advice on buying duel cab 4x4 2009 onwards

Submitted: Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 12:26
ThreadID: 108690 Views:2268 Replies:12 FollowUps:15
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hey guys first post here, figured you guys know a thing or two about 4x4's.

I'm after a 4x4 duel cab on diesel automatic 2009 and later. I'm looking to not spend over 30k.
i have a 97 v6 commodore with 325000km on it that i pull a 2tonne trailer with for my business. it aint gonna last!

the options I'm looking at are, triton, navara, hilux, bt 50.

hilux are pricey but popular and look great when accessorised.

bt 50 bit ugly imo.

navara, looks good, large, cheap, not sure about reliability/common faults?

triton, I'm really leaning towards. cheap, and heard a lot of good reports. i did hear about a pcv valve/inlet manifold common fault though. not sure if mitsubishi have rectified this and in what year??

my main wants are, reliable engine and drive train. no problematic transmission ($$$)
and aircon that works great! i plan on getting one with a canopy to lock the tools and fishing gear in. ill never do any serious offroading. in fact it'll prob go into 4x4 mode once a year. do have plans for a boat in the future though.

any advice or if you can share your experience with a vehicle that matches my descriptions would be appreciated. thanks.
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Reply By: Nomadic Navara - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 12:51

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 12:51
You are towing a trailer for business. You will no doubt will have an ABN. A lot of the agents will give you up to $5k off with an ABN. Have you looked around for something new but basic?
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Reply By: Steve D1 - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 13:20

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 13:20
If mainly for business, Triton. $29000 out the door, with all tax benefits

Steve
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Reply By: olcoolone - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:08

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:08
Hilux would be my first choice followed by the Mazda.

Be cautious with the Navara with the YD25 motor.

Don't like the fit and finish of the Triton, if you get the Triton first thing is do the glove box light mod to stop it catching on fire.

They all suffer from clutches but like most problems they are few and far between.
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Follow Up By: Steve D1 - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:26

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:26
With the above specs required, search comes up with, (carsales)
Hilux - Most over 100000k's, up to 190000k's up to 6 yrs old
Mazda - All previous gen. 100000K plus
Navara - much lower K's ( Although one shows 761000K's. ) haha.
Triton. New. 5 yr warranty, 10 year drivetrain.
I wouldnt buy one for a tourer, but hard to go past considering competition, and requirements asked for.

Steve.
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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 18:01

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 18:01
And it,s over 100 grand for a 5 year old Bentley but you can have a new Hyundai for under 30.......

There is a reason why some vehicles are cheaper and it's not because the more expensive ones are turning a bigger profit.

With nearly ZERO percent interest being offered by many manufactures it really a no brainier to buy the best, if you keep it for 5 years I can guarantee a 5 year old Hilux will return the same or if not better resale % amount then a Triton or some of the others.

So end of the day the Hilux costs maybe a bit less then a Triton to own.....
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Reply By: Matt R3 - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:20

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:20
29k? geez thats not bad!

well i should clarify, at the moment I'm only doing my own business on the weekends, just started. i do have an a.b.n but haven't registered a business name and started paying tax....because of course i haven't made any earnings...yet! ;)
i have a full-time job as a regular employee at the moment. i will prob take the plunge and quit and run my business very shortly. got to organise a reliable vehicle first.

any more advice on tax/business or on vehicles please? I'm not too clued up on either topic having always been an employee and always bought oldish passenger vehicles. thanks.
AnswerID: 535883

Follow Up By: Steve D1 - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:29

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:29
The 29K is off the street price, have to add in canopy cost of course.

Steve
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Follow Up By: Tony H15 - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 17:46

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 17:46
The Triton is normally $31K, but I think they are offerring a $2k cashback offer at the moment. Even at $31k there is a big gap between the Triton and the rest. The money you save could could get you a heap of extras: Canopy, performance chip, suspension upgrades, etc. With a 5 year warranty (10 on drivetrain) it is amazing value. As for getting what you pay for, you certainly do, the rest only give a 3 year warranty.

If you go with one of the others the best option is sell your Commode privately and buy the ute through a broker, brokers get amazing deals (with no cost or obligation to buy) and the vehicle is delivered to your door.

Another other option is to ring around the dealerships and play the part of broker yourself.

I got $3000 off a new I30 using a broker, The next car I played broker myself and got $2750 off plus floor mats. Unfortunately as soon as you walk into a dealership you have lost - it is their turf. Do the wheeling and dealing via the phone, make them chase you.
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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Sunday, Jul 13, 2014 at 09:51

Sunday, Jul 13, 2014 at 09:51
Matt go and speak to a good accountant first before making ANY decisions, they will tell you the best way of financing and claiming expenses plus any tax breaks.

Register a business name and a ".com.au" domain name.

