Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I have a bit of a delima... $20k to spend on a new car, what should I get.
Upgrading from a 95 diesel hilux to something bigger and more comfortable.
I want to stick with a diesel too, even though the petrols are a lot cheaper.

Will be using it as a daily driver and taking it offroad as I do with the lux, along with a big trip to the centre or top end like I do every couple of years.
Nothing to extreme though, but love testing its limits and getting a few good reactions from the bigger boys when doing obsticles with minimum fuss by picking the right lines, rather than the point boot and shoot method to a hill or whatever.

I will be keeping the car for a few years, and racking up about 200,000kms+ on top of what is on the speedo when I buy a vehicle, so I still want it to be fairly realiable. I cant really afford to go over the $20,000 mark, which will include rego/insurance and some toys on it to keep me amused and happy for a while. Unless I ditch the house then have some real fun!

I have been looking around for a late model 80 series(95-98), either standard or GXL, but they do hold there value pretty good still, as I have been looking around at a few cars in the last month or so, and a good one is hard to find.
Another option is a early GU with the 2.8TD engine, which seem to be everywhere. Also a bit cheaper, even though they are a bit newer than the crusiers I have been looking at, which a couple less kms on the clock too.

Im hoping to have 3-4in lift and run at least 33in tyres, with a bit of barwork top & bottom. Are the 2.8td GUs THAT bad as people say with the extra weight?
I have done a bit of reading up all ready, and people seem to change the diff ratios and/or gears to get them to go better offroad, but I dont want to spend to much extra on bits just to make them come into line a bit better like the crusiers offroad ratios etc.

I have my heart set though on a 80 series as they are realiable, capable, and the old 1hz's go forever.
But if the little GUs are worth it, and will alst the test of time, then it might make me jump the fence to the land of nissans.....


Your thoughts guys while I continue reading through the bibles!
Sorry about the longish post too!

Go the 80 for sure.

I was in the same boat as you 6 months back and personally I preffered the 4.2TD 80.

To many stories of the 2.8 being a shit motor, plus the 80 is very comfy and power, heaps of torque.

Took em both for a run a few times and the pootrols never felt as nice to drive (to me) as the 80s.

good luck which ever way you decide to go

im a nissan man and i would go for the 80 too i hate the 2.8 ltr and the poxy 3.0 patrols . The 80 is a very comfy car just don't give it too hard a time and you will be apples. The patrols were built for 4wding not comfort i honestly prefer the gq over the gu as the gu like the 100 series is too wide and heavy for the 4wding i do.

For 20k 80 any day

Dad is trying to persude me in getting a GU, so he has been picking out a few for me.
He is a Toyota man and has had 3 cruisers, but just wants me to get something a little newer with less kms, and the patrols seem cheaper for my price range.... , as its a bit newer than an 80 series has less kms and is about the same price, if not cheaper.

One of them he has found, we are having a look tomorrow.
The one in question is a 98 GU 2.8td ST with a chip in it, along with a bullbar, snorkel, dual batteries, lift etc etc 181,000kms for $20k, but he said he is flexible on the price...



I hate car hunting...

ok ive owned both.
i used to have a 97 80 series sahara 4.2 turbo diesel.
i now have a 98 gu patrol 2.8 turbo diesel(currantly for sale, look in vehicles for sale around 2 pages back)

i have owned both these 4wds long enough to know whats what.


the 80 was comfortable with bucket loads of power. it was steady (3" susp lift and 2" body lift) running 35" tyres.but 4wding felt like it would want to go over. a fair few things did go wrong with it (interior plastics, engine, diffs, gearbox) but most of this was only minor things.

the patrol was strait up more roomier, more stable (fair enough it only has a 2" lift, but the cruiser started out like that too), the engine does lack the power of the cruiser. but for the weight of the gu it does get up and go for a 2.8. its slightly underpowered for towing though. the interior plastics seem to be better.

if it was 4.2 patrol td (just) BUT.... 2.8 patrol no way. 80 series all the way. the toyota(in my opinion) is a much better finished off car, nissan have good drive train strength but the 2.8 would struggle to break mini driveline.

How many of the knockers have owned a 2.8lt Patrol???????

I have and would again......If you are doing more road kays than offroad the 2.8lt is a pretty good motor and economy ain't that bad either......Also they are a small 6 not a big 4 like the latest variety that explode....

As long as you look after it is should be fine.......just make sure you change the timing belt if you get one....

Other than that it is what you like.....I believe you will get a newer Patrol with less kays than an 80 series for the same money....

you better make up your own mind mate looks like thats what you are doing anyway. Nissan make a tough 4wd toyota make a tourer.

I would agree with everything that has been said. The cruiser is a comfortable truck with heaps of grunt though is the weaker of the two. It would depend on how hard you want to drive it in the bush though.

The nissan has a budget interior and the 2.8's really lack power until they hit boost, so far as I know they are very reliable though.

If you don't mind the less comfortable interior and don't expect to need to tow a trailer or carry decent weight then go the GU.

