First purchase for new vehicle

Hi Smocky
Partner's brother drives a Rodeo and he likes it- has done some real bush trips.

My advice is to drive it lots before you spend heaps on extras which may not give you what you want. Go on some club trips with more experienced drivers and ask them to show you the ropes. You might be surprised at what your Rodeo can do as it is. 'Navaraman' has what looks to me like a pretty standard Nissan 4wd ute and he was able to do everything any one else did on the Monarto weekend. Have a look at his rig pic it shows him coming up out of a steep creek.
You can really only make sound decisions after a bit of experience. Then you'll know what you want to do with your fourby and what its limitations really are.

Every add - on comes at cost which is not only cash. Expensive mods may mean it is a tiger in the bush but crap to drive in the city and on the bitumin getting to the bush.
Also there are heaps of people out there telling you that their stuff is great because they can get at your bank balance.

If you are going to do much bush and sand work a good compressor is a must because you will have to adjust your tyre pressures. You will eventually need recovery gear starting with a snatch strap and appropriate shackles. Chuck in a good tow rope too.
You need these because ettiquette demands that you supply your own gear if you want to be rescued from the bog you have gotten yourself into. A decent shovel and a good jack help too.

Generally all - terrain tyres are pretty good but we did heaps of miles on highway tyres untill they wore out and they fairly good even when almost fully worn ( 4wd increases traction a lot on its own)
Ultimately you can trick your Rodeo up to the hilt but you will still find places it will not go and if you go to the ridiculous and make it so it can go anywhere environmental wisdom should tell you you should't be there anyway.
Well that's my two bob's worth.

Cheers
Camper

That's good advise from Camper Smocky. Don't rush into buying anything apart from the recovery gear, go on a few trips with your club or guys on here, enjoy what you have while gaining some valuable experience. Read lots about 4x4'ing and ask questions. Eventually you'll be able to decide for yourself just what you need/want to suit your level of activity.

Yep.. Camper just gave some great advise... I totally agree with him...

Some very good advice above.

From what you say you want to do with the vehicle, the fact that you have joined a club and that you are new to owning a 4WD, the LAST accessory I would buy would be a winch. IMHO I don't think you will need it or use it. That can come much later down the track when you have some experience under your belt and want to take on some more adventurous trips either on your own or with others.

If your club doesn't do training, I would suggest a 4WD course.

:)

from experience with an RA, i would say start saving now for some decent tyres as the stock ones will be shagged by 30k or sooner, and a long range tank wouldn't go astray..

Thats some of the best advice ever given.

start with the basic gear {strap, shovel,air compressor}and go from there
Tyres would be on the list but first see where the standard ones get you.
you might find that a good radio and gps might be on the list to get first?

go on some 4wd courses and enjoy youre self.

shadow

I would have to agree with all the advice so far, the only thing that I could add is to fit a heavy duty tow bar. They make a great recovery point to drag out Hiluxes. Do a driver training course, and then decide what to put on your vehicle. That reminds me I am running late for work, got to go.

Wayne

Smocky

Just remember with all the things you are going to buy, ask questions here and buy quality, that way you buy things once.

The one thing about 4WD's is that there are lots of things you want or need, and generally you don't have lot of $'s to get it all at once.

We all have things in our sheds that were bought with good reason at the time, and have now been replace with better, if only we had better foresight or even asked.

Regards
Jim

Can't add much to the good advice given so far. You've got the essentials like recovery gear, so I'd say now just get your money's worth out of what you've already paid for - wait until the original tyres and suspension have reached their 'use by' dates, then think about buying replacements that may better suit your usage. And by then, you'll know what that is.

One last thing, if you're planning on beach work (and it still makes me cringe when I see brand new vehicles doing this - that's why I have an old Series III Land Rover), a quality rust-proofing treatment will do wonders for your resale value down the track. And always give it a thorough hose out underneath as soon as you get home (not the following weekend!)

Don't bother with a rear locker as your LSD is fantastic. I have an older Rodeo with 150k on it and it is amazing where a stock Isuzu LSD will get you.

Lots of good advice, as usual, from the forum. The best money I've spent so far was on the suspension. Mine was ready for replacement anyway but the difference in ride is great. Hand held UHF's are handy but I'd buy an in car one, you won't lose it under the seat when the car starts bouncing about a lot. For beach driving and touring the ute in standard form will probably do pretty much everything you need anyway. If you wanted a comp vehicle or rock-hopper you'd have bought one. Enjoy it, I'm always amazed at where mine gets too.