Work utes

[Trayner]

Hey guys im in need of some opinions

As some may know, Im a tradie and the time has come for me to start thinking about a ute as the sedan is getting a bit hard to carry stuff/materials and such


now my sorta "plan"
is spend around $5,000 for this ute .
As I want to get a ss sedan or something for a weekend car. later on down the track


(Be in mind im still on P plates, but could get an exception to drive from the boss)

my options are


rodeo v6 or 8
hliux " "
etc

or something along the lines of

vs v8 ute

now ive got alot of shit that i need to carry

stools , tools , planks , materials etc

so ill ether need say a hilux with ladder racks to put stuff on or i could get a trailer for the vs ute to pull around etc ( or if the hilux type ute doesnt have racks)

Ill need a ute with plenty of power , and it would probly be carrying alot of load around the town.

the vs ute v8 (as everyone knows) has a 5l engine
while the hilux's have like 2.4 v6 in them

has anyone dealt with these engines before?



what are some peoples opinions on this matter ?

any help would be great

[DevilDRake]

Well one thing to remember is get one that you're not going to worry about the accidently damage - It's going to happen.

If you can get an exemption for it, go for the VS, cheapest option with the most decent power for what you're looking for. Sure you'll get pulled over ALOT to check for your exemption letter, but if you have a big full load of shit and they can see that just say the V6 struggles.

[Garth]

for 5 grand you wont get much with good reliability. unless you spend money on the vs ute you will be limited to how much the ute can cary on it's load ratting, wheels, suspension and other factors come into the equasion. and for 5k you wont get a decent hiliux ute or rodeo. the hilux work mates drink petrol and are useless in town situations. and the rodeos are re-badged izuzu's (depending on year) they drink petrol like there is no 2morrow.

[gopher]

or i could get a trailer for the vs ute to pull around etc ( or if the hilux type ute doesnt have racks)

what's the point of buying a ute then? put a towbar on the sedan
towing a trailer to some worksites is just a major pain in the arse
i always buy traybacks for the simple reason you can throw whatever you like in the back and not worry about damage.
i used to have a 6 cylinder rodeo and its fuel economy sucked, i have had a vz 1 tonner for a few years now and it's been ok.
if i were you i'd probably go for a hilux
maybe a 4 x 4 one

[walesy]

before my old man bought a brand new hilux back in 07 his 91 model hilux was a lil beast, we were surprised at how good it was and he is a deisel mechanic so had SHIITE LOADS of tools in it and still pulled alright

[illusionalvr]

you cant beat the V6 hiluxes on fuel comsumption. thats if your going for the most fuel use. maybe an older navara, ford courier or something.

[FstStig]

Agreed, Grab yourself a trailer for $1000 - $1200 then save the rest for a V8 Conversion when you are off your P's.... Problem solved... Next thread!

[Lumps of cheese]

Falcon ute, easily better for the heavy stuff over the holden.

[old mate]

for 5 grand you wont get much with good reliability. unless you spend money on the vs ute you will be limited to how much the ute can cary on it's load ratting, wheels, suspension and other factors come into the equasion. and for 5k you wont get a decent hiliux ute or rodeo. the hilux work mates drink petrol and are useless in town situations. and the rodeos are re-badged izuzu's (depending on year) they drink petrol like there is no 2morrow.

all rodeos are isuzu's. don't buy a v6 one, especially dont if its on gas.

the 4 cylinder one (petrol) has heaps and heaps of torque and they have alot more room than a hilux and are nicer to drive. the diesel ones arent very fast but are damn reliable. my old man has a 94 turbo diesel dual cab 4x4 rodeo, its a bloody good thing. alot better tradie ute than a hilux. good on fuel. can tow heaps and heaps of weight and still do reasonable speeds.

it doesnt feel like it will ever get to 100 when you're towing 3 tonne + but it will do 130 if you wait a while.

but in that price range, i would be looking at a 4 cylinder petrol rodeo.

[fuzzy2308]

Falcon Ute or hilux mabe a mazda or nissan, commodore utes are toys and aren't very practicable for trade but it depends on your trade.

[Trayner]

Agreed, Grab yourself a trailer for $1000 - $1200 then save the rest for a V8 Conversion when you are off your P's.... Problem solved... Next thread!

yes my current car has a tow bar on it , but say I was working somewhere, where i didnt need the stools only my tools and a bit of material , cant just chuck that in the back of the sedan
and also say the trailer was full and i still needed to put materials , there wouldn't be room at all in a sedan

Falcon Ute or hilux mabe a mazda or nissan, commodore utes are toys and aren't very practicable for trade but it depends on your trade.

plastering lol , so only carry small/ medium tools (boss has a 6x4 trailer) so thats about the size of space i need .

