Bashing the Hilux and dumping the cruiser

I hope you've got a good supply of bamboo slivers for under your nails.

You'll be forever dirty with yourself ........... poor bugger.

My sympathies old son

Felicitations

Keep the v8, get another missus.
Hope this helps

ozman, dump the petrol guzzling v8 and be welcomed to the economical 3ltd .great little engine that. might have to get some reset rear springs for it but or your butt might get abit sore. And you still gett to keep the cheese & kisses.thanks

Ozman,
After the 'cruiser the hilux will feel very small, very uncomfortable and the nagging SWMBO will give you will make her regret the decision
Rolande

Hi Ozman. I looked at several TD dual cabs about 18 months ago and came to some conclusions of my own, whether they help you or not is up to you.

Firstly, if you own one of these vehicles, and you dissagree with what I say or if I offend you, I'm sorry. Not intentional.

I didn't like the fact that you can't get a Hilux anymore with a rigid front axle, only IFS. That was the biggest dissapointment, but also the rear suspension is really choppy when empty. Yes this can be fixed with some added weight or after market springs but i didn't have the budget to do the latter. At the time, I owned an FJ62, and it felt like the salesman was sitting on top of me when I went for a test drive, the seats are obviously a lot closer together. Also, compared to the cruiser, you can't sleep in the bugger, there's no room for a second battery and compressor under the bonnet, and very little storage space for odds & sods in the cab.

Took a 3.0 T/D Rodeo for a spin, it wouldn't go through a little track I found in 4WD, without giving it heaps, had to have 3 goes at it. It looked easy so I went back the next day in the cruiser and walked it thru in 2WD (cruiser only had open diffs!) I put this down to the IFS.

Didn't bother with the Triton cos of that wheasey little 2.8 with a hair dryer on the side, and I read in 4WD monthly that the turning circle is as big as the titanic! If they put the same motor as in the pajero, it would've been the first one I looked at.

Test drove a Navara, heaps of power, looks good, still got IFS though! and doesn't come with auto box, HMMPFH.

Settled on a wagon. We sleep in the back, heaps of room under the bonnet, heaps of storage for bits n' bobs, tows good and its got a live diff in the front, YAY.

I take it your a Toyota man so you won't like it when I say I gat a GU Patrol, but hey, that's my 2 cents worth.

The reason I like live axles is you can fit better springs and shocks easier, they will take a bashing, have lots more wheel travel and don't bounce around off road to the point that your'e almost being sea sick! ( I used to won a Navara with IFS, and this always happened to me when offroad).

Cheers,

Muzz

No personal experience just the drunken words of a mechanic mate... He reckons if all his customers left him exept for the hilux owners, he'd turn a profit just from rebuilding the gearboxes.

Ozman,
I've owned 4 hilux's over the years. the only time they have cost me money is when I have had to put fuel in them. Good no nonsense truck.
Cheers
Graham

The Hilux is deffinatally not a luxury machine, however they really would have to be the most reliable IMHO and I'm trying not to be biased. Just out of interest my mum and partner are looking at buying a 4wd. They had some magazine that had comparisons on HEAPS of second hand 4bies, including Jackeroo, Rodeoa, 80 series, 100 series, GU, GQ Daihatsu's, Land rovers, Zooks the whole lot. I'm not one who likes alot of these mags but it did seem pretty down to earth.
I noticed the only 2x 4WDS that didn't have ANYTHING in the "common poblems" list was the Zook and the Hilux. I don't actually 100% agree with that because I feel every car (inculuding the lux) has a common problem here or there, but it's still a good sign eh?

The rodeo is probally very nice, but personally I don't much like the look of them.
Navaras look totally awsome (the new ones) however I don't much like the Nissan 3.0TD motor.
Mitsubishi, my family would proablly dis own me if I bought a mitsy! :-) LOL

I have a 3 ltr TD Hilux..2 year old and 90000km..It has never broken down and hasnt had a dime spent on it apart from servicing every 10000km.

Having said that my Troopy went 279000 before I had to do anything apart from regular servicing.

The Hilux is fine.

//// IFS IS BETTER SUITED TO SAND ////

flat sand maybe, but when REAL axle articulation is what you need, an IFS front end on any jap forby won't come near that of a live axle on a cruiser or patrol.
I recon the cruiser went through in 2wd so easily is because of wheel articulation, wheel travel, flexibility etc.

When I owned a navara (IFS) I had many instances when I had to go gangbusta's to get through stuff, when my mate in his FJ60 just walked through. Not beaches, up rough tracks 'n stuff. ( and no, he didn't have big suspension or big tyres or LSD or a diff lock). I thought being lighter and having more grunt would be a help to me but no, wheel articulation, or lack of it, got me every time.

I had an LSD in the rear, a transplanted 3.0 V6 in the bugger, and tyres slightly bigger than he had on his cruiser, yet many times, he just walked through no wuckers. After getting rid of the Navara (too many gearbox problems cos of the V6) and getting an FJ45 with, wait for it!, a live front end, no longer could my mate skamper up a track and leave me behind. Maybe that's what he wanted, I must ask him. te he

P.S. I never said anything about Hilux being unreliable or having major problems.
If they were as crap as many here have said, the mining industry here in W.A. wouldn't still be using them. AND THATS A FACT.