First time Buyer

Gday Mickey,,I am sure you will get some good advice from this site but here is mine. Firstly, from what you have written regarding travelling in the city and the fact that you haven't owned a 4WD before, if your wife is going to drive it I would suggest something like a Pajero or Jackaroo or something around that size. I feel that although a Cruiser or Patrol wagon would be ideal, your wife may find it a little daunting for parking and driving in the city etc. Definitely a turbo diesel is the way to go as they are a lot more economical than petrol 4WDs and are well capable of towing your camper trailer. I think it is a matter of personal choice as to what 4WD you buy as most 4WD vehicles on the market these days are all fairly good. A good idea if you are buying second hand and are not mechanically minded, is to get the vehicle checked by a competent 4WD mechanic before you buy it. I think from the price you are prepared to pay you can get a fairly good one. Another one to look at may be the later model Nissan Navara with the 3litre turbo diesel that is the same engine as used in the Patrol. You should be able to get one of them second hand in the price range you have mentioned. You may think about a dual cab with the ute body which would be handy with your off road camping. The diesel Rodeo is a good vehicle but you can only get genuine parts for it and they are super expensive. I am interested to see what others on this site think.
Regards

In this price range you'd be looking at a 2.8 Pajero, and early series II Discovery, a Jackeroo. Prado didn't come TD until 2000 - you might find one for under 30Gs. I'd see if I could find a bit extra and get the first of the 3.2 Pajeros. See www.redbook.com.au for prices.Bob

That price range gives an enormous variety of vehicles to choose from.Being a landcruiser man I would go for a good HZJ75 or later troopie.Why ? because they will do everything you want.It will be economical on fuel ,be easy to maintain,have acres of room for the kids and their buddies.
I also believe that in that price range it would be the most likely to give you 10 years of service without a major component failure with the best resale price.
The series is 20 years old now and any faults(if there were any)have been well and truly resolved
The long wheel base will iron those bumps out especially once its loaded up and the camper will hardly be felt.
I know your wife wanted some mod cons but landcruisers still have aircon, power steering.There is a large variety of replacement seats and of course you would need a new stereo.I dont know of any other car that has the abundance of aftermarket extras as well as having one of the best parts back up in the country especially outside the city.
Another point is that a fairly standard landcruiser will outperform many modified smaller 4x4,of course Im a little biased

Hi Mickey..... It's almost a pointless question to ask on a forum if want to remain unconfused because everyone will tell you that the 4x4 they are driving is the one for you.....
Once you buy your first one and have had it for a while you will learn what is the best one for you.......
Look around for a diesel with a FULL service history and with the money you are throwing in you will get something with 100ish thou kms....
Buy something with coil sprung suspension for comfort......

Good Luck......_____________________________________________

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