Thread: New Gadget Mobile

I need to replace the Safari and am tossing up what I should buy. Safari/Cruiser Auto/Manual.

The old Safari has gone west and that was a semi break from Toyota for me having driven and owned Toyotas since getting my license in 1980. There is still one here too. I do a lot of heavy towing, recovering quite a few 4x4 vehicles and the transporter and truck get borrowed a lot to move vehicles and farm machinery all over the south Island; 4x4's, Holdens, Duncan drill, ... It will need to be one of the two listed as they are really the only two that will be strong enough short of getting my HT and a truck. Also needs to be reasonably competent off road.

The Safari:

Pros:
Very strong drive train and engine, though under powered.
Fantastic LSD's.
Strong low heavy chassis which is good for towing.
No cam belt.
Excellent suspension.
Strong Auto.
Excellent stability on slopes.

Cons:
Prone to rust between double roof layers due to condensation.
Ground clearance not the best off road without a lift.
Auto kicks down and loose speed on road going up slight gradient.


Cruiser:
Pros:
Toyota badge.
Good ground clearance.
Roomier cab.
...

Cons:
Earlier diffs not as strong.
Cam belts.
....



Auto/Manual

The earlier Safari had a weak manual gearbox. Autos are strong from what I've heard and common in competition trucks. Have found the auto very good going through soft stuff and up hill, but doesn't hold the vehicle going down. The manual is excellent for long steep descents (the one in the van is anyway) and accelerates better between 60-100km/h.

What input do you have?

Each has its pros and cons. I prefer manuals to drive but the auto in the cruiser is livable. Holds back on hills fine just manual shift it back.
Converter locks up in top gear so once there it is like driving a manual in that there is no slip .

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

By the look of your list you want the safari,
Cambelts are not a big con
There's also the patrol
Also I find 80 series's autos shift shit
With the cruiser it's getting hard to find a low k one so price seams to jump
If budget is high enough there is also f250-350 or rams which will have more than enough power

GM don't overlook the power of the mighty Fiat Bambina. You could do worse.

Add another con to the Safari list. "Does not have Toyota badge"

Thank god for that @Toby

hey man nothing wrong with Toyota Maca49

My choice would be Toyota.

Nothing really against the Nissan, they're both tough trucks.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Each has its pros and cons. I prefer manuals to drive but the auto in the cruiser is livable. Holds back on hills fine just manual shift it back.
Converter locks up in top gear so once there it is like driving a manual in that there is no slip .

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

When you mentioned the gearboxes on the Turbos in the other thread was that auto or manual? What are the details.

Apologis in advance GM but i just have to suggest one of these


Although I think it might struggle to pull string out of a wet paper bag !!

Originally Posted by longrange308

By the look of your list you want the safari,
Cambelts are not a big con
There's also the patrol
Also I find 80 series's autos shift shit
With the cruiser it's getting hard to find a low k one so price seams to jump
If budget is high enough there is also f250-350 or rams which will have more than enough power

The Safari ticks slightly more boxes than the cruiser for me, but I'm open to other reasoning. The Safari is a Patrol in 24V NATO spec. Big k's are really not an issue with the Nissans, one thing I have noted it the value of them has gone up over time. When I bought my last one it was about 1/2 the price of the equivalent Toyota, now they tend to be worth more.

Think I'll pass on the American stuff, it is way too big. That is another pro for the Toyota, turning circle is way better than the Nissan.

Originally Posted by Rushy

GM don't overlook the power of the mighty Fiat Bambina. You could do worse.

You could do worse indeed Rushy, but not much.

Originally Posted by gadgetman

You could do worse indeed Rushy, but not much.

Think Lada. I rest my case.

Originally Posted by Rushy

Think Lada. I rest my case.

Actually the Lada is a vast improvement, built using the tooling from the same manufacturer. The Lada is a Russian built Fiat.

Originally Posted by Dynastar27

hey man nothing wrong with Toyota Maca49

Yeah Right