Which 4WD for Fishing ?

[Murphysegg 31]

Thanks Guys for all your input so far. Irrespective of my own initial query, this thread has become a valuable source of info for anyone else now or in the future in a similar situation as myself. All part of why these Forums are devised right ? What are peoples thoughts on Holden Jackaroo's ? 3Lt TD 2000 model.

[withoutchips 0]

My pa had a SWB Petrol Jackaroo and that was great for the dunes around beachport. Got in heaps far and got bogged...stressed a bit...then the old man noticed the hubs weren't engaged , flicked em on and she just drove out (us idiots) :pinch: . They are ISUZU apart from the badges on the front so would be built well and the diesels would be even better . But I remember reading an article on 4WD magazine about vehicles that are good to turn into good 4WD (with all the 'fruit') under 10000. They listed the suzuki vitera, ford explorer :whistle: (big aftermarket scene in the states make parts cheap apparently, 60 series, GQ patrol as trucks you can buy and turn into good offroad toys for under 10 incl basic lift and tyres. I'd be more inclined to go a dual cab tho but thats just me. 90s Turbo diesels can be had at around 10, get some proper tyres and a lift...another 1500ish, be interested anyway with what you get.

[archerfish 685]

Some of you may have seen this before:"Definition of a 4WD vehicle: a very effective means of getting further into mud or sand before becoming inextricably bogged" :whistle:

[Skudded 0]

2000 Jackaroo is a peice of shit mate..Wouldnt touch them..MY currently for sale 1998 Jackaroo however is a beast In all seriousness the Jackaroo and the Pajero are rediculously under rated vehicles and you get ALOT more bang for your $$$$Im selling mine for $11,000 ono and the difference ull find with mine (and other not as nicely looked after or well setup jackaroos) and a Patrol or Cruiser is that they wont have a rediculous amount of kilometres.For example my STILL FOR SALE jackaroo hasLess than 155000K's

[solid317 2]

please dont buy a jackaroo, no offence skudded but i have worked in 2 holden dealers and they shudder when they come through the door, they are money pits and you will regret them, same goes for ford explorer/exploder

[Skudded 0]

Haha its funny cause I shudder everytime I have had to deal with Holden, yet my mechanic has never had any issue working on the car. No offence taken, I know the quality or lack of it, mechanics that Holden hire.The only problems I have had with the Jackaroo have been with recalls..It has gone back twice to have mistakes made by mechanics fixed, mistakes I eventually got fed up with and paid to have fixed by my own mechanic. Jacks have had their issues but if you ask any owner if you avoid Holden dealerships you will have a good car. I did love having to correct them as to what oil to put in

this is our 4wheeler she really punches through the super challenging Goolwa beach entrance

First time I took the new Amarok down there I passed a Hilux who had managed to bog himself in the entrance..I drove past with a smile thinking if you get bogged here you deserve to dig yourself out!!

[Cal 480]

Mate had a Ford bronco for a 3 day test drive the other day,8000 it was tough as hell 351,souped up interior,donk sound system,lightforce spottys and bullbar,new bridgey dweller tyres, sounded awesome, full on 4x4,unlimited grunt ran like clockwork,and had 3 lpg tanks.The world is your oyster with a bit of cash in the bank and looking for a 4bee,cant go wrong.Would of bought it myself if had the spare dosh, pulled up that dune at salt creek like it wasnt there apparently lol.

[Pottsy 0]

Hi MateI have had a petrol patrol and it was so heavy on fuel that at todays prices per litre you would need to be rich to do a trip. I then bought a hj60 landcruiser and it was a good car but a bit rough and needed a lot of fixing up (cosmetic damage that was already in it). I then have had two Hiluxes, one petrol and one deisel. The petrol was very thirsty if you went over 100klm. the deisel was great and the hiluxes are bullet proof. I then bought a 1995 patrol 4.2l deisel and it was with out dout the best 4w4 that I have ever had. We put an after market turbo and got a 27% increase in power. It was great on fuel and bullet proof. We now have a 2004 patrol 3l turbo deisel and it is a very good car. I do a lot of off road from hunting deer to driving on the beach and have never had to many problems. With your budget I would say a Hilux or an older Patrol and a Deisel but the most important thing is that the service history is very good. If the deisel is not serviced on time and by a mechanic then look else where.

