Thread: Isuzu Bighorn or something else?

Originally Posted by gadgetman

They had a bad habit of rusting out under the back seat. The engines were god though.

The D21s yes, the R50s weren't bad, the zd was a bit of a pig though. Had a 3.2 r50 for a while as a company car for a while, reliable comfy, prob wouldn't do anything more than a bit of gravel though

Originally Posted by Tommy

The D21s yes, the R50s weren't bad, the zd was a bit of a pig though. Had a 3.2 r50 for a while as a company car for a while, reliable comfy, prob wouldn't do anything more than a bit of gravel though

I was warned off the D21's because of the rust from a lip behind/under the back seat, and ZD was a lemon of an engine, the R50 was a shiny 'soft roader' that had lost it's predecessors off road capabilities. They all suffered the same relatively weak LSD setup, along with the Hilux. They worked for a while but were always being shimmed to get them to work after not many km.

So to sum up everything's shit when it gets old. Maybe buy a bicycle , or walk,

Originally Posted by sneeze

So to sum up everything's shit when it gets old. Maybe buy a bicycle , or walk,

The new shit tends to be more shit than the old shit when it comes to 4x4's doing actual 4x4 shit unless you spend about 50% of the purchase price on upgrading shit. In the ~3l class of the mid 90's I think the best of them would be the Isuzus (Bighorn/mu). Their engines and running gear are solid and well proven and their prices have gone up considerably over the last couple of years. Similar to the Hilux's of the same era. The Bighorns are much roomier inside than the Navara/Hilux double cabs.

Ihad aNZ assembeld New 1993 nissan pathfinder 3ltre ,manual given to me by my sister (wanted rid of it) .son fitted heavier suspension 2"bodylift and i had the old sheila for 7yrs before it blew up on otira .son found a nissan motor in ashburton to fit -went to put it in only to discover somehow crankshaft had been broken -saved the mags &tyres off her.rarity was she was the last model that had drum handbrake on rear drums -mid 1993 they went to internal drum of rear discs for h/brake .my cable crapped out -couldnt source one in australasia -ended up modifying a later model one.that truck did me magnificent service in all sorts of situations.
,sons mate sold me his hilux -reco'd motor manual desiel -FMRblew the head on that on Otira too -has had new head fitted by son who suspects injector system may have a fault.
smiffy big hearted bugger he is has offered to assist gettin her back on the road ,original owner keen to buy it back!
hmmm -debating wether i keep it and give it death or look for a slightly more modern scrub crusher ,bulldozer recovery vehiclele etc etc .whatever happens a heavy duty winch will be fitted.

Originally Posted by sneeze

So to sum up everything's shit when it gets old. Maybe buy a bicycle , or walk,

You'll find with the "old shit" you can replace the whole vehicle for the price of an injector job on the "near new shit"

Originally Posted by tetawa

You'll find with the "old shit" you can replace the whole vehicle for the price of an injector job on the "near new shit"

classic example is the early 2000's up to about 2004-5 petrol Pajero.
The fuel pump is an extremely clever doodad that has some chips and stuff in it. It basically has a small ecu in it that reads from sensors to manage pressures etc. It is also connected to the vehicles proper ecu so its not standalone. when it fails its a major
I believe its up to 4k to get one fixed and if it has happened its due as it only lasts 150k.
next model went back to more civilized repairable types

Originally Posted by gadgetman

The new shit tends to be more shit than the old shit when it comes to 4x4's doing actual 4x4 shit unless you spend about 50% of the purchase price on upgrading shit. In the ~3l class of the mid 90's I think the best of them would be the Isuzus (Bighorn/mu). Their engines and running gear are solid and well proven and their prices have gone up considerably over the last couple of years. Similar to the Hilux's of the same era. The Bighorns are much roomier inside than the Navara/Hilux double cabs.

And some one somewhere will tell you the bighorn is shit, which is what i was poking a little borax at really. My fist driving experience was an Austin A 40 and a Woslely 4/44. God forbid I have to go back to that "old shit"

Petrol: suzuki vitara job done, not the highest of 4x4 but will get you a lot of places. I had a 2.0l 4 cyl one and had heaps of power could tow a trailer and quad easy sit on 100km. The 1600cc goes ok cheap to run.

Originally Posted by bigbear

Petrol: suzuki vitara job done, not the highest of 4x4 but will get you a lot of places. I had a 2.0l 4 cyl one and had heaps of power could tow a trailer and quad easy sit on 100km. The 1600cc goes ok cheap to run.

you'd be supprised where a zooki will go, I know I am, and very very cheap to run. There biggest draw back is also there biggest advantage the weight, great in the soft stuff as they don't sink but an Achilles heel in deep fast flowing water.

Pajero, strong as running gear, petrol motors are thirsty, 3.0 not too bad, 3.5 is a quad cam and tend to get quite smokey due to valve guides hardening.
Prado, 5k will get you an earlier 2.4L unit. slow potential to crack heads but capable off road. I own one as well as the newer 3.0L 1kz. And I actually prefer the 2.4 off road. For a tad over 5K you may get a hi km 90 series Prado with the 1kz motor. Or even a Surf with the same. A Toyota Surf has the highest ground clearance from factory than any other 4wd of similar era. It is quite easy to keep the Toyota motors cool with a few simple mods.
Bighorn, is a strong platform, I think the earlier 2.8 motor is a more reliable motor. Front suspension is a little weak compared to the Mitsis.
Terrana/Navara, weak CVs and front suspension. Good motors.
Vitara/Jimny etc, pretty awesome, downside is their size but a very capable little wagon.
Most late eighties/early nineties IFS four wheel drive have weaker IFS components, bar the Pajero. But there are hundreds of all types still one the roads and parts availability is good for all of them.

In all reality any 4WD you can buy for 5K will be suitable for farm tracks and general light off roading. Just find one that you like and give it a good going over.

Originally Posted by dannyb

you'd be supprised where a zooki will go, I know I am, and very very cheap to run. There biggest draw back is also there biggest advantage the weight, great in the soft stuff as they don't sink but an Achilles heel in deep fast flowing water.

are the 6cyl ones any good? The 3 door 4cyl ones look the most capable but the xl7 models look to be good for a sleeper platform in the back.

Originally Posted by stevodog

are the 6cyl ones any good? The 3 door 4cyl ones look the most capable but the xl7 models look to be good for a sleeper platform in the back.

I've had nothing to do with the V6 ones I have a 1600 LWB and it great

I currently own way to many Toyotas of varying descriptions so you would be correct in assuming I'm biased and a Fanboy .
Buttttt........ , my father inlaw owned and drove a Bighorn from new and that thing was a tank and he got many years of faithful service from it .
An old vehicle is always going to have problems and cost money , the perfect car/ute has never been invented .

Originally Posted by stevodog

are the 6cyl ones any good? The 3 door 4cyl ones look the most capable but the xl7 models look to be good for a sleeper platform in the back.

Imo Dont touch the v6s. The 16g is pretty bullet proof but gutless the efi version is much better.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk