hate to ask but...

[Gee]

80 or GU
I know it has been asked before and this question probably irritates people but unlike some other posts I am very specific with my needs.

*I want to spend under 20K on the initial purchase.
*I want either a 95-97 80 series or a 1998 or later GU.
*I want a petrol but run it on lpg.
*It needs to be auto for the wife.
*I don't give a crap about luxuries like power windows or cruise control but it needs to be comfortable enough for the boss.
* It will be used as a daily driver.
*Fuel economy and reliability are very important.
*It needs to be big enough to take all our camping gear and two small children.
* The only towing it will ever do is maybe a small trailer with camping gear
*No hardcore off road, mainly beach driving
*Mods will be 2inch suspension and 2inch body lift or a 3 inch lift if airbags are involved and 33s are fine.
* The easier to service the better.
* I want one with under 200 000 ks.

With these criteria in mind what would I be better off with? I realise both vehicles are great and very closely matched but I can't decide between the two. Should the decison just come down to price?

Thanks

Gee

[bogged]

go and drive them both and find out what YOU like better ... they are pretty different trucks.

[Cossie]

80 or GU

*I want a petrol but run it on lpg.



*Fuel economy and reliability are very important.

Choose one or the other dude.

If it's number 2, then you should probably be looking at a diseasel

[Gee]

By fuel economy I mean fuel running costs ie. a diesel 80 using 13/100 @ $1.40 per litre will cost around $18 per 100. A petrol 80 on lpg using say 25/100 @ 80c per litre will cost around $20. Take into consideration the extra service intervals for a diesel and the purchase price, compared with a one off lpg conversion with a $2000 rebate and both vehicles are pretty close in terms of fuel running costs.

[Cossie]

...and if you want a single ounce of longevity or reliability then forget the petrol/lpg.

[Ruffy]

By fuel economy I mean fuel running costs ie. a diesel 80 using 13/100 @ $1.40 per litre will cost around $18 per 100. A petrol 80 on lpg using say 25/100 @ 80c per litre will cost around $20. Take into consideration the extra service intervals for a diesel and the purchase price, compared with a one off lpg conversion with a $2000 rebate and both vehicles are pretty close in terms of fuel running costs.

An 80 on LPG will need either the valve clearances at least checked and probably adjusted every 20-40,000km (somewhere between $300 and $500) or the head reco'd every 150,000 (2.5-3 grand) LPG IS FALSE ECONOMY.
As for the rebate, don't forget that an 80 will cost about 4.5K to gas as you require a rear bar for the spare, so you'll be 2.5k out of pocket.
Either of the vehicles will do your job well except for the important economy bit.
I don't see the need for you to go making the truck less stable and therefore more dangerous by giving it a 2 inch body lift for 33's and beach driving??? Reconsider that one.
As for servicing, it's a 4WD, it requires regular servicing and lots of it. If you want easy maintainence then get a diesel.
your figures of economy are reasonable, although with your beach driving a diesel will creep up to 15-18 but the petty will look at 35.

[Gee]

Thanks Ruffy, that's the specific type of information that I wanted and didn't know. I may have to consider a diesel but then there's the extra purchase cost and turbo install. I don't think I'll get a turbo diesel 80 for 20K in Qld and I'm not driving a NA diesel again- driving one everyday gives me the sh!ts. As far as GU diesels go its the 2.8 (underpowered for my liking) or a NA 4.2 (hard to find and again turbo install $$$). I guess I can't have power and economy without extra $$$$. Back to the drawing board.

[badger]

basically with the cars you want 33's will fit without any lift what so ever so id stick to just a 2or 3 inch lift if its for beach and touring. dont forget also by the sound of it it will be mums taxi and therefore keeping safe and easy for the wife to drive kids around in is a bigger priority than having 4 inches of lift in a "tourer"

lpg petrol auto in your price is gu 4500 or 80 series 4500, the 80 has a much better motor, uses less petrol and goes alot harder. but with that comes evern more maintenance on lpg. the gu will be painfully slow and thirsty no matter what you run it on unless you turbo it as well.
As was mentioned earlier the maintenance costs of lpg take them back to being less economical than a diesel