[solid317 2]

hey skudded,not trying to talk ur jack down, just saying all the issues i had seen (and yes most were oil related coz of the injector set up - uses oil pressure for pressure in the injectors which requires a thinner oil) but also saw 2 turbos snap in half, and after tappets are done correctly the seals around the injectors leak, no mechanic in oz has yet to fit them back in without this issue, great from factory but until that job is done at 100-150k (cant remember been 6 years since i was in a holden dealer, well since i gave up the spanners for double the income). all the holden guys think jackaroos are great right until that job is done then they blow smoke and dont run right. anyone who says they do the tappets and give the vehicle back without problems just didnt do the tappets. yes they are isuzu but that is where the issue starts with these, because they were built for a market that are more tech savvy that us australians (hydraulic injectors is the biggest thing here) and a lack of training from holden itself in regards to correct oils and service procedures they were all treated like any other vehicle and now they all have issues from hard starting to blowing smoke.i'm no holden fan (actually a ford surprise surprise) by a long shot, especially since they stopped making cars and started producing commodores, pre vb commodore they had a decent product, since then they went downhill. in saying that fords more recent american imports arent for our conditions either especially the explorer (or exploder), old f trucks are great even tho they r huge, but the new mazda fords (ranger bt50) are a good buy at a good price. personally i would recommend toyota over anything else in any class, followed by nissan in 4wd class, outside of that run your own risks.and not all jacks had issues either!!! some just are hardly driven and as a result havent done enough work to have grown any problems. at the end of the day we need to look at the availability of parts, cost of these parts, and if i got bitten by the 4wd bug would i be happy driving across australia and if i broke down would i be able to get it fixed in most towns?

[krustykrab 0]

Dunno how "serious" you want to get with your proposed 4WD' date=' Murphysegg...However, you might be surprised how far a Subaru Forester with manual gearbox and low range can get you. You could pick up an earlier model for within the price range you mentioned, and the fuel bill for running around town won't kill you either.Cheersaf [/quote']I would be worried about ground clearance with my forester, it easily handles going onto local beaches such as moana, sellicks etc (but then again so does a normal sedan most of the time)it can drive on soft sand but, when we went to salt creek in feb this year, we came across some pretty deep sand, big grooves,drop offs an shell grit piles, good thing we were in Millsys navara diesel no probs(out of your selected price range though over 30k)also Southie the Bangas patrol handled it pretty good too and he had a shitload of gear and people in his rig.My point though is you will need plenty of ground clearance in places like salt creek get a serious 4WD not an AWD. My forester is 2.5L turbo and has awesome power to weight ratio better than anything listed but that will be no good to you when you are in the deep stuff. About all it is good for is dragging off supercar wannabe's at the lights.....

[archerfish 685]

kkThat's why I posed the original question to Murphysegg as to how "serious" he/she wanted to get, as I wasn't sure what the proposed use would likely be. Your point on ground clearance is taken, but the old rule about driving within the capabilities of both yourself AND your vehicle still applies. Many years ago I took my Forester (the first model to come out) through Litchfield NP in the Territory into the "Lost City" (very carefully, I should add!) and surprised the hell out of a few other people running around in Troopies and Cruisers. I have also heard of a Forester towing a small 'van over "Big Red" in the Simpson.Having said all that, I'm now running around in an NS Pajero, as no Subie I'm aware of is going to lug around a 2 tonne caravan.!It's all "horses for courses"...Cheersaf

[Murphysegg 31]

Well i think i've found my vehicle of choice. 99 Pajero 3L V6 Auto on Gas & Unleaded 190,000 on the clock. Full Mitsubishi service history. Just had a 200,000 service done.Last owner for 10yrs & appears to be a pretty maticulous oldboy.Sits in my original budget so i think it's a great deal.What do SH's think ?

[Skudded 0]

Lots of Kilometres for a petrol engine mate. Im biased against Diesels when it comes to 4wd's though. Nothing wrong with the Paj at all and if it was diesel I would say to buy it but yeh..for a petty engine thats pretty high milage!