A mate of mine uses low range to tow his carpenters trailer out of his driveway that isn't overly steep with his 2.8.

If you can squeeze a few more $$$ buy the nissan with a 4.2 either TD or NA. You can always put aftermarket seats in later.

http://www.autotrader.com.au/iteminfo/a ... Used+Cars_
http://www.autotrader.com.au/iteminfo/a ... Used+Cars_
http://www.autotrader.com.au/iteminfo/a ... Used+Cars_

Thats more the go high n mighty if he wants a pootrol, the 4.2 then a bit later add a turbo. Much much better then a 2.8

Well I looked at few more cars yesterday.
One was a 2.8td GU with a chip in it. I wasnt really expecting much from it, but I was really surprised!
Sure its no racecar, but it wwent pretty good for what it was, and the weight of it
It was the ST model, so it had the nicer interior than a DX, and the chip really made a difference I think

I have only ever own 2 diesel hiluxs in about 13 years of driving, so I have got use to putting the foot down,
and waiting a couple of minutes to watch the speedo start to move! But the GU did go heaps better than I thought.
Had a couple of goodies on it as well which will save me some money, and only had 180,000kms for $19k, but he said he was flexible on the price

Looked at a few more cruisers as well, standards mainly from 95-98, all with at least 240,000kms on the clock,
dinted, marks everywhere, under the car, inside the car for pretty much the same price as the GU

I saw another 2.8td GU in a caryard and went for a drive in that. It didnt have a chip in it, so I wanted to see the difference.
I realise all cars drive differently anyway, but the chip definately seemed to help, it felt a bit more sluggish before the turbo cut in.
There were a couple of 3ltrs in the yards too, for a couple of thousand more, but I think I would go a 2.8 over the 3ltr anyday.


I will always be a crusier man, but cannot afford the extra they are asking for the models im looking at, especially in the condition the ones I have been looking at.
My original budget was $15k anyway, so im using another $5k which I didnt want to use, as it was going towards house improvements
So at the moment, im leaning more towards the 2.8td ST for better value for money.

Hope it was rebuilkt at the 100,000kms mark or you`ll be up for a rebuid real soon Heard of so many 2.8`s and 3.0`s dieing at or around the 100,000kms.

I know you say desiel but seriously mate take a petrol cruiser for a drive.
I remember when hypo was after his 1st 80, he was dead set set on a desiel. He got one had it for a while and now has a petrol one. He loves it and wishes he had of gone the petrol 1st up.

You`ll get a 4.5 petrol 80 for anywhere between 10 to 20g. Say you get one for 14g it`ll be in good condition and possibly have a few extras. spend $2500 and put it on gas, get $1000 back for government, it now owes you $15,500 so you then still have $4500 for either the house or more goodies and it`ll still go harder then and desiel. Plus if you kill a motor it`ll then be heeps cheeper to fix.

My brother got a 94, GXL, 4.5lt, 5 speed 80 for $15,000 about 2 years ago and it had 4 inch lift, 35`s, cd player, long range fuel tank, rear wheel carrier and in good condition.

Oh and Tazz wants to sell his 80 atm
http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopic ... snow+trips

But hay its your money

Get a late model Ti GQ TB42 EFI and you'll have change for mods

you meen the 4.5 cruiser..yea.

Cause my TD rips up the 4.0 cruisers

sniper wrote:you meen the 4.5 cruiser..yea.

Yes that is correct. I wouldn`t even look at the pre 4.5lt models

Mate with 20K to spend, i would be looking for a 100 series, but thats just me.

I go the 80, I give mine a hard enough time and haven't killed it yet. Went to Fraser on the weekend and was the most comfortable trip I've had. Had a night run at Ormeau and played pretty hard without going to the point of panel damage, but still hard enough and didn't break, and was still comfortable. I've driven a gu, nice enough but still not as good as the 80. We have a mates gu with a blown 2.8 we are converting to a 4.3. Had 200,000 on it. MMMMM multivalve 4.2 80 series, that would be my pick. You'll be sorry you bought a 2.8 in comparison. 4.2 100's are coming right down, as long as you don't want any power or go anywhere fast, unless you turbo it. GU is still pretty comfty though, just a poor engine in 2.8.

Look another 80, this ones nearly a full house but is a bit used. But at that price you could have it cleaned up and still have change from 20g.

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopic ... &view=next

All i can say is i remeber this young bloke turned up to a navrun in his brand new pride and joy GU 2.8 TD... Done the old 2.8 trick of losinig oil pressure on a steep hill.. no probs.. 10 grand later he'll be back on the road!
Dude, If you want to play seriously in the future (which i think you might ) Then look for a 4.2 GU. Save pennies and smack a whistler on her in a coupla......
remember your 2.8 with the chip is as good as it's gunna get. Bung the family in, all the crap associated with a trip and you'll be back to luxy power... And you'll need to put about 50 to 100 bucks a week away for when the junior motor lunches itselfs...
Eighties are good cars, I'm a toyota man through and through because they are reliable and well built. But you'll get a much better spec'd GU 4.2 than you will and eighty. Just shop around and drive a couple of each before you settle on a 2.8, that's my advice.