Now onto diesels, the gu only came with one auto diesel ................ the grenade 3 litre, they never made a 4.2 or 2.8 auto altho you can use an auto from a gq and have it converted. Afew people on this forum have gone this way eg Bogged. Or in the toyota the 1hz (non turbo) autos are rare as hens teeth and desperatly need a turbo kit (2500 ish bucs) or you have a up to 95 1hdt factory turbo auto wich to be honest is the only one of the cars you have listed id buy as an diesel auto. There is also the 1hdft multivalve autos from 95-97 these are the pick of the bunch, but are out of your price range

Ive just been thru all of this myself and chose a 96 sahara with a multivalve and had to increase my budget 3 times to get what i was happy with:(

might be also worth noting i also have a gq as a play truck and up untill this exercise was biased to the gu over an 80, when it came down to it the gu couldnt offer what i wanted without alot of work and extra outlay. To be honest the 80 is more comfortabe and nicer to drive than mates gu's too

[Mark2]

By fuel economy I mean fuel running costs ie. a diesel 80 using 13/100 @ $1.40 per litre will cost around $18 per 100. A petrol 80 on lpg using say 25/100 @ 80c per litre will cost around $20. Take into consideration the extra service intervals for a diesel and the purchase price, compared with a one off lpg conversion with a $2000 rebate and both vehicles are pretty close in terms of fuel running costs.

An 80 on LPG will need either the valve clearances at least checked and probably adjusted every 20-40,000km (somewhere between $300 and $500) or the head reco'd every 150,000 (2.5-3 grand) LPG IS FALSE ECONOMY.
As for the rebate, don't forget that an 80 will cost about 4.5K to gas as you require a rear bar for the spare, so you'll be 2.5k out of pocket.
Either of the vehicles will do your job well except for the important economy bit.
I don't see the need for you to go making the truck less stable and therefore more dangerous by giving it a 2 inch body lift for 33's and beach driving??? Reconsider that one.
As for servicing, it's a 4WD, it requires regular servicing and lots of it. If you want easy maintainence then get a diesel.
your figures of economy are reasonable, although with your beach driving a diesel will creep up to 15-18 but the petty will look at 35.

There are also good arguments that diesels are false economy. A lot more expensive initially, fuel is more expensive, much closer oil change intervals, often twice as much oil in the sump, injector service costs every 100k or so, reco pumps, etc. An oil change on a TD42 is about $60-70 in oil/filters alone, every 5000k! If the engine needs major work - $$$$$$.
Fuel economy alone is not the only factor to consider. I would not call a diesel 'easy maintenance' compared to a modern petrol engine.

Actually I prefer diesels and I love TD42's in particular. Its not my intention to start a petrol vs diesel debate BUT a petrol on lpg can be a good proposition, if its the right setup and particularly if someone else has paid for the conversion.

[Bingham]

mate, bit to many $$ but consider
04 guiii wagon st auto 3L inter turbo 150km 3inch 33's bbar tbar tint.
reps car,full service history... snorkel

by chance when i can get some time to clean it eg a month this will be for sale.

means economy for you no need for expense of turbos gas fitting then you get a 6 year newer car. no money to spend on mods.. ready to go..

so 20k + lift(1500k) tyres $1200 gas conversion difference(2.5k) so say 25K spent then if have to add turbo say 3K? = $28 so might be worth looking at saving extra money for a week or 2

am still not sure what is worth??? but might advertise for $32 ono but boss prob take $28 maybe.. no skin of mine i sell cheap then i get a new one!!
cheaper rego to

sorry for semi hijack but in any case the $$$ sound fair?

[clm434]

Since you bought up the petrol/lpg debate, what would be your, or anyone else's thoughts on diesel/lpg? Plausible?? or a bullsh't idea?

[Gee]

Bingham, that wouldn't be the lemon GU you have referred to in the past
No thanks mate.

[Bingham]

Bingham, sounds good although the k's are high for a 4yr old rig. When you are looking to sell in a month or so PM me, my budget may have increased by then

no probs bloke or keep an eye on vehicles for sale.