[southie THE BANGA 2,304]

I usually go by the therory of 20,000km a year. .... so if you went by this system the car would be under its kms for its age. .... it sounds like a good deal. .. just for to see if he had done off Roading or towing with it. .. but always get an RAA inspection for piece of mind

[Ranger 48]

Well i think i've found my vehicle of choice. 99 Pajero 3L V6 Auto on Gas & Unleaded 190' date='000 on the clock. Full Mitsubishi service history. Just had a 200,000 service done.Last owner for 10yrs & appears to be a pretty maticulous oldboy.Sits in my original budget so i think it's a great deal.What do SH's think ? [/quote']I prefer the 3.5L engine to the 3.0L, which most say is a little underpowered. Having said this, I believe the 99 model ONLY came with either 3.5L petrol, or 2.8L diesel. Check that out yourself before purchase, as it shouldn't have a 3.0L in it at all, which is a slightly older motor..............If it's a 3.0L, don't buy it!The 200,000 service is a biggie, expensive, and important, where even the timing belt is changed, so it's a bonus that's been done.Weak points are water pumps, timing belts, apart from that they're pretty bulletproof. Get a complete independant inspection prior to sale, which is $100 or so very well spent!They were around $50K when new, these days average k's are 180,000-300,000 so yours is on the lower end of the scale, and they're fetching $6,500-$8,500 privately, or $4,200-$6,000 as a trade in. Dont pay too much for it, and look at about $7,500 as a good and fair deal!You WILL be happy with it, you will save money with it being on gas!

[Moggy23 625]

With that sort of mileage, just be careful that the LPG hasn't turned it into a oil burner.Also have the auto checked out, especially if has being towing a van or something.I prefer manuals when it comes to second hand vehicle of this nature.Like Banga says, have it checked out.

[Ranger 48]

One very important thing that I failed to mention!I said that the 200,000k service is very important, as is the 100,000k service.If the timing belt ISN'T changed at these major services, they have been known to let go! When this happens the valves can be pushed through the pistons.I have been warned about this many times, and it actually happened to mine prior to me purchasing it!The owner failed to have the 100,000 service performed, at 110,000 the timing belt let go, the engine was trashed, and it resulted in an engine rebuild by Mitsubishi.

[solid317 2]

i had a 91 falcon ute on gas and for it to be cheaper than petrol to run the cost of gas had to be less than half the cost of petrol (if petrol was 100/litre gas needed to be 50/litre or less). even at half the cost it was better to run on petrol as is lubricates the intake system (i use intake loosely, as there a a few components that it does) just running gas, even if engine was built for it, it dries out gaskets causing premature failure. i had that ute for 5 years and i loved it to bits but i hated the gas and i still hate gas, it is for bbq's and hot water services. running gas on a modern fuel injected vehicle is cheaper to run only because of the injection technology. at a rural holden/mitsubishi dealer i worked at we had a np(i think that was the model with the rounded top on the front guards dont give mitsi models much attention) pajero that was v6 petrol on gas and the exhaust manifold cracked due to lpg, which caused oxygen sensor to read a lean mixture (too much oxy being sucked in thru crack) so ecu (computer brain of injected engines) added more fuel or in this case lpg which caused a huge backfire that blew up the entire intake system of that engine, yes i mean gaskets, manifold, all pipework to and from air filter box and the air filter box and the (notso) bright owner tried to tell me it wasnt the fault of lpg! and he didnt want to pay for the parts to fix it so we had to tape it together at his request so he could drive home. just an example of why not to have lpgyour call but i'd really suggest diesel if you want a more economic vehicle

[Bigmac54 0]

If it is an NK pajero, u dont want the 3.5 V6. Alternator issues, harmonic balancers fall off etc. Costly ro repair those ones. The will have dohc-3500 written on the side

[Ranger 48]

Mine's an NK, 1996. None of the above problems, in fact it's been a sweet and reliable ride. No alternator issues, no harmonic balancers falling off, no major mechanical problems, it's now 16 years old.Only recently have I started having minor problems, which I believe is due to an electrical issue.....and I'd like to thank Moggy for the advice on that one too.The 99 model is an NL.

[rotare 491]

Well i think i've found my vehicle of choice. 99 Pajero 3L V6 Auto on Gas & Unleaded 190,000 on the clock. Full Mitsubishi service history. Just had a 200,000 service done. Last owner for 10yrs & appears to be a pretty maticulous oldboy. Sits in my original budget so i think it's a great deal. What do SH's think ?

If it's 1999 Pajero it would make it an NL Pajero. I'm pretty sure they only came out with the 3.5 litre V6, not the 3.0 litre. The previous model had a choice of either 3.0 or 3.5 litre engine. So as others have suggested, just confirm you have the model or engine size correct.If it's an NL Pajero from all accounts they are a pretty solid vehicle. I'm a member of the Pajero forum and the NL Pajero have a pretty strong following. A lot of guys prefer them over the later model NM Pajeros.With a budget of $10K most of the 4wd vehicles you're going to be looking at will have travelled at least 150,000km unless you find something that's been sitting in the garage for a while. So 190,000 sounds about right for the money your looking at spending. Some of the guys on the pajero forum are regularly getting above 300,000km out of the 3.5 V6 engines. So long as it has been looked after, regularly serviced and issues addressed as they occurred throught it's life to date there's not much more you can ask for when looking at second hand cars. Just remember every model of car has its particular issues and peculiar problems, and so long as you're aware of them, no matter what vehicle your looking at you will have people listing their faults.Good luck with whatever you decide.

