Some Help Looking For Cartopper, help keep me clear of the bunyips! Options

[Krust]

Not one that knows much about cars... but this seemed like a nice buy. I found this while searching for the newer 4Runners

Nice price, low km's.

4Runner HERE!

[Spudly]

Frank?

has it got standard twin carbies or has it been modded? The SU's can be a bit fiddly, but as long as ya stay off the loud pedal they aint to bad on fuel..

Still though. Crusier, 4runner and Patrols would be my first choice...

4 Runner is actually a good option cause they are cheap on fuel and smaller and a bit more comfortable!

[nimrod]

Frank?

has it got standard twin carbies or has it been modded? The SU's can be a bit fiddly, but as long as ya stay off the loud pedal they aint to bad on fuel..

Still though. Crusier, 4runner and Patrols would be my first choice...

4 Runner is actually a good option cause they are cheap on fuel and smaller and a bit more comfortable!

Fuel injected 4 ltr v8 does about 10 ltrs per 100 k's on the open road, but drinks a bit if I put my foot down in town.

[nimrod]

Not one that knows much about cars... but this seemed like a nice buy. I found this while searching for the newer 4Runners

Nice price, low km's.

4Runner HERE!

Yes that is a nice WHITE 4runner .

[Spudly]

Slightly upgraded hey frank... That would not be a bad veichle. Did you say auto or manual? 4 door or 2 door?

These motors get along.. Keep the stepper motor clean and tuned along with the air flow sensor and theres no much to em... And you dont have to worry about the oil leaks cause they come from factory!!

[Jumpus GooDarus]

A bit late but Yep Yep the Jeep Cherokee's suck

I know this cause I had one B4 trading it in on the Navara, Jeeps are pretty small inside & use a sh*tload of fuel pretty gutless as well powerwise considering they're a 4 litre 6 cylinder motor.

I initially told bunyip man a Hi-lux or similar would be a better option but he wont listen to me

[Spudly]

I am also starting to lean towards the 4 runner option.. They also have the most room with the back seats folded down so you can get a swag and sleep in the back, especially cosy if you pick up a nice female backpacker!

[It'l Do]

I am also starting to lean towards the 4 runner option.. They also have the most room with the back seats folded down so you can get a swag and sleep in the back, especially cosy if you pick up a nice female backpacker!

A 3L diesel would be cheap to run.
Could he get a gen 3 (1989-1996??) for his budget?

Martin I assume you know that although diesel is dearer to purchase you drive a lot further per litre if you don't fang the crap out of it.

[SUMOFISHIN]

First of all Chad I know that Cruisers are tuff trucks I have owned them and I must say that they are tuff but it is very rare to find one that has Never blown a diff or gearbox Gearbox replacements are between $3500 and $5000,

Jumpy you are right that Jeeps feel smaller inside , they do not have a high roof line But I have been to the cape and back in one and it was a very impressing vehicle and reasonably fuel effecient, as far as power you mention Hi Luxes and my reference to them is that they wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.

I have also owned Jackaroos which I wouldn't go tripping in, and Probably one of the Best & most reliable vehicles I owned was an MQ Nissan wagon 3.3SD which was bullet proof.

I hope that Martin will find a Reliable vehicle to Travel OZ but it won't be a Hilux under any circumstances.

This post has been edited by SUMOFISHIN: Apr 16 2008, 02:51 PM

[salty fil]

as far as power you mention Hi Luxes and my reference to them is that they wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.
I hope that Martin will find a Reliable vehicle to Travel OZ but it won't be a Hilux under any circumstances.

Sumo it is true that Hilux's are renowned for having no guts. If you want power apparantly the Mitsubishi Triton wins that department according to a few of the guys i talk with on construction, (My knowledge of 4wd's is mainly with utes cause thats what interests me).
In November i towed my new boat of 850 kg (approx including trailer) back from Labrador in QLD on my 2.4L dual cab Hilux. A trip of normally 11 hours took me 12 to complete. The only time she really struggled was going up the hill at the Hawkesbury bridge. I had semis overtaking me there. But apart from the extra fuel, i had no problem.
As for unreliable to travel OZ, i have to dissagree my friend. I know many who have done it, and done it comfortably. I myself have tortured my vehicle so much that i should be put in jail if the world was run by cars. I have been saying i want to sell it and upgrade for over a year now, but i just cant do it cause the Hilux has been so good to me. But i have been looking, and im going to get ANOTHER Hilux but with a bigger engine so it doesnt strain with the boat on the back.
If i were to travel round OZ in a hilux a canopy is a must so you can store your stuff. Also i believe you need a dual cab. I would never own a single cab.
I go away a hell of a lot during the year, my work is flexible and the good thing is that the missus likes going camping and going off road so thats all we ever do.
If you have had a bad experience with a Hilux then i would understand your point, but i have yet to bump into anyone who had one and regards them as unreliable.
As the ad says...............................

