4x4 thread

[nicko]

So im in the process of selling my Commodore and buying a 4x4. Im after a dual cab ute thats pretty tough and can handle some decent off road tracks. Ill be fitting a liftkit and some decent rubber also to help it through the bush a bit. Just after some opinions on 4x4 utes. Im liking a D22 navara at the moment but have heard stories of the 2003 3.0L turbo motors not having a big enough sump? Anyways if u have a 4x4 can u just share your experience with me and shoot me and helpful hints.

Thanks

[Johnsy]

Hey mate.... my work ute is a 3.0L TD 4x4 rodeo... i thrash it a fair bit and the thing tows like there is no tomorrow... but i havent really taken it offroad as such... mostley on muddy work sites and some fire trails...

but i cant pick a fault with it...

[nicko]

Thanks mate,

the only thing that turns me off the rodeo is the electronic selection. Dont like the idea of being in the bush and getting the solenoid wet then having no 4x4. Ever had any dramas selection 4x4?

[VT-565]

Hi Nicko,

I've had more 4x4's than any other type of car, so i think i can offer some opinion. I'll be straight up and say that I swear by toyotas. I'm on my 4th one now and they have NEVER left me stranded on the side of the road (except when I ran out of juice that one time lol) If you're chasing a dual cab, whether it's new or 2nd hand, I recommend the hilux. I had an '04 SR5 dual cab turbo diesel and I could not kill that thing. It rode well, handled well, went wherever I wanted it to and towed anything I hooked up behind it. The only 'gripe' I had with it was the wheel alignments it needed to have to preserve tyres every 10,000k's or less, but other than that, it went hard.

I've got one of the 'new' turbo V8 diesel utes now, it's awesome, but i'm thinking of going to the LC70 'shorty' wagon, as seats are more precious to me now than tray space.

As i said, i'm a toyota man, but some of the other brands are coming out with decent stuff nowdays too. In the end, it's your cash.

Cheers
nick

[nicko]

yeh im looking to spend abuot 15k on the car itself and then another 5 or so on mods- bullbar, lift, lockers etc. The turbo hiluxs look nice but seem a bit pricey?

[Johnsy]

Thanks mate,

the only thing that turns me off the rodeo is the electronic selection. Dont like the idea of being in the bush and getting the solenoid wet then having no 4x4. Ever had any dramas selection 4x4?

Hi nicko... nah no dramas switching between 2x4 and 4x4 at all it's handy when you are towing say 2-3T and it rains and she starts to spin when taking off on a hill you just press the magic button and hey presto you have traction again... plus you can switch between high range 4 x 4 and 2 x 4 up to 100kph....
you have to be just rolling to engage low range...

I like toyota's also but they are pricey and if you want value for money i swear by the rodeos i have had 4 different ones in the last 10yrs for work and never had a prob....

[VT-565]

The turbo hiluxs look nice but seem a bit pricey?

The old saying comes into it, "you get what you pay for".

15k will get you something half decent...

[quick308]

yeh im looking to spend abuot 15k on the car itself and then another 5 or so on mods- bullbar, lift, lockers etc. The turbo hiluxs look nice but seem a bit pricey?

Hilux's are expensive because they are on such high demand. i bought mine for 18,000 and about 5 other people rang about it while i was buying the car lol. even the new ones have a 6month waiting peroid. i went on my first 4wd weekend 2 weeks ago and she performed very well. all these fancey nissan patrol drivers were sayen how i would not get up this paticular hill. well i proved them wrong lol got it all on video. ill post it up on here when i get the dvd

[iluvnorks]

So im in the process of selling my Commodore and buying a 4x4. Im after a dual cab ute thats pretty tough and can handle some decent off road tracks. Ill be fitting a liftkit and some decent rubber also to help it through the bush a bit. Just after some opinions on 4x4 utes. Im liking a D22 navara at the moment but have heard stories of the 2003 3.0L turbo motors not having a big enough sump? Anyways if u have a 4x4 can u just share your experience with me and shoot me and helpful hints.

Thanks

Im in the same boat nicko.. Wanna sell my v8 ute and get a forby.. Gonna refinance the house and am looking to spend upto $25,000.. My old boy has an exploder and want to give it a rest.. Im a ceramic tiler and we tow trailer everyday which would weigh somewhere between 1.5-2T..
I was thinking 2000 Patrol or Cruiser 4.2lt Turbo Diesel and then later on getting the gas / diesel injection system.. Boosts power by 20%, fuel economy by 25% and torque by 30% or something along those lines.. But ive heard the 3.0lt turbo diesel are a good donk aswell.. Ive gotta get out there and drive a few to see what i like..

[Torquative]

go D-Max

- its just an old Rodeo rebadged
- it has dedicated service centers and staff
- they will do a you beaut deal to stop you buying one of those Colorado versions ...

just something to think aout

[VT-565]

go D-Max

- its just an old Rodeo rebadged

I thought an old rodeo was a f*cked rodeo? lol

D-max. never heard of it. Sounds like TATA he he

I'll do a google.

