What would you buy.......

[HPLP]

Hey,

Im looking for abit of advice or comments if you wouldnt mind.....
Im living in Ireland at the moment but Im looking at coming over the Auz in the new year (for a while 6-8 months at least) and touring around. Im thinking of buying a vehicle out where you are for the time that I would be there. Now bearing in mind that this is a land rover forum, Im expecting the answers to be nice and biased towards land rovers but what would you recommend? Im leaning towards diesel as thats what I know but am open towards petrol/LPG if the sums add up.

Im looking to spend $5-7k but not really much more and I would need to be able to sell it on when I finish so resale unfortunately has to be considered.

Current things I have seen and like are a early (70s) range rover V8, TDI Disco or 60 series Land Cruiser.

I have a LHD Dormobile Defender 110 and Discovery in Ireland so am familiar with them.

Open to suggestions/comments!

Thanks,
Hugh.

[CraigE]

It depends on where you plan on touring. If you are planning desert treks I would lean towards a diesel, maybe a late 90s tdi Disco. Defenders command higher prices here than Discos. Probably try and get one with a roof rack and some history.

[langy]

Howdy

Since you already have one - 300 tdi disco. Fits the price, has plenty of range, easy on fuel and will be half decent. If you want to sleep in it, a defender of the same age, but it will be the upper limit of your budget.

You can get decent rangies aged about the late 80's early 90's at similar prices, but they are all v8's ( heavy on fuel) and even if they are on LPG, gas is hard to get in remote areas.

Whilst a 60 series may be a option, there's an old saying "Go with what you know'.

Have a look in 'markets' (top toolbar). It should give you a better idea on what members of AULRO sell their LR for.

Good luck

[LWB123]

Hello.

I guess 101% of the AULRO membership will genuinely hate me for this, but I have worked across northern Australia for 40 odd years including many isolated areas - and Oz is a big tough place - only too ready to find faults in old vehicles. I don't, of course, know where you plan to go or what you plan to do but most visitors seem to want to cover a fair bit of territory while they are here.

If you are only here for 6-8 months with the budget you are talking about, and really do want a 4WD, I would suggest you look at a Toyota Hilux diesel in as best a condition as you can afford. It is likely to be more comfortable to drive, is more likely not to kark it along the way, parts are available pretty near anywhere and the ability to offload it quickly afterwards is probably better than for any Land Rover you will get for AU$5-8K.

To be quite honest, unless you really want to go serious bush, I would look at a 90s model Holden or Falcon wagon for even less. There are heaps of them around, they have loads of space, comfortable to drive, are pretty reliable, easy to fix if something does go wrong and generally speaking will go pretty much anywhere that common sense dictates, including most outback formed roads. You only have to look at what the first nation folks drive through Centralia to get general endorsement for that mode of transport.

Your call - and the rest of you can calm down since I'm sensitive to abuse...........

Cheers

[roverfan]

If you want to get your money back, easy to get parts at a decent price ie. not ordder them from the Uk which is hard when you are travelling id say go a 60

[abaddonxi]

Check out Car Prices - Search Car Prices & Values Online - Red Book (http://redbook.com.au) for a general idea of how much cars sell for.

Older V8 Discoverys seem to be valued lower than other spec or models. I don't know if it's still the case, but last time I looked Toyota four wheel drives seemed to be more expensive on the second hand market than the equivalent in other marques.

Fuel gets more expensive the more remote you are, double city prices or more.

Used Cars & New Cars for Sale | Car Sales & Car Reviews - Drive.com.au (http://www.drive.com.au/)

Used Cars - New Cars - Search New & Used Cars For Sale - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/)

MotorMouth - Fuel Prices and Petrol Prices Australia (http://motormouth.com.au/)

[HPLP]

Thanks for all of your comments. The reason I wanted a 4x4 was simply that I like them and have always had one. Secondly I have found that for the slight off-set of a lower economy the larger size etc is far more useful. I could possibly stretch to abit more but the main quiery is whether I should get a land rover or not.

Are there few parts suppliers at all in Auz or would I mostly have to get parts from the UK/Europe?

Hmmmmm food for thought.....

[loanrangie]

We dont have the large aftermarket spares network that you have in the UK but the ones we do have are pretty good and will get parts to you where ever you may be, no hilux will ever be as comfortable as a landrover product bar a series 1/2/3. I 2nd the tdi disco, you will get a good one for your price range and parts are inexpensive compared to the jap equivalent . If you are travelling solo then a disco will be fine space wise and all you will need is a cargo barrier and maybe some home made drawers to get a well setup rig.

