Patrol or Cruiser under 20K??

problem with your rig pic Brad..........there is no air between the tyres and the sand!!!

Pick ya game up son.......LOL

Stefan

Thanks Brad. Is a Prado still a "real" 4wd, ie not one for dropping the kids off to school and blocking up the road? And of the 80 and 100 series, is one more reliable than the other, or easier to get, or better in any important way? Cheers
Dori

Stefan... I'm working on it mate, but the missus was pregnant (still is) at the time the pic was taken... Hopefully soon though LOL.

Dori, AFAIK the Prado is as capable as a Patrol or L/C... I don't really have much knowledge on these, hopefully someone else will be able to help u further with this one.

Cheers, Brad

What's a disco? Is it true LPG is unavailable up Cape York, and if so what do you do? I like the idea of no computer.

Sorry DoJa,
Disco 1 ..short for Series 1 LandRover Discovery.
Not sure if LPG is available on the Cape. You could not rely soley on LPG in the remote regions.
For remote touring you would need to have at least standard petrol tanks as well as your LPG. Disco's have a standard 90 litre tank and that would probably be adequate, but you might need to carry extra for a trip up the Cape, or across the Canning Stock Route. Mine was set up with 120 litres of petrol and 80 litres of LPG, all underneath.
The only place we ran out of LPG was across the Top End between Kakadu and Normanton, but a 90 litre petrol tank would have been all we needed.
As for computers, Disco 1 has a basic computer, but the Disco 2 has more reliance on electronics and is more prone to stuff up.
I love the simplicity of the 80 series, maybe you should do some research on LPG on a Toyota 80 or 100 series petrol. Petrol trucks seem to be cheaper than diesels, and maybe you could justify spending the money on installing one of the latest types of LPG injection systems. After the government rebate it would probably cost you about $2K

Colin, thanks a lot for that - helps me narrow down my search nicely. Too many different cars out there for us know-nothings!

and the accessories... Looks like a nice unit.

The seat covers, carpet in the back and mats are only for protection so nothing gets damaged.

This is just a list of extras on the car.

High Mount wastegated Garrett GT28 Turbocharger http://www.turboglide.com.au/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=83

2.5 inch sports exhaust with high flow muffler

Arb side rails and bulbar

Roof rack

15x8 rims with 32'x11.5 tyres

dual batter system

Power steering

Air conditioning

Air horns

roof console with uhf and side band cb radio

boost gage

turbo timer

kmar hilift jack holder and hilift jack

Kenwood sound system with sub

driving lights

full moulded carpet through out the car

reverse lights

tow bar

alarm system

4inch suspension lift

King spring

Explorer Pro comp ES 9000 shocks

OME steering damper

Caster correction bushes

Adjustable panhard rods

12 volt outlet in the back of the car to run fridge

12 volt Anderson plug at tow bar point to power camper or van

Safari snorkel

Head light and bonnet protectors

Seat covers

All accessories are ran of the deep cycle battery to make sure the main battery always has power to start the car.

Doja
I'm 5'4" and driving a 4.2 turbo diesel Patrol. It is a 2004 model, so quite a bit dearer than $20K. But it has plenty of room, easy to use, lots of adjustment in the seat & belt area. My only complaint is the turning circle could be better (I'm used to a Toyota Camry), but apart from that, I have no probs with it. Can't say that I've driven it in 4WD yet, but we plan to do all the places you've talked about.

We got the 4.2 because we'll be towing a largish van, and it's apparently more powerful than the 3.0ltr, and more economical than the petrol version (4.8?).

Good luck and I hope you find something suitable.

WHAT THA ???? Twice

Just noticed that you plan to do that whole trip in around 12 weeks? That's a lot of driving around. Have you considered taking it slower and leaving parts of the trip out to have a better look around in the areas you do go to?

http://search.carsguide.news.com.au/news/find-a-car/power-search/search-results/car-details.do?vehicleId=NIMWAGWMV:M151&eRecId=15783&eReturnUrl=w6.0-search-results.jsp%3FNo%3D45%26N%3D4294967257%2B417%2B%2B4294967247%2B%2B%2B4294966969%26Nf%3DpPrice%7CLTEQ%252020000&searchType=1&vehicleType=1

I missed the 12 weeks part too...

