Recommendations for next 4x4

[AndrewG]

I'm looking to replace my '96 Disco 300tdi - it's had a hard life, and has 190k miles on it, and now the heater matrix is filling the cabin with steam.

So I'm looking at alternatives, not horribly expensive (say up to £4k) but which will suffice as a day-to-day vehicle, as well as able to cope with the muddy fields and towing duty.

Currently looking at something other than the Disco from roughly the same era (eg around 10 years old), preferably manual and diesel, ideally with 5 doors.

Anyone recommend a vehicle and have some stats like:-
* MPG
* Reliability
* Service intervals and how easy it is to do simple things yourself
* Cost of parts

(Or alternatively, point me in the correct direction).

Much obliged,

Andrew.

[bullfrog]

Patrol, Land cruiser, RRC,
I would avoid the surf ec as all their diesals can suffer head problems.
The 2.4 and 3.0 .
the 4.2 Land cruiser is a better engine but thirsty at 18 MPG !!
The patrol offers agood all rounder and The RRC is similar to the disco so you know the score there.
Nicer shape though and 4K would get you a minter

[Evilgoat]

Dad's Pajero seems to be a damm solid, well built day to day runabout, not too hard on the fuel eaither. And fairly capable offroad. The one he has came with some offroad gear as standard although being ext Jap govt this might not be standard fit.

LWB 2.8TDi

[Rich_P]

I would avoid the surf ec as all their diesals can suffer head problems.
The 2.4 and 3.0 .

The Hilux engines in 1991 and 1992 were the ones that suffered head problems.  However all subsequent vehicles afterwards had a modified head fitted that cured the problem.  If you're buying a 91/92 model, ask for proof that it's had the modified head fitted. ;)

[Range Rover Blues]

Buy a solid RRC, possibly even a soft dash for around 3k and fit a mulitpoint LPG system to it for around a grand, job done.

[bezzabsa]

or even a RRC softdash 300 tdi ;)
lol

[Cal]

4.2TD VX Landcruiser - awesome! My mate's got a '91 import with about 140k on the clock. It's amazing. not rust, all the gizmos work, gets about 28mpg being a bit careful but it also tows his digger (3 tons I think) with ease.

If I had any money and it was a touch smaller I'd have one myself!  :twisted:

Also saw one at Grand Canyon last time I was there doing some very steep slopes with no trouble.

Got to keep an eye on the big end bearings apparently but you should be able to get over 300k out of the engine/vehicle.

Don't get me wrong - I'm a massive lady fan (despite only having owned 1) but for everyday use I think the 'cruiser wins...

[Rich_P]

What can the Land Cruiser tow up to legally out of curiosity?  As the Hilux is restricted to 1.75 tonnes....

[Cal]

3.5 tons I think. I might be getting muddled but I'm failry sure it was at least half a ton more than a landy.

[bullfrog]

Sorry to correct you but habving spoken to Toyota mechanics and one factort technician ALL of them suffer. I know of 4 people who had problems righyt up to 2000 models.
Anyone who says "they sorted it" is lying the only diesal which didnt have issues was the 4.2 .
All others had corrosion problems.

[Mudlark]

Don't get me wrong - I'm a massive lady fan (despite only having owned 1)

Are they any cheaper to run than Landys?

I guess they're no quieter :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[Cal]

:oops:

Well spotted!!  :lol:  :lol:

Mine definitely isn't cheaper to run and not a lot quiter - uses less fuel mind...

[Rich_P]

Sorry to correct you but habving spoken to Toyota mechanics and one factort technician ALL of them suffer. I know of 4 people who had problems righyt up to 2000 models.
Anyone who says "they sorted it" is lying the only diesal which didnt have issues was the 4.2 .

I'm quite surprised to hear that's the case.

All others had corrosion problems.

Probably still not as bad as a LR.  :lol:

[Cal]

That just means you'll have to go for the 4.2 TD 'cruiser Rich  :twisted:

[clbarclay]

3.5 tons I think. I might be getting muddled but I'm failry sure it was at least half a ton more than a landy.

I should think your getting muddled somewhere, either the 3.5 tons or the half ton more.

A typical landy (RRC disco 90 110 etc.) can tow up to 3.5 tons with over run brakes or 4 tons using coupled brakes. of course if the trailer has no brakes then its 750kg max.

