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Which 4WD for Fishing ?


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I'm currently looking out for a suitable 4WD for future fishing trips & am a bit over awe'd by the amount of choice.Has any SH's got recommendations in narrowing down a suitable choice ? I was looking at Surf's / 4 runners, but colleagues have suggested Patrols being more suitable as being more versatile.I have an idea of budget, & wish to use it for Kayak fishing expo's to York's & Eyre @ Xmas.your constructive comments would be most welcome :S

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When you say "for fishing trips" I can only imagine this means beach driving. If that IS the case, it's got me buggered why everyone is recommending a big heavy Patrol which is gonna bog down.I'd be l

Gday mate, I own a yota 4runner v6 (dual fuel) - bought it at 138,000 and it has now ticked over to 450,000 and all I have done is put gas heads on it and extractors - it has gone anywhere i have aske

Used to have a 94 4runner and it was tough .... on my wallet Auto Petrol and 20 Litres to the 100I recently got a turbo Diesel Paj 3.2 litre Auto and I love it. 94 litre tank and I get 900km on a tank

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When you say "for fishing trips" I can only imagine this means beach driving. If that IS the case, it's got me buggered why everyone is recommending a big heavy Patrol which is gonna bog down.I'd be looking for something small to mid range, which is lighter and nimble.For my money when on a budget I dont recon you could go past a Pajero.The Toyota Surfs I've heard have wiring issues, and it's hard to find one which hasn't been flogged.The 4 runners will definately fit into a budget.The Toyota Hilux is a sturdy workhorse which wont let you down.Actually, if I had to operate on a budget of $8-10k I recon the only two vehicles I would automatically rule out would be the Patrols and the Landcruisers.

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With tyres down @12psi my Patrol has never been left wanting in the sand. Once you get a 4wd you'll probably get the touring bug as well and if this is the case for that budget you can't go past a GQ Patrol. The old shape Pajeros are a good bus as well and my brother in law took his everywhere, don't know how they have stood the test of time.

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i have never ever had bogging issues with my gq patrol bogged....... and i usually carry a full carload. plus i also run MUD TYRES.... like said before lower your tyre pressure, keep a steady speed/momentum.. and just dont be stupid (know your limtis) if you follow these simple steps u can use almost any 4x4....

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Dunno how "serious" you want to get with your proposed 4WD, 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 B)

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That's the spirit SH's :) All your feedback & experiences are invaluable.As Ranger pointed out, the odd dune & scrub would probably be all i'd tackle, but who knows if i get bitten by the 4WD bug & wish to take things further.Archerfish - The forester ideas also worth considering. It would be easier to load the yak on too. I appreciate ALL your comments :) keep em comin

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who knows if i get bitten by the 4WD bug & wish to take things further.

In which case, as I look into my crystal ball I see diff lockers, lift kits, winches, suspension and wheel mods on the horizon..............and a whole lot more than $8-10k being pumped into the equation. :P PS: I would also strongly agree with seeking an auto for the sand! ;)
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Gday mate, I own a yota 4runner v6 (dual fuel) - bought it at 138,000 and it has now ticked over to 450,000 and all I have done is put gas heads on it and extractors - it has gone anywhere i have asked it and power to weight it is the best thing I have driven in the sand - pulled out patrols, landcruisers, landrovers, and driven straight by the more powerful (heavy) vehicles in the soft stuff...Ive owned patrols,(heavy - had pathfinders (S#%T!) had a landcruiser (like driving a house) and when the opportunity for the rv6 came up i jumped on it! great on the highway - 2500rpm @ 110k's and i can go on....These vehicles were designed originally for the saudi police to use in the desert and caught on world wide - stock as a rock they are great (do some work to them and they get even better)- if you ever find yourself getting stuck - let your tyres down a few pounds and get on with it! Biased yeah! but if you want an older cheapie they're not a bad vehicle...if you want more info - pm me...Cheers..

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Used to have a 94 4runner and it was tough .... on my wallet Auto Petrol and 20 Litres to the 100I recently got a turbo Diesel Paj 3.2 litre Auto and I love it. 94 litre tank and I get 900km on a tankunbelievable in the dunes.They are reasonably Light and the bonus of 7 seats Mine is the NP and are mostly around the 15K mark at 130000km but the NM is same shape and definately worth looking at so far Ive had a Datsun 720 , 74 SWB Landcruiser , 84 4Runner , 94 4Runner and now my Paj.Cheers and Good luck with Whatever you choose But be warned 4 wheel Drives are a disease that once you've had one you will always have one.

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We had the older Subaru forrester with the 2lt motor and it was a beautiful little car. You have to remember that it's an all wheel drive, not a 4wd. Having said that, the only real trouble we had in the sand was with clearance. Did a few trips to Lincoln national park and Ackermans creek with two yaks on top no worries. When the kids came along we had to trade for something bigger coz the baby capsule took up too much room!!