Agree on the dont try it.. 12 weeks try and do the East coast at a leisurely pace.

12 weeks to dothe big lap taking in everything, would be like Canonball run, or Lampoons Vacation to Wally World. You would miss way too much.

Barnesy and Truckster, thanks so much, lots of very valuable info. Yes, I know 12 weeks is a bit short, definately want to do Cape York and Centre, might cut it short after that if running out of time. Might have to do a second trip next year.The ebay Nissan you showed, Truckster, would those roof-racks be ok for the roof-top tent? Also, does anyone know a good 4wd mechanic in Sydney, I live in Lane Cove, but happy to go anywhere if he's good. Thanks for the tip re auctions.

Rooftop tents come with their own roofrack.

That one on there would be able to flog on Ebay for $200ish.

Cape York, couple of weeks, maybe take in Fraser Island on the way up for a week, then maybe contact Cape York Connections on here, he does tours of Cape, might be able to point you at some costs and time frames. but DONT RUSH.. ENJOY THE SCENERY AND TRIP :) :) :)

Down the center will be 3-4 weeks at least too

Try and plan the lap as 2 trips all up.

The only thing that GQ doesnt list is Long Range Tank, $1000 and your there. Any 4wd store will be abe to get...

But it looks like a very good unit from here...

Im in Melb, so not sure on GOOD 4b stores in S h i t n e y...

DoJa

While reading through all of the replies I can't help but wonder how you will go in a Cruiser or Patrol or anything else that big on your own. Everything about them is big from the initial purchase price when new to the running and maintance cost to the sheer size and weight of them. Just a simple thing like lifting the spare wheel up onto a rear mounted carrier just about requires a crane. On top of that they have enough power and torque to drag a Manly ferry up George Street. Do you really need all of that to take you and a small child around the country while avoiding the really rough stuff like you said?

There are plenty of smaller cars that will do the job easily and reliably and if you go out to all of those areas you will see pleny of them already in use there. Cars the size of a Suzuki would be ok although they may not be big enough to carry all of your gear. The dual cab utes certainly would.

I just had a look at the Governmnet auction web sites and there is a stock looking 2002 Courier dual cab coming up for sale in Melbourne next Wednesday. It is a 2.5 turbo diesel manual with 90,000 ks and looks like new. It is expected to sell for between 12,000 and 14,000 dollars.

That car would take you and your son around the country for years without any problems and without big wheels and raised suspension. You can also be fairly sure it has not been stranded in the middle of a river with diffs and transmissions filling up with water. It has most likely not carried massive loads up the side of mountains. It has probably not been pounded over Outback tracks or driven in salt water along the edge of a beach. It may not be exactly what you had in mind but there are plenty more similar types of cars from other manufactures available for similar prices.

When you start looking at Cruisers and Patrols for $20,000 you are looking at cars with a few years on them and possibly up around 200,000ks. That is nothing for a well maintained one that has been driven sensibly by a good driver but there are some drivers out there who could break an anvil if given the chance and 200,000 is more than enough for them to turn anything into a wreck.

You must be so careful because major repairs on big cars like these are expensive.

Think about coming down a little in size and buying as late a model with as low a mileage as possible. You need something that will do the job, no more or no less, without needing major repairs for many years and it is possible to find something like that in your price range.

Brian

Brian, soome very good points. The reason I thought LC or Patrol was simply because I wanted the easiest vehicle to get repaired in outback places, something that everybody drives and is familiar with. I didn't want to be stuck somewhere waiting for parts. Other than that, I do need it to be spacious enough for our gear, including bikes, able to support a roof-top tent comfortably, and accomodate the odd visitor that might join us on part of the journey. And obviously I need it to be capable of travelling around Australia and doing some semi-challenging stuff and crossing rivers and dunes without any difficulties. I'm certainly open to coming down in size, not keen on driving trucks. What smaller cars would you look at, aside from the one you mention?