[krustykrab 0]

kkThat's why I posed the original question to Murphysegg as to how "serious" he/she wanted to get' date=' as I wasn't sure what the proposed use would likely be. Your point on ground clearance is taken, but the old rule about driving within the capabilities of both yourself AND your vehicle still applies. Many years ago I took my Forester (the first model to come out) through Litchfield NP in the Territory into the "Lost City" (very carefully, I should add!) and surprised the hell out of a few other people running around in Troopies and Cruisers. I have also heard of a Forester towing a small 'van over "Big Red" in the Simpson.Having said all that, I'm now running around in an NS Pajero, as no Subie I'm aware of is going to lug around a 2 tonne caravan.!It's all "horses for courses"...Cheersaf [/quote']no worries mate.....hey I wouldnt mind taking my forester through litchfield Ive been there 3 times.....awesome!

[Skudded 0]

Hehe this is the problem with Car threads. Everyone always knows the defects of every car. Search the Internet on cars and all you get is PROBLEMS. Who goes on a forum to say OMG my cars so amazing.If your happy with the car and the servicing has been done thats whats important. If he services the car himself, ask him exactly what he does and get him to show you where everything is. Its pretty easy to spot someone who doesnt actually know what they were supposed to change and when.People saying 20,000k's a year then yeh 200,000 is a good deal and as Ive said the old Paj's are highly under rated (dont touch a new one!! should be AWD not 4WD)Goodluck with your new car and enjoy it!

[Bigmac54 0]

I know the issues with the nk as ive had them happen. I could also go on and say that hiluxes blow 5th gear and jeeps wj series blow front diffs and transfer cases. But i wont, lol

[solid317 2]

i would have agreed on the "ask what you think of this and you'll only get a list of problems" comment earlier but my computer wasnt being helpful. i have worked on a whole heap of different makes of vehicles in the few years i worked as a mechanic, and none of them were without their own issues, there isnt a model of any vehicle on the road that doesnt have its own consistent problems. and from what i've seen there are a lot of vehicles that have more issues that are more frequent that i would avoid and stick with those that have a reputation for quality, not to say the good reputation is a guarantee of a good vehicle as even ferrari and maserati etc have lemons. regardless of how well a vehicle is looked after it can still have too many issues to want to worry about. i have seen brand new ssangyong dual cab utes come out of containers already burnt as they have/had dodgy wiring, not to say all ssangyongs are like this but i wont buy one if a number of brand new 2-3km vehicles have serious issues as it shows what the general quality is like. you get a reputation on history, the longer the history the more accurate the reputation good or bad

[Moggy23 625]

I was wondering when someone was going bring up problems about Ssangyongs.I've earnt good money out of one these, a customer had the limited slip diff centre broke clean in half with 130 k on the clock. Couldn't buy any parts from the dealer, so my aftermarket diff man supplied me a complete kit to repair it.Then the owner sent it out to me on a tilt truck cause of it's overheating problem.This a 5 cyl Merc diesel I,m dealing with now and quick diagnoses of the situation and the water pump was removed with great hassle, "not mechanicly friendly" There was the plastic impeller still sitting in the engine block broken. First impression was this was a disgrace on Mercedes behalf. :vomit: Fixed the problem and reported that the turbo needs overhauling next, oil leaking in the intake and the turbo turbine was toughing the housing. :sick: It was traded in the following week.

[Guest boys day out]

Moggy remind me not to buy that :sick:

[solid317 2]

those "mercedes" engines in the ssangyongs arent made by mercedes but licenced so all it means is they supplied the plans, the rest was left to ssangyong. and no they arent mechanic friendly. but still a lot cheaper than engine out to change spark plugs on a porshe, a certain former owner of a big dealership in adelaide found that out the hard way

[Murphysegg 31]

As this thread has attracted a great deal of attention from current 4WD Buffs & on a slight tangent to the initial query i posted, i have another related question What are SH's experience/preference with power inverters & air compressors ?My needs would only be to charge a Laptop / Battery for a Kayak Sounder / Camera battery / rechargable light etc. (low consumption ). However also require a suitable compressor to reinflate tyres without having to wait eons Whats your thoughts on combination units ? 5 in 1 portables that are jump starters / working light etc. Are there any quality yet affordable products that fit the bill?Or should dedicated units be the go.I suppose "Buy cheap you buy twice !!".