[offroading.net]

No one has mentioned a Nissan Patrol yet, not as tarty as a land cruiser inside but a nice solid motor

[Cal]

A typical landy (RRC disco 90 110 etc.) can tow up to 3.5 tons with over run brakes

Definitely getting muddled then - I thought landys were only 3 tons.

I'll show myself out... :lol:

No one has mentioned a Nissan Patrol

What are they like then? I've heard they're v solid but a tad underpowered for their size.

[AndrewG]

Cheers for all the replies.

Been looking at a Jeep XJ or ZJ or a Ford Explorer (or was it a Maverick?). I guess it's sometimes nice to park your vehicle in a multistory car-park. Can't find many Shoguns/Pajeros with 100k miles on it for £4k, and I'm a bit concerned about the size.

Less set on diesels now - I'm assuming petrol and wading isn't much of an issue (assuming you don't exceed the stated wading depths without a snorkel)?

Much obliged,

Andrew.

[UKJeeper]

I was going to suggest this as you mentioned towing and £4k in the same post. But obviously thats a touch too big!

Mavericks and Explorers are different vehicles altogether. Do a quick image search in Google to see what i mean. We owned 2 different Explorers over 5 years in the US and IMO they had an undeserved bad rep, mainly for the dodgy tyre thing (which is why they were called Exploders for a while). We even used ours on some of the desert trails with no problem. Good, honest, reliable 4x4 with enough weight and power to tow without fuss.

Same can be said for the XJ and ZJ Jeeps. Both the 4.0 petrol and 2.5td are decent motors. If you really want petrol, i'd look around for LPG'ed ones though. They are dirt cheap to buy and filling up 60 litres of fuel for £0 or less always makes me smile at the pump. I have a '94 XJ that we bought a couple years ago for £2k WITH the LPG already on it. I've seen the same year WITH LPG go for under £1k on autotrader recently. I've driven from Stansted to Aberdovy (sp) and back for £60. Not bad for a 4.0 with a heavy right foot!

As far as towing goes, i have used the XJ to tow my YJ, on a plant trailer, to Tong, Severn Sisters, and Slindon, etc with no problem. I've even towed an early Cherokee (3 ton) on the trailer up to Newmarket and back. So they can take the weight.

[AndrewG]

I think the vehicle was an Explorer, but I wasn't overly taken with it.

I'm not towing overly heavy stuff - the odd small generator, motorbikes on trailers, but they sometimes have to go into muddy fields (so at least a set of ATs regardless of vehicle).

[bullfrog]

We had an explorer and they are great, Just a little thirsty. With LPG they make a great choice. The Patrol is a nice beast but getting a good'un for your budget could mean compremising on quality as with the VX too.
Mavericks are sh*** so dont get one !

[laser_jock99]

I would avoid the surf ec as all their diesals can suffer head problems.
The 2.4 and 3.0 .

....er the 3.0L Surf doesn't have head problems!

If you get a 2.4L with the new design head (a lot had them fitted under warranty while in Japan) then they won't have problems either!

[laser_jock99]

Sorry to correct you but habving spoken to Toyota mechanics and one factort technician ALL of them suffer. I know of 4 people who had problems righyt up to 2000 models.
Anyone who says "they sorted it" is lying the only diesal which didnt have issues was the 4.2 .
All others had corrosion problems.

In the real world 3.0L TD head problems are more or less unheard of on the UK Hilux Surf forum. There are 9,500 Surf owners but only I know of a handful of instances where a 3.0L head has cracked. In two of those cases it was just down to poor maintenance (low coolant). In another case the head gasket had failed and the been ignored. Not really a trend or design fault.

In a forum poll of 2.4L TD owners only 15% had experienced overheating/head problems.

The 3.0L TD is a lot more resilient than the 2.4L TD - but ANY head can crack if you overheat it. This advice applies to all manufacturers.

[MrTFWitt]

In a forum poll of 2.4L TD owners only 15% had experienced overheating/head problems.

I can hook you up with a Toyota Hilux 2.4 surf with a "slight knock" for only £500.
I was tempted to buy it from a chap at work until I looked at how many dead and dying surfs were on ebay due to engine problems.

It seems many owners are unaware of the 5000Km/3 month oil change requirement on this engine.
http://www.toyotasurf.asn.au/techsite/maintenanceshcedule.htm

As regards the survey, maybe the other 85% were busy changing their oil that weekend.

[AndrewG]

Cheers for all the advice.

Settled on the Jeep ZJ eventually.