Touring and beach 4b, and general touring advice ?

[surfisho]

I have decided to take a 6 months off work in 1 years time and tour around OZ, have done the coast from Townsville to Perth, so will likely spend most my time in the top end, and then spend the last 3 months in Qld.

I recently sold me 4.5 80 series for $17k, which sucks (was on the market for 10 weeks) as it only had 130,000km, so my expectations for $20k are very high. Thats my budget all up, $20k for the vehicle including any necessary accesories.

The 80 series chewed way to much gas anyway for this trip, as I will be on a budget. My requirements are:

*Cheap on fuel (relatively)
*Enough room to sleep in the back of it
*Reliable, this being the most important thing
*Good on the sand as I will be spending a bit of time exploring the surffishing oppurtunities in northern WA etc.

Thats about it.

My thoughts are a 2.8DT Paj, or a 3.4 Prado.

Also, if anyone else has done a mini major tour like this solo, any advice would be appreciated. Im thinking about takin a dog with me, but only if it wont be too painful

[Doggy]

Have you thought about a 4.2 diesel troopy. Awesome for sleeping in and touring as you can put plenty of crap in them and draws and shelves are easy to make by yourself for them. My cousins got one that is uber bling, its got a 65L water tank (hot and cold), fridge, draws, front locker, plenty of sleeping room and 35's on standard suspension which dont rub cuz it doesnt have that much travel .
If I didnt like my shorty gq as much I woulda gotten a troopy

[nicbeer]

I would look at Prado first. Maybe look at 75 diesel ute with canopy?

With right tyres should go anywhere.

cheers

[-Scott-]

The Paj will be easier on fuel than a troopy, the Prado 3.4 is a petrol - wouldn't be my first choice for remote area life, so look at the Prado diesel from the same era.

The Prado 3.0 td is probably nicer to drive than the Paj 2.8 td, but the Paj has no electronics to fry. The Paj 2.8td is a good, strong, simple, reliable diesel motor, but they can crack heads if not looked after properly.

Paj has torsion bar front - simple to lift. The Prado has coils, so more expensive to lift.

Odds on that the Paj drivetrain is stronger, particularly the front. The 2.8 has larger and stronger gearbox, transfer and diff than the earlier 2.5td/3.0V6 Pajeros.

With the right tyres there won't be much between them offroad. The Paj engine has been around longer (introduced in '93, still sold in Tritons today) so I'd guess they may be more commonly found in wreckers?

The Prado has 159l fuel capacity vs 92 for the Paj. The Paj doesn't have Toyota badges, so genuine parts are cheaper.

An NL Pajero (last of the old body style) should be well inside your budget - I'd guess the first Prados (similar age?) have held their value a little better, but they should be available in that price range too.

Either will meet your requirements well.

Good luck,

Scott

[surfisho]

maybe im better off getting an older 2.5 paj instead of a 2.8, and with the savings on initial outlay, spruce it up a bit? they be similar engines with similar performance (ok 2.8 is noticeably better) and similar fuel economy?

hmmmm a troopy, hmmm i wish ! not sure how a troopy would go across sand but? big heavy machine that be !

if I get a roof top tent i wont need to sleep in the back, so would a SWB be better than a LWB on the sand? i never owned a SWB so havnt the foggiest.

[-Scott-]

maybe im better off getting an older 2.5 paj instead of a 2.8, and with the savings on initial outlay, spruce it up a bit? they be similar engines with similar performance (ok 2.8 is noticeably better) and similar fuel economy?

hmmmm a troopy, hmmm i wish ! not sure how a troopy would go across sand but? big heavy machine that be !

if I get a roof top tent i wont need to sleep in the back, so would a SWB be better than a LWB on the sand? i never owned a SWB so havnt the foggiest.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a 2.5td Pajero. The body on the 2.8 sits higher on the chassis: crank the front, spend $200 on taller rear springs (buy new shocks if you have enough money) and you've got clearance for 33" tyres (when your budget extends that far...) Find a GLS with factory LSD and it'll go great on the sand - only down side is that rear lockers aren't currently available, but they will be soon. (OK, there are some factory rear diff locks available, but they're scarce, and need to be retrofitted from petrol models. )

My shorty is great on sand, but the lack of space does require careful planning for packing everything in. If you're good at travelling light, do it.

Cheers,

Scott

[surfisho]

very rare though the 2.8 SWB. boy do they look snazz all kitted out.

with SWB, if I lift it, will this cause more issues than say with a LWB as far as stability is concerned? ie will it roll easier.

[glenn_c]

Here is a soft top one for sale
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... 79720&rd=1

[glenn_c]

Here is a soft top one for sale
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... 79720&rd=1

[surfisho]

thanks mate, i should have said the hard top ones are rare.

i have seen 3. but none in WA.

but not in a rush.

i think a 4.2 GQ shorty will about the same on fuel wont it?

[Beastmavster]

Probably as bad or worse than a 4.5 Patrol.

A 3 litre petrol LWB might be worth considering from the space and fuel economy side.

Could also look at LWB vitara?

[flyinwall]

or even a 4 runner my stepfather did his up for touring and it was very capable and reasonable on fuel

[DIRTY ROCK STAR]

mate i know around stockton beach in NSW Extended troopies and standard ones are often used for beach tours!
with widish tyres &/or a locker you would be fine.
heaps more room then the others for camping...

[prado4x4]

A lot of this depends on how important the 'sleeping in the back' is to you.

There's plenty of room in a troopie for this, so no hassles there. I had
a surf before (think turbo diesel forerunner) and with the back seats folded
down flat I could sleep in it (I'm 6'3" tall). I've got a 95 series prado
at the moment, and there's no way I could sleep in it. Even with the
seats folded up there's not enough length (only just), but importantly the
floor isn't flat (drops where rear seats/footmwell is), so real diffilult to
sleep comfortably.

That being said, the prado goes heaps better in the soft sand here in WA
than the Surf did (lots more power).

Just some more info to confuse your choices.

[Doggy]

hmmmm a troopy, hmmm i wish ! not sure how a troopy would go across sand but? big heavy machine that be !

My cousins troopy goes sweet as in the sand, goes just about anywhere in the bush tracks as well. Only traction mods he's got is 35's and a front locker

[Dodger]

get a decent camper trailor then you could buy anything that takes your fancy and even change vehicles enroute if you so desire.

[surfisho]

sorry dodger I just cant jusitfy the cost of a camper, if i was going to go outside i would go a tent or at the extreme a roof top tent. will likely one day have boat again, so cant tow two, hmmm.