Thing being for anyone buying such a vehicle eg high kms on late model car. not bad buying if can get for good dollars as long as service history particularly if going to a home that would do less than "normal annual km's" so in time the vehicle kms would move closer standard km's for its age..

that make any sense?? in essence value of car can hold in terms of res-sale.

think i have confused my self but there is a point there somwhere.
I rep all over qld and nt and hence the km's

[Bingham]

Bingham, that wouldn't be the lemon GU you have referred to in the past
No thanks mate.

lemon auto correct... new auto box been in 50 000km on it now and all is sweet. and i wacked in an external oil cooler to boot!
i was abit cranky with nissan for a while re warranty but they came good in the end thankyou val davis.

[grazza]

I you want onroad comfort and perhaps a less intimidating vehicle to drive down the shops, why not a Prado or Pajero?

[Patroler]

I you want onroad comfort and perhaps a less intimidating vehicle to drive down the shops, why not a Prado or Pajero?

Yea i'd look into these, easier to drive around town, ideal for the trouble and strife, mostly autos, only reason i'd go for the bigger car would be if i had a family of 5, planned on long trips and only mainly drove it myself - which i do all of the above, wife hates driving gq td42 manual arond town..

[Chucky]

Another thing to rember is the range of a vehical.
A petrol/lpg just wont have the range of a diesel.
If you go camping up the beach and do a bit of driving each day you will quickly need to refuel in a LPG vehical. Even with petrol "reserve" you will still use a shite load more that a diesel.

[Bingham]

Another thing to rember is the range of a vehical.
A petrol/lpg just wont have the range of a diesel.
If you go camping up the beach and do a bit of driving each day you will quickly need to refuel in a LPG vehical. Even with petrol "reserve" you will still use a shite load more that a diesel.

fair point chucky!
& mine is 120L diesel just for the record nothing like a hard sell

prob range of 900 if your on hiway and drained it to last litres i think. never really checked to closely.

not sure what your lpg/fuel options do for say a week on fraser? can you even get gas over there say?

In all fairness both the cars you speak of are good trucks but are getting a bit long in the tooth and give more of a truck feel for the girl but i do miss the old gq

[bogged]

[zagan]

If your really after the cheapest 4wd to run it'd have to be the santa fe, that chews up fuel like a smart car chews up fuel.

60ltr tank can get you into sydney or damn close on 1 tank of petrol.

Maybe what your after... isn't what your looking for.

[zagan]

Since you bought up the petrol/lpg debate, what would be your, or anyone else's thoughts on diesel/lpg? Plausible?? or a bullsh't idea?

might be good but probably pointless, because once your really outside the cities you won't get gas, for the gas side anyway.

Plus I fail to see the overal saving of buying 2 fuels to length the running of the 1st (diesel) fuel in the first place.

If the engine has a ECU you could try out the ECU boxes to give you some extra power plus save fuel as well.

The other way of going with the diesel is to try out the cooking oil for fuel, that will be far and away cheaper than what gas is right now.

[Bingham]

fark, what is next suggest buying a scooter and trailer

nothing wrong with a good grenade! in saying that the 4.2 would not have got me a speeding ticket the other day they are so god dam doey! eg phipseys!

[jtraf]

what about a GQ TD42 auto???

fits all the criteria and is cheaper than the $20K for the last couple I have seen.

[Gee]

what about a GQ TD42 auto???

fits all the criteria and is cheaper than the $20K for the last couple I have seen.

Problem is they are bloody hard to find in Qld. Plenty of 2.8s and petrols but auto 4.2 diesels are as rare as rocking horse sh!t.

[zagan]

fark, what is next suggest buying a scooter and trailer

nothing wrong with a good grenade! in saying that the 4.2 would not have got me a speeding ticket the other day they are so god dam doey! eg phipseys!

lol, well what can ya do.

Wouldn't be typical thing, but hey it uses bugger all fuel.

[Mechz]

I have no idea what I'm talking about really, but have you thought about diesel gas?

