advice on buying a 4wd

Terry,
Depends on what use you are going to put it to. If you are planning doing some serious travelling with heavy loads you should consider a turbo diesel.
You get what you pay for in the end. Can't comment on the normally aspirated Hilux and Rodeo diesels, but tough as the little beast is, the normally aspirated diesel Navara is absolutely gutless when it comes to pulling any sort of load [especially the dual cab]. I believe the others are similar, but as I said, I cant comment from personal experience. Go Turbo !!
happy travelling

G'day Terry, Overlander 4WD Magazine did an article comparing these a few years back. From memory, the Hilux and Rodeo came out equal top. You can probably get a copy of the article if you contact them direct.

dennis and alex thanks for your help.alex,the overlander website was very helpful.anybody else with any comments

Terry,
I went through the same exercise myself a few years back (1998). I purchased a pre-loved normally
asperated 1996 4x4 twin cab Hilux, low k's, good nick. We (the wife & I) found: the standard level of equipment
sadly lacking, vinal seats, am radio, one speaker, no casette player and the suspension extreamly harsh. It also struggled
in the power department. However, without wanting to sound bias, there are millions of them on the
road so obviously there are millions of happy customers. We found we could not tolorate the harsh
ride any longer and traded it in after 1 month.
We bought a Rodeo, 1996 4x4 twin cab turbo diesel, same price as the Hilux. Cloth seats, am/fm radio
casette player and a much more comfortable ride with what appears to be about 50% more power. However,
we are comparing a turbo with a non-turbo. The rodeo turns in around 30mpg Hwy & Suburban
running, can't comment on the Hilux, didn't have it long enough. Having kids, there is a lot more
room in the back seat of the rodeo than any of the others that I have looked at. Perhaps the Hilux is
an aquired taste and I should have stuck with it longer, but that's my 2 bobs worth. I know that I
run the risk of backlash form all Hilux owners but...........and no I don't work for GMH.