Hi All,
I want to buy a dual cab, but my needs are a little different to many on here who are more hardcore, but still with a need many people have. I will do
~ almost all distance on road (city and highway)
~ not that many kms maybe 8,000 a year max
~ ute will sit on the street for a week at a time not used
~ tow a boat (under 2t)
~ carry a dirt bike, photocopier etc, nothing more than 500kg
~ carry up to 4 people fairly often
~ only mods would be bullbar, towbar and minor wheels/
suspension work if needed to improve handling
So I want something that
~ handles on the street as
well as can be
~ comfortable on highways (must have cruise control)
~ super reliable
~ cheap to maintain
~ decent rear
seat room
~ prefer auto
Because of the low kms I will clock up, I'm a bit indifferent on the petrol vs diesel. Petrol cheaper to buy and maintain and is quieter but harder to sell later on and uses more fuel.
For 4wd vs 2wd I'm a bit indifferent as
well, 2wd lighter, less fuel, lower maintenance cost. Low range could be useful maybe at
boat ramp or the odd time I'm on a fire trail with the dirt bike. I guess a full time 4wd would be safer on road in the wet.
So after reading everything I can find on the
forum I've come down to:
~ $11k Rodeo 4wd diesel
~ $11k Colorado 2wd petrol
~ $12k Hilux 2wd petrol 2006
~ $13k
Ranger PK 2wd diesel
~ $14k Triton MN diesel 4wd
~ $14.5 Navara D40 diesel
Does anyone have suggestions or actual living with day to day experience of the above models for the use case above or preferences for one over the other, which would you choose? Are some better on road/more reliable/cheaper to maintain?