PRADO V PATROL ?

Terracan.

For your intended use, the prado will shine.

I went thru the same thing a while back. The prado looked the goods and I nearly bought one untill I came to the conclusion that even with all the seats removed we still couldn't sleep in the back. I know I've said it many times but, in the end, that was the overriding factor. The patrol is awesome off road for a stocker.

If you're not going to sleep in the back of it the prado is an excelent 4by and with 180l fuel capacity makes a good tourer.

Economy wise the patrol might hurt the bank a bit. Some aren't worried about fuel consumption, so filling up and roaring off into the sunset is perfect for them. I went for the 3.0 TD which is pretty good on fuel.

If it's to be used as a "car" for most of the time, the Prado. The thing to keep in mind though is how far off road you want to go. The Prado is a fine capable vehicle in every sense, and well suited for you if you want to do "the occasional bit of 4wding on the beach and bush on weekends and holidays."

but if you decided to go further off road in the future, the Patrol might suit better. Mod are easier/cheaper than the Prado etc....

As a wife who mainly drives our Prado, if you're not worried about which 4wd it is Prado or Partol, get your wife to test drive or at least sit in both and see which one she's more comfortable in.

We went from a Daewoo Nabira to a Prado, I find it easy to drive and park, I love my baby (Steve is going to cringe when he gets home).

Sandy

Prado is the way to go....
You can see the front easily for judging distances,, the wheelbase is heaps shorter so parking is a cinch....Better on fuel.....

The Patrol will chew juice like at about 20litres per 100 as an average...

Mate - one more for the Prado..

I'm not sure of the numbers, but if you dropped the 90 series Grande and went with the later model (120 series) GXL you will get a lot more refinement for your cash.. In the petrol, that's a jump from a 3.4l to a 4l

These are the 2 vehicles I considered.

I ended up with the Patrol.

Depends on what you trying to do.

I bought the Patrol , A Ti , because I needed to fit 4 teenage kids. It was easier in the Patrol. I went for the Ti so I could get Dual Air Con for the back. Was substantially better then the Prado's dual air.

The Patrol has power on tap , but, you pay for that with economy. Around city I get around 20/100 , highway , 16-17/100.

The Prado IS far more car like to drive , and that is a real bonus.

I do like the Prado's and in hindsight a diesel one may have been the go, but , it didn't happen.

With the Patrol though , maybe consider a dual fuel one. Reduces your $$$ quite nicely. Depends on where you intend travelling to though , and range.

I'm giving serious consideration to putting gas on mine.

The wash up is , either will do the job nicely. Personal preference. I would suggest that if your wife will drive it mostly , the Prado will be high on the list. You will probably pay a few more $$$ for it , purely because it has a Yota Badge.

If you wife is going to drive it most of the time the Prado is much better option
for city driving/parking/fuel economy. My wife drives our Prado during the week and loves it and I get to play on the weekends.

I have also been debating between the two. The thing that has swayed me towards the Prado is that I want an auto. Can't get one in the 4.2L Patrol and I don't want to go near a 3.0L Patrol for a while yet. Too many horror stories still around.

I suppose that if you want longevity and general driveline strength (if you do a lot of remote work) then I'd be looking at the Patrol. If you want comfort and resale, then maybe the Prado.

One thing I've never seen is a Prado in competition.... and there must be a reason for that.....either strength, capability, ability to accessorise, or all three.

Prado's tend to break bits on the underbody on the rough stuff...

Have you considered some other brands / models?

We had a 98 Patrol and have now had 2 Landrover Discoveries since. The standard seats in the front of the Patrol were too low for my wife to see over the front. It was also a bit big around town. The Disco is much better in both respects and perhaps similar to the Prado. I suggest that you and your wife drive the Patrol through the city/local shopping centre at a busy time to really get a feel for what it will be like. The typical test drive takes you on nice, fast, empty roads where any difference will be less obvious.

Adrian

OK,

The wash up is...
I have been reading your posts over the last 24 hours and I think you had me talked into a Prado. However my wife likes the Patrol more and as I type this parked in my driveway on 'loan' from the dealer around the corner is a 98 Nissan Patrol 4.5 petrol. It's only done 75,000 kms, 5 speed manual, bulbar, hella spot lights, snorkel, Old man emu Nitro shocks, air suspension in the back (for towing?), dual battery, 197 liter long range tank, and a fully decked out camping body in the back. This thing is mint and was owned by an old guy who decked it out to travel with but hardly used it as his wife became ill. They are asking 24,990 for it and it drives beautifully. This is a major dealer as well not some small yard dodgy brother.

Anyway the point is we love it and I know I can get it at a better price than that but it's one thing to be able to afford to buy a car and another thing to be able to afford to keep it on the road.

