Thread: The best of the wee tubs

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/use...db7943bf33-001

What about a cheap terrano

@Tentman Kubota RTV 900 on a trailer behind the ute ( or other side by side off road vehicle )

Dairy farmers must be giving them away down your way.

You know you need one around the estate and at work anyway

Originally Posted by Chur Bay

What about a cheap terrano

Don’t think they are cheap now...if you can find one...


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Originally Posted by mimms2

Soft everthing. I've yet to be impressed by one but last time I had a turn would have been mid 90s. They might have improved.
Shyt on road. Arse towing. My old man's front wheel drive could launch his boat better.

Maybe you got the 2wd version and someone had removed a spark plug lead?

I have owned an escudo and a rav, the rav was more powerful more capable more comfortable and just better in every way except having a low box.
Mine towed great, I MERCILESSLY raped it towing my boat,launching in estuaries, taking it on proper fourwheel drive trips with real 4wds and not needing recovering.
Mine cost me one cv boot for maintaince.
I recommend the auto and drive it like its a rental.

Originally Posted by Barefoot

Back off, if there is a good cheap RAV around Auckland I have first dibs

Yeah, sorry @Barefoot messaged me about this already.

Originally Posted by mimms2

Commonly referred to as the menstrual. Absolute waste of a TD27. Don't know how (same running gear, maybe different ratio diffs?) but Terrano much better all round.

The diff on the Mistral looks like it has come off a truck. I've had mine for nearly 10 years and my only complaint is the fueling off idle is rubbish. Very hard to crawl along smoothly without using brake. Bought it for $4.5k and done about 80k kms in it so pretty cheap motoring.

if you can do it yourself and ive cotemplated it an escudo with a toyota 4afe would almost be the perfect lightweight 4wd

Originally Posted by Tentman

I'm thinking about another modest 4x4 for accessing the back country, its just too risky sometimes if you only have one vehicle and its essential for your work. I'm thinking it might get a tow up county much of the time behind the BT50. Budget is $5K max and $3K would be better

So of the Escudo/Rav/CRV etc (in the above price range) your thoughts on which offers the best ratio of capability/reliability ??.

I had an Escudo a few years ago and had a great run out of it, but they are getting very long in the tooth now.

The Zuks are great off road. I have repowered mine with a late model Vitara motor. ( so I can drive to a hunt rather than get towed!!)

I had a Daihatsu Feroza in Port Hedland went bloody everywhere, shooting Roo,s and Camels, towing the tinnie in and out of Finucane island boat ramp, never got bogged I think they ran a Toyota 1600 cc motor, should have bought it back to N.Z. probably unobtainable now.

Another vote for the Zook, I love mine goes anywhere I point it.
what they lack in power they make up for in low range gearing and lightweightedness.
Mine is a LWB Escudo the only real down side is also there biggest advantage the lightness can make deep water crossings a bit twitchy as they tend to float, but said lightness also means they don't sink in the mud and shingle either.
good ones are getting hard to find now I paid $500 for mine and now you'd probably stuggle to find one under $2k that wasn't rooted.
most on here have seen my pic crossing the main flow of the Rangitata at 102 cumecs so don't discount the zook if you can find a good one

Had Daihatsu Rocky for 4 years great little 4x4 and petrol to boot , sold that for the money I payed for it and bought a 2 door swb nissan mistral ,an extra 20hp claimed with the intercooler supposedly ,made in spain , only replaced fan belt and aternator after 60k, reliable old school 2.7 tdi dont knock em 4x4 on a budget

Most of the 90's Japanese stuff is pretty reliable and cheap as chips.

Was impressed with the Mistral climbing hills with 3 big guys and little me in it. They have a trow-away diesel pump, but the replacement is about the same cost as getting the seals replaced on the serviceable ones of the Terrano.

The first gen RAV is a 90's Toyota, it'll go forever and reasonably peppy. The newer models just seemed to lose the plot with what they came up with initially and just ended up as a bloated car.

Have been in the wee Toyota/Daihatsu models and they were pretty good.

Have been in a few Suzuki's and they seemed a bit low on go on the road but very capable off road.

The Pajeros are pretty good off and on road too. Also reliable.

In a similar vein to the Pajero would be a shorty Bighorn.

Trailering can be a pain. You need lots of space. Tow vehicle, trailer, ramps, space to line up load vehicle. Also increased fuel consumption, though would probably come out about even with the lower fuel economy of the older 4x4's compared to the newer tow vehicle.

I've heard the Jimnys are meant to be quite capable off-road. Short wheelbase and good approach / departure angles. But looks a bit small for my liking and the lack of a diesel powered option's also a negative in my books.

Of the medium SUV's I would suggest the Subaru Forester, 2.5, manual, Duel range box. Son sold a 2006 one last year for about $5k, it was great for shooting on the cut over forestry blocks, could cope with a rough and climbed well. If you where going to drive it to site it's a good option. (No Diff Locks and limited traction control)

If it's something you are looking at towing behind the BT50 then one of these
https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Lis...?id=2374813374

Basically a side by side but using automotive parts not motor bike parts.

Z