[Bingham]

I have no idea what I'm talking about really, but have you thought about diesel gas?

to my knowlege not really a viable/reliable option at this stage... maybe 2020

[Simo63]

Thanks Ruffy, that's the specific type of information that I wanted and didn't know. I may have to consider a diesel but then there's the extra purchase cost and turbo install. I don't think I'll get a turbo diesel 80 for 20K in Qld and I'm not driving a NA diesel again- driving one everyday gives me the sh!ts. As far as GU diesels go its the 2.8 (underpowered for my liking) or a NA 4.2 (hard to find and again turbo install $$$). I guess I can't have power and economy without extra $$$$. Back to the drawing board.

If your missus can handle a manual, I have a 1999 GU 4.2 DX Patrol with aftermarket turbo on it, ARB Winch Bar, Warn XD9000 winch, ARB Sidesteps, QLD registered with a RWC you can have for $21,000. It's a good clean, straight car that has travelled 231,500kms and drives like a new one. Call me on 0407 654 564 if you want to have a look or email and I will send pics.

[Bingham]

Thanks Ruffy, that's the specific type of information that I wanted and didn't know. I may have to consider a diesel but then there's the extra purchase cost and turbo install. I don't think I'll get a turbo diesel 80 for 20K in Qld and I'm not driving a NA diesel again- driving one everyday gives me the sh!ts. As far as GU diesels go its the 2.8 (underpowered for my liking) or a NA 4.2 (hard to find and again turbo install $$$). I guess I can't have power and economy without extra $$$$. Back to the drawing board.

If your missus can handle a manual, I have a 1999 GU 4.2 DX Patrol with aftermarket turbo on it, ARB Winch Bar, Warn XD9000 winch, ARB Sidesteps, QLD registered with a RWC you can have for $21,000. It's a good clean, straight car that has travelled 231,500kms and drives like a new one. Call me on 0407 654 564 if you want to have a look or email and I will send pics.

you trying to cut my sale

[nabstud]

I bought a petrol 4.5 GU auto last June and it serves me very well.

*I want to spend under 20K on the initial purchase.
- I got mine for $15,200

*I want either a 95-97 80 series or a 1998 or later GU.
-1998 GU wagon, white

*I want a petrol but run it on lpg.
-Got it put on LPG, after rebate cost me $750 inc. new plugs, leads and fuel filter

*It needs to be auto for the wife.
-Plenty autos around

*I don't give a crap about luxuries like power windows or cruise control but it needs to be comfortable enough for the boss.
-Has a/c. p/s, elec mirrors/windows, cruise control. My girlfriend loves driving it, she is only 5'2"

* It will be used as a daily driver.
-Its a big 4x4 but the girlfriend can still park it

*Fuel economy and reliability are very important.
-I average about 26L/100 on gas and get about 300k's to $55(80L)

*It needs to be big enough to take all our camping gear and two small children.
-Prob need roof racks

* The only towing it will ever do is maybe a small trailer with camping gear
-I've towed a 7'x4' box trailer (about 800kg) across the nullabor twice, maintained 110 easy with the cruise on.

*No hardcore off road, mainly beach driving
-not the most powerful truck but almost keeps up with my mates 100 series petrol...

*Mods will be 2inch suspension and 2inch body lift or a 3 inch lift if airbags are involved and 33s are fine.
-I run 3" lift and 33" BFG muds and the speedo now reads accurately! Body lifts affect the airbag/s I believe

* The easier to service the better.
-I do my servicing myself, change oil & filter and service gas every 10k, change air & fule filter every 20k. I use valve lube for the LPG, costs about $60-70 for 5L, lasts about 5000km.

* I want one with under 200 000 ks.
Got mine with 176k, now has 205km.

When I bought it it had a cargo barrier, uhf and alloy bar on it. I put in 3" suspension, new brakes, 33" tyres, LPG, extractors and 2.5" exhaust and a few other little bits and after the gas rebate, it cost me about $21k. It has served me very well, only problem is range. On a long run, I prob get about 500km to 80L gas and 30L petrol. Don't ask about consumption when stingin it on the beach....

Not sure if this helps but It gives you half the info!

My only experience with an 80 was my mates NA diesel. Slow as a snail but it was fantastic in the rocks. Not sure if he had a dud though, in 4 yrs of owning it, it cost him $36k in repairs and maintenance(and he didn't thrash it-was also his work car)!!!