I'm a crap driver with not a lot of experience off road. The guy in the Cruiser is a very experienced off road driver. So going by your statement the Nissan is magic.Quote:
Originally Posted by gimp
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I'm a crap driver with not a lot of experience off road. The guy in the Cruiser is a very experienced off road driver. So going by your statement the Nissan is magic.Quote:
Originally Posted by gimp
Does it have a top hat to pull rabbits out of? That would make an awesome hunting truck.
No, but it has lots of windows for shooting rabbits out of.Quote:
Originally Posted by GravelBen
If you want to shoot rabbits you use a bike. Period.
But the truck has a heater and windscreen, ... and I'm soft. But the truck with one spotlight and three rifles/shotguns with torches works well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wirehunt
Mate who used to have a SWB now has a LWB with the king-size sunroof, loves it for bunny sessions.
What about Jeeps. Cherokees and Wranglers. There are a couple good lookn Cherokees in Ashburton $$$ already spent.
Thought about Cherokees but all automatic, big thirsty petrol engines (or the rare diesels have a bad rep), heard gearboxes aren't too reliable either.
Nissan Safari LWB plenty of room and will sometimes go further than a shorty, because sometimes a SWB will still have both sets of wheels in the problem area. Safari/Patrol usually more truck for your dollar.We dont have the thousands of KM,s of corrugated dirt roads that Aussie is cursed with to shake a Nissan to bits.Landcruiser every bit as good but expect to pay more for an equalivent truck. I have worked in the drilling industry for 33 years allways the work trucks were Toyota, they got stuck and broke down plenty.But Nissan and Toyota are the only two I would choose if driving across Africa.I own a Suzuki SJ410, Landrover series 2a. 86 Mk Nissan, 91 GQ Nissan. All will stop at some obstacle that the others will drive past. I have a very steep hill on the farm and the only 4x4 to get up it was a L200 ute with allterrain tyres never been able to get up in my 4x4s and my son has ripped it to bits trying in his Landcruisers.It dosent matter what you drive when you get to your destination someone will be there in a 4x4 that shouldnt have been able to get even half way.
Yeh 4L petrol definitely not an every day vehicle.Quote:
Originally Posted by GravelBen
only thing that is reliable on a cherokee is the fuelbill.Quote:
Originally Posted by GravelBen
The main thing against the LWB for me is just the sheer size of the thing - have driven a few on and off road and I like how they drive, but having to 3-point turn tight corners on steep tracks got annoying, you need a lot of space to turn around. SWB a couple hundred kg lighter too which should help a bit with the slowness.
One of them was a work vehicle we had up in Central, 430k on it from memory and withstood serious mechanical abuse from some of the guys - redline from stone cold etc, I'm sure they were actually trying to kill it. They eventually managed to after I had left, but they had to submerge it in the Clutha to do it. :O_O:
Thread summary so far:
Safari still on list, check for rust in roof.
Terrano still on list, check for rust under back seats.
Rocky probably off list, too small for main vehicle.
Prado still on list if I can find a decent one in price range.
Landcruisers too expensive unless I find a bargain.
Surf back on list as long as its a 3.0td, pref intercooled.
Bighorn added to list if I find one I like.
Keeping Legacy for now and buying a truck at an unpecified point in the future still an option too.
"Top of the list is probably a SWB Safari, I know they're about the most solid thing you can buy but any specific hints on things to look out for and check would be handy. Would be a 4.2 non turbo in that price range."
Solid, heavy, slow...not much fun on the road....off road however,
:thumbsup:
Yes, I assume 4.2 diesel? the non-turbo is terribly under-powered I have a 1988 one with a pto winch.
:thumbsup:
Avoid the 2.7diesels....
Check the fuel pump or get it checked, they can wear badly, $1k to $2k for the fix, ditto injectors, a re-tipping will set you back $1k lok for lots of black smoke on moderate acceleration, get compression checked but that should be OK. Blocks seem solid, gearboxes solid but can leak a little.
Water pump bearings can wear badly, rock the fan blade, if it moves more than a mm or so $150 ish for a new pump, easy fix, so no biggee.
Carefully check the power steering block for leaks at the joints...especially the 4 bolt one at the back...
The early ones like mine had a limited slip diff, entertaining on a tight corner with full throttle.....ie it spins easily...use the right LS140 oil, change it every 3 years, it gets abused a lot.
Doors rust very badly at the hinges area on the door, a second hand drivers door can cost you $500 if you can find one, I got my one welded for $150...covered it in anti-rust oil.
Carefully look for rust around the gutter, it will rust from the inside so big bubbles but its not that common. They doesnt seem to rust underneath.
Look for corrosion under the twin batteries in the engine bay.