[Redback]

Parts for Toyotas in the bush are easy to get, this always amuses me, 20yrs ago maybe, today, it's a myth.

They don't stock spares the way they used too, it's not economical to do this, all parts are ordered on demand and the older the car the harder it is.

Yes there are more dealers, that doesn't mean parts are easier to get.

What I have noticed is that mechanics in the bush are more willing to work on Nissans and Toyotas, but only because that is the majority of what they know and what they normally work on.

My 2cents

Baz.

[Yorkshire_Jon]

Tdi disco.
As baz says, all parts are ordered in now-a days.

Also just how much do you expect to go wrong that you don't have parts for?

You'll be carrying a spare wheel and probably couple of tyres plus basic tools and gaffer tape (bush mechanic stylee) and your clearly used to tinkering with them given your current drives.

Final note is that your traveling, not in a race. If you have to wait a couple of days in an outback town for parts to arrive so what, chill and make friends with the locals whilst you wait for the postie:) if you get atuck in the middle I te bush it doesnt matter what your driving!

[John W]

My thoughts

You sound a bit low budget to be going remote places, you may get very lucky with spending that sort of cash on a 4X4 if you check it out in detail but most likely you will get a number of very significant breakdowns touring Aus for 6-8 months. The sort of breakdowns that may run into $ 1000s. I think I would be looking at $10000 plus if I was going to go remote and then spend more time and money to be sure it was as bomb proof as possible and getting to know it. The fun places in this country are very big distances between with heat and corrugations and red dust and sand. Bit harsh on a dodgy 4X4. There are many places that you would not think of going alone even in a new 4X4 without some back up plan if things go wrong.

$3000 will get you a very tidy 10 yr old falcon or commodore that should get you around most places and if there is a breakdown then in most cases it will be in the low $!00s. Go even cheeper say $1000 for a falcon which will probably be as reliable as a $ 7000 4X4 and is disposable if it breaks down.

[POD]

G'day HPLP, I'm also going to blaspheme here.
If you plan to do some touring here in Oz, you will most likely want the freedom to see some of the more remote areas and i would certainly recommend a trip up the Tanami Track or similar, and some time in the top end- say the Kimberley region. For that sort of thing you need a strong 4wd vehicle.
The indigenous people in the outback communities race around the deserts in conventional vehicles, but they drive them until they stop, then either abandon them permanently or have them towed back to the community for overhaul. That is not an approach I would recommend for a visitor.
Diesel fuel is readily available throughout the outback whereas petrol is not stocked in some places- not many, but some. Also safer to carry in jerries etc.
Whilst I love my Range Rovers, and have done plenty of outback touring in them, if I was looking for a vehicle for which I could readily obtain parts throughout the country and which I could sell quickly when it was time to leave, i would go for a (this will hurt) toyota. They are ubiquitous here. Hiluxes in particular are very cheap and easy not only to find but to sell. An old hj47 troopy would make an excellent choice if you don't want to be comfortable, but would probably top out your budget. Plenty of discoveries on the market in your price range, but parts will be hard to come by away from major centres.

[Sleepy]

Seeing as you seem a Land Rover type of guy, I would say Disco 1 V8.
You should be able to get one for a few grand cheaper than a diesel. Spend the difference on Tyres/Shockers and a general tidy up (Hoses, Good Service). You are not staying long enough to re-coup your money on the diesel savings.

Petrol will seem cheap here, probably about 40 to 50% cheaper than Europe. (In other than the remote areas)

You can find it difficult to find unleaded in some outback areas.

Do you intend to do remote outback stuff? If so, I am thinking you may need more money for equipment/communications etc.

Plus, V8's sound better.:p

[HPLP]

To be honest, the more I think about it, I doubt that I'll be going that remote (off main roads) unless I meet up with some others to go there with. Ive learnt in the UK not to go off-roading on my own and I would rather enjoy myself than get really stuck or even have the real worry that I could get stuck.
I can see the the for and against. The resale is something that I would consider but I dont want to feel that its a real pre-requisite. One option was to buy a very early rangie and ship it home afterwards. I'll probabily get stoned for suggesting such a thing!

