getting my first 4by

[bigdip]

hey guys

going from a commodore to probably a gq
need a few pointers
alot of the ones i have seen for sale have done 250000+ kays
just wondering what there like having that many kays on them..
should i try n spend a bit more $ and get something already modded..wheels suspension etc or a cheaper one and do it all my self...

there are plenty of good ones out there but as i said before they all have alot of kays on them...
just wanna know of someone whose beeen there before with a patrol with higher kays if i dont waste my time or if they will be fine..

cheers
dippa

[PacMan]

Depends on your skills.
A build up is a lot of work and cost a lot of money.
And at the end you have Patrol like the other 500.000 people.

Just buy one already build up - it will save you a lot of money.

And 250.oookm are ok. You should not get any problems up to 400.000km.
There are very tuff cars.

[bigdip]

what goes wrong/needs replacing at 250000 kays...
if anything?

cheers

[coxy321]

Welcome to the forum!

First up: search, search and search. This question gets asked quite regularly, and has been covered quite a few times. Do some searching on here, read up on the GQ's, and you'll be sure to pick a winner.

My advice:

- What do you want to do with the car? (comp it, tour it, weekender, tow rig, mall crawler?)
- buy something already modded, as someone else has forked out for the expensive bolt on's.
- don't buy something thats had the sh1t modified out of it though, as you might be inheriting more problems than gains. 12" springs and 6" body lift wont score you many brownie points anywhere other than McDonalds car park or the local High School.
- depending on what you want to do with the car, you need to choose the right motor. TD42 is probably the best option, however they are a bit more $$$ to buy.
- Do all of the usual 4x4 parts/wear checks. I won't elaborate here as it is a fairly large list.
- Get a reputable 4x4 shop to check it over before you buy it.
- Make sure you get a RWC with it. No current RWC may mean lots of work and $$$ for you to get it RW'd.

[HUSSLN]

I chose to buy a grandpa stocker. Not even a cd player aye. I spent 6000 but knowing it hadn't seen the hard yards peace of my mind. Plus anything with big lift an tyres wont get a RWC unless you know someone. So far my list (you may not have the same plan of course) is up there $$$ wise. I bought new 33in stt's for DD and a tube winch bar, so already over 2k on not much. With suspension, lockers, winch and 37s and wheels/beadlocks its becoming an expensive GQ but everything is new, wanting to move into winch challenges i feel starting fresh was a better option for me.

[of4x4]

As stated, there's plenty of stuff in this forum, however here's a link to a short summary of some of it.

http://www.gqpatrol.com/buyingagq.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My GQ had nearly 350,000 when I traded it. The TD42 if maintained properly has been known to do 500,000+ kms. Not sure on the petrol ones.

Accessories are worth very little in resale - you will never get your money back. That's a bugger for the seller, but a bonus for the buyer.

Cheers!

[5inchgq]

I chose to buy a grandpa stocker. Not even a cd player aye. I spent 6000 but knowing it hadn't seen the hard yards peace of my mind. Plus anything with big lift an tyres wont get a RWC unless you know someone. So far my list (you may not have the same plan of course) is up there $$$ wise. I bought new 33in stt's for DD and a tube winch bar, so already over 2k on not much. With suspension, lockers, winch and 37s and wheels/beadlocks its becoming an expensive GQ but everything is new, wanting to move into winch challenges i feel starting fresh was a better option for me.

This goes for me aswell although I paid a bit more for mine I have also spent quite a few bucks on mods, suspension, turbo, 2nd hand replacement engine after the turbo intercooler etc but IMO I would rather buy something stock or mildly modded over something that has had a hard life and mightn't have too much life left in it.

[RIZZO]

Mate definatly try and find something thats already built whatever your after 2inch lift 31"tyres or 7inch lift 40"tyres. Save yourself alot of money. Id personally go a 4.2 td. cant really go wrong, I wouldnt be worried on ks either but more worried on the history of truck which is more important. patrols looked after go forever. Big point with Gqs when looking at buying is check 100% of vehicle for rust, roof sill, under cab, wheel guard area,chassis. as some of the gqs are now 20odd years old. hope it helps.

[blackops]

hes got my vote brought one still got it no regrets,except the wife uses it more.

