Post up ya 4WD!

[Mattydv]

Do you ride Shimano or Zoom? What would you prefer to put on your rig? Shimano have a certain amount of market dominance...

Valid point, but it seems to be more of the case of XTR or nothing - hence the questions.

As for western Qld and the Gulf in the Wet...you do realise that it is wet? And often inaccessible? And many roads are closed? And if it ain't wet...it's a bit fucking hot.

Yep, I've got friends in Burketown (one reason we're going that far west!). I'd hope I've allocated enough spare time to allow for roads to be closed for a fortnight or so.

 

[guitar1234]

The price difference between generic snorkels and TJM/ARB is pretty nuts, but in this case you're really just paying for a name, the TJM/ARB snorkels are better to fit because stencils/instructions supplied and warranty support would be faster, but the generic snorkels are better value.

But you really need to ask yourself whether you want to cheapen your 100, which usually have decent used value (considering engine of course, is it diesel or petrol?), or do you want to increase the value of your car with quality products? Bullbars are of a different caliber to snorkels in this situation though, as I've seen cheaper brands such as Ironman crack after only 6 months or less of use in touring circumstances, whereas the TJM bullbar on my GU Patrol has lasted 14 years and has been literally around Australia without fault.

If you plan to do remote touring you need to be able to trust your rig, so ultimately the choice is based upon whether you're comfortable being 1,000's of km's away from the closest town and knowing that your choices won't bite you in the ass!

 

[floody]

Sorry to burst your bubble but a whole catalogue through of vastly overpriced ARB/TJM etc won't up the value.

 

[Ride_Guy]

Umm the new rangers/bt50 aren't as good as everyone makes out, jump on any FB page and read the reports of replaced motors, gearboxes etc.

Not a common thing but plenty out there with major failures.

 

[g-fish]

The price difference between generic snorkels and TJM/ARB is pretty nuts, but in this case you're really just paying for a name, the TJM/ARB snorkels are better to fit because stencils/instructions supplied and warranty support would be faster, but the generic snorkels are better value.

But you really need to ask yourself whether you want to cheapen your 100, which usually have decent used value (considering engine of course, is it diesel or petrol?), or do you want to increase the value of your car with quality products? Bullbars are of a different caliber to snorkels in this situation though, as I've seen cheaper brands such as Ironman crack after only 6 months or less of use in touring circumstances, whereas the TJM bullbar on my GU Patrol has lasted 14 years and has been literally around Australia without fault.

If you plan to do remote touring you need to be able to trust your rig, so ultimately the choice is based upon whether you're comfortable being 1,000's of km's away from the closest town and knowing that your choices won't bite you in the ass!

I call bs on this. I did 30k Kms around Australia in a 15 year old Mitsubishi challenger that wasn't in the best nick to begin with. Had a 2" lift and nice tires everything else was done on a strict budget and worked flawlessly despite sinking it up to its windows in water, endless dirt road corregations and some proper tough 4wd trails.

We did a bit of driving through Western qld in the wet season. The thing that got us was how quickly a big storm can blow in and close a road that was previously open. Waiting around for roads to reopen sucks, but 2 weeks should be plenty.

 

[taquar]

Get a custom Stainless Steel snorkel for $400. There's a guy in Brisbane that does them for that Fitted+Sealed. They look good too :thumb:

Whatever you do DO NOT ever look at the X-Rox Comp bar, the thing is a heap of shit. You don't want to skimp on this so get a decent quality one. But that is by no means saying that ARB and TJM are the best, however, in saying that, the bullbar on my old 80 series cruiser lasted 17 years or so.

One mob you could get in touch with is Superior Engineering. They do all manner of mods for 4WDs.

 

[Mattydv]

Thanks for the responses guys, genuinely appreciated. I've got one more local stockist to check out before I make the jump, but I think I've got the list down to what it will be.

 

[Bryce88]

Nissan Navara D40

Hey all,

Just wondering of peoples opinions of the Navara D40 St's and is there anything else under 40k worth looking at in a 4wd dual cab?

Essentially this would replace my Nissan X-trail which my wife will get.

My limit is 40k and I just want a dual cab that's comfortable on long trips, roomy back seats, looks tidy and can handle a bit of 4wd'ing.

I've looked at other dual cabs such as the Triton, Colorado, Dmax and Amarok but keep coming back to the Nissan as it seems to offer more value for money (6 speed, more gadgets etc). Thoughts?

