Well , I knew a bloke who was a diesel mechanic & Toyota nutter - he pinpointed the exact time when the Hilux went into decline & that was with the introduction of the MY05 model . This happened to coincide with the ceasing of sales in Japan & moving production to Thailand & Malaysia . .Design & build quality suffered badly . the once indestructible Hilux started to rattle apart . The decline has continued .
As was pointed out - go have a look at the prices paid for those early 2000 diesel Hilux on the second hand market - A SR5 can cost you today what they were worth new in 2004 with 250K on the clock
So yeh , talk about living on past glories . But it is still the biggest selling car in Australia ( thanks to the mining industry) but utes like the Ranger have closed the gap ( despite their own problems) .. particularly in the premium 4x4 segment.
It still surprises me how the Hilux still leads this segment - Maybe the DPF class action will put the sword to that then again maybe not.
Chris
Give a man a fish & he will eat for a day !
Teach him how to fish
& he will sit in a boat - & drink beer all day!
TEAM MOJIKO
Actually, I think that you might find that it's the other way around with the Isuzu and Colorado and furthermore, that the Isuzu has a markedly better engine and well as using the Jatco 6 speed auto that's also in Toyota product.
I have a good mate who owned a gearbox workshop for a lot of years. When you ask him what new car you would buy these days, he answers he really doesn't know from a reliability stand point. From personal connections, I have one mate who's now on his third Mazda BT50 with each one since the first using an extra 2 litres per hundred km's on average - the third is an auto though, a work mate who after 3 Nissan dealers and a multitude of part swaps still can't drive his Navara at over 80 KpH without the thing trying to vibrate off the road - their final response being "well you did buy the base model - we could trade you up - after getting rid of his Ranger when it spat a gearbox just out of warranty, another mate with a GU that has a similar issue that Nissan have tried a multitude of times to rectify but have basically given up and a mate with a Colorado 7 that eats tires like I eat Weetbix for breakfast even with a wheel alignment every 10K, a V6 Amarok traded at under a year old due to DPF problems and another current model Patrol that was traded after 3 trips to the service department in it's first 10K . Neither the dealers nor the parent companies wanted anything to do with these issues once it got a bit hard. Jeep have acknowledged their previous shit service in their own advertising. Toyota have their issues sure but they are certainly not alone. Plenty have strayed from Toyota after long associations - only to find that the grass isn't actually greener - sign of the times unfortunately.
Get a Pajero (not Sport) before they stop making them! Tried and tested.
I think that sounds like a reasonable summary of the 4WD ute market .
I like my NP300 Navara (on my second one) - It's very comfortable ( car like) handles well , looks good , the motor is economical / reliable & it tows 2 tonne reasonably well . the downsides are bloody big turning circle & at very low speed it searches for second gear & of course it's softly sprung rear end ( both my Navara's suspensions were upgraded). My local Nissan dealer is excellent - If all goes well , My plan is for this car to be my tow vehicle for the next 10 years (company car due before Christmas).
With the exception of the Triton Pretty well most of the others have known reliability issues or just underperform - but worst still is the Manufactures like Ford , VW & more recently Toyota have a shitty attitude to customer service .. & when a problem arises they run for cover (like Toyota & the DPF issue)
In essence it's a roll the dice proposition when buying a 4x4 ute atm with the Tritan & it's lower payload probably the pick of the crop right now ( if you can put up with it's looks)
Chris
Give a man a fish & he will eat for a day !
Teach him how to fish
& he will sit in a boat - & drink beer all day!
TEAM MOJIKO
I'm no Ford fan but credit where it is due, we have 3 auto 3.2 PX's and they have been exceptionally good for us. All 3 had gearbox lead frame assemblies replaced as a no cost factory job during a normal service. The dealer has been good to deal with. My work ute us now 7 years old, 180 kms and still drives like a new car to the extent that because I'd just get the same thing again, I'm content to just keep driving it now until the next model update comes out.
Possibly my best dealer experience was with my last ute - a Holden dealer at Springwood. They went very well. Toyota in the same suburb will never see me again. They were woeful.
We have a new Subaru also and the dealer at Capalaba couldn't even get their sh!t together to finish the delivery which, to this day, the car is still missing bits from being pulled apart to get the windows tinted ffs. It shouldn't be that hard, surely?
nil carborundum illegitimi
I'd love something like this as a tow vehicle for 2t drop a nice holden 308 or a ford 302 351 in it gove it a bog than a spray
Lovin life
If u break down easy to fix
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Forgot the pic lol not sure what class license is needed thoAttachment 121984
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I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee overlander . V6 diesel (top spec) - I still rate this as the best car I have owned .. it was a magnificent tow vehicle ( towing @ 12lt / 100kms) - Awesome acceleration & handling . very comfortable and a pleasure to drive on those long trips. Could not fault the car in the 3.5 years (130Ks) that I owned it. That 1st generation was the only one worth buying (apparently) Gen 2 went down hill fast .. build quality , reliability all fell in a heap - From hero to zero in a matter of 3 years & I reckon I dodged a bullet with that car.
Today you would be a nut to consider buying any Chrysler / Jeep one of the most complained about brands in Australia .
But I digress
Like the VW Amorok .. on paper looks to be a winner - but lots of bad experiences out there with build quality & reliability then there is VW it's self - what an unscrupulous manufacturer .
Chris
Give a man a fish & he will eat for a day !
Teach him how to fish
& he will sit in a boat - & drink beer all day!
TEAM MOJIKO