On the firewall there is a spot welded joint/seem that runs across the engine bay at high level, check this isnt rusting.
The front windscreen rubber shrinks with age at lower corner joints and lets rain water in, silicone rubber keeps your feet dry.
Top door hinge drivers side can wear badly, WOF failure, $50 ish for a new one.
The most annoying and common rust point to fix is the rustng of the rear windows you cant get the steel inserts, Ive seen some trucks with no longer opening windows.
The vacuum pump on the back of the alternator, if it leaks (engine oil) it buggers the alternator, dont get it repaired, the seals never hold (tried that, twice), get a new entire alternator with a NEW vacuum pump, on trademe, about $700.
Starter motor teeth can go while the motor is fine, $400 for a new starter motor head.
Passenger side seat mounts and slide fail, crack, wear out, check.
Seats are cheap so aoften look bad, not to bad to get replaced.
Air con is R12 so no chance of a fix now, but thats OK use the air con pump as an air compressor for the tyres.
:D
Front wheel bearings can wear and need adjustment but no biggee.
Auto hubs seem reliable dont bother going manual.
Brake disks wear and can be the source of imbalance so fail WOF but are cheap new. The biggest annoyance is the floating rear caliper which dont. New pins, copper grease and seals solve that fairly cheaply.
Shocks dont seem to wear, but the bushes go, cheap to repalce though. Good ARB aftermarket are the same price as monroe crap ($180 ish each)...so get the ARB's.
The front trailing (or leading arms) have 2 bushes per side where they attach to the chassis, last time they cost me $150 each so 4 are needed (ouch). The bushes of the same arms where they attach to the axle are also expensive to replace, look to see if the arm looks cocked to one side in the bracket in which case they'll need replacing if the WOF guy notices/gets concerned.
24volt system, seems fine, I fitted a 24v to 12v unit and a 24v to 240v inverter...
Tyres dont seem to wear too fast, I have M&S Kanooks seem OK in the mud......
<grin>
This list might sound bad, but Ive had it 10+ years and its a battered 400k truck....been a lot of fun...fuel consumption sucks though.
Cherokees...ew....expensive and uh expensive. Wranglers better and fun but uh expensive....Quote:
Originally Posted by username
Toyota | Landcruiser Prado | 1998 | For Sale | Buy | Turners Auctions
Apparently got handed in last auction with no bids at $7k. Drops out of 5th some times apparently. Used down at Te Wai point as a security wagon...
tiwai point? go have a good hard look at it before buying, betting the undersides are covered in surface rust.
What about a ?
Sorry I haven't read through the thread.
It's on the market once I get time to get it to gather for a warrant
Sent from my Galaxy SIII
The biggest complaint Nissan fans live to make about Landcruisers is that the diffs are weaker and COMPETITION TRUCKS ARE ALL NISSANS I READ IT IN A 4WD MAGAZINE FURTHERMORE
I've been driving various Landcruisers for work since 2008, seen probably hundreds of them and done a loooot of Ks in them
Things I have seen wrong with them:
-fuel gauges stop working
-aircon pulley bearing goes
-handbrakes are shit
-79 series clutches go
-starter motors don't like lots of water crossings
-radiator fans can pull into radiator core on deep water crossings
-a few bent tie rods
-1 fucked leaf spring when a geophysics crew went through a washout at like 100ks
-1 bent diff housing when a safety officer hit a giant anthill at like 80ks dafter driving off a corner
-3 rollovers all of which drove away after being righted with not much damage beyond glass
-1 100 series with 1hz that got a mouthful of water while parked in a river, was still running 14 months later when I last saw it, just blew smoke in the morning
Never actually seen any evidence of these weak diffs etc
Haha very good, and true.
I have.Quote:
Originally Posted by gimp
I have never said the Nissan is perfect, there are quite a few things I'd change, but it is a very serious contender for the Cruiser and worth a serious look. There are quite a few things that the Safari will do that the Cruiser will struggle with, and also a number on things that the Cruiser does better that the Safari. Look at the features that will suit what you want to do and decide which is the best fit for you! I have not bagged the Cruiser but I have pointed out a few areas that the Safari has over the Cruiser and a few of the faults I know of with the Safari. I believe in an objective approach.
As I stated earlier I am a big fan of Toyotas and have been driving them commercially since 1977 and done quite a few 100,000km in them. If I was buying a new 4x4 now I would buy a Cruiser as I don't like the current model Nissan. However fir the vehicle meeting the criteria of this thread it would be the Nissan or Isuzu before the Cruiser for me.
Its not really relevant to this thread though unless you can find me one sub-10k thats worth having. Its not like I'll be using it for 10 hours a day of technical off-roading anyway.
