I've always owned old vehicles, especially those from the '80's though this is my first diesel.I thought seriously about getting rid of the Paj before I committed to a few years of ownership by fitting the new rubber. I drove Patrols, Landcruisers, Jackaroos, and later model Pajeros but nothing really lit my fire so to speak. I had already replaced all the rear suspension and swaybar bushes and all it really needed was decent tyres. Turns out the alternator rebuild, air con regas and HID conversion only totalled about $620 so it wasn't a lot of money. Honestly, out of all the other potential 4WD tow vehicles I test drove the old '88 Paj felt the best on the road. The Patrols and LandCruisers were simply bigger than I needed with the associated higher running costs.
I've always driven/ridden conservatively with what some older mechanics call 'mechanical sympathy'
If I was doing lots of offroad stuff I'd upgrade all the springs and dampers, and gain maybe a 40mm lift into the bargain. The only other addition in the pipeline is the fitment of an alloy bar on the front, the stock 'loop' one doesn't give me peace of mind on our bush roads at night, even an owl could quite feasibly take the radiator out via the plastic grille!
Cheers Will.
