WHICH VEHICLE ADVICE

Second hand Pajero. For 30grand you should be able to get something a few years old, modded and the diesel/auto is reliable and cheap to run.

Sell the Jayco too and buy something like this.
Go anywhere, any time.....
http://www.caravancampingsales.com.au/buy/toyota/landcruiser-bush-camper

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

On the other hand if your cruiser is in good nick and you are happy with it doing the job then $30k buys a lot of petrol at the difference in consumption between a petrol and diesel, never mind the reduced servicing costs.
The cruiser would also be more comfortable than any ute.

I had the v8 landcruiser for years and loved it. My kids told me to buy aturbo diesel Prado. I bought a 2008 120 series. I tow a Windsor Rapid 17ft caravan similar wieght to yours. It is unbelievable. The economy without the van is 9.6km per litre and 6.9km per liter with the van and that is either sitting on 80km per hour or 100km per hour. So I am very happy with that. It has all the power I want also.

Laurie.

The 120 series prado comes with 180 litre tank so that to me is the real benefit. You get a lot of km's on that, which was my biggest problem with the v8, always having to fill up.

One motoring writer reckons that you need to do 30,000 kms per year for a diesel to become cost effective.

A Pajero could be a good option, pretty capable and reliable, but the 2nd hand prices aren't modest. Same for the Prado.

I drive an Isuzu MU-X which is based on the D-Max. Reliable, capable on and off-road (inc. towing c. 1.4 tonnes), good diesel fuel economy. There are almost 5000 of them on our roads since the release 18 months ago with very few reports of serious faults. Not sure what 2nd hand values are.

In my opinion, and I have the exact same issue but I want a bigger car than I have now, not smaller one like you are looking for.

Go for a 2007 or newer (depending on price) DiD Pajero Auto and install a Long ranger sub tank or similar. I'd suggest a VRX to get the extras.

My research shows that even spending the dollars on the Pajero to gain the fuel range of a similar sized Prado, you'll still be way out in front.

Also, try searching D4D engine problems..... injectors seem to be a common issue and the cost of a single D4D injector would buy you a full set of Pajero DiD injectors.

Many tests and numbers on paper show that the only real difference is price and fuel capacity.

Fab.