Help! What to buy??

[TSW]

I am looking for a Ute. Occasional camping, off road a bit, traveling around and carrying dogs and stuff. Maximum 2 passengers, pref 1.

Been looking between Hilux, Landrover and Landcruiser.

Not above 10K

What do you all think?

Thanks in advance,

Tim

[thehanko]

you will find any of them under 10k. can be had in diesel or petrol, all can be had with bench seat, all will handle dogs and light off road stock.

Landy utes are often regarded as less reliable and are much less common than the hit them with a hammer and they will keep going toyotas.

can be hard to get good rust free cruisers for under 10k.
10k will get a nice hilux - should just get a 2000 or so model ifs will be weaker in this model but nicer to drive and suitable 'for off road a bit'.


eg with the 2.7 petty http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/dea ... &silo=1011" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

diesel will be harder to find. under 10k unless you go to the older shape, drive line which is a little more agricultural but better offroad.
http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/pri ... E6230EA8D5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

damn i sold mine too cheap!

diesel 70 series cruisers can be had from 4k but they are fcucked, expect to struggle to find a neat but very slow 70 for under 10k.



Other than that what specifically do you want to know about what we are thinking?

[TSW]

Great reply that helps a great deal

Thanks!

[ISUZUROVER]

My preference would be a Land Rover 120 ute. Made from 1984-1990.

Not common, and the body may be a bit rough, but they have the best drivetrain of all your options IMHO. 3.9L 4cyl isuzu direct injection diesel (bulletproof). The rest of the drivetrain is stronger than later models as well.




Not common, but they do come up if you look. Parts are cheap and easy to get. Engines do a million k's between rebuilds (literally).

Note that they are listed in the books as a 110, but they had a 10" chassis extension done in Australia so they could run a full-size tray.
http://www.redbook.com.au/used-cars/det ... 129E42D180" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Redbook proces are a bit low - you would pay about 4-8k because they are sought after. But 8k should get you a good one - maybe even with a turbo and lockers.

[TSW]

Thanks Isuzu Rover,

I appreciate all of what you say. I nearly snagged one. Missed out by a day.

Thanks again

[-Scott-]

Is there any particular reason why you picked those three? If you're only going off-road "a bit" do you need the ability of LandCruiser or Land Rover?

To be honest, I don't follow the ute market, so I have NFI if there's anything else half-decent in the sub $10k market, but you seem to have listed vehicles with a reputation for good off-road capability. If you're only going off-road "a bit", there may be other vehicles that offer significant benefits when you're not off-road?