[GQ_Rawr]

i bout my grandad stocket (shorty) for 4400, with a td42 in the front instead of the tb42 it came with. score? rust but, goddamn!

[yota eater]

yeh i bought my td42 for 2 grand no reg needs a bit of work but motor is good, done 398,000 and ready for turbo i used to have a petty would never go back!

[Bowie]

Just another thing to think about, as your first 4b prob not gonna be your only one you buy, i've had 4 and all my mates have had at least 1 other.

I would recommend any mods you can get for free, grab! Lockers, winch, lift, sliders, whatever... get a modded one.

DO NOT GET A DIESEL.

They are expensive to repair, you cannot dodge them up in the bush and they are pathetically slow.

Forget fuel econony and driving in water, and if you want to go mud bashing get a paddock basher.

Seriously if any one in a 4.2 TD can beat a bog stock VN Commodore on the road i will retract this comment.

Hope this helps, no doubt there will be massive backlash about the TD42 ragging...

[sprenger#4]

i got mine stock as off my grandpa... was a farm ute.. hardest work it seen was his 4th gear clutch riding takeoffs!!

[coxy321]

[ragging]

I would recommend any mods you can get for free, grab! Lockers, winch, lift, sliders, whatever... get a modded one.

A truck with all of the "free" mods in the world isn't worth a pinch of sh1t if you have to tralier it everywhere because it is not engineered/unroadworthy/unregistered, or because you're having to constantly fix someone elses poor work.

DO NOT GET A DIESEL.

They are expensive to repair, you cannot dodge them up in the bush and they are pathetically slow.

Expensive to repair, yes, however like any other mass produced engine (I'm assuming you're reffering to a TD42 here), they can be picked up cheap second hand. I'd also say that any capable bush mechanic could just as easily patch up a diesel as they could a petrol engine, provided its not something major like pump drive failure. This day and age, unless you can repair an ECU in the bush, even the best bush mechanic won't get a petrol engine going anyway (worst case scenario of course). Even most diesels now run ECU's.

Forget fuel econony and driving in water, and if you want to go mud bashing get a paddock basher.

Fuel economy can be had, but there is ALWAYS a compromise (as i'm sure 90% of people on here know). Sometimes driving in water is a must if going from point "a" to point "b", I preffer Zooks for crossing water as they tend to float across rather than bouncing along the bottom. The mud comment is spot on too - it only ends in extra cleaning and extra maintenance costs.

Seriously if any one in a 4.2 TD can beat a bog stock VN Commodore on the road i will retract this comment.

You wouldn't buy a VN Commodore to take wheeling, so why in Gods name would you buy a 3 tonne diesel powered 4x4 to play 1/4 mile hero around town? If i wanted a car (truck actually) to be faster than a VN commodore, i probably would have bought something like, well, a VP commodore (or something flash along those lines).

I'm not having a dig, but have you ever been in a well set up diesel before? My car is no rocket and never will be, however some of the regulars at Dieseltec/PGS/JPC would put most of your fully sick VN's to shame. The GU Heath is currently building will probably do the 1/4 mile faster than any production car, while still retaining an impressive economy (going off his last build).
[/ragging]

[yota eater]

haha spot on coxy, cant beat sniezels!

[JAFO74]

As most have said, it really depends wot you want to use it for. Mine is not the family wagon, (wife has Prado read Tar Jockey) for that. I bought mine for a toy, 91 Mav for $4500 TB42 (petrol) spent another 8 -10 thousand on it (hope the wife doesn't read this) and have an extremely capable 4b that does less then 10000kms a year but that I am happy to jump in and drive 1000kms if I need to. Yes there is no fuel economy but doing not many kms each year I dont care, I got a much better truck for the money I spent by buying a cheaper petrol than spending another 4-5 thousand to get the same in diesel. Personally also if you have the cash and are capable I would buy the stocker then do the work yourself, yes it works out dearer BUT you know what the gear has done i.e not flogged out, you get to personalise the truck as you go and you know how to fix / swap repair anything that you install. just my 2c worth

[bigdip]

thanks guys
he;ped put a fair bit...
turns out poles dont move for you so gotta fix her up after a bit of a run in but leaning towards probably a petrol and grandpa spec...

just gotta find one..
the hunting continues!!
cheers