Family sized 4wd for long trips?

Shaman on 13/11/2017 - 12:10

Looking to make a purchase on a used forby, ideal for long road trips, reliable, auto and diesel. It will be used as a commuter when not used for holidaying, so it won't be fitted with any lift kits or anything to increase its ability to off road.

What would you guys look at? I am budgeting about $30,000. I have sort of narrowed it down to prado, pajero or patrol but still open to new ideas. Put of the three I've mentioned it looks like prados are the priciest, but come with an awesomely massive fuel tank, pajeros are very reasonably priced for top specifications exceed models but their fuel tanks aren't nearly as big as a prado, and patrols are sort of middle ground between prados and pajeros but seem the cheapest.

Any ideas guys? To add more info, it will be used for camping, lots of WA long drives, fanily of four (2 adults 2 children).

Thanks all

Automotive

Comments

  • steff on 13/11/2017 - 12:18
    +1

    I don't have much knowledge about these three cars but if fuel tank size is a concern, why not invest in a good jerry can?

    • enzioFirenze on 13/11/2017 - 12:35

      for the trips he's talking about, you'd need a couple of jerry cans! To put things into perspective, Prado has a 180L fuel tank while Pajero has 80L (or 88L)

      • steff on 13/11/2017 - 12:38

        wow I had no idea. scratch the jerry cans then haha

      • stirlo on 13/11/2017 - 13:46
        +1

        In 2005 my family drove the entire way around Australia and through the Kimberly (Gibb River track) in a Pajero and never had to worry about fuel. There's generally roadhouses every 200-400km or you just take a couple of Jerry cans.

        That said we found the Pajero horribly unreliable (over 5 years broke 3 clutches and 2 gearboxes) and then a few years later had the fuel pump die twice. That said the list price was about half of a equivalent Landcruiser and 3/4 of a Patrol. Probably wouldn't buy again though with all the hassles.

    • Presence on 13/11/2017 - 14:33

      The Prado has 150-180L, you'll need a lot of Jerry cans. You don't want fuel in the cab or on the roof so you have to compromise to store them.

      Realistically both a Pajero or Patrol have sufficient range for all but the most remote trips.

  • CLoSeR on 13/11/2017 - 12:52
    +2

    Prado or Landcruiser, if you have a problem outback the spares are readily available.

    • R-Man on 13/11/2017 - 13:23

      Also vote Prado. We owned a 2011 and later upgraded to a higher spec 2015 model, really like them both because of good resale value, huge diesel tanks and service plan.

      We found the sitting room was wider than most competitors in the back seats (if you use the huge armrests in the door) so it's quite comfortable for the family on long drives.

  • subywagon on 13/11/2017 - 13:57
    +2

    Pajero or Prado. I was looking for a 4wd to do the same as you plus hard off roading. I ended up going with a 2009 Pajero Exceed diesel, due to availability, price and safety features of full airbags all round plus other reasons such as factory diff locker etc. Prado's are really nice and I can't fault them compared to a Pajero, but priced at around 5 to 10k more than a Pajero of the same spec (VX or Grande compared with an Exceed) I can't really justify it and would prefer to put the money into mods. My friend is a Prado nut and recommended going with one built after 2007. The diesels apparently are troublesome with Prados, but petrol V6 are really reliable and cheap to repair compared to the diesel. Fuel would be a killer though with the V6 petrol.

    I've just spent a month travelling around with 3 adults and 4 kids in my diesel Pajero Exceed and it performed perfectly, was spacious enough and comfortable and great on fuel for it's size. Smooth to drive and handles well. The roof mounted DVD player helped a lot with the kids too! I haven't taken it off road seriously yet, but from members of Pajero groups I know that they perform really well. I've owned the Pajero for a few months now with no issues. When I'm not travelling it's our family mall crawler and a pleasure to drive whether it's dropping kids off at school or doing the shopping.

    Spares are everywhere in the outback too for Pajero's… many grey nomads use them for towing all over Australia.

    Good luck!

    • Shaman on 13/11/2017 - 14:22

      Thanks for your response and honesty. I've owned an 07 prado previously and loved it. Never owned a pajero however it seems to be more value for money. Did you ever find the tank capacity to be an issue? I guess it wouldn't be, I'm just anxious about fuel in the outback with little babies in tow.

      • subywagon on 13/11/2017 - 17:30

        I get close to 700km on a full tank of diesel with country road driving. If I clean the inlet manifold out and install a catch can to stop carbon build up I should be able to get better fuel economy. I haven't been far enough away from a petrol station for fuel to be a worry, but I'd just buy a few jerry cans and keep them on a roof basket if I was doing any long trips in the outback. I would regardless whether I had a Prado or not. Also you can actually get a second diesel tank installed for long distance trips. You'd easily be able to afford one with the money you'd save buying a Pajero instead of a Prado!

      • redvaldez on 22/11/2017 - 16:03

        Mate I priced up a 140 litre long range fuel tank for my 97 Pajero earlier in the year from LRA and it was $1400 + fitting. Always something to consider.

  • [Deactivated] on 13/11/2017 - 15:14
    -2

    Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Get to the camp-site quicker and the return trip home will also be faster.

  • Mikinoz on 13/11/2017 - 15:17

    No Wrangler love

  • whooah1979 on 13/11/2017 - 16:31

    we filled up for a weekend trip to the showy. sydney > canberra > thredbo > perisher > canberra > sydney > one day work > two day work. we were going for a third day, but drove pass a service station selling fuel at price we couldn't resist. 1250km and one bar left on the fuel gauge.

  • Euphemistic on 14/11/2017 - 15:22
    +1

    Isuzu MUX?

    • woodwa on 22/11/2017 - 08:53

      My choice.. Sadly these are popular as according to a couple of my mechanics un-breakable engines minimal warranty issues.. I've been trying to find a sub 30K MU-X and they don't sit on the market for long..

      BTW the DPF was introduced on the MY15 models of MU-X and D-Max. and Jan 1 2015 they introduced 5 year 100,000km warranty

      • tightwod on 23/11/2017 - 06:52

        Actually dpf was introduced on the MY17 models with the uprated motor. Ive got the MY15.5 without the dpf. I also have a work Colorado ute. While the colorado has HEAPS more power, i still prefer the motor in the mux.

  • IMFrugl on 21/11/2017 - 08:58

    Prado - Very good driveablity - handles like a car. Petrol will be costly on the long run. If you're putting on the kms, diesel is the way to go. I've not owned one, but have driven one. It was out of my budget, when I was shopping. More costly but it will return most of your $$ when you resell it as it holds its value.

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