What vehicle do I need
Submitted: Wednesday, Jun 23, 2004 at 08:51
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tomm
I am going to do the aroud Australia thing in the next 12 months. We plan to be on the road for at least 3 years.
We have already decided on a 24ft Jayco which will weigh 2.6 tonne loaded.
The big question that I can not get my head around is what vehicle.
We have a budget of $40.000 for the vehicle and my thinking at this stage is a Deisel Patrol or Landcruier(Second hand ofcourse).
1. The Patrol 3.0l Turbo has better specs that the 4.2 Turbo and I find this confusing.
2. Should I go turbo or not.?
3. The Landcrusiers are more expensive, are they worth it ?
Any advice would be appreciated
Reply By: Wizard1 - Wednesday, Jun 23, 2004 at 11:05
Wednesday, Jun 23, 2004 at 11:05
Tomm,
having spoken to mates entering the 4WD world have realised you don't get much unless you sepnd big bucks even on 2nd hand. One was lucky to find a 3.0 TD Patrol for under $40K. If you want 6 cyl TD even second hand with reasonable age and kms I would be uping the budget or get a smaller van.
The suggestion of a 78 series Troopie TD is a good idea. Another is to get a naturally aspirated diesel and put a good after market turbo. Know of a 4.2 litre Patrol with a Safari trubo that goes like the clappers with a van weighing upwards of 2800 kg.
When you say the Patrol 3.0 TD has better specs than the 4.2 what do you mean? I have a Prado TD that I certainly wouldn't swap for the Patrol 3.0 TD (after driving it of course). Specs on paper mean very little until you drive with a van on. How
well does it take off from staning start? How low does the max torque start? How
well will it maintain highway speed? Don't just go off specs on web sites an sales broshures.
The acid
test is how does it go with the weight on the back, not a drive around the suburbs. Before I bought my Prado a mate loaned me his Prado TD and I towed my van with it. That's what sold me. May seem a little extreme but when you spend 50K plus on a 4wd and tow it for thousands of kms you need to be assured you made an informed decision.
You may also wish to consider a Trayback Patrol TD or Landcruiser TD with a canopy as a cheaper option as most of the cost in wagons is for the stuff behind the front seats.
Good luck and enjoy your trip.
Wizard
Darwin NT
Prado TD
Jayco Freedom 16 ft
AnswerID:
64587
Reply By: Member - Captain (WA) - Wednesday, Jun 23, 2004 at 13:09
Wednesday, Jun 23, 2004 at 13:09
Hi Tomm
I have a GU 3.0TD and regularly tow a 1.6T offroad van. I used to own a 1HZ 80 series cruiser and towed the same van with that. As for your questions
1. I find the 3.0TD patrol has noteably more towing power than the 4.2TD Patrol, but I have a Dtronic fitted (torque now 420Nm compared to standard 354Nm). But, the 3.0TD lacks punch just off idle (but still has 350Nm at ~1200rpm). If you plan an auto, you will not notice at all, but if manual, you will have to watch revs on takoff when towing 2.6T. As for fuel economy etc... the high tech 3.0TD will get at least ~10% better than the 4.2TD while having more power.
You will find a lot of people knock the 3.0TD and the first ones (series 2) did have problems. But the series 3 is
well sorted and a reliable powerful motor. Some people just cannot fathom that a 4 cylinder 3 litre motor can perform that
well.
2. After having the 1HZ (non-turbo) I would now not tow without a turbo. You plan to add another tonne on what I had, a turbo on a diesel is mandatory IMHO, unless you want to spend your 3 years just driving!!!. While a non-turbo would be able to do the job, its just not fun sitting at 60 km/hr in 3rd up a relatively small
hill, or being stuck behind a van doing 85 and not being able to overtake.
3. I used to own a cruiser and recently bought a new Nissan. IMHO the cruiser has better fit and finish, but the Nissan has a stronger drivetrain. My deciding factor came down to the IFS on the turbodiesel 100 series, just not good enough offroad for what I wanted. But IFS does suit many peoples needs. I believe the Nissan is far better value for money, Toyota charge a premium simply because people will pay it! A manufacturer will simply charge what the market will bear.
The Toyota vs Nissan arguement is as old as the hills and will never end!!! I have had both, both were good vehicles and I would choose either again at the time period I chose them. Both have good and bad points, but at the end of the day IMHO the Toyota has sacraficed some off-road ability for on-road comfort, and who can argue, the majority of the market is going that way.
Don't know if any of this helps, but thems my thoughts.
Cheers
Captain
AnswerID:
64611
Reply By: Willem - Wednesday, Jun 23, 2004 at 19:20
Wednesday, Jun 23, 2004 at 19:20
Reading this thread makes me smile...........
Back in the early 90's I bought an old FJ55 Tojo 4.3lt Petrol. We were living in a 27ft van and the occassion presented itself for some work in
Alice Springs. By the time we got on the road with the van, motorbike and gear the van was 3500 kgs....waaaay over limit. But we got to where we were going. Then in 95 we went on the road full time. Over the next four and a half years we did 250,000plus kms with that van and gradually reduced the weight of the van and in the end we were towing 2300kg. The old cruiser had plenty of grunt but I hated the light power steering. In 98 the '55 passed away with 550,000km on the clock and I went from a 79 Toyota to a 78 Nissan Patrol. Times were tough and we were battling to make living. The 4 litre Nissan handled the van much better not having power steering and I felt happier towing. In the end however I got sick and tired of being on the road with such a big van and ended up settling down again at the end of 99 and gave the van to the neighbours to accommodate some of their large family.
Both of my old trucks handled the van OK but I seldom saw 100kmh. We could sit on 80 quite comfortably but up
hill and down dale was scary at times. Todays modern vehicles are better equipped to tow large vans but I would not think of towing such a van with anything but a vehicle with a 4.2 or more litre engine. Towing is nothing however, but being able to stop in time is very important!!!
Have fun
AnswerID:
64693