the right vehicle

Mitsubishi Pajero, Holden Jackaroo, Toyota Prado not in any particular order all in petrol / auto or turbo diesel / auto will be very easy to live in the traffic, all would perform ok on frazer. There are of course others like the Jeep's cherokee's (v6) grand cherokee(V8), mitsubishi challenger, holden frontera(v6 auto),landrover discovery, nissan pathfinder in V6 is a treat around town as well all would depend on budget.

would test drive at least the prado, jackaroo, pajero & pathfinder around town to get an idea of what suits your needs, in standard form they will all perform resonably well off road some beter than othrs but all are reasonable performers on sand.
happy car hunting!

Hi Hammo,Sounds like to get adequate ground clearance for Fraser you need to look at a good medium size 4x4.The prado,pajero,discovery and jackaroo are all available in petrol and diesel and are not so heavy and truck like as the full sized cruiser or patrol.Each of these are fine vehicles and will have no problems with conditions on Fraser.Manual or auto petrol or diesel the choice is yours but the diesel is the choice for the heavy sand on the island. good luck mark.

If you can wait another 10 months Fords new AWD Territory will be released. Featuring the powerful 6 cylinder engine from the Falcon with lots of creature comforts standard. If thats not enough the extensive options list from floor mats to sat navigation will bring a smile to your face if not lighten your wallet. Very comfortable, powerful, smooth and a breeze to drive around town and whats more a home grown product with no issues about parts etc. The Territory has already had extensive testing done on Fraser and the reports say "bloodly brilliant".
Yes I have driven one and yes I do work for Ford.

Dear hammo,
I purchased a September 2002 Mitsubishi Challenger. It is a 5 speed manual, but the auto is just as capable. I have been to frazer 3 times, and double Island point 2 times since i have had it. I have never been able to bogg it. It was extremely capable in any beach situation I have have been in, and travels extreemly well with the rear fully loaded. It also has the largest rear space compared to the parthy and frontera. It also has superb fuel economy, fully loaded rear, fuel tank and 5 adults on Frazer about 11ltrs to Km and as low as 8ltrs to Km in normal driving conditions. It has never let me down so far, but is sextreemly capable, as the last time I was on frazer, I pulled 3 troopies out and an older patrol from trouble. Pretty impressive for a 3ltr petrol. So i would advise a Challenger as the best option, as a friend of mine owns a parthy, and hilux. No where near as capable, towed them out of trouble plenty of times. Hope this helps you choose the right 4wd for you.

If you don't have to tow anything or cart the kitchen sink with you go a Suzuki they're cheap on gas and if you lift them they go anywhere, see for yourself. Why buy a bus if you need a min van ?

Suzuki test

thanks guys, appreciate your help.
Hammo

Your best bet would be hire a 4wd for the 4 weeks a year and have a comfortable car for the other 48 weeks.

I had an NM Pajero which was a very nice City vehicle. Quite capable off road too and drove well on sand; but... in the sand the plastic rear bumper acted like a scoop and came to grief - not uncommon from what I can tell.

Cheers,
Stuart
- To err is human, to moo bovine -

Hammo,
I open myself up for a hammering here, I don't know how much you want to spend or what age of vehicle you are looking at but you may consider Rangie, if your looking for comfort etc Offroad ability you might consider one, they depreciate pretty quickly so you can pick up a fairly recent model for a reasonable price, the fuel economy has got better over time. Things are still expensive as are most fourbys, worth a look. My opinion as usual. Keep the shiny side up

Hammo, no-one has yet said Mazda Tribute or Ford Explorer. Very popular around town and very good in sand etc, and bigger than Subie. Failing that, Pathfinder is hard to go past in this sector, more compact than Paj/Prado/Jack but as capable.

I 'aint driven a Tribute but I live in Sydney and six have appeared in my street in the last 12 mths and it's not a very long street!Regds

Bill

If buying new the two I'd look at would be the TDi auto Pajero, and the TD5 auto series 3 Discovery. Both are very economical to run, great to drive on the bitumen (esp the TD5 with ACE), have all the comforts of a luxury car, and more than capable for the occasional trip. Lets face it, anyhthing you get will do the job, but it comes down to style and personal taste. Both the above cars dress up well, compared with say a Challenger ot Pathfinder.Bob

There's only one to consider really - the TD Prado. Buy a new one - 180 tank means you won't even have to fill up again until you reach Rainbow Beach just prior to going over the the island. Will handle anything on Fraser really easy and both the GX & GXL versions are a joy to drive in the 'burbs.

I have the 2001 RV Prado TD manual - and it goes like a charm. Visit Fraser regularly and it just eats it up. Plenty of room inside for gear and real frugal on fuel too. Can spend a week on Fraser and not have to fill her up.

Toyota build quality means the Prado is the go...

Cheers,
Prado Boy

Personally I would go for the new Diesel Pajero NP, it drives like a petrol engine, gets great fuel economy, and the only down turn is a little noisy when first turn over in the morning. I personally own a 1995 V6 Pajero and have found it to be incredibly reliable, having virtually no problem with the car until it hit 215 000 k's, suprised the car lasted this long without requiring a little TLC, manily due the the fact that I have belted this car to the bleep house,its been offroad more than most 4wd, raced along beaches, caried heavy weights for kilometres on end and still proving good fuel economy without any complaints. As you may or may not be aware the Pajero has also earnt it name in the international arean, winning the Paris to Dakar rally this year and many other year scoring 1st 2nd and 3rd, it has been the only four wheel drive in the history of the race to be able to pull this placing more than once, and has taken home the most victories. If your after safety it kicks the Prado, and Jackeroo, having a lower centre of gravity, with a very nice 235mm of ground clearance, which cannot be found any four wheel drive these days unless you go for the new Range Rover, it offers great resistance to rollovers, and with a ridgid monocoque body it has perfored just like a normal car in the crash tests. If you are not fussed on diesel, then go for the new toyota Prado in favour of the V6 3.5 pajero as this engine is outdated, and a new 3.8L V6 is due towards the end of this year, or early next year, there isn't anything wrong with the engine very reliable, just Toyota has it at the moment with there new 4Litre Prado. In summary the Pajero might not be all that great at rock climbing, but if your after a 4wd which will go great on the sand dunes,deserts, mud and be a very worthy onroad vechile the Pajero is the pick of the pack.
Sorry if i have gone over board, just bored waiting for dinner.

Depends on your budget. If money okay, Prado - if not Pathfinder - if still not, Suzuki!