Ruffy wrote:All i can say is i remeber this young bloke turned up to a navrun in his brand new pride and joy GU 2.8 TD... Done the old 2.8 trick of losinig oil pressure on a steep hill.. no probs.. 10 grand later he'll be back on the road!
Dude, If you want to play seriously in the future (which i think you might ) Then look for a 4.2 GU. Save pennies and smack a whistler on her in a coupla......
remember your 2.8 with the chip is as good as it's gunna get. Bung the family in, all the crap associated with a trip and you'll be back to luxy power... And you'll need to put about 50 to 100 bucks a week away for when the junior motor lunches itselfs...
Eighties are good cars, I'm a toyota man through and through because they are reliable and well built. But you'll get a much better spec'd GU 4.2 than you will and eighty. Just shop around and drive a couple of each before you settle on a 2.8, that's my advice.

The drivetrain in the toyota are a joke ,the diffs and gearboxes are weak but they are (80 series) a roomy comfortable tourer.

Prick of a decision isnt it!

Im thinking at the moment to stick with the softer stuff for a while.
I would like to play a bit harder, but living by myself with a fat morgage, and this will be my daily driver, so I cant afford at the moment to play to hard.
Then when things break, it will be a struggle to get them repair if its something expensive. It will only be running 33s anyway with whatever I get, just so im not tempted to go to hard.

The down the track a bit if things change, and I have bit more money to play with, I will get something more suited for the fun stuff and a probably a little runaround car,
but for the moment, I think I have to comprimise a bit.

I will keep looking around, but if something comes up in the meantime.
The cruiser would be pretty nice Guts but would give me the shits driving it to work everyday amongst traffic.

Can everyone just forget about buying a tatts ticket this week, just to give me a chance and then the decision will be much easier to make and I dont ave to worry about money.
I promise I will miss a couple of weeks worth of tickets for someone else then! l

dirtyGQ wrote:

Ruffy wrote:

The drivetrain in the toyota are a joke ,the diffs and gearboxes are weak but they are (80 series) a roomy comfortable tourer.

I thought the drive train in the 2.8's was different to the 4.2's EG weaker. Is this the case.

My opinion is to keep the lux and wait for more news on the new patrol. I think it is this year or next due out. Could make those 4.2 cheaper (or more expensive)

The other option is to get a 2.8 and then do an engine change to a 4.2 later, but it is a lot of work.

Personally I got the 80 because it was nicer to drive, I wanted the turbo, it came with the mods I wanted and the MRS preferred the 80 to the patrol.

dirtyGQ wrote:The drivetrain in the toyota are a joke ,the diffs and gearboxes are weak but they are (80 series) a roomy comfortable tourer.

Yes... I've heard of a few people that don't know how to drive complain about the 80 driveline... Nissan designed there's with mindless thrashers in the equation....
80's are not "weak" They are just not as strong as a GU. If you are one of those people that continually break an 80 then you need to look at your skills not your equipment.

Just get a 4.5 GU and put it on gas!!! Much cheaper to run then a diesel and if you go away you have petrol as well and can carry jerrys if needed. No use getting the diesel for the once a year trip. You can always sell it in the future when the $$ is flowing.

My gq has 100Lt of gas and 85l of petrolich gives me around 750kmith worse than avergae fuel use. Add a couple of jerrys and could hgit 1000km

If it's the 2.8 versus the 80, then I'd go the 80.
If it's a 4.2 diesel versus the 80, then the decision becomes a whole lot tougher.

you are buying an entire car, not just an engine so weigh up your options and list what you want from a car down the page, and then see which car can match your expectations better.

the only thing that the GU lacks in the 2.8 is a bit of power, other than that its a straight out much tougher and better truck, expecially for the money!

If you are use to driving hilux's than beleive me you wont notice at ALL!


Jes

quote]The drivetrain in the toyota are a joke ,the diffs and gearboxes are weak but they are (80 series) a roomy comfortable tourer.[/quote]

And you know this because you've owned one? You sound like me about ten year ago, if I knew back then what I know now I'd would have bought an 80 series. Funny they have heaps of 80's in the states and they have very little drive train issues. H/G issues yes but mainly to do with the EGR system they run.

But of course the nissan is unbreakable, the 2.8 is a fantastic engine with a indestructable gearbox, great for towing. And GU's are the best because they never strip 5 gear or have overheating problems and the 4.2 turbo is such a powerhouse of the showroom floor. And cv's, well even though an 80 series cv is heaps bigger than a gq, it must be shit because it's a toyota. Get the hint.

I like both cars nissans and toyotas, 80 series, 100 series and GU's and they all have faults, depends which fault you can live with.

I just think there is too much risk with the 2.8 at 200,000 plus on it from what I have seen blow up.

Apart from weak gearboxes and diffs the rest of the 80 is good ,nice and comfy with plenty of power,i agree it has a lot do with how they are driven but are still weak . Yes nissan did screw up by building the 2.8 and 3.0 litre ,pity because the rest of them are danm strong.