Do you think that the running costs would be massive between the prado and the Patrol (petrol)? This includes servicing.

Thanks for all your help (so far)

Craft
the patrol sounds great, but maybe its a case of the heart overruling the head. That setup is more for frequent offroad/touring, not being the family day to day transport.
The Prado (or similar) would be a far more logical choice.
If you do decide to make a rational decision then have a look at a few cars in the Prado class and drive them. I would include the Pajero, the Terracan, and if you don't feel the need to be a conformist Mr and Mrs Average, the Disco II. You won't know until you drive them.

Well all those memories of doing what you are doing we did only 6mths ago, like you we narrowed it down to the Prado and the Patrol, we had another in there the Disco, we chose the Disco because it was the most comfortable of the 3 and the easiest to drive, best economy and larger towing capacity but thats us.

So of the two you have narrowed it down to, my choice would be the Prado as it is a wonderfull car to drive and way better fuel economy than the petrol Patrol, as long as you don't do alot of towing the Prado is the better as an allround 4x4 for your use.

Baz.

We bought our td42t patrol with strength and longevity in mind however I wouldn't have my wife using it for a town car, agricultural gear box (read strong but slow shifting) and poor turning circle. As far as room goes I haven't looked in a Prado but the GU has far less space inside than the EB wagon Penny uses as the run around.Park them side by side and the Nissan is about 6" to 10" shorter, and the old Ford has a better designed dash that gives you some leg room.

If it's a real 4x4 you want get the Patrol. Prado is a good compromise though

I own a 200 4.5lt patrol on gas, Auto trans.
My wife drives it more than I do during the week transporting 4 kids to school and other stuff.
She loves it as do I. Havent had any problems yet
We went for the patrol as it had split rear seats for more room for pram as we could fold one seat up out of the way.
But again try them both out and see what works best

Read recently in the Herald Sun cars supplement that the cost to replace lost Prado keys is $2,200.00

Yes, $2,200.00, not $22.00 or $220.00.

If you buy the Prado, don't ever lose the keys!

You'd have to add towing costs to the dealer as well, so especially don't lose them in the bush!

CRAFT,
A workmate here in Adelaide has a 2002 VX Grande with all the factory extras (traction control, leather, sunroof etc). Hes just bought a 79series traytop, same as mine, so is considering selling the Prado.

The Prado is pretty much spotless and has about 70,000km on the clock. Don't know how much he wants.

If you're interested, then let me know and I'll pass on his email address.

Cheers
Phil

Hey Craft!
I have a 4.2td Patrol. The wife uses it every day for work as sales rep in the city. We got a taste for 4wding doing just what you are talking about little beach and bush work on the week ends. Two years later and the patrol now has been modified enough to take us accross the anne bedel hwy and thru the flinders ranges and in two weeks time a trip to alice. You may stat with just week end trips but end up doing much more serious trips! Once your hooked! the patrol will be the much more sensible option...

Cheers
Get Out and Get Dirty

Gero Boof

OK,

I just want to thank you all for your help with my question. This is an awesome forum and you guys know your stuff.

Anyway tonight I am the proud new owner of a Patrol. We both really liked the Patrol more than the Prado for several reasons and I think we would have always been looking at Patrols on the road thinking I wish we had of...

In the end we got a deal we could not refuse thanks mainly to my wife who thinks shopping is a sport, I'm sure, and totally worked the salesman over.

Ended up 98 GU 4.5 Patrol, 5 speed manual. 79,000kms on the clock. My major concern was fuel consumption but my wife talked them into getting it put on Gas by one of the best gas fitters in Brisbane. Also included was and extended 175,000 kms 3 year warranty, 80,000km Service, Spare wheel hard cover (stainless one). Bonnet protector, Rear dust wing, dash mat and floor mats.

That's on top of the stuff that's on it as mentioned earlier like snorkel, bulbar and hella spot lights, Old man emu suspension, Dual Batteries and rear adjustable air suspension (for towing).

Anyway the thing is mint and as I have a mate who is a mechanic at their partner dealership I got him to check out the service history. Turns out it was owned by an old guy who decked it out but something happened and he couldn't drive it anymore hence the low km's. So they were telling the truth. As mentioned they were asking 25,000 and we ended up paying only a fraction more than this in cash. I just couldn't say no.

So the gas is getting done this week and as the truck currently has a 190 liter long distance tank in it which will be coming out to be replaced by the gas. I will then upgrade the sub tank to the 85 liter. Any body interested in the long range tank?

Once again thanks for the advice, now all I need is some 4x4 clubs in Brissy and I'm off because I think this beast is going to do more than the intended weekend and holiday beach work.