I was thinking of either bringing out a service kit (belts, gaskets and the main pipes, ujs, etc) if I do lean towards one model and then go from there.


Thanks,
Hugh

[CraigE]

Can not believe people are talking Hilux, they are the most uncomfortable unreliable POS I have driven. Come into our workshop any day and see the problems. If I was going to go Toyota I would probably go a 80 series or maybe a good 60. But even a good 60 may stretch the budget a tdi or V8 Disco will come in at this price.

[ramblingboy42]

Hugh, I dont know how much homework you have done on driving this country. Firstly, distances are vast. Most people in the UK dont know what its like to drive 5-800km's in a day.....its commonfare here. If youre staying on the bitumen then theres every chance you will continually be in contact with other motorists, however if you go bush theres a chance you may not see anyone for days, but I think youve possibly ruled out bush. In the time youll be here unless you positively love driving long distances, youre not going to see as much of the country as you think you might. I'm not trying to blow out your candle, I'm sure you'll have great time. Most people dont fathom the size of this country.for example...Sydney to Melbourne 890km......Sydney to Brisbane......940km.....Sydney to Adelaide 1400km....Adelaide to Perth 2700km......get my drift? Mate come here and have a dam good time while you're here anyway.

[slug_burner]

Bar river crossings and lots of rain turning the country into a bog you could do lots of the country in a 2wd, go a Commodore or a Falcon wagon and you can sleep in the back.

You will not get across the Simpson desert in anything other than a 4 wd drive due to the sand dunes and the soft salt lake that you want to stay away from even in a 4x4. Creek crossings will rule out a fair bit of the more out of the way places but most back packers manage a fair bit of the country without investing in a 4x4.

If you are adventurous and don't mind doing work yourself you might get away with a cheap 4x4. Main problem with that is you can't choose where you are going to breakdown. A vehicle recovery from some locations will see you abandon the vehicle instead of paying $ks to have someone come and recover you. In the outback unless you can leave someone with a broken down vehicle you can forget about coming back to fix it as there will not be much of it left.

Good luck and enjoy it, whatever you decide.

[Michael2]

FUEL - Diesel - greater availability, more stable pricing, no tuning issues (as with LPG), greater range, no electrical issues (if you stay with 2/300Tdi).

PARTS - Land Rover parts are cheaper than Toyota parts if you import them or know where to get them.

All parts will be flown/trucked in to country areas, dealerships don't keep much in stock.

For your price you'd get a good 300Tdi Disco, and if you shop around an average TD5 D2.

I'd take the 300Tdi.

If you can extend your budget to $13-$18,000 you'd get a good 300Tdi Defender, it's a bigger outlay, but you'll retain the resale value better.

I just did 12,000km with a family of 5 in my 300Tdi Defender. Everyone was comfortable. About 2,000km was off road (Bungles, Tanami, Litchfield) and I wouldn't want to have done it in a leaf sprung vehicle (again).

The Land Rover diesels will offer you better economy than the Japanese ones (in that price range), so there are further savings to be had.

A 200Tdi Defender can be had for your price range, but parts aren't as common as the 300Tdi and compatibilities with 200Tdi disco's aren't as many as with 300Tdi Disco / Defender.

[PhilipA]

Again I will probably be unpopular but I would go the old Landcruiser or Hilux.
Re parts for example in Mataranka (pop100?) there is one mechanic. 90% of his work is servicing /fixing Toyotas for mainly station owners/workers.
10 % is probably fixing "Wicked" vans
His comment about my RRC when I put in on the hoist to drain the fuel was to say "they don't last out here".

One thing you should do regardless is join a motoring organisation like NRMA in NSW ( like AA) and buy premium cover for about $200. This will pay for a tow to the nearest agent or 100Km in more closely settled areas and accommodation. However this can be disruptive as they wanted to tow my RRC and camper trailer to Katherine which is 200+km away.

I met 2 people on the GRR who had bought Landcruiser 60s and without checking just drove away from Broome. One had multiple punctures but the other I helped get up some rock steps on Mt Elizabeth Station had just driven off , and had no idea of what their tyre pressures were and had no trouble.
With regard to parts, there are several Land Rover parts suppliers who will air freight hopefully in a short period, but you have to be somewhere with say a TNT or courier depot. I had new tailgate catches for my RRC air freighted from Perth ( by Rovacraft) to Kununurra , but they mistakenly sent them to Victoria and seeing they were the only ones in Australia , I had to wait a week for them to return them from Victoria and send them again to Kununurra.

