Paj V Prado...

Ok don't know too much however after just buying a Paj I found with what research I had that the Prado was the best car until price was taken into account and then it seemed to be the other way around anyway thats the way I saw it . That was based on info about the latest models
Steve

Justme.
you dont list you priorities or indicate price range. If safety is a high priority then the prado could not be called an up grade. The prado habit of falling over is scarry, If you can possibly raise the cash the new ddi is a leap ahead of the rest.
Eric.

In regards to your question it comes down to how much serious 4wd you intend to do. As a Prado is much more capable. There are no bad models that I am aware of and if it is in your budget get the diesel, very smooth and excellent economy and power. But do your homework and you will be happy either way.

As Steve said the Prado is normally overpriced (like other Cruisers), but they are being run out at the moment at more reasonable prices (eg. 43k for a GXL V6 auto with air and alloys). As far as safety goes, they are no worse than anything else in their class. For more info join the Prado group athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/90scool/

Prado is best offroad, Paj is better onroad. Prado's RRP is a ripoff considering the list of equipment it doesn't come with. A happy go between is the Jackaroo....very good value for money, better off road performance than the Paj, not as refined onroad. Petrol engine performance blows Paj and Prado away with ease. There has been reports of ball joints letting go on some Prados. In Sydney, one of the 2DAY-FM Black Thunder Prados did exactly that on Friday, with a lot of radio coverage.

G'day all, this is my 2 cents worth (less GST)! A couple of my friends owned Prado's So I bought a very capable second hand 1998 Prado World Cup, (V6 petrol, auto, 56,000Km, $32,500). I kept it for a little under 12 months. I sold it with 82K on the clock (back to the same dealer for $31,000 trade-in on a 1998 100 series RV petrol, 78,000km). I found that Toyota servicing is nearly twice the price for the Prado as is the L/C. If you want to modify the Prado, eg suspension, big dollars (nearly 45% more than the RV). As the K's build on the Prado (100,000+), things like front CV boots begin to split and if they go un-noticed/treated, CV Joints follow shortly after (Big Dollars), rear tailshaft carden joints are another area of high maintenance requirement or high costs follow. These are the only negatives I have found on what is otherwise a superb mid-sized 4WD wagon. When I did my home work, even with less fuel economy, long term costs of the 100 series is not really that much different to the Prado, due to lower servicing/spares costs (or any other mid-sized wagon for that matter). I guess it has come down to marketing, buy a cheaper mid-sized wagon if you can't afford the "real thing", what they don't tell you is over 10 years there won't be much difference between any of them!!!!. Cheers.

About 6 months ago I bought a Pajero NM over a Prado mainly because the Prado was getting a bit dated, plain interior, etc while the Pajero had more features, handled corners nicely, and seemed better value for money.

I have enjoyed owning the Pajero, but now that the family (Mr, Mrs, 2 kids) is getting into things 4WD the shortfalls I am finding is that it is not quite big enough, and that not all the offroad accessories are readily available nor quite up to par (eg long range fuel tank only 59L); check out an ARB catalogue and you'll know what I mean.

Despite all that, its still a good drive, and I'm having fun.

Cheers,

Stuart

We all have good and bad stories with EVERY 4wd out there, some love this hate that, have had problems with this, that nobody else ever has.

Dave Z, a mate runs the Prado list
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/90scool

You can ask there, he knows his stuff, writes tech articles for the 80's cool list too, and yea well worth asking questions of.

Personal Preference would go with the Prado over the Paj, I just think the Paj looks cheezy with chrome plastic and stuff.

I think people need to be aware that there are a growing number of additions that can be now made to the Paj. I have one an NM. GLX with out all the plastic and computer etc. We used this money for additions that we wnated such as GPS Recovery gear etc. We have a house down by Tumit for weekend and get down there every three weeks. Every trip we take the time to get out there. I have snapped the rear drive shaft for climbing hills etc. Certanly if you wnat to rock Crawl then the Paj s not for you. If you wnat to scramble through medium tracks where branches take paint off as wee do then you will enjoy the NM. Have a look at this site and you ca seee what can be done.

Steve

http://motorcare.com.au/demonstrator.htm