Looking for a 4x4 - have no idea what I'm looking at. Help!

[Tank]

Ive decided to buy a 4x4 as I have access to land for shooting that needs one.

So will be doing 'real' off roading - not just going over a kerb to grab a flat white.

Im not looking at spending huge amounts as its only for shits and giggles - needs to be road legal as I will use it to tow the boat and beach launchings.

BUT - I have no idea what is good and what is not. I know Toyotas are well thought of (not the Rav4's), as are those little Suzuki's and early land rovers.

I dont mind swinging a spanner - in fact its a fun way to spend a evening.

So - looking for advise - what should I look for? What should I avoid? What accessories help (snorkel etc) and what are just a waste?

and like biking - I have access to a mentor (who is out of the country at the mo) to actually teach me how to drive the thing properly.

[Ixion]

Nissan Safari/Patrol (same thing) is the gold standard. Not cheap, but

[FROSTY]

Ok dude if its for shits n giggles then a Suzuki Jimini or escudo is your best bang for buck. Its kinda like buying a KDX200 as a first trailee.Reliable easy to sort and lotsa guys been there seen that done that. If you're more of a Big four stroke rider kinda guy then I'd say an old 3 door landcruiser will do well.

[Ixion]

It's surprising how well those Suzukis can cope offroad, I had a chance to try one a while ago, and I was impressed. Nothing heroic, but ordinary bush stuff it did very well. Not going to be up to towing anything heavy though.

[Edbear]

Nissan Safari/Patrol (same thing) is the gold standard. Not cheap, but

Yep, virtually indestructible, but may be a bit bigger than you need depending on the size boat you've got. The Suzuki Vitara is a "proper" 4 x 4 and deservedly popular. Early Landy's are fetching good money now if they are in good enough condition to consider.

[Ixion]

The early (= 'real') Landrovers were tough as army boots, but their top speed was very low by todays standards. Tow anything anywhere (within reason) , but only maybe 70kphish. The Jeep Wrangler is a lot better than the poofy Cherokee things would make you suppose. Depends if you need room for family and such.

[kevfromcoro]

Nissan Safari/Patrol (same thing) is the gold standard. Not cheap, but
as he said.. nisssan or toyota.... great 4x4s....
the suzuki is a great is good too..
go any where those things

[neels]

If you're looking for reasonably cheap, reasonably reliable, and reasonably capable off road then a Nissan Terrano might be an option. Will get you most places you want to go, parts are cheap, and not bad for towing as long as you're not in a hurry.

[Laava]

Possum Shooting? You will have to get a ute, not an SUV. Utes seem to have unbelievable resale as well. Esp Nissan /Toyota but you are going to spend more money than you think to get a reliable road legal one!

[Ixion]

.. Nissan Terrano might be an option. ..

Rust. :shit:

[Cloggy]

If you want tough as nails and indestructible, go Nissan Safari / Patrol like other people have already mentioned.
If you need a ute and tough, the Hilux takes some beating.
Small and economical? Only one choice, a wee Suzuki.
Middle of the road? Nissan Navara or Hilux Surf.
Land Rovers? I am an avid Land Rover fan and have only just sold my Discovery. But I wouldn't recommend a Land Rover to anyone especially someone just getting into 4x4. They are quirky and weak in the driveline in stock out of the box form. However with a bit of money spent on the driveline the Range Rover / Discovery is an awesome off-road vehicle with poor electrics. They have Lucas three position switches, dim, flicker and off.
On top of all the choices you need to make there is also the question of diesel versus petrol. If you can see yourself in lots of water or mud, go diesel. If you're more on steep hilly farm terrain or on soft sandy beaches, fuel injected petrol power is the only way to go (carburetors suck on steep terrain).

[SMOKEU]

A mate of mine has a SWB Escudo. It's quite good offroad, and it's very economical to run if you own an oil refinery, otherwise the fuel bill will leave you in tears. It goes through about 14L/100km around town when driven sedately, even with its standard 1.6L engine with an auto box. He's taken it to a Suzuki (car) mechanic, and a few other mechanics and no one can work out why it's so thirsty (for a small 4 cylinder engine with weak performance).

[gilly]

If you're going shooting you'll need a ute - dead ducks, dead dear, dead pigs etc make hell of a mess which is gross inside a vehicle - and the dog makes a bloody great muddy mess.

I've got an Izuzu Mu. It may be little but being diesel its got some grunt and is fun offroad.

[JimO]

i vote for a hilux....a proper one not a surf

[neels]

Rust. :shit:Where?

(Other than in the double skin rear floor in early ones)

[marty]

There's a swb diesel pajero for sale on the road side near my work. 4 good tyres, wof and reg, $1300. you could wear 7 of those out before buying 1 x safari.

there's also a v8 toyota landy for sale, but it's $10k

saying that, a safari swb did hold the record around the 4x4 track at kakaramea - was driven to the event, smashed over even the specialist 4x4s, drove home.