When I broke my fan on cape York I had one posted to Cooktown ( by Gary at CLR) as the nearest reasonably sized centre.

So with the combination of premium breakdown insurance and air freight of parts you can be OK almost anywhere as long as you can wait.

Regards Philip A

[Tombie]

Falcon or Commodore Wagon or Ute with canopy...

Decent service and some new rubber and you'll be laughing.


"Where the Desert meets the Sea"

[Barney2803]

Definitely commodore wagon, VT, VX or VZ gives HEAPS of room in the boot, great reliable vehicles and good modern technology. Get one on LPG and use that wherever possible. They'll also go many a dirt road which, let's face it, don't need 4wd. If you must go 4wd, I'd go GQ patrol, 1988-1997, tough as nails, go like the clappers and parts everywhere. What ever you go with, go hard or go home!

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[Barney2803]

Sorry that's not meant to be offensive, just Aussie slang for.... I don't know... Aussies know what it means... Um... Go your hardest as you only live once!

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[George130]

Sorry to say but for quick resale a landy is a detriment due to the lack of knowledge on them.

If not doing off road then the falcon / commodore wagon is a good choice but 4wd will let you get to some of those great spots.

If you get a yota remember that they don't break down so an opening bonnet is a wast:D.
Disco's are cheaper than defenders so would be the better choice. otherwise a patrol or cruiser.

[muddy]

G'day HPLP :)

If you are coming by yourself and are staying on mainly formed roads, I would suggest a Falcon on gas, gas in Australia is to one standard, has to be professionally fitted and and one filler type(Gas= 69C a litre,Petrol 1.58C a litre)and is reasonably widely available Or if you are bringing a family a Falcon or Holden Commondore (Vauxhall) remember that distances are greater,from memory Lands-End to John O.Groats is about 650 miles(3 days drive) Brisbane to Sydney 653 miles 12-16 hours, Brisbane to Cairns 1100 miles roughly is a 3 day drive ;) so for about 2000 UK pounds you could get a fairly good Roadworthy Holden Commondore or Falcon wagon (estate) which would hold resale value and still give you good value for money and be repairable in most places cheaply


cheers

[roverfan]

Just look how lOng a land rover sits on car sales compared to a Toyota, if I needed to get back what I had paid for a car in a hurry at the end of a trip I'd be going the Toyota.

[DeeJay]

I've just got back from a Kimberlies/ Kakadu 12 day trip with a mate from Darwin & we travelled the Great Northern Highway/ Gibb River Road ( referred to in a previous post here as GRR) in his 2004 Petrol Prado
We travelled 5,000 klm !!
One comment to make is that a high clearance 4x4 is needed to see the best spots. We were lucky enough to see Jim Jim falls in Kakadu & a German tourist got there in a 2wd Hilux camper behind us. Good driving from him, but if it had rained- & it was threatening, he would probably still be there.
It would be fair to say that a 4wd will open up a lot more possibilities than a 2wd anywhere in Australia.
It was good to see a new German reg Landie at a popular tourist destination but if he bought it thinking we all had them, he was mistaken - you can't help but agree that Toyota is prevalent. There are a lot of 60 series Toyotas in wrecking yards up North, but they all might have the same issues that a traveller would encounter, who knows?

[jerryd]

Can you not ship out your 110 Dormobile Camper ??? Mine has traveled the world (previous owner) before ending up here, without any major dramas. At least you'd know the vehicle :)

[Michael2]

You can travel Europe in a sedan, but what would make for a better journey and better photos, a Ford Mondeo or a Defender?

The same for Australia. You love Land Rovers, you'd enjoy the trip more in a Land Rover, and the photos will always look better.

Travelling with a car you don't like is like travelling with a companion you don't like.

