicles in case i have to drive from noosa to buderim for uni next year. Forgot to mention it'll need to be a ute for work too....

[Brades]

Without changing the topic too much, has anyone any experience or knowledge about the GU111 3td?? Just did a quick search and found one with low kms and well within my price range.

[Benny01]

Without changing the topic too much, has anyone any experience or knowledge about the GU111 3td?? Just did a quick search and found one with low kms and well within my price range.

they like to grenade themselves

[BILLY THE KID]

(towing roughly 1800 - 2000kg from sunny coast to 1770.
I'm stuck between a 04 upwards rodeo (3t?) or... i have found an 02 sr5 hilux (1.8t?), which i like but I'm worried the hilux will struggle.


!!!!!

that is alot of weight for a 3ltr to haul on tarmac let alone on sand and soft stuff the 1.8 will surely give in early hauling that weight

the smaller engine may be good on fuel but how long will they last
with what you wanna do with them ??

engine rebuilds aint cheap in either of those cars either

[White Pointer]

G'day,

Be careful. Towing at maximum capacity means no margin left. Doing it off-road is high risk.

Some self imposed rules:

1. For every 1kg of vehicle load (i.e. passengers + stuff) subtract 0.5kg of towing load.

2. Aim to have a towing capacity 1/3rd more than the gross mass of what you are towing.

At 1.8t to 2.0t you are on the margin of needing trailer brakes - and all utes are are a bit light on brakes and handling. I am in the same position and decided to add trailer brakes to my trailer - a $4k+ day out.

I was in the same position as you two months ago. My research told me to buy a Rodeo 4x4 auto with the new (2007 release) VCDI engine. It has 3T towing capacity, is comfortable and very economical. I bought it but I spent a lot more than you want to.

If you buy an older Rodeo make sure it has a full service history that tells you the oil was changed on schedule and that the specificed oil was used. It's critical.

A mate has a Triton that he swears by and he's had it for years. He isn't towing more than 1.5 tonne but does a fair bit of beach work.

White Pointer

[GBC]

The 3.0 t.d. lux and rodeo in '04 were a similar performing motor - O.K. but not great compared to their updated crd versions. Same story for navaras. Mitsu was still 2.8l.

One of my chippies is selling an '04 t.d. rodeo with 110kms on it for about $22k.

Any of them will do the job - the lux won't struggle more or less than the others.
Tow ratings (esp from toyota) don't necessarily directly correlate to towing ability. Manufacturers use them to structure their fleets.

I towed a l.r. discovery on a vehicle trailer (4 odd tonne all up) with an '03 lux (3.4 v6) without any worries apart from running into mermaids.

P.S. if a 3l patrol is in your price range - run away fast. Even GU 1V's are blowing up now.

[the lobster]

Forget the 3 tonne towing capacity on the Rodeo. Any 4 cylinder diesel towing 3 tonnes is a joke. All the new dual cabs talk up their 3 tonne towing capacities but I wouldn't be towing anything over 2 tonnes any sort of distance in anything smaller than a cruiser or trol. Sure the newer CRD engines are good, but at the end of the day it's still a small engine pulling a big mass.

As others have said, towing your sort of weight will be a bit of a struggle for either vehicle, especially off-road. You'll really be flogging it to move that boat on sand. The fuel bill will be astronomical too.

I'd be more inclined getting a late model 80 series or early model 100 series Landcruiser. If you need it for work, get a trailer. I'm sure a patrol would do the job too but not sure what model you would be looking at for your $. Just steer clear of the 3 litre diesel Patrols. Very bad news.

Either that or get a smaller boat

matt

[Brades]

Thanks heaps this has all been very helpfull... As far as the 1800 - 2t i set those figures as a MAX weight as im actually not totally sure on the total weight. boat trailer is 600kg(galvanised 20foot trailer, braked but not electric) outboard 170kg fuel- 120l and the boat is an 18ft aussie whaler which im sure couldnt weigh over a tonne. Unfortunate thing in my situation is i dont have any mates with the type of vehicle im after to allow me to trial. And the cars im looking at are in Brissy.