[davereid]

There's a swb diesel pajero for sale on the road side near my work. 4 good tyres, wof and reg, $1300. you could wear 3 of those out before buying 1 x safari. there's also a v8 toyota landy for sale, but it's $10k

I have a SWB pajero. Its the series 1 so it doesnt have difflocks, and it is full time 4wd - no auto hubs etc.

But she was cheap - as - chips. Its not terribly thirsty, and it actually goes very well.

I recently went on a trip with the local 4wd club. Lots of trucks got stuck, 3 got dents to the point where they needed "modification" to continue the trip, but my old girl just got through everything.

At $300 a tyre what you pay form the truck needs to be weighed up against what you will pay to use it...

[Wannabiker]

The Suzuki 4 WD are great, Toyotas (But stay away from the 4.4 turbo diesel), Early landrovers have driveline issues,(broken axles, diffs, and the 2-3 gear bushing breaks...I did my apprenticeship on these!!) A holden repowered one would be good though...An old rangerover is great, but thirsty...and they take the expensive petrol. Now, if you are not too proud, one 4WD that hasny been mentioned here is the LADA!! Apparently they are really good! Others to consider are Rodeo 4WD and Mitsi L200 4WD utes.

Gold standard is Land cruiser, Nissan Patrol or Safari, Hilux ute

[JimO]

i used to have a pajero it went great until it shit itself, with them its not if but when, if its a deisel 2.3 or 2.5 it will crack its head and from what i have heard the 2.8s arnt much better

[JATZ]

Safari !
But I would say that :D

[martybabe]

Suzuki Jimny mate. Cheap to buy, cheap to run, cheap to modify and very capable off road. Massive fun for not too many bucks. Switchable 2/4 wd at up to 100kph.

My only slight reservation is the boat, It's only 1300cc and lightweight so it's towing capacity isn't gonna be huge. An inflatable Piha rescue type thing a piece of piss, much more might be a struggle.

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[nallac]

i used to have a pajero it went great until it shit itself, with them its not if but when, if its a deisel 2.3 or 2.5 it will crack its head and from what i have heard the 2.8s arnt much better

From my mechanic mates ,the 2.8's are shit loads worse..
at least the 2.5's are cheap to rebuild(he actually owned one??).Was told never to venture foot in his workshop if i bought a 2.8..

[Tank]

Great info so far - thanks.

With the littel Suzukis is the Vitara the same as Escudo?

[Edbear]

Great info so far - thanks.

With the littel Suzukis is the Vitara the same as Escudo?

Yup! Escudo is Jap import

[one fast tl1ooo]

How about one of these's ones

[Edbear]

How about one of these's ones

LOL!!! I think he needs it road legal..?

[one fast tl1ooo]

LOL!!! I think he needs it road legal..?

LoL it is road legal... reg is on hold... just pop the headlights back in and away you go... :lol:

[Flip]

This is my shooting vehicle. Its a Series 3 Stage 1 V8 NZ army landrover. It has parabolic springs with Old man emu shocks. It is dual fuel petrol-LPG. Has a 2" lift and sits on 32" BFG muds. I have changed the high gear ratio so it drives on the road at 100 kph with out revving its nut off.

I do a lot of night shooting and it has a fold up seat in the back. So that I get to shoot I take out the wind screen and the tops of the doors off. In bad weather I leave the top up and shoot from the front seat. It has a small gutter just under the front of the roof which sends the rain sideways and not into my lap.

I have broken an axle it was the most expensive one landrover make because it only fits in this landrover. It cost me $98 new. A mate with a jeep broke one out 4WDing his cost $1600.

My second choice would have been a Suzuki 1.6 soft top because they are a great car and cheep to run. My wife has a hard top one.

I have recored a radiator, overhauled the brakes, fitted a new fuel pump and new water pump. But I have also done 55,000 km in the last 6 years most of it on hunting trips.

[T.W.R]

Nissan Safari/Patrol (same thing) is the gold standard. Not cheap, but

Safari/Patrols are built like proper trucks :yes: GQ42s go for ever and their running gear is almost indestructable........The biggest thing against them in the domain of serious off roading is their size & weight, they literally sink like stones in soft going



I've got an Izuzu Mu. It may be little but being diesel its got some grunt and is fun offroad.

One problem with Mu's is that they're so flat underneath & over shod in tyre size that when getting into water over 3/4 wheel depth they float.


i vote for a hilux....a proper one not a surf

Normally aspirated 2.4lt diesel models with beam front axles are the best for off road as a semi stock vehicle. 2.4 turbos crack heads too easily, 2.8lt models hide the 400cc difference somewhere.
Hilux's as a whole need a fair bit of coin thrown at them to be competent off roaders but once done do go well but as the reverse of Safari's they're pretty lightly built.