[Critical Jim]

Falcon Ute or hilux mabe a mazda or nissan, commodore utes are toys and aren't very practicable for trade but it depends on your trade.

Commodore utes have turned into a fashion item.

I personally love it when all the "tradies" bring there utes to the Landscaping department explain that their sports utes can only hold about 550 - 600 or so kg of soil/screenings etc, and then the look's on thier face when all the dust billows out over their ride.

90% of tradies that come through work tow a trailer and have nothing in their utes anyways, most just buy a sports ute and claim it as a work expense for tax purposes..

[VEV8]

I have a 2003 Mazda Bravo with a 2.6lt 4cyl. which carries 1 tonne pallets every 3rd day and it does it easily. Every other day of the week it's hand loaded with between 400-600kg. 35000klm a year doing that work and it hasn't let me down. I've used a 1 tonne BA Falcon to do the same job and the Bravo out performed it hands down and it's a 4lt. It's just as important to look at the gearing as it is the power.

[HamaTime™]

Diesel Rodeo for reliability, torque, fuel economy and durability.

VS 5l ute could be good, but I'd personally go the Rodeo over it to save your fuel bill.

Hilux's are expensive, but damn good cars, but drink petrol like nothing else.

[Jonno]

I would suggest one of mydads work utes that he loves
2007 rodeo (last line of them)
With the vz/Ve alloytec engine, it gets up to 110 easily, and keeps going and going and going
It's 4x4 and has done more than a few trips to birdsville and back

But u probobly won't get it for 5..

[vkberlina]

I have an R9 Rodeo v6 spacecab, good power fair amount of torque which is more important, on LPG/Petrol fully loaded with gear 800kg approx I get 350km on petrol and 330km on gas out of 60l on both

I would suggest for a work car get an auto much more practical. I would suggest a Rodeo or hilux for the extra ground clearence its handy getting into jobsites, driving over gutters etc my V6 is gread havent put a spanner to it except for standard maintenance of oil changes, 1 timing belt about to do another for 200k, adjust the steering box, 1 set of brake pads since new, and I had to put shocks on it at 165,000km.

Also why not look at a Turbo deisel Rodeo?

also you will need way more than $5 I spent 1/2 that just fitting out my ute with ladder racks & other fixtures.

I would also suggest one of the falcon utes that are higher off the ground, else even a v6 commodore ute.

Scott

[one_and_only2004]

BA-BF falcon RTV - I have one for a work ute and I love it. Plenty of torque, can carry a lot of weight, they're pretty good on fuel, plus the auto's are bench seat so you can fit three people in.

Good luck getting anything fitted out and reliable for $5000 though - maybe up the budget to $10,000? After all, it's a tax write off anyway.

[ute boy]

im not a tradie but i can make a few sugestions

one thing i found with my vs ute is the lack of weight it can hold (it is lowerd tho) and only holdes 150-200kg because on the coil overs in the back.
if your goin to be holdin alot of weight in the back your better off with leaf springs (rodeo hilux one tonner ect)
if you can go for a diesal for more toruqe and cheaper on fuel as some rwd rodeos have 4x4 gearboxes and love the fuel

[elmaso]

i know older utes and falcons (some to 96) have a genuine 1 ton pay load, and under stress the VS/VU's (mainly SS's) can have tyre rubbing issues due to the rear tyre offset.
i think a falcon mainly because an older ute cost a fair amount and chug petrol like nothing, and the old ford 4.0 is a fair engine, my great unlces got 600,000 and it was towing a caravan across Australia its whole life, only just kicked the bucket too.

[jesse_lankey]

as hammatime said diesel rodeo, my parents have a petrol rodeo and it can tow a ton easily so a diesel would have no issues

[VZ_SS]

What do your workmates drive?

[Trayner]

Thanks for all the replies guys , deffently gone off the holden vs type utes.

Thinking of ether a extra cab hilux or space cab rodeo (Not a real fan of single cabs or duel cabs :P)
something around the 1994-98 area

Thinking more petrol than diesel atm thou ,

A few have been selling on ebay for around 4kish with a stereo and rims etc


also thinking of getting a manual :P the vs with the auto is boring lol

What do your workmates drive?

boss drives a 2010 triton lol , a bit out of my price range

[Lumps of cheese]

Petrol?
Hope you have deep pockets

[Clutchy]

Diesel is the way to go if ya gonna be carring any sort of load and another way to look at it ya need to get to work every day to afford ya toy sittin in the shed (ss) so id spend a bit more than 5 grand on it and just wait a bit longer for the ss but thats just me.

[Trayner]

by heavy load im talking like 500 kilos or less so its not like ill be towing/carting a full load each day

and as im still only an apprentice so i have jack all tools and that. The boss has most of the tools in his ute