Don't think a doublecab will really suit me to be honest - I prefer keeping gear safe and dry inside a vehicle and don't do enough spotlighting etc to really use the advantage of a ute. Cheers though.Quote:
Originally Posted by puku
This guy has one for $6k I think
FS: BJ73 Landcruiser MWB turbo - reduced to $6000 | New Zealand 4wd Forums Offroad Express
Will keep an eye on those ones, ta. Had only really been looking at South Island listings as I'm keen to avoid adding a flight, a ferry and 900+ km of driving to the cost of a new car this time round - have to be an exceptional bargain to be worth it.
As far as the old 70-series go, how agricultural do they feel with leaves all round, and how gutless is the 3.4?
Not too bad actually. It has no top end but plenty down low. I was in the market for a ~10k ute before my cruiser turned up. I was looking at the Mazda B series and Tritons, all with about 250k on the clock.... A half decent Safari goes for about 7k...Quote:
Originally Posted by GravelBen
Funny how the one Tussock linked to has has the diffs redone and the one wildman linked to has had major engine surgery. Go the Nissan, its engine is only just run in at 200,000km. I've heard first hand reports of the cross hatching still being in the bores of the TD42's after 450,000km.
You would be a twat to fit a locker and not rebuild the diff at the same time would you not?Quote:
Originally Posted by gadgetman
Work mates safari had complete rebuild at 240k it was fucked from top to bottom, but what caused it to come apart was cracking and dropping the precomp chamber on top of the piston and rattling around in there.
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Also had a front diff housing come undone on that unfortunate 100 series, didn't sound good and pissed oil everywhere, worked fine when bolted up again though
Had a new V8 that didn't get the oil changed for 50,000 km then a female geo busted the radiator and drove it around with no coolant, that didn't end well
Only bought it up because there's a guy here at work who keeps going on about Nissans and the various supposed flaws of Toyotas which made me think about the fact that I've never actually seen them
Indeed, and when the old ones fail and you have to do something is probably a good time to fit the lockers too. Would it be prudent to change ratios going to 33's on such a vehicle?Quote:
Originally Posted by veitnamcam
I know someone that did some open heart surgery on a Rocky and ignored many who advised doing the clutch at the same time, ... you guessed it, a week later he was back in doing the clutch.
My old Toyota van was pretty bomb proof. I did try to kill it and ran it for a year with no oil in the engine. Never over heated, never made any odd noises. Pulling the bung out of the sump nothing came out, but when I stuck my finger in and ran it around there was this thick tarry chewing gum stuff. I gave up trying to kill it. Don't get me wrong, I love Toyotas, have always had them and likely always will.Quote:
Originally Posted by gimp
If you are not after a ute, then try and get something with coil springs under it. This will tend to give you better articulation which keeps the wheels on the surface, which gives you traction. They also tend to give you a nicer ride. Leaf springs are great for load carrying.
Dunno about prudent. Generally speaking a lower geared diff(higher ratio) is weaker due to the smaller pinion.
I changed ratios on my hilux cos it was guttless before superchargeing.
Haven't bothered on my 80 series its got plenty of tourque and it dropped 200rpm off open road speed.
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And if the gears go?Quote:
Originally Posted by Tussock
You will never wear out the gears(in the lifetime of the vehicle) in a well serviced properly set up diff if oils and bearings are maintained.Quote:
Originally Posted by gadgetman
However if you break em doing something stupid around 500 bucks Im guessing for decent aftermarket.
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If the nissans were any good the cockies around here would be buying them. Their not. They are however going back to the cruiser.
I own a patrol, sheer bang for buck here in NZ. coils, solid axles, factory lockers and PTO, easy to turbo if not already all for around the 5-6k mark if you look around. Huge aftermarket for them too if your into modding your wagons. Mine is approaching 500km, obviously not mine use but very reliable. It's been tipped over, water up around the stereo, the works. Drove a 70 series flatdeck as a work vehicle in Aussie, hard as nails. Mate in Aussie had a modded 80 series that I rate as the most competent road-going 4WD I have been in, it was nuts. It's not all about the badge on the bonnet, both have their good and bad points
They are good, but for some odd reason they just don't seem to have a current model out that would be suitable as a farm vehicle, same with Tussock and Gimp in Oz with the mining/drilling company vehicles. The farmers and industrial users are unlikely to trade up to an older model. That is why I'd be going Cruiser too if buying new. But going back to a model in Gravelben's price bracket then the Nissan is a stronger option.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wirehunt
Toyota is the only one that had maintained a couple of tough work vehicle options and everyone else seems to have gone the softer route.
Exactly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pointer
It's getting cheaper to buy a newer truck and paying someone to coil the front.