Landcruisers take one hell of a lot of beating for a general 4x4 for serious off roading especially 70 series cruisers; medium weight, almost square footprint, reasonable power, & robust running gear combine to make them a benchmark off roader.
A good 40 series cruiser takes one hell of a lot of beating off road...but finding a good one these days takes some effort. They're like a giant meccano set, everything is easy to work on.

Suzuki SJ413s are a hoot off road, a dam good package and the basis for many competition vehicles just like cruisers but on a smaller scale.
Even Lada Neva & Cossacks are excellent off roaders to the point of having made some of the vehicles above that had been tricked up for off road look decidedly stupid whilst still in stock form.

[kevfromcoro]

have a gink at a daihatsu rocky..
had one of those...
great we truck.... 1600.. injected....
comfy..... a bit more room than the susi.......

[Flip]

Tank. What sort of shooting are you interested in doing? My Landy is set up for spotlighting, but it has taken its fair share of bigger game out of the bush. But if you need a 4wd ute a 40 series criser flat deck with LD28 diesel would be a brillant vehicle for hunting.

Keep in mind the bigger the vehicle the more difficult it is to pull out when it gets stuck.

From time to time I have to water blast the Landy out because it gets full of mud, blood and guts, so a shiny is going to get buggered pretty quickly.

You are not in the south island are you? You are welcome to come out with us one night if you are.

[spajohn]

What's your budget?

I drive a SWB Toyota Prado...modded with bars, custom side protection, Old Man Emu suspension, winch, snorkel. Very expensive way to go but like you it is my only car for when I'm not on two wheels.

What's your budget? If I was to do it again I would probably pickup an older Landcruiser. Like a lot of the other guys say the Suzuki's are pretty awesome too and will be better on fuel that a lot of others. From what I have heard Land Rovers break lots and are expensive to fix.

Have you checked out Offroad Express, and also some of the local clubs? Check out: http://www.nzfwda.org.nz/

My advise if get your head around 4x4 setup's, IFS, diff locks etc before you buy.

[cynna]

i recently brought a surf with a 3.8 commodore engine. first 4wd ive had and it suits me so far. dont intend to do any serious offroading just needed it take the familly and dogs out and about

need to get a roof rack, tow hooks and snorkel - more $$$ so maybe its a good idea to buy one with everything you need. mine was a spur of the moment trademe decision so didnt really look into it before i brought one

[sil3nt]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Nissan/auction-283065757.htm

[jim.cox]

7My advise if get your head around 4x4 setup's, IFS, diff locks etc before you buy.

Or just buy cheap, with the expectation that it will be a learning experience and that you may not keep it long

For me the main requirement is that it has to be a manual with hi & lo ratios - and I think a separate chasis is an advantage

I'm a Land Rover fan myself (yes, yes I know I know :) ) - but I'd prefer a Landcruiser or Patrol if I could afford one

As others have said a Lada Niva is a very capable vehicle

But for a smaller 4wd the Suzukis are hard to beat

[RDjase]

From my mechanic mates ,the 2.8's are shit loads worse..
at least the 2.5's are cheap to rebuild(he actually owned one??).Was told never to venture foot in his workshop if i bought a 2.8..

Mitsi 4D56/2.5 are crap but at least bits are cheap(ish) and there aesy to work on. 4M40/2.8 are terrible engines. Try doing anything to one in a L400....................Thats one of the reasons why I arnt a mechanic anymore, and after 20 years of it I HATE fixing cars

[Edbear]

Or just buy cheap, with the expectation that it will be a learning experience and that you may not keep it long

For me the main requirement is that it has to be a manual with hi & lo ratios - and I think a separate chasis is an advantage

I'm a Land Rover fan myself (yes, yes I know I know :) ) - but I'd prefer a Landcruiser or Patrol if I could afford one

As others have said a Lada Niva is a very capable vehicle

But for a smaller 4wd the Suzukis are hard to beat

Pretty good in mud, but a literal pain to drive on the road. :bye:

We used to regularly break the axles in the Landy's in the bush, but you'd be horrified at the places you could get one into of you knew what you were doing, (or is that if you didn't know...?:blink:)

[Motu]

Mitsi 4D56/2.5 are crap

Mitsi still make the 4D56 - now it's the most powerful engine in it's class...408 n/m torque.More hp and torque than a 3.0 Toyota.It's really got some stomp,and so far no problems with the common rail 4D56.After 40 years as a mechanic I'm still loving it...they'll have to prise the spanners from my cold dead hands.

[neels]

I can do you a deal on a slightly used landy if you're interested

[Winston001]

Landcruiser 70 Series.

I have a Toyota Prado myself but that's too flash for what you want. One of these days I'll get an old 70 series flat deck for hacking around.

Or as others have said, if you can find a cheap ute, buy it and drive it into the ground.

Dif lock is worth having plus there are various things you should carry such as a highlift jack, a tow strop, and say 12m of high tensile chain. You can use the chain and jack to winch yourself or anyone else out of a tough spot.