Pajero

3.8 L Petrol 0r 3.2 L Direct Injection Desel (DiD) ???

DiD 10 .5 to 10. 8 L/100 kms around town 9s and even 8s reported on trips.
Petrol 13 to 14 L/100 if driving very carefully around town.
Can't comment on clutch life but if your budget will allow please consier the auto. Personally I wouldn't have anything else.
Factory bull bar is made by TJM and being polished aloy is a @#%*& to keep clean. ARB is steel. Strong but a heavy. Can be supplied painted but is sprayed over factory powder coated black. Look at ECB. They have an alloy bar. Can be suitable for winch or just plain. Snorkels are available but wading depth is 600 mm. Any deper and the car will float so you've got to think about what you plan to do.
Dual battery is easy for DID but requires a little extra work if it's a petrol. ARB, TJM amd Pirahna all have after market trays, There's even a guy in Sydney who imports genuine mitso dual battery trays.
I've had an NM petrol and now a DiD and think they are a great vehicle. Excellent around town and very capable off road despite what owners of the big two say.
I think you'll be very happy with the Paj.
Go to www.pajeroclub.com.au and do a search on the forum for fuel consumption. There is a thread where mmbers have reported fuel consumptions of various models.

Regards,

David,

Not sure about the clutch. I have the auto and love it. When I need to I flip it over to (+/-) and it will sit in gear.

I also have the petrol and grimace at the fuel economy but you are going for the Did so good option. Roscoe has pointed you to the pajero forum, it is excellent.

I would not go with the factory bull bar again. I would probably do the ARB ro ECB so I have the option for a winch later.

The more toys you have the better in my opinion. Give you something productive to do when not playing with your new toy. Suspension should be first on the list but I gave my warranty 12 months before I made the change.

Good luck. hope all goes well

I'd recommend going the auto if you can for the diesel. It keeps it chugging away a bit under 2000rpm most of the time, ie in the torquiest part of the rev range, and probably in the most economical zone. If you're going from a petrol to a diesel like I did recently, it's a different style of driving. In the petrol you tend to rev it higher to get the best from the engine. The auto will do the work for you keeping the revs low. Gotta love that DiD.
MikeyS

Go the Auto. You'll never regret it. Auto with MATT will go most places the others won't, even with standard tyres.
See if you can get the dealer to put a decent set of rubber on it.

Suspension lift (2") is easy. It's independent suspension all round so anything higher becomes problematical with CV joint angles.
Dual batteries no problem. Aftermarket bull bar is better (I have the smartbar but no good for winch). Snorkel for diesel is a good idea.

I'd shop around and see if you can get a GLS. The extra creature comforts are a plus and I reckon you'd be able to get one around the same money at the moment.