Make sure you have email hosting linked to your domain name like "matt@gonamakeamillion.com.au"

Business names rego -
http://www.asic.gov.au/business-names

Domain name rego and email hosting -
http://www.netregistry.com.au/

Another good thing is become a member of your local bushiness enterprise centre -
http://www.becaustralia.org.au/

Another really good thing is register a trademak on you business name and logo, this should be a must as it protects your intellectual property -
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/get-the-right-ip/trade-marks/apply-for-a-trade-mark/



Good luck in your adventure.....
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Follow Up By: AlbyNSW - Sunday, Jul 13, 2014 at 11:11

Sunday, Jul 13, 2014 at 11:11
Yes good advice from Olcoolone
Before deciding on what vehicle to buy you need to establish how you are going to buy it , method of payment,in a business name etc. An accountant will advise you on the most suitable way to suit your personal situation.
If you need some funding for this new business venture you may well be better off financing ( leasing) your new vehicle and hang on to your cash to use for other business expenses as an example

Good luck with it all
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Reply By: pop2jocem - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:44

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:44
Just to confuse you a bit more Matt, have you considered a D-Max?

I know you don't want to spend more tha about $30 grand but they are offering a 5 year warranty on the new ones so they must have some confidence in the product.
I know their heavier trucks are just about bullet proof.

Cheers
Pop
AnswerID: 535885

Follow Up By: Matt R3 - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 15:06

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 15:06
not really mate. i figure i want something common. part availability and cheaper parts and accessories.

i drive a truck for a living. if only nissan made their cars as well as the trucks. i drove a nissan 92 mdl for 6 years. its got almost 1000,000 km on it and has never missed a beat(and still going), while i watched all the hino, izuzu etc in the fleet do clutches and water pumps, slave cylinders, gearboxes etc.
I'm now in a late mdl nissan and I'm confident i could circumnavigate austraila 10 times and it wouldn't miss a beat.

just on bang for buck I'm really leaning towards the triton and possibly navara and maybe a heavily accessorised hilux if cheap enough and low kays.

so none has any major issues with these vehicles? all on par?
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Follow Up By: pop2jocem - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 15:32

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 15:32
You gotta go with whatever you are happy with mate. As a now happily retired diesel fitter I could recount as many good luck and bad luck stories as you could bare to listen to about any of the major brands of trucks. If you are serious about an auto I doubt you will have any worries with clutch issues. Well not the manual gearbox type.

As far as Navara and Triton dual cab ute type vehicles go they would be at the bottom of my choice list.
Mazda bt50 seem pretty good.
I would go with HiLux or D-Max as first choices but as you don't like D-Max I guess you could scratch that off your list.
If you want ease of parts availability maybe add Colorado to the list.

You could also get a nice new Great Wall for that price too...(;-))

Good luck with whatever you choose.
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Reply By: Matt R3 - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:44

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:44
very tempting steve. thanks for the homework. i figure they're quite confident to offer the 10 year drivetrain warranty.

so whats the best way to get the lowest price at a dealer? time of year sale? and trade in for my old commodore and can i haggle to get goodies like a canopy etc?
AnswerID: 535886

Follow Up By: Steve D1 - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:57

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 14:57
You wont do any better than that. They actually lose money at that price. It is the advertised drive away. Walk in / walk out.
As for your Commy, I sold my 10 year old one with 1/2 the K's, and got nothing for it. Probably only worth a couple of hundered for them to take it away for you.
Steve
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Follow Up By: Green Rv - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 07:48

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 07:48
Hi Matt
good idea playing the dealer yourself
find the car you like give them all your details then just wait until the end of the month to buy if they have a target to reach (which they all do, personal target, dealer target and manufacture targets, the last one can save you the most because if they hit this one the manufacturer gives the dealer a kick back ) you will find that dealer begging for you money just watch out for the hard sell techniques

Ads
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Reply By: Green Rv - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 15:09

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 15:09
Hi Matt

go the bt50 great car good towing

or the dmax (not the navara)

ive worked for a diesel performance workshop and without upgrades these are two of the best cars 4cyl td 4x4 on the market (imo)

two cars i would not buy triton to many issues

navara same as above

thanks Ads
AnswerID: 535891

Follow Up By: gbc - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 15:46

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 15:46
Having had fleet vehicles of that era I'd agree. Bt50/ranger or dmax/Colorado (they were the same back then) are proving to be the longest lived of the lot. Auto box for towing and you won't go wrong. Hiluxes are lasting too, but as usual they aren't as good as the premium over the rest of the market might suggest.
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Reply By: Axle - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 15:31

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 15:31
G/Day Matt,.. The triton is pretty useless in standard spec to carry any sort of weight, no where near what they say, I'm amazed that Mits get away with it. If this is not a issue then they are a good price, But as it always goes you get what you pay for!


Cheers Axle.
AnswerID: 535893

Reply By: Matt R3 - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 19:08

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 19:08
Pretty bloody confused now!! Haha.
Might go to a few dealerships and test drive some. Might as well buy new and sell every 5 years or just keep for 20.
Some of you guys need to take into account that new models might not be the lemons of older models. Just keep that in mind.
Some very useful info and advice, cheers guys.

