Thread: Help me! 4x4 Recommendations

Originally Posted by northdude

your mechanic that looks after your vehicle would gladly give you a punch in the head if you turned up diesel wizard being in the trade 20 + years first id say Toyota but in your price range id try for a mitsi I don't like the nissans they seem pretty gutless for something that's nearly 3l just my opinion tho

Depends on the Isuzu Wizard I had a 1997 Auto Diesel 5 door with the external jets in the outside if the motor .. Best Wagon I ever owned, it's the ones with the internal injectors that play up . Mine did 200'000 ks in the time I had it and it never missed a beat not even towing a car trailer with a Toyota surf 4x4 on behind & pulled more cars off Castlecliff beach out of the sand then any other vehicle around the area... I'd have another one the same tomorrow and Gladly.

I'm still looking for a sound Bighorn, have one under cover (2.8 4JBIT) in the back yard which i'll use for spare parts. Chassis has the Jackson Bay cancer, other than that, running gear is ok. Just keeping my fingers x'd (been close to 12 mths)

Originally Posted by nzbushbunny

The Isuzu Wizard is a 5 dr 4x4 . More economical then the Bighorn though & Will go Anywhere they also have a Bigger Radiator or atleast my last one did compared to the Bighorn.
There's a few for sale @ the moment on the Auto Trader site.
Used Isuzu for Sale

Good Luck.

Cheers mate, hadn't looked on autotrader yet. will do.

FAAAA sounds like a nasty accident. Yeah the Mu is pretty solid and have fold lines also. Old heavy cars don't...

Originally Posted by 300CALMAN

Had an Escudo and LOVED it but they struggle with trailers full of building material and anything other than a small boat (under 4 mtr).

They needed a 2 L motor and they would have been perfect.

People have done an sr20 swap in them. Very reliable motor, lots of parts and reasonably priced and not too hard to certify.

Originally Posted by ROKTOY

Avoid the ZD motor like it was your ex girlfriends father. QD32 is a good motor, if breaking an engine mount concerns you, add a few links of chain to stop it flexing too much. QD motor is a good improvement on the TD27. But it still needs to be looked after and kept cool.

I had the ZD30 motor in my navara from 90,000 through to 210,000. never missed a beat and was a strong performer. just look after them and change the oil etc.
the problem is most manufacturers make hundreds of thousands of engines and a few are bound to bugger up and its usually these cases that everyone hears about.
(I also had a 2000 Isuzu Wizard that they were talking about. That to was a great wagon and went really well. it was my 4x4/family wagon for about 3 years and we travelled all over the country with it without it missing a beat.)

I have a QD32 R50 Terrano, good amount of grunt and a decent compromise vehicle for doing long trips on road but still having reasonable off road ability when you get there. Would be better if it had a rear LSD like some of them.

Had a few niggles to fix but mostly due to previous owner having neglected maintenance, probably should have checked more carefully when I bought it instead of taking their word for it...

I'm in a similar position as you 300CALMAN, need to upgrade from my forester '97 that has served me well over the years (still does) but need something more offroady

I drove past this the other day but its not my type, tho price seems ok.
1997 Nissan Terrano R3MR | Rockstar Cars, Auckland

Originally Posted by Petros_mk

I'm in a similar position as you 300CALMAN, need to upgrade from my forester '97 that has served me well over the years (still does) but need something more offroady

I drove past this the other day but its not my type, tho price seems ok.
1997 Nissan Terrano R3MR | Rockstar Cars, Auckland

Hi Petros,

I have had a look at a couple of Terranos and Misterals also. This one looks nice but a bit out of my price range.

Thanks for the heads up.

Just dodged a rusty bullet. Be very careful of Terranos and Misterals with double layer floors. They rust and you are screwed. Bought one from a dealer and found this out, sure enough it was rusty and on it's way out so I managed to get my money back.
https://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt....rrision-nissan