UNBREAKABLE!!!

This post has been edited by salty fil: Apr 16 2008, 03:23 PM

[jack]

I once saw an episode of top gear in which they were testing the reliability of, I am pretty sure, the HILUX.

They tried everything, even submerging it in seawater, which went wrong and it was flushed away with the tide so was submerged for a couple of hours.

They were not allowed to replace parts , only clean, drain and replace fluids.

It kept on going.

Martin how about a course in 4x4 to get you out of hairy situations as well? Maybe one of the members can show him a thing or two


Jack

[nimrod]

As for a boat, you would find it hard to do better then this one. sell the trailer.


http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ALLOY-TINNY-10-FT-ON-TRAILER-6HP-

god damn it. don't know why it is doing that.

This post has been edited by nimrod: Apr 16 2008, 03:43 PM

[SUMOFISHIN]

If you have had a bad experience with a Hilux then i would understand your point, but i have yet to bump into anyone who had one and regards them as unreliable.

Hi Phil,
With no disregard to the performance of your Hilux, Up here in the bush we live amongst the Mountain Ranges of some very rough terrain, most people in these areas have tried just about every 4WD known,
I myself have had many, but at present most people in this region are either using Cruisers or believe it or not Dual Cab Rodeos,
Although I did have a turbo diesel Jackaroo and a V6 HSV Jackaroo whick are built on the same Chassis of my Rodeo they were never in the class of the Rodeo for Off road OR Highway use and I would never buy another,
However There is members on this site that will attest to the capabilities of my Rodeo and have done many thousands of Kilometers with me in all terrains.

(after saying that) all manufacturers have made LEMONS regardless and all owners have preferences, all I say to Martin is that the condition of the vehicle is what must be considered.

I think that we have HI JACKED Martins thread and should have started one on BUYING 4WD's

[jack]

I think that we have HI JACKED Martins thread and should have started one on BUYING 4WD's

As this information is relevant for him I am sure he won't mind

My inlaw has a rodeo and even though it rarely leaves the beaten track, it does a lot of km a year and it never faults him.


Jack

[MartinF]

jesus you guys are supposed to make it EASIER for me.. not HARDER!!

Jumps, I did listen to you but like I said, the cruisers/patrols are bigger and you can put a mattress in the back, and besides that, didn't see too many good hiluxs around either.

Frank, your last two ebay links aren't working here mate, sorry.. as for the car, are you positive you can get 10 liters per 100ks out of that engine? That's pretty good. The discovery I looked at yesterday also had a V8 and didn't get anything near that on petrol, although it's quite good on gas.

Krust, $7000 for a car with no gear with it is out of my budget a bit, since I'll need to get all the camping gear and tools and what not. Like I said, I really like the 60 series cruiser, also cause it's such a chunky car but the GQ I looked at wasn't too bad with UHF on it, good bull bar with spots, already has a rhino roof system so all I need to get is one more rhino roof bar and I can sell the rhino basket which should be worth quite a bit. It did have a bit of dmg to the paint but nothing too serious.. only bad thing is it's petrol with no lpg. That's why I wanted to look around a bit more. Will dive back into it in a minute. This is the car btw http://www.gumtree.com.au/sydney/25/22722125.html

this one was put on today: might have a look at it but it has the same prob as the other one and the price is almost $1000 dearer
http://www.gumtree.com.au/sydney/49/22812749.html

Just saw this.. the guy is only asking $4500 for it.. what do you reckon would be wrong with it? Since it's a '96 80-series diesel with pretty much everything on it you could want
http://www.gumtree.com.au/sydney/58/22845058.html
-- just saw that it's on muddies which wouldn't be ideal for long trips I guess.. but still at that price I could get a set of cooper ATRs and sell off the muddies..