[southie THE BANGA 2,304]

for air comps i have the ARB onboard air comp that also runs diff lockers.... it pumps 4 33inch TYRES IN UNDER 10MINS.... and for a round the 200 mark good value... it all gets hard wired in the car and just operates by a switch..

[fisher 38]

Whats your thoughts on combination units ? 5 in 1 portables that are jump starters / working light etc. Are there any quality yet affordable products that fit the bill?

Re compressor: From what I gather the preference for compressors are those that connect to the battery rather than cig lighter plug - something to do with a drop in power. I bought an 'outback devil' compressor from supercheap, and its done well for me at Salt Creek and Fowlers, including dog fence. I didn't time how long it took to pump the tyres, but it was pretty efficient, to the point where I had to deflate tyres because I'd put too much air into them. A 4wd came off the beach the same time as me at Salt creek - I did all 4 tyres including deflating a couple before he had done 2 with his combination unit. Also - on the FWC I reckon mine was as efficient as my mates that had his ARB fixed under the bonnet. I'd hazard a guess of well under 5 minutes per 4wd tyre - enough for a chat and a beer! Mind you, my compressor developed a cough towards the end of the FWC trip - I took it back to supercheap and got it exchanged, no problems.So from all that, I reckon a purpose 4wd compressor would be the way to go. I like the battery pack idea and was going to go down that track myself, but decided that I needed a second battery for running the fridge etc.. probably not a bad idea as a back up compressor.....

[rbt 0]

GQ patrol mate, cant beat em. my first 4x4 was a 86 swb pajero, then a 85 mq patrol, then a 93 jackaroo and now a 89 gq lwb patrol. after owning the gq i would'nt own anything else apart from a gu patrol. i can't even compare it to any of the other 4x4's it's that much more capable off road. mine is standard, no lift or lockers, just a set of bf goodrich all terrain tyre's. its the dreaded rb30s aswell, so it's underpowered on the road but is fine offroad. trust me get a gq you wont regret it mate. one of the toughest and reliable cars ever built mate. good luck!

[Ranger 48]

What are SH's experience/preference with power inverters & air compressors ?My needs would only be to charge a Laptop / Battery for a Kayak Sounder / Camera battery / rechargable light etc. (low consumption ). However also require a suitable compressor to reinflate tyres without having to wait eons Whats your thoughts on combination units ? 5 in 1 portables that are jump starters / working light etc. Are there any quality yet affordable products that fit the bill?Or should dedicated units be the go.I suppose "Buy cheap you buy twice !!".

I dont have an "onboard" compressor, although that would certainly be my first choice.Instead I use a portable unit which hooks directly to the car battery...........I also made a point of purchasing a "heavy duty" portable unit of decent quality, as some of the cheaper ones really wont cut the mustard, especially with the higher pressure LT tyres. You'll find the cheapies will overheat and invariably die on you before they've seen too much use.I also use a decent tyre pressure guage, and only use the one on the compressor as an "indicator". A set of Staun deflators is also a handy addition, so that you can preset them to the desired pressure, screw them on and deflate all 4 tyres at the same time, AND to the desired pressures.As far as inverters go I cant be much help, because when required I instead use a little 1000 watt Yamaha 4 stroke inverter generator, which is safe for all my little valuables (pc, etc) which could be adversely affected by power spikes and variances.I can use the generator to recharge the fridge battery each day, jump start the vehicle if required, and power any little 240v accessory I choose to take with me. It's light, quiet, efficient, cheap to run, and doesn't take much room to store in the back.For an inverter have a chat with someone at the local 4x4 store, to ensure you have the correct sized unit for your own needs.If you want to power anything substantial from the 4WD, consider installing a dual battery system, so that you never risk inadvertantly flattening your starting battery in an isolated area.

[southie THE BANGA 2,304]

i bought the onboard one as i was annoyed that at the fact that i had to undo my rods tied up onto my rod holders to get to the bonnet to get to the battery

[Softy 2,991]

Or mount the 2nd battery in the rear, close to the fridge so dont lose any voltage drop to the fridge.You will lose some power lose to the 2nd battery while driving, but not enough to worry about.