imported patrol (89 model) any advice

[BigE]

hi ausfishers i'm in the market for a new 4b/tow vehical at the moment i have a 4m tinny but that will be upgraded to a 1/2cab in a year or so. i went looking the other day and found a place that imports patrols from japan with about 75000kms for about $15000-18000 with rego& compliance they look the same and run a td42 engine the major differance seems to be a 24volt electrical system, does any one have any experience or advice.
many thanks BigE

[kleiny]

big e

why not just buy an aussie one i bought a 95 patrol 12 months ago for $18,000 & couldn't be happier towed my friends 4.4 cc 600km round trip a couple of weeks back no prob to sit on 100 or above. if your going for the imports the main thing i would research is head gasket & cooling systems these are the main things that let down imported cars

[BigE]

many thanks kleiny

[BigE]

many thanks kleiny how many kms on your 95 when you bought it?

[kleiny]

120,000 bought from local dealer in maryborough but i searched hard for about 4 months everywher in south east qld

[kleiny]

my brother in law bought a hilux surf about 6 months ago he's had gearbox prob's cracked head electrical probs. but these i think are known for there probs as for the nissan i think they'd be pretty good especially low km's hard to come buy, but i would check out those things i said above.

[nisrol]

hey bigE
you should be warned about the jap imports yeh they do look like the td42, BUT there are a few technicel differences mainly in the engine bay as they are actually set up different the one i have seen was an 89 turbo diesel immaculate to look at but as for parts availability , send to japan for them and wait three months ( they may be a bargin price but the hip pocket hurts as for the repairs as there are very few of them here) anyhow good luck on your looking .

P.S I do know where there is a perfect GQ no rust but the guy is asking around $12,000 let me know if you want to have a look and i'll set it up OK.
cheers for now andy

[FLATHEAD1]

I bought an imported 1987 GQ Safari Wagon (Patrol) lwb with high roof, winch 4.2 diesel, 5 speed etc. and could not be happier with it.

Paid $10,000 for it with 123,000 on the clock including reg and compliance. I have replaced the slave cylinder, the panhard rod bushes, the power steering pump hose, replaced springs with 50mm higher king springs and fitted a towbar.

All parts i have repalced have been standard gq patrol original or aftermarket and in stock.

Had to replace the trailer lights with 24v. Most fridges run on 12/24 volt.

They come with standard extras such as sun roof, diff locks, auto hubs, rear heaters, power door looks and windows etc.

Never had a cooling problem even towing the boat and packed with camping gear for 5 hours continuos. I have had it about 6 months and done about 10,000 k's.

I have had a good expirience. It was what I considered the best value for money in the upto $10,000 range compared the the local vehicles on offer.

I don't know if I woud be paying $15,000 - $18,000 for and 89 model though. I that price range I think that there could be alternatives to consider.

I am waiting for a couple of years when the 80 series cruisers are 15 years old and I will privately import one to replace my nissan.

Cheers
FH1

[BigE]

hi flatie many thanks for your positive reply

[nisrol]

bigE can give you the choice of two at the moment 1/ is $9,900 2/ is around $12 to $13,000 check them both if you wish

cheers andy

[GQ_patrol]

Hi there, I am on my second GQ Patrol. First one covered 600,000 Kms of pretty rought travelling without any problems. Difference is....i had it from NEW. The problem we find with these Imported Patrols is, we really dont know how many Kms they have travelled. Its as easy as opening a can of beer to change the speedo on then, Any wrecking yard will sell you one. Also a consideration is this, how was it treated by its previous owner? From what I have heard in the 4wd forum I am a member of, these imported Patrols are ok, but everything is written in Japanese so unless your capable of reading Japanese, I'd make sure I understood what everything was before heading offroad. Its usually out there where things can go wrong. Just my shillings worth.
Angelo

[FLATHEAD1]

GQ

I had a Maverick previously so I had prior knowlege of these vehicles and I was confident that the condition of the vehicle represented the kilometres travelled.

I agree anyone can change the speedo and falsify the history etc on imported and local vehicles. "Buyer beware".

It is my understanding that to annually re-register a vehicle in Japan it is subjected to mechanial and epa testing. The older the vehicle and the more kilometers the higher cost of registration. The goverment is encouraginging the sale of new vehicles. Older vehicles are basically worthless in Japan that is why they are exported.

Japan after all being an island national has limited places to travel. That is generally why vehicles in Japan have less kilometres.

The vehicle I bought was factory original and like new underneath. No sratches dents or signs of offroad use. The vehicle was not fitted with a towbar and the overall condition suggested that it had an easy life.

So my advise is the same as with any 2nd vehicle if you are not sure get a mechanic to check it out and take it for a run and forget all the myths and rumors.

Cheers
FH1