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just the topic...i was in this boat 2 years ago and got myself a 93 dual cab hilux manual turbo diesel (aftermarket turbo) this this is great!!! i since put a canopy on it and had the injector pump rebuilt. it came with a 2 inch lift kit fitted which makes it look tough. i got it for the same reasons as you but got a dual cab so i could fit kids in. IT IS FOR SALE!!!! why am i selling it? when i got it we had 1 kid with another due in a month, perfect 2 kids will fit no probs, now with 3rd on the way cannot fit 3 kid seats on the back seat meaning we cannot take it holidaying. it has been used for fishing and camping as well as my work car. it does have a rough body but polish will fix most of the paint and small dents, well they are cosmetic not performance enhancing and it wont be entered in any show and shines will it? this thing drives great and i dont want to sell it but do be able to keep taking my kids camping and fishing i need to get the bigger 4wd. ipaid 9k for it and with all the work i have done i am asking that again, it came with reciepts for work done before i got it which added up to quite a lot of money so the last owner looked after it well and that is why i think it drives so well. i have taken it to eyre peninsula a few times as my family is here and it does the drive no worries.as far as sand driving goes everyones talks about weight, with the right tyre pressures weight is not an issue and you will really only get bogged if you use too much throttle or have wrong tyre pressures.if youre keen pm me i live in ardrossan and can have the vehicle ready for a drive if you wanna come overdamo.

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Everyone's going to have their own preferences depending on what they currently own, or have owned previously....If you can be a little more specific on what you're after, it may help narrow down the choices. Are you after petrol, diesel, duel fuel or don't care? Where are you planning on taking the fourby - gravel tracks, beachwork or hard core offroad? How often are you planning on taking it offroad - weekly, monthly or once a year? What sort of gear will you intend to carry - a few rods and a tackle box, or tents, portable fridges and camping gear? Are you planning on towing with the vehicle - If so, what will you tow? Will this be your daily driver, or just a second, weekend car? I could go on, but you probaly get the point.There would be several suitable vehicles, depending on how you answer some of those questions.If you haven't stopped reading yet, here's my suggestion.Diesel / petrols / LPG - Modern diesel are good, no very good, but for $8-10K I'm guessing you would be looking at something pre 2000(?), maybe 10 -15 years old. Most diesels in this era are okay and good work horses, but are generally slow, gutless and not overly fuel efficient as most will be normally aspirated, not turbo charged. Petrol motors will definately provide more performance, but will be heavy drinkers in low range off road. Petrol / LPG maybe be the compromise, but depending on the location of the LPG tank you may lose offroad clearance / ability.Offroad ability - you will be surprised where a reasonable quality 4wd will take you that has a low range gearbox, a little bit of ground clearance and reasonable all terrain tyres. If you're intending to do some light to medium offroading there is no need for big beamed axled 4wds', with massive tyres and masive lift kits as well. Everything is a compromise, and "generally", the more offroad orientated the vehicle is, the less onroad it becomes. Usage - I personally can't see the point in having a vehicle that is setup for 95% offroad, when it spends 99% of it's time on road. This comes down to personal opinion of course, but if you're spending the majority of your time on road, with the occasional light to medium session offroad, why not look at considering fourbys that have better onroad manners? - there are plenty that fit into this category. Some that come to mind are the Suzuki Vitaras, Pajeros and Prados..... and I'm sure they're is a host of others. These types of vehicles will likely handle and perform better on the road, return better fuel economy and be more comfortable than a big, offroad orientated rig, or traditional commercially orientated and ladder framed chassis 4wd.Size - I'm starting to repeat myself here, but if you know what you plan to carry or tow, this will help narrow your choice too. Big fourbys are terrific when you need to carry a lot of gear or people, and for towing, but the downside will be they are more "truck" like to drive, typically use more fuel, harder to park in the city and will scratch up easier on tight 4wd tracks. Inverse for smaller fourbys, but again, don't rule out the ability of some of the smaller fourbys as they will hold their own when compared to the typical big name rigs.Daily driver / weekend warrior - Everything I've said now applies here. Personally, if my fourby was my second car and only driven on weekends I reckon I'd go for the biggest, baddest, most impractical fourby I could find! If it was my daily driver I would be looking at something that was good on fuel, easy to drive and comfy, as well as having the ability to go off the beaten track too.I've tried not to name too many brands, but only used a couple as an example. Once you can determine in your own mind what you need it will likely help narrow your choices. This is only my opinion of course, and others will likley disagree with what I've written, but I hope it is of some help to you.

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Jason as i suggestedBe very careful on which patrol, looking at softy and dels FB they have spent alot of time fixing theirs.Surf, as you know I have, i would stay away from with trying to take a kayak out etc.80 series landcruiser > All mentioned. 8-10k gets a good duel fuel one, even a deisel if you wait and watch.