[frantic]

A defender/disco is great but your problem will be resale and even selling it!
If you want to go a bit offroad then as has been said a hilux/60 series cruiser/(maybe an early 89-98 nissan patrol COILS! with either the 4.2 diesel or petrol, dont touch the 3.0/2.8'shttp:) as your used to leaf "comfort". Add in a c.b and for 12months for peace of mind hire one of those emergency beacons so if you do get stranded in whoop whoop you can get rescued.
If you decide to not go bush bashing just get a falcon/commodore/camry wagon with a roof rack and get some raised springs for the rear to carry your load as they will be sagged.
The other advantage that was pointed out will be the speed of the resale, with a LR it will take far longer to sell than with a hillaxitive, pootroll, crusier, crummydore,cumray or foilcan. All of which you will give a good wash/polish drop the price 500-1500 from what you paid and sell quickly.
One other thing instead of paddock bashing you could look into some of the outback aerial tours that are run from day flights to far longer that give you the views but dont require a 4x4:D
couple of patrols:
1989 NISSAN PATROL DX GQ Private Cars For Sale in NSW - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=11443746&__Qpb=1&vertical=car&__Nf=p_PriceRange_Range|BTWN) 0 10100&eapi=2&__N=1216 1246 1247 1252 1282 4294963846 4294963358 898&silo=stock&seot=1&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_PriceSort_Decimal |1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&__Nne=15&Cr=1&Range=Price:Min,10000~1&trecs=26&__sid=13384A5EE289
1990 NISSAN PATROL ST GQ Private Cars For Sale in NSW - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=11377939&trecs=26&Range=Price:Min,10000~1&eapi=2&__Nf=||p_PriceRange_Range|BTWN) 0 10100&__Nne=15&sort=default&__No=15&vertical=car&silo=stock&seot=1&__sid=13384A5EE289&__N=1216 1246 1247 1252 1282 4294963846 4294963358 898&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_PriceSort_Decimal |1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&Cr=6&distance=25&__Qpb=1

[amtravic1]

I will second everone who says a Falcon wagon, or Commodore.
The Falcons are cheaper and tough. There is no need for a 4wd for seeing most of Australia. Ford or holden parts are cheap and everywhere. I have seen plenty of good Falcon wagons for $4-5000. You would be unlikely to get any reliable 4wd for the sort of money you want to spend with out having a good contact to source one for you.

[superquag]

On our honeymoon, (MANY moons ago) we hired a Suzi 4WD up in Kalbarri, went everywhere, including beaches and through lots of sand tracks.

- Kept crossing paths with a beaten up, split-windscreen VW Kombi with very normal tyres that seemed equally at home...everywhere.

[HPLP]

Hey everyone,

Thanks everyone for giving your thoughts. I can understand what you mean about distances. I was in Scotland last week though and I did about 2000 miles in about 4 days so can only guess what its like in Auz.

The more I think about it, Im leaning towards a 4x4 but Ive still got the clash between toyota or LR. While a car (Commadore or the like) would be more sensible, I still think Id rather a 4x4! As one of you said, at least it would look better in photos and be a much better companion! Id also rather not be the standard Irish tourist.......County Bondi here I come (NOT)

I would love to bring my own 110 Dormi over but its LHD and I dont know how long Im going to stay. If I end up staying more than 9/12 months then I will get her and my V8 90 brought over. The 110 would be ideal to have out there. Just need to sort out a pair of aux water/fuel tank and bobs your uncle.

In terms of toyota land cruiser 60 series, were the petrol and diesel both fairly bullet proof 4.2 litre engines? Dont know much about them.

I think that the best thing will be to touch-down in Auz and then go with my nose and see whats available nearby.

Thanks again and if anyone else has any other thoughts, they'd be much apreciated!

Hugh

[HPLP]

Ohhh and while i remember,

Do you need rego and roadworthy before you can drive anywhere or is it a case of you can drive around till they are both sorted/in process?

I have looked at a few on the net and they often say none of one or the other.

How strict is the roadworthy test out there? Here its middle of the road if you get a intelligent tester.

Something like this was what I was most leaning towards.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170723537910'ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649#ht_1171wt_1270


http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Toyota-Landcruiser-4x4-1989-4D-Wagon-5-SP-Manual-4x4-12HT-Turbo-factory-/200672581818?pt=AU_Cars&hash=item2eb90498ba#ht_500wt_1287

This looked cool!
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Toyota-Land-cruiser-Hj47-troop-carrier-/320791839126?pt=AU_Cars&hash=item4ab0af0196#ht_500wt_1287
Thanks,
H

[Barney2803]

Sounds like you're all just about ready. I just got scared about one comment you made at the end though..."I'll touch down and see what's available nearby"! This in my books is a major no-no! There are plenty of used car places around the airport and mascot etc that'll prey on exactly that thought and charge huge premiums because they know you need something urgently. FWIW.... find someone on here in Sydney who's willing to give you some time (in exchange for beer etc etc) who can spend a day with you looking at cars from all around Sydney. You could even decide to pay them $500 for thier efforts if you are able to get a really good deal or the right vehicle. $500 spent this way will be worth far more than say a supposed unlimited km warranty from a used car yard, and $500 will not cover much if your car breaks down so some insider knowledge is your best friend.

