Earvin Johnson posted:

Wayne,

At the risk of hijacking Tomay's thread, do tell about the X5. It obviously impressed.

Tomay posted:

Wayne, Not waiting several years to get the vehicle. We want to take short trips first to get to know both van and vehicle very well before we disapear outback

Tomay posted:

Thanks Wal,

Guess we have experienced a lot of the sledging you speak of.

We have looked around and just when we thought we knew what we wanted found out that , that certain model had a very common problem. Guess that is what we are really wanting to know. Not so much Patrol v Cruiser, but which models have people found very reliable and which one clangers. Also interested in the manual v auto and electric v mechanical. We have travelled a lot in the past but not off the bitumen much so have managed with a station wagon towing the old trailer. The four wheel drive scene is new to us, just know that so many locals have told us that when we go north buy one or the other as you will always be able to get spares.

Kimberly Kruiser posted:

Tomay

I suppose it is very confusing!!
To give you a insight to my preference I have owned a variety of Tojos,about 6 from memory, a couple of those 4wd's, currently a
75 series diesel troopy. I have had one straight out of the box Nissan which tormented me for 8 months until I ditched it and brought another Tojo.
I live and tour in a fairly remote part of the country where Tojo's out number every thing else around in the 4wd scene.
I work in the mining industry where you can drive anything you like as long as its white and is a Toyota. The most popular 75 & 78 series utes and personel carriers. The last of the 80 series have just been pensioned off after 5 or 6 years of bouncing around an open cut mine, day in day out. The 100 series only survived 2 or 3 years before falling to bits, literally, bits falling off (silastic holds lots of things) and cracked
chassis. I suppose then if you compare the 80 to the 100, the 80 wins hands down. Hilux 2 and 4wd make up the rest of the fleet and are constantly pounded to death day in and day out but they keep on keeping on.
Nope theres not a Nissan in sight,on site.
Most of the stations and communities around here run various Tojo's with a fairly common theme of the ole 1HZ diesel. It would be then fairly safe to assume that parts for the ole Tojo are fairly easy to locate in some of the harshest and remote country around.
Thats my spin on it but you still have all the fun in deciding.

Cheers
Wal