Thoughts,comments etc on which 4x4

silver

silver

Forum Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2008
Messages
1,018
Location
Tathra, Far South Coast, NSW
Car Year
2005
Car Model
Forester
Transmission
Manual
Sad as it is,the Subie has to go and i have started looking for a 2nd hand 4x4.
I am going to put $21,000 on the Forester and see what happens. I will post in the 'for sale' section later.
At the moment i am not looking for any particular make of 4x4 as long as it is a turbo deisel...either 2.5 or 3ltr and must be at least a space cab.
The main thing to me is that it has been well maintained and the motor is in good nick.
I would probably prefer a Hilux because of the availability of aftermarket parts....ARB etc...but these tend to be dearer than they should be.
A Mazda 2.5 is probably my second choice and i have been offered a 3ltr, 2008 model twin cab, tray back, with 60,000klms on it for $28,000.
Anyway, the point of this thread is info.
Anyone got any comments,heard any bad things, or good things about the various makes??? What to watch for, availability of after market parts, comments from friends that own one etc,etc.
I have heard that the earlier Rodeos are dogs to drive.
Any comments welcome.:)
 
BT50's seems like a good bit of gear, been in one of them and a Ranger (same thing) and there simple but effective.
The newer Triton's are very capable and cheap, with many luxuries in the right model, however aftermarket isnt that great.
 
Hey Silver,

I hope that you don't think being 'sans' Subi gives you permission to leave the forum, cobber! ;)
 
I've been watching the auctions; having had AWD vehicles since 1981 I'm torn between the Toyo, Mitsubi and Nissans. You can dial-in AWD with a Triton but not the others. The D4D in the HiLux is a great engine and a friend (ex Foz owner) just took one up to Stockton and its performance surprised him.

I'm looking at a twin / Xtra cab, auto, turbo diesel tray-back. Now, if the Toyota 70 Series V8 turbo diesel had an auto it would be a no-brainer.

Availability of parts is also a concern.

It is said that if you want to go around Oz then it should be Toyota or Nissan; if you want to do local, weekenders and occasional extended trips, then Mitsubishi.
 
Kevin said:
It is said that if you want to go around Oz then it should be Toyota or Nissan; if you want to do local, weekenders and occasional extended trips, then Mitsubishi.
Click to expand...

Agreed, heres a quick vid i took of my mates triton. Just a stock dual cab with 33" muddies on it. Very capable vehicle.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gp-fR_2F-w[/ame]
 
As much as they don't seem to be mentioned here, i am swinging more and more to a Mazda BT 50.
More safety features than the Hilux (which is disgracefull in this department), better inclusions as STD and cheaper by a long shot.My opinion of Hilux's is good but Toyota is certainly charging what the market will bear with a price that is way above the odds.
The BT50 'Freestyle' is on my list and the rear door setup is fantastic.
I have been asking around and the fellows at ARB Bendigo told me that most makes/models can have an issue with them but things these days are generally pretty good. A good service history is important and they will do a check for $140 which is wahat i will get done.
 
Hey, the BT50 is what i mentioned first :P

They go real good for a diesel to, overtaking trucks at 100 is easy.
 
There is no way out of it. The Subie is already, sort of, on the market. I'm not in any hurry and in reality June/July would suit me. If anybody knows of somebody looking to buy a good Forester send them my way. They are welcome to a test drive.
 
Ive been looking into this more lately as i will be upgrading to something stronger soon. Have now crossed the bt50 off as it still have torsion bar front end. Now set of the 3.2L TD triton dual cab. Has coil front, meaning it can be adequately lifted with reasonable travel, live rear, and can get winch bars, air lockers, glass canapies, etc for them.

Some food for thought.
 
I'm not really up on the pros and cons of a torsion bar front end and in fact onlt learnt in the last week or so that a few of the 4x4s still use them. My only memory of this set up is that the old Chrysler Valiants used them.
Apparently they can be cheap to fix if something goes wrong and can give a comfortable ride. Other than this i know nothing.
I did assume that they all had IFS.
I don't really intend to make my ute into a 'hard core' 4x4. My only intention was to replace the front springs with a HD set up and add Koni Raids all round. Plus, of course, a diff lock and other goodies such as a front bar and spotties etc.
A couple of 'pros' for the BT50 are they have more things as STD and are safer than all but the Triton and of course no Toyota Tax!!! The Hilux is nothing short of woeful in the saftey stakes and the prices they ask are simply astonishing.
 
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Nothing wrong with torsion bars, any VW enthusiast will tell you that the early beetle suspensions were heaps more reliable than the later (McPherson strot front end) beetles.

Also, with the beetles, by rotating the torsion bars, it was possible to increase ride height.

Also, as each front wheel has separate bars, they are effectively an independent suspension anyway.

Barry
 
Torsion bars give a horrible ride, you are limited in lift, and when you wind them up you lose any wheel drop.
With struts you can lift without losing ride comfort and wheel travel (like in the foz). Ive been in 4x4's with both and would never buy one with torsion bars now that struts are out in the new ones.
A classic example of losing wheel drop is when cornering hard in my brothers shorty pajero it would lift the inside front wheel off the ground.

It all comes down to personal opinion though.
 
i rekon the dmax looks the goods, yeh dont really like torsion heaps, but yeh. whatever u can get a good price on, most are pretty similar now days

why are u getting rid of the forester?
 
He's got a camper trailer, and wanting to tour with it. When I met him, he was towing it, and the rear of the subie was riding low, despite heavy duty springs.

Regards,

Joel
 
After many a long drunken conversion, the conclusion i have come to is buy a wagon. Six pot diesels, so more grunt, more comfortable, better off road due to live axles, easies for equipment, etc.

I will be getting a GU Patrol next year when the time comes.

This was after conversions with many 4x4 touring nuts that said they would never get a dual cab again for touring.

Just some more to think about.
 
Basically because all you end up with is similar space, but you cant fold down/remove rear seat for extra room. And apparently the seats, interior, etc are more comfortable in the wagons. Plus the lack of option of a 6 cylinder desiel. Some people would see it differently I guess.
 
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