[nimrod]

There is a lot of talk about a vehicle being capable of handling the rough terraine
My question to Martin is " Are you going to be going OFF road into rough terraine " ????
You can travel around Australia these days in a Mini minor as everywhere has bitumen roads.
That is unless you get into the remote areas that will take extra time and a lot more money.
My guess is Martin won't be doing any really rough OFF road adventures in his travels, and therefor
the vehicle he buys will not have to be the toughest of tough you beaut beasts that a
lot of people appear to consider nessesssary to travel Australia.
Most 4x4's never get onto a dirt road, and that is because there is no need for them to do so.
Yeah OK there are plenty of places where the roads are dirt, but you could still travel
them with a conventional vehicle, and a run of the mill 4x4 of any brand would be suitable.
Spare parts could be a slight problem for some vehicles, but you could bet if something goes
wrong the local mechanic would have to have the parts sent from somewhere, even with your Toyotas.
Prevention is better then cure, and if the vehicle is properly serviced and everything checked
properly before he ventures off, then unless he abuses the vehicle or has an accident, then
there should be no need for any complicated parts to be needed.

I personally would have no hesitation heading for a around Australia journey in a well maintained
Jeep.

[salty fil]

Hi Phil,
With no disregard to the performance of your Hilux, Up here in the bush we live amongst the Mountain Ranges of some very rough terrain, most people in these areas have tried just about every 4WD known,
I myself have had many, but at present most people in this region are either using Cruisers or believe it or not Dual Cab Rodeos,
Although I did have a turbo diesel Jackaroo and a V6 HSV Jackaroo whick are built on the same Chassis of my Rodeo they were never in the class of the Rodeo for Off road OR Highway use and I would never buy another,
However There is members on this site that will attest to the capabilities of my Rodeo and have done many thousands of Kilometers with me in all terrains.

(after saying that) all manufacturers have made LEMONS regardless and all owners have preferences, all I say to Martin is that the condition of the vehicle is what must be considered.

I think that we have HI JACKED Martins thread and should have started one on BUYING 4WD's

You make some good points SUMO. Also being older than me (and i believe maybe wiser) i will not counter what you say about other vehicles. I also cant say much about many other makes cause im no pro on them. BUT my Hilux has been good to me and i wont buy anything else until they prove me wrong. Im actually getting abit nervous to buy a new one now cause Murpheys Law says that im going to buy one that turns out to be a complete lemon!
I dont think we have hijacked Martins thread, maybe confused the guy, but we are all posting some good info here for him and others. I myself have learnt a thing or two.

[MartinF]

Well I guess it depends on your definition of tough terrain but I do intend to do Cape York, Kimberley, some of the desert area out in WA as well as the offroad tracks in Taz, so yeah, I reckon it would have to be a pretty capable vehicle. Having said that, there's usually an easy and a hard way to do most remote areas, like say Cape York. But I do intend to be using the 4wd capabilities a fair bit once I get to north QLD and beyond.

[salty fil]

Well I guess it depends on your definition of tough terrain but I do intend to do Cape York, Kimberley, some of the desert area out in WA as well as the offroad tracks in Taz, so yeah, I reckon it would have to be a pretty capable vehicle. Having said that, there's usually an easy and a hard way to do most remote areas, like say Cape York. But I do intend to be using the 4wd capabilities a fair bit once I get to north QLD and beyond.

Better safe than sorry Martin.
There are so many places in Far North QLD that are not even on a map. You would be spewing if you discovered one of these pristine, isolated spots but couldnt access it due to not having a tough 4wd.
One hell of a place i believe you have marked for your trip is The Daintree Rainforest.
Absolutely a magical place. My favourite on my trip. You can head up to The Cape using the boring bitumen road, OR you can and should go via Cape Tribulation.
As you pass through and head north toward Cook Town you have to pass i think about 5 creeks/rivers/streams or whatever they were. Now a couple of these are pretty dangerous cause you could have a diff-breaker below the surface so get someone to walk ahead of the car to guide you on the right path, (just watch out for the crocodiles). On one of these crossings i had water so deep it was coming above my bonet. Depending on what time of year you go, these crossings can be very unpredictable.
I believe from your posts that you want to see all that you can so maybe getting a 4wd as tough as you can afford is your option.
A must is to also have a UHF radio. Mobile phones are useless in some of these parts.

[Jumpus GooDarus]

Salty !

It was Nimrod whom you quoted & not SUMO

I do believe a 4WD is the way to go & yes the roads these days are pretty good BUT you have to bear in mind Bunyip Man is taking a car topper with him to go Dufeesing

A 4WD will make all the difference in some places in regards to launching the boat else he'll have to drag it through 5 paddocks over 3 fences & get chashed by Moo Moo Cows.