[badaz]

Mate i'd had 4wd for years the best one I had was the hi-lux, it was just a 2l petrol but it went everywhere I'm still regretting selling it.
I also had a twin cab turbo diesel trition it was ok just lack a bit of power but still went were it needed to go.
We have rodeo's as work cars and I would prefer to buy a EA falcon they are crap slow under powered sounds like a massey tractor.
I am a big fan of the hi-lux so I say thats the go.
Like all cars the cars is only as good as the driver, I have done a few 4wd course's and have learnt something everytime.

[andyman]

just note, if you lift a vehicle, the lowest point of the car will still be the axles, if you want to raise the vehicles go bigger tyres first, in saying that alot of vehicles will still need to be raised to fit them.

i work on rangers cars, so brand new hiluxes, patrols, pajeros etc, i can tell you hilux's get driven real hard and they do break things, so dont get caught up in the misconception of indestrucatable, but dont get me wrong id love one.

i know a few guys that have RA t/diesel rodeos and swear by them, and love the electronic 4x4 selection.

also hiluxes have been using auto diff locks on the sr5's since mid 90's, and ive heard they cause cause grief sometimes, my aunties and uncles 99 model packen it in. you will know if it has A.D.D by the 4wd button on the side of the transfer selector, so check that it works, if a vehicles has the A.D.D and has the locks that you turn on the hubs mean the systems packed it in and its been replaced by a manual kit

[nicko]

yeh, what every car i buy if it doesnt have manual locking hubs i will be fitting them. I like the idea of knowing they are engaged before i get stuck. Anyone drive or worked on Navaras? From 03 onwards? they seem to be a very tuff unit.

[Lumps of cheese]

I have a rodeo and it's a great all round ute imo. My brother has a new hilux and he seems to like it. He also had a rodeo before that and did 330000 trouble free klms in it.
Steer clear of the navaras, very little under vehicle protection, especially around the sump.

[wezza95]

ive got a 95 GQ patrol with 3in lift and 33in muds awesome off road never had and mechanical dramas and the diffs and drive line are very tuff!! for 15k u could beef it up a fair bit and have a very decent rig its just the 4.2 diesel na but still tows 3ton

[Johnsy]

I thought an old rodeo was a f*cked rodeo? lol

D-max. never heard of it. Sounds like TATA he he

I'll do a google.

Or even worse a Mahindra

[nicko]

so navaras are not a good option off road? Im not talking about rock hopping in it but just getting off the path and seeing australia

[WhiteLightning]

go D-Max

- its just an old Rodeo rebadged
- it has dedicated service centers and staff
- they will do a you beaut deal to stop you buying one of those Colorado versions ...

just something to think aout

I thought an old rodeo was a f*cked rodeo? lol

D-max. never heard of it. Sounds like TATA he he

I'll do a google.

Firstly by old you must mean the last model Holden made in association with Isuzu

And yes an old rodeo can be a slightly less good quality one. Although the older ones have the manual hubs and trusty old 2.8l diesel.

I own a 2003 RA Rodeo. and so far have had no mechanical dramas as such. The previous owner did an alternator that warranty covered.
one thing i have noticed though is stock ground clearance isn't as impressive as say, a land rovers is. But the Land Rover is the ultimate weapon in offroad adventuring, so it comes as no surprise.
Since the split Holden Manufactures the carbon copy of the Rodeo and calls it a Colorado. Apparently in an attempt to appeal to an american market.
And Isuzu the D-Max. Don't know much about engines. One assumes it's a 3 litre common rail T/D or a 3.5 litre V6 in the colorado. Unsure of anything for the D-max.

[andyman]

Or even worse a Mahindra

haha we had one of those at work cause the dealer wanted us to guage opinions if we'd buy one.

the dash in reminded me of the cheapest plastic you could buy at clints crazy bargins if you know what i mean, weird colour with different pieces of colours in it. and the sump is the lowest part of the car and unprotected, mahindra = EPIC FAIL



d22 navara, not bad but has a substantial amount of turbo lag, and its really slow until it picks up,

if you go patrol, get a 4.2 litre for sure, 3.0's are a little dicy, not to bad now but susectable to cracking heads at around 100,000km also a few other little reliabilty problems

[f1tzy]

One of the guys from work has a D22 navara. He reckons it goes well off road and he does the sorta stuff your looking at doing. And he has fitted a sump plate to i believe

[andyman]

Firstly by old you must mean the last model Holden made in association with Isuzu

And yes an old rodeo can be a slightly less good quality one. Although the older ones have the manual hubs and trusty old 2.8l diesel.

I own a 2003 RA Rodeo. and so far have had no mechanical dramas as such. The previous owner did an alternator that warranty covered.
one thing i have noticed though is stock ground clearance isn't as impressive as say, a land rovers is. But the Land Rover is the ultimate weapon in offroad adventuring, so it comes as no surprise.
Since the split Holden Manufactures the carbon copy of the Rodeo and calls it a Colorado. Apparently in an attempt to appeal to an american market.
And Isuzu the D-Max. Don't know much about engines. One assumes it's a 3 litre common rail T/D or a 3.5 litre V6 in the colorado. Unsure of anything for the D-max.

colorado is still made with associations to isuzu but in a different plant now, colourado has the 3.0 crd aswell as the 3.6 litre alloytec seen in the commodores, d-max is the 3.0 crd only