Thread: Time for a new 4WD....but what to get??????

Originally Posted by walker

...Most of my driving is in city peak hour traffic and I definately want an auto. ....

Get the Defender before you get a DVT* then. It provides exercise and circulation in traffic.


Just imagine this : you're driving slowly in traffic, you glance out the window and see your reflection in the large glass panes of the shops around you.

Would you rather see yourself in a Defender
a Playdo
or a Pajero

Here's a link to a video where I took the Defender and a new NS Diesel Pajero 4WDing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1lnwPT2KWk

The Paj did okay, it scraped it's underbelly countless times, but performed well. The outcome - The Paj driver likes his Pajero and will keep it, BUT he's now in the market for a Defender for the real stuff.

Another mate with a Paj went and bought a 200Tdi Defender to do the Simpson Desert in, he then sold it after the trip as he had 5 cars and the Defender was a ute, but if it'd been a wagon he would have kept it.




*Deep Vein Thrombosis

The Pajero would be my choice too, out of those 3.

Baz.

June 07 4WD Monthly has a Prado Vs Paj comparo.

I hate to say it here too but the Pajero would be my pick to. When you look at them from every angle they stack up as well or maybe even better than ( the diesels even have rear locker standard I think ) a D3 for value for money when you have a good look at what your getting, and there are more dealers around than LR dealers in the bush.

Well I am completely biased, but I'd be going for a RR Vogue which was originally purchased with the 5 year warranty, so it will still be under full manufacturers warranty for another year or two.

I got a 2003 HSE TD6 with 100,000 Km on it for $58K. It had done a lot of highway work (hence reasonably high KMs) but was in almost mint condition inside and out. Warranty expires at the end of 2008. The attention to detail on the car is fantastic, and the fit and finish is excellent.

There's no comparison between pulling up somewhere in a Rangie compared to the Jap stuff.

Originally Posted by ak

I hate to say it here too but the Pajero would be my pick to. When you look at them from every angle they stack up as well or maybe even better than ( the diesels even have rear locker standard I think ) a D3 for value for money when you have a good look at what your getting, and there are more dealers around than LR dealers in the bush.

If you get rear Air Con on the Pajero, you can't get Factory Difflock - not even if you beg.

My mate couldn't get over the mentality of that marketing strategy, so it's A/C and an ARB Locker.

But I reckon you can get a TDV6 D3 if you look hard enough.

I won't suggest which 4WD to go with because that is personal choice.

If you can pick up a TDV6 SE for under $70K then you would be lucky. It will be most likely a MY2005 meaning that it will be an early build which tend to have a few more electrical problems than MY2006/7 - this is my observation being an owner of a MY2005 and knowing 2 others with MY2005's.

To get into an TDV6 SE you will probably need to set your level of finance a bit higher to get what you want (leather, e-diff, etc...).

The other more pertanant consideration is that buying 2nd hand will limit the amount of factory warranty left and I can tell you that the D3 is not a backyard repairer and if you can buy it with a useful extended warranty then consider that as well. I wish mine had an extended warranty. LR don't offer one yet for the D3 and that concerns me considering the amount of labour that has been spent on mine by the Dealer to fix all those "interesting" electrical and mechanical faults.

Finally another consideration is the scarcity of Authorised LR dealers around the country with sufficient knowledge to fix unplaned faults on the D3. This is a big worry for 4WD touring. I have a mate who had 1st hand experienc of the unhelpful LR Customer Service Rep after his D3 broke down on the Gibb River Road and was then flatbed trucked to Darwin and finally after more grief the D3 was trucked to Melbourne and finally fixed - it took 6 weeks and destroyed his outback trip and cost him an immense amount of grief and money. He unfortunately has lost confidence in the D3 he has and is considering what to do in the future for a 4WD.

Chris

Originally Posted by walker

Thanks all.

D2 is going because I want a diesel, I am sick of all the money I spend on petrol on our big holiday trips and I also want to do Madigans Line next year.

Interesting the number of people who don't like the Playdoh. The good thing going for it is the amount of dealers you have around the country and the way they hold their price.
I would not buy the old diesel on the Prado which was inderect injections but only the new D4D motor.

I do like the 5 year warranty on the Paj and I have not heard many bad things about them.........but..........I just wonder how well they are built. (which seems a stupid comment coming from a LR owner )

Walker....

Your a sucker for the dealerships hey?
Mate, they can't get parts for Prado either (aside from filters)...
Local guys here wait 4-8 weeks for parts from the Dealers... Try Adelaide, same delay....
No point having a Prado for the dealer networks if they dont have the stock!

Also on the Prado, drive corrugations in one, I mean REAL corrugations and watch the dashboard crumble.
I'm not talking 10 minutes of "oh crap this is bu.u.u.u.uu.umpy" stuff, I'm talking 'outback highway touring corrugations' of hour or more...

2 Prados here both lost most of the dash, cracked bullbars and some welds, both need new springs and shocks... And all this on 1 trip

Then theres the Paj...

Great engine, nice chassis and the most useless TC system on the planet.

Do NOT expect the Paj to survive the Madigan line.

Thats enough for now..... but seriously.... The grass always looks greener the other side....

If I was in that situation, it would be lose the wagon, get a dual cab ute....

Or dare I say it, a current ST-L 3.0L Nissan...