As far as getting a smaller boat hahaha the only way for me is BIGGER!! (Hopefully) : )

Ill have to think about it i guess....

[GBC]

Forget the 3 tonne towing capacity on the Rodeo. Any 4 cylinder diesel towing 3 tonnes is a joke. All the new dual cabs talk up their 3 tonne towing capacities but I wouldn't be towing anything over 2 tonnes any sort of distance in anything smaller than a cruiser or trol. Sure the newer CRD engines are good, but at the end of the day it's still a small engine pulling a big mass.

As others have said, towing your sort of weight will be a bit of a struggle for either vehicle, especially off-road. You'll really be flogging it to move that boat on sand. The fuel bill will be astronomical too.

I'd be more inclined getting a late model 80 series or early model 100 series Landcruiser. If you need it for work, get a trailer. I'm sure a patrol would do the job too but not sure what model you would be looking at for your $. Just steer clear of the 3 litre diesel Patrols. Very bad news.

Either that or get a smaller boat

matt

He wants a ute so 80's and 100's are out.
I think some here are stuck in an old rut when it comes to modern utes.
The disco td5, and the patrol 3l are both small motors and both are motors that I have some experience with towing fully laden 680 hainses long distances with. I rated the experience highly (thank christ neither blew up). Nothing comes close in the fuel usage stakes either.
The navara has the exact same engine as the patrol.
The hilux has the same motor as the 3l prado which is a prized tow vehicle among grey nomads who value tow ability vs fuel usage - just check the resale on an 8 Y.O. one.
A ute is then, the same 'small' engine dragging around less mass than a fat arsed wagon - am I missing something?

One very pertinent thing to look out for however is wheel track. The utes generally have a smaller track than the big wagons and in a 'tow off' the vehicle that matches the track of the trailer will win every day regardless of body shape, engine size etc.

[Brades]

Thanks again. I agree with what GBC is saying about the ute-wagon weight thing. Makes sense really. I guess i just flick a coin as to which way to go. Just for interest sakes these are the 2 cars i'd be looking at,

2002 dual cab TD sr5 169000kms, incl alot of extras for $27000ish

2004 Rodeo dual cab iTD LT 55000kms similar extras for $26000ish

both in immaculate condition. What would you go for??

[Brades]

tried deleting

[Noelm]

a really good 80 series Diesel will see you right,( might even find a factory turbo) tow anything anywhere, have change left for the Holiday as well as a cheap Ute for work, not to mention 8 seats if needed.

[GBC]

Brades,

They look at the very top end of the market value to me. There are a heap on the market at the moment and personally I think that diesels are asking an unreasonable premium for the same vehicle. They are riding on the coat tails of the newer trendier crd diesels. Make no mistake there is a large difference between the two - esp in economy.

I sold an '03 sr5 v6 auto Hilux a week ago for $17.5k. It was fairly high mileage (185k), but had full books and heaps of extras and was straight.

You're talking a $10 000.00 difference for exactly the same vehicle with a different motor. That's a sh!t load of fuel mate, esp with the price disparity between petrol and diesel. Not to mention a v6 will tow twice as well as a 3 litre diesel from the same era.

Look at the service costs as well - in '03 the diesels were still 5000 km intervals. Not to mention rebuilding if they break. Last time I looked you could buy a 5vz (3.4 v6) crate motor from toyota for $6k with full warranty. That'd almost rebuild 1/2 of a diesel.

If 16 odd litres per hundred of unleaded is a bit rich you can always put it on gas with the rebates available.

And if ultimate power is your thing TRD does a bolt on supercharger kit for $5k - 1/2 of your savings over a diesel. Check some yank tacoma sites and see what they are running 1/4 miles in. Apparently there are some fuel savings to be had there if you could drive it judiciously. Not for me though .

I'm not saying one is better than the other - both have their strong suits. I'm just saying that with the disparity in the market I wouldn't be one eyed while looking. Fuel really ends up being one of the cheaper considerations in the big picture.

C.J.