buying a gq. swb or lwb

[nikblack]

hey guys i new on here and i'm relatively new to 4bying but my partner and i are looking at buying a td42 gq patrol either in a swb or lwb and was just wondering what the pro's and con's are of each and what to look for when buying one, if anyone can shed some light onto it for me that would be greatly appreciated.

[retired]

Depends what main purpose is. Lwb more stable, swb will have you puckering up on steep inclines

[nikblack]

yeah i've heard that with the swb, but i have also been told they go more places then the lwb, so i kinda torn between the two, i'll be using the troll for daily commuter and weekend 4bying. so would just need a good allrounder.

[retired]

this is boloni, not yet seen a swb go somewhere a lwb couldn't, and that includes a lot of comps and club trips. thats also why the huge majority of comp trucks are cut down lwb wagons.

[SIM79]

MWB

[99gu]

One of the main things to look for is rust in the roof just above the gutters, around the rear door jams, seems on the inside of the doors, and the rearside of each rear wheel arch. Also check the cross tube on the chassis aren't filled up with ribbish and rusted out (you might have to pluck the bungs out if they haven't already been plucked out). Driveline wise they are tough as nails.

[turps]

The first decision you need to make is how many people you want to take with you. Shortys are good for day day trips with 4 people. But overnighters there is just no storeage. Most shortys setup for camping are dedicated two seaters.
Mine was a dedicated two seater and it was a fantastic daily driver and camping vehicle. Had ample room for desert trips also.

The other thing you need to decided is what you actually want to do with the car. Most play toys in both swb and lwb are pieces of shit. And not something you want to daily drive. Also when the car looks like a POS there cop bait.

[SBL]

I'v owned a swb for the past 7 years. I has been primarily my weekend 4by. a couple of points from my opinion:

1. Don't underestimate how much you can pack behind the back seat, it's not like a jeep there is some space back there, We have done plenty of camping trips with a family of four, (two weeks on frazer, one week on tassie west coast etc) just don't try and take the kitchen sink.
2. Offroad the biggest advantage is manoeuvrability . Amazing how many obstacles I have driven around that longies have had to drive over.
3. Ramp over angle is the second biggest offroad advantage. A shorty 2" lift will climb a ledge without bottoming out that a longy with 4" lift will scrape on.
4. The biggest pain with the shorty is passengers getting in and out of the back seat. sometimes 3 or four people have to get out just to let one person out. When my kids were small they took to climbing out the windows on occasions.

[Reddo]

SWB will always win. You take the rear seats out, put in a cargo barrier and a fridge. They are by far the best, and I will own nothing less.

[Jive]

My shortie was a lot of fun especially having a v8 conversion but my lwb feels abit more stable when powering up steep terrain

[dizzle]

I love my shorty and my mates were blown away by how good it goes. But yes i agree they arnt quite as stable on the narly steep stuff but in saying that i did drive some crazy climbs at cruiser park which had me looking at the sky and i still felt safe. just need to change your driving style a bit i think. They both have pros and cons but are both good tough trucks.

[Selcuk]

Depends on what your going to use it for I guess
Touring? Competition? Weekend warrior?

[V8Patrol]

...... new to 4bying but my partner and i are looking at buying a td42 gq patrol either in a swb or lwb .......

more info required.....

region you want to wheel in .... mainly sand/mud/forrest/desert/snow/rock.... ?

wheeling.... serious offroad or soft-road driving, towing a van or boat or both ??

kids, so its just you and a partner at the moment, what about in a few years time ??? (same sex relationship excluded)

day runs or overnighters..... extended tour..... around Australia ????

is this proposed 4x4 a sole vehicle for your "family" a 2nd vehicle or a weekend toy ???

associated hobbies .... camera gear, shooting gear, perhaps 2 canoes, artists esal etc ..... it takes up room !!!



'we' as a group can provide good guidance, but the advise we give out is only as good as the info you feed us
so far your supplied info is minimal, the answers you get may be just as good..... minimal