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Geez Rotare, that's some good input!Much of the criteria you have used is what I myself used in making my own choice:I needed a 4wd for towing a boat and a caravan.I would spend most of my time ON road, so comfort and practicality was a big consideration. I wanted all the mod cons, but I also wanted something suitable for beach driving, dirt tracks and occasional off road jaunts into camping areas, etc.The choice of petrol/diesel wasn't a large consideration for me, instead towing capacity, ground clearance and price were.The petrols were certainly much cheaper than the diesels which budget dictated.I ended up changing my plans and stumbled across my own Pajero which ticked all the boxes for me.I have a 3 ton towing capacity, I have comfort, I never bothered with lift kits, winch or any of the other serious off road accessories, and I even run highway LT treads (for comfort) which are also remarkably good in the soft sand once you deflate them a little.I chose manual as the vehicle which I came across and fitted the bill happened to be a manual.If provided with the choice again I would certainly choose an auto for my own intended usage.If given the choice again, I would choose TURBO diesel over petrol, but certainly NOT a standard diesel which are far too slow around town, on hills and overtaking. I am not a big fan of gas, especially on 4wd's, as you lose ground clearance, the existing fuel tank must be reduced in size, you lose power, and you need to fill up more often. I instead prefer range, power and a vehicle tuned for just one fuel type.As for the choice of vehicle itself, I am very happy with it's performance, it's reliability, it's standard accessories and the level of comfort and driving enjoyment.Turning circle is a let down, and really the only downfall I can relate.My choice of vehicle may not suit everyone, and that is why so many options are available in the marketplace.

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Jason as i suggestedBe very careful on which patrol' date=' looking at softy and dels FB they have spent alot of time fixing theirs.Surf, as you know I have, i would stay away from with trying to take a kayak out etc.80 series landcruiser > All mentioned. 8-10k gets a good duel fuel one, even a deisel if you wait and watch.[/quote']I ain't fixed squat on mine.... only done an exhaust manifold gasket, i do need a new drag link bar, but jumping it in the dunes didn't help that much..... :laugh:
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yeah mate, i own a 1995 80 series petrol land cruiser thats put almost 300,000 kms away and still going strong. she chews abit of oil these days and the only major problem (if you can call it that) was a radiator (top tank crack)a couple of years ago.apart from that, no issues, i get it serviced regurlarly and its NEVER left me bogged anywhere.in low range its a beast that climbs mounts and crosses rivers......and it can TOW HEAVY SHIT.need i say more.ps you can pick a decent one for $10k.

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Geez Rotare, that's some good input! Much of the criteria you have used is what I myself used in making my own choice:

Thanks Ranger. It's easy for eveyone to nominate "their" vehicle as the best, but what is best for one person, may not be best for the next. Hence why the original poster probably needs to answer some of these questions, if he hasn't already.

ended up changing my plans and stumbled across my own Pajero which ticked all the boxes for me.

We clearly have similar tastes and requirements! I have an NP Exceed diesel - and I love it. Electric everything, super comfy, reliable and economical. Tows my 21ft boat with ease. Great tourer too and doesn't shame itself offroad either. Mines had a 2 inch lift, airbags for towing, all terrain tyres, exhaust mod and runs LPG. With the LPG I'm getting 20- 25% increase in power and torque, as well as an increase in range. With a 3T towing capacity I'm assuming you have the NS or NT?
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as has been said, petrol 4wd will cost you in fuel costs, lpg while "cheaper to run" usually has about double the usage of petrol on older models kinda better on new vehicles so cost per litre would need to be below half that of petrol to be cheaper to run and even then not much cheaper, that was my finding when i had a dual fuel falcon ute doing 160km+ every day for work, my diesel hilux is considerably cheaper to run. and remember the bigger the vehicle the thirstier it will be same goes for the older the thirstier, once again why my little lux would be a great keeper if we would all fit in it, i will miss her when she sells...anyway good luck with your hunt. and if you are interested in my lux i work a 4 on 4 off roster and am getting weekends off again so i'll be around a lot before xmas

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I'm a huge patrol fan, what being an owner of one and all. They come highly recommended by me, loves sand driving and eats up any dune you point it towards.However I have just recently purchased my misses a '99 Suzuki Grand Vitara and I must say I quite like it. Petrol 2.5L V6 so has plenty of grunt for such a small 4x4, enough to pull a small boat around easily, plenty of ground clearance, and gets 11-12L/ 100km down to 9ish on the freeway. And unlike all other "fake 4x4's" of it's size (forester, rav4 etc etc) it has a proper high and low range 4x4 box, it's just about un-stoppable

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I have an 80 series Landcruiser, 1993, just clicked over to 334,000 kms on the way to work this morning, dual fuel Petrol and LPG. Comfortable driving on road, pretty much take you anywhere you point it off road and tows well. Great for taking heaps of gear and the family camping. Keep thinking I should sell it, but don’t really want to let it go. You could pick something like this up for $7 - $9000.Somewhere on the Eyre Peninsula.Posted ImageGood luck with your search lots to choose from. ;)

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I have an 80 series Landcruiser' date=' 1993, just clicked over to 334,000 kms on the way to work this morning, dual fuel Petrol and LPG. Comfortable driving on road, pretty much take you anywhere you point it off road and tows well. Great for taking heaps of gear and the family camping. Keep thinking I should sell it, but don’t really want to let it go. You could pick something like this up for $7 - $9000.Somewhere on the Eyre Peninsula.[img']http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/7896/eyre2006xmasyorkes20070.jpg[/img]Good luck with your search lots to choose from. ;)

Talking of the Eyre Peninsula I've gotta go and pack :woohoo: see you all in a week :fishing::sun: :f :d/:d/:d/
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