If I may..... When I toured the UK we found a cheap car rental mob, great price but an older peugoet. We picked it up, drove to the other side of London and it died. We called europcar and explained it all and they matched the price but with a brand spanking new VW golf.

I usually buy my cars interstate and factor the extra cost into the purchase price.

Whatever you do, hope your trip is simply WOOOOOONDERFUL!

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[HPLP]

Sounds like you're all just about ready. I just got scared about one comment you made at the end though..."I'll touch down and see what's available nearby"! This in my books is a major no-no! There are plenty of used car places around the airport and mascot etc that'll prey on exactly that thought and charge huge premiums because they know you need something urgently. FWIW.... find someone on here in Sydney who's willing to give you some time (in exchange for beer etc etc) who can spend a day with you looking at cars from all around Sydney. You could even decide to pay them $500 for thier efforts if you are able to get a really good deal or the right vehicle. $500 spent this way will be worth far more than say a supposed unlimited km warranty from a used car yard, and $500 will not cover much if your car breaks down so some insider knowledge is your best friend.

If I may..... When I toured the UK we found a cheap car rental mob, great price but an older peugoet. We picked it up, drove to the other side of London and it died. We called europcar and explained it all and they matched the price but with a brand spanking new VW golf.

I usually buy my cars interstate and factor the extra cost into the purchase price.

Whatever you do, hope your trip is simply WOOOOOONDERFUL!

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No I can understand what you mean about local cars to the airport. I remember that when I was in NZ. My intrepretation was lets say within 2-300 miles sort of distance.

H

[Barney2803]

Yep perfect. Youd only need to travel a 100miles and you'd definitely find something decent.

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[TerryO]

I'm with the Falcon / Commodore wagon vote, very economical for a petrol engine, very reliable, has more space for carrying stuff then any 4x4 and heaps of them around for bugger all money. Plus airconditioning that is meant for Australian conditions which you will appreciate if your from Ireland.

Either wagon is very comfortable to drive long distances and yes you can sleep in the back, you can't in a D1 or similar.

I did not note you said you wanted to do any off roading so why bother with a 4x4? Plus if your doing the big lap you don't want to be in the outback and then decide to head off up a track on your own otherwise chances are we will be reading about your demise on the front page of a newspaper when the eventually find your body, which happens with tourists going bush alone here occassionally.
No matter how much you look at a map of Australia until you get here you will not appreciate how big this land is and how few people live here and how spread out they are.

Bang for your buck a Aussie six cylinder wagon is the go by far. Good luck with your decision.

cheers,
Terry

[superquag]

Would lean towards the fowlcan rather than the crummadore, simply 'cos the seats are nicer and better positioned... But thats a personal choice. - Try them both before choosing either, if you go down that route.

There's no reason you can't start off with one of these, drive around a bit, see the beaten track and some less travelled...then decide if you would still prefer a more expen$ive (to buy, maintain, fix and fuel...) 4WD

Or simply flip a coin. :p

Don't forget Tasmania, lots of very differant scenery in a tiny space... We went from snow, to rain-forrest in a morning...

[frantic]

Each state has different rego systems so roll the dice but you can and would be best to get a specialist mech to checkyour car over before purchase.
The reason I suggested a nissan patrol was they finally got it almost right in 88 to 2007 with the 4.2 diesel, coil springs and extremely strong axles/diffs(look at some of the modified LR rigs and you will find them running a patrol diff at one end ) . The 4.2 petrol is pretty good as well but very thirsty and would drink a RR classic 4.0 under the table!:D They will be almost as easy to find parts for as the toymotas but about 10-20% cheaper. They have a very good LSD in the rear so if your planning on a bit of off road ,springs, tyres,B/bar snorkle and a good dose of bog to fill in the rust holes;) They will also be a lot easier to on-sell when you want to leave.
Ideally a 3.9 Isuzu diesel(maybe aftermarket turbo) Land rover county from early to mid 80's but these are RARE and going up in value ($8-15k!), have a look at their section in here. If you get one of these take it home to show a unique LR that will last.