Ill only be towing max 2.5 tonne and 400kg in the tray. And only short distances. I take it easy and am happy to nurse it. Heck...the ole commodore with original shockers still does it ;) I just keep going through 2nd hand coils!

Raise my budget to around 43k with canopy and ready to go!
AnswerID: 535912

Follow Up By: Life Member TourBoy, Bundaberg - Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 20:56

Friday, Jul 11, 2014 at 20:56
With that much weight I would be concerned about the triton. Others don't seem to have as bad a reputation for chassis failures although aftermarket air bags can destroy any vehicles chassis.
http://www.4wdaction.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=99859
Cheers,
Dave
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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 10:39

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 10:39
"Might go to a few dealerships and test drive some"

Yes good idea, we do that when we are looking as we change work vehicles every few years.

It's surprising how we have really liked one model only to be put off by something simple like handbrake, a switch location or the feel of the door handles or steering wheel....... something we could not live with day in or day out.

Another good thing to do is take a 5 year old model for a drive and compare how it feels and the condition of body and trim against a new one.

This will give you a good idea of what yours would be like in 5 years time.

The advantage of buying new or near new is the option of a factory extended warranty.

Another good option many be the Ford Ranger XLS, we have a new XLT and love it..... with the Ranger you get more carrying and towing capacity, a fantastic 3.2lt 5cyl diesel and six speed manual or auto.

The Ranger would be the pick of the crop at the moment.
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Follow Up By: Tony H15 - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 12:03

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 12:03
According to the motoring writers, the Ranger is top of the heap at the moment. As the BT50 is a clone, I guess that makes it top of the heap as well. The Hilux is trailing well behind now, mostly due to spec I've read.
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Reply By: madfisher - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 20:40

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 20:40
I get to drive triton, luxes and recently a d/max for work. Biggest problem with the tritons is the awfull seats and the low seating position. I seem to suffer from numb bum with in 100ks.
Cheers pete
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Reply By: Matt R3 - Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 21:03

Saturday, Jul 12, 2014 at 21:03
Thanks for all the replies guys. Still no closer to deciding. Ill have to do more research on specs and pricing and warranties.

Test drive some and do some haggling.

Whats the best way to get these dealers to chase me? Call them or id prefer to email them to save time. Or get a broker as one poster suggested? Eofys at the moment so hopefully theyre keen for a sale :)
AnswerID: 535985

Follow Up By: olcoolone - Sunday, Jul 13, 2014 at 09:31

Sunday, Jul 13, 2014 at 09:31
EOFY is over, if you want to save wait another six months and buy a 2014 plated vehicle.

Best way of getting a good deal is get to know the salesperson and dealership personally plus the other advantage is you might find a dealer who needs to clear a particular vehicle due to a lost sale, change of order or end of month quick sale of a stock vehicle.

DON'T EMAIL THEM, emails are so impersonal and many sales persons will take the stance if your to lazy to come in why should I give you a good price if your shopping around..... your not a regularly known or fleet customer yet.

The other thing with email and text is it takes 3 days and 200 back a forth messages to get an understanding and response whereby in person it can be done in 20 minutes.

Another good option is to look a a demo vehicle.

Brokers are OK but a little foot and phone work can usually get a better deal

We get good deals by knowing the fleet manager and the dealership, when we go in they know they have one chance and on chance only with no negotiations, we will get estimates from a few dealers just to make sure they are on the ball.

The other thing you can do is get a mate to phone you whilst negotiating and start talking price to your mate as if he was a salesperson from another dealer....... then cut the meeting short by telling them you have to go look at another vehicle at a good price.

Don't be stupid with the price you go in at and chances are you will get the deal....... if the vehicle is $42,000 on a screwed down price, don't go in at $38,000 as the sales person will know your full of #^%@, but if you went in at $41,000 and got them to throw in accessories that may add up to $1000 rrp chances are the deal will be meet.

Don't take the attitude your doing them a favour and they want to sell you a vehicles....... you need them to do you a favour with the price and service and you need to buy a vehicle. If to aggressive they will just walk away and sell to the next person who walks in....... a ll dealerships have vehicle allocation numbers of the amount of vehicles they can purchase, if they are getting to the end of their allocation they are better holding of waiting for someone to pay more for the vehicle.

When you have made your mind up on what vehicle make and model you want ask to borrow one over night or over a week end and clock up some K's driving it in the city and country and in the day and night.
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Reply By: Knothome - Tuesday, Jul 15, 2014 at 19:57

Tuesday, Jul 15, 2014 at 19:57
I have a 2010 Navsra D40 done 105,000 and would never touch a Nissan again, when it was time to update the other work car we got the Triton space cab and it is only the 101kw motor and for $30g it's a cheap 4x4 and goes alright but haven't towed with it.
AnswerID: 536098

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