As I suggested above I think a Prado would suit you well. But yes there are others that will also do well, and probably be a bit cheaper than a Toyota aswell.

Mitsubishi Pajero, Holden Jackaroo are two that come to mind. Find a good one, have it checked and it should be reliable enough for your trip. You would be unlucky to need major repairs out bush if a mechanic has given it a thorough pre-trip check. The things you are most likely to have problems with are tyres.

You won't be able to put a roof top tent on a dual cab other wise one of those would be perfect. A Mazda Bravo, Hilux, Navara are dual cabs that would all do well.

Barnesy

I used to drive a Jackaroo, and I know at least that I can change its tyres. Also I loved it and had no probs with it (it was pretty old and this was back in 1992). I just got the impression it wasn't considered rugged enough, and that it might be not universal enough "out there" to be easily fixable in case of need. If I'm wrong on those points, I'd love to own another one! The Patrol (4.2 Diesel GQ) that's on ebay (mentioned above) looks great though, but I wonder how I would go with changing tyres on that - are they a lot bigger/heavier than a Jackaroo? Can't go anywhere in something I can't change tyres on!

DoJa
If you intend keeping the back seat clear so it can be used for passengers, then the rear section of even the larger cars like Cruisers and Patrols will start to look very small and it will be even worse if you put bikes in there. If you mount them on a carrier out the back, they will be a nuisance when you open the door and they will always be covered in a heavy layer of dust on unsealed roads.

In view of this I agree with Barnesy that a dual cab ute would be perfect for you. I noticed in the Shippshape tent company web site there is a photo of a tent on the roof of a late model Hilux so it looks like they are available for these types of bodies.

These vehicles have a lot going for them. First of all they smaller, lighter and usually easier to drive than the larger cars but they are not toys. They have been designed for serious work in forests, rural properties, building sites etc. They do not have heavy spare wheels mounted high on the back. They have a fair amount of ground clearance and in stock standard form will take you into some very rough areas. I could not imagine you wanting to go anywhere they would not go. This means you will not have to go to the expense of modifying them apart from fitting inexpensive high diff and transmission breathers for water crossings and maybe a screen to stop the fan touching the radiator in deep water. The standard size wheels and tyres will be fine. If they were not suitable for work in those areas, the manufacturer would have fitted something else.

The standard ute back with tail gate and canopy has a lot of storage space. The tray back version is about 1500 mm long and around 1800 wide and with a high canopy or even a basic home made wooden box with a couple of good fitting rubber sealed doors, it would hold more gear than you are ever likely to need. You have to carefully watch what you are putting into large spaces like that because it is easy to get carried away and overload it.

In very bad weather with high winds you could even transfer some of your gear into the car and sleep in the back where you won't have to worry about the tent getting damaged. Just make sure you have some air in there though.

There are plenty of these cars in Government auctions. They have usually been used in relatively easy conditions and have been properly serviced. You should have no trouble finding an excellent one in your price range.

Don't worry about repairs and parts in the bush. The mechanics should be familiar with any car from the major manufacturers. Dealers have work shop manuals on CDs these days and it would not surprise me if the major bush repair centres have access to information off them by email, that is if they don't already have their own copies.

Spare parts always seem to have a question mark hanging over them. The last car dealer I worked for was back in the early 1980s and they sold Toyota, Renault, Peugeot and Alfa Romeo cars. We had no problems with the European cars but the Toyotas nearly drove us crazy waiting for parts and we were always sending "Vehicle Off Road " reports to the State distributor in order to try and speed things up.

If you start with a good car and don't overload or abuse it, you would have to be unlucky to need parts anyway.

Brian