Cheers everyone.

 

[stirk]

Hey all,

Just wondering of peoples opinions of the Navara D40 St's and is there anything else under 40k worth looking at in a 4wd dual cab?

Essentially this would replace my Nissan X-trail which my wife will get.

My limit is 40k and I just want a dual cab that's comfortable on long trips, roomy back seats, looks tidy and can handle a bit of 4wd'ing.

I've looked at other dual cabs such as the Triton, Colorado, Dmax and Amarok but keep coming back to the Nissan as it seems to offer more value for money (6 speed, more gadgets etc). Thoughts?

Cheers everyone.

I think you'd get heaps more opinions on a 4wd forum but now I've said this I'm sure the flood gates will open.

 

[DirtFix]

Hey all,

Just wondering of peoples opinions of the Navara D40 St's and is there anything else under 40k worth looking at in a 4wd dual cab?

Essentially this would replace my Nissan X-trail which my wife will get.

My limit is 40k and I just want a dual cab that's comfortable on long trips, roomy back seats, looks tidy and can handle a bit of 4wd'ing.

I've looked at other dual cabs such as the Triton, Colorado, Dmax and Amarok but keep coming back to the Nissan as it seems to offer more value for money (6 speed, more gadgets etc). Thoughts?

Cheers everyone.

Navara is notably cheaper for a reason. Depending on the level of offroading you are going to be doing and amount of kilometres, required reliability etc, i probably wouldnt buy one on thier reputation alone. Some people may disagree. I have researched the dual cab ute market a bit and the best rig on the market is the VW Amarok however, the after sales servicing and parts prices are a killer! Be prepared to bend over with no vaseline! For that reason my money would be on the Isuzu D-Max. Best quality dual cab ute on the market that doesnt suffer the after sales financial suffering that the VW does. I am a Toyota man through and through, but I would seriously consider a D-Max over a dual cab Hilux. Just my 2 cents.

 

[fridgie]

D-max would be first on my list.

Amarok, ranger and bt-50 I'd leave alone, hilux too exxy, triton getting old but cheap and pretty reliable. Rarely see navara's out wheeling.... Probably something to that

 

[Zam]

Certainly wouldn't be touching a Navara, heard too many stories of dodgey gear boxes, $4000 worth of injectors being replaced after 90k, $2k alternators after 100k and the list goes on, the older ones may be worth looking at but nor the newer ones, which is a pity after the rep the Patrols have...

VW Amarok, suppose to be pretty damn good both on and off road and with the 8s auto could be worth a look but expect to be violated come service and parts time being a VW.

D-Max, awesome vehicle but cheap build quality inside and very basic, so if you are buying the 4x4 for its intended use could be worth a serious look.

Colorado, quite good and capable off road, however, being a Holden can lose resale value quite quickly.

Ranger, IMO looks the best and the 5cyl diesel from all reports is good, but I think with all cars if you search you will find bad reviews...

Hilux, the older ones are great (I have a 91 LN106) but they are getting dated and d4d diesel can have its issues and is getting slightly underpowered compared the other vehicles in the market, on the plus (or maybe its a negative) they do hold their resale value, interiors are pretty plain compared to some of the newer models around...

 

[taquar]

Get what feels right. If I had the coin I'd go for a Ranger over the others, but that's just me.

 

[Bryce88]

Cheers everyone, maybe I will do some more homework. I do like the Amaroks but VW is uncharted territory for me and have heard things can get pricey. Dmax is another option, Colorado is still similar I assume?

 

[Shadow Puppet]

Cheers everyone, maybe I will do some more homework. I do like the Amaroks but VW is uncharted territory for me and have heard things can get pricey. Dmax is another option, Colorado is still similar I assume?

While the Colorado is similar to a DMax as it shares a chassis and a lot of interior bits, the DMax has a much better Isuzu 3.0 light truck engine in it and reliability is fantastic. Colorado....doesn't.

I'd definately go DMax over Colorado.

 

[Bryce88]

While the Colorado is similar to a DMax as it shares a chassis and a lot of interior bits, the DMax has a much better Isuzu 3.0 light truck engine in it and reliability is fantastic. Colorado....doesn't.

I'd definately go DMax over Colorado.

Fair call, the other thing I just noticed was Colorado is a 6 speed manual and the Dmax is still a 5 speed, dunno if there is a benefit to the 6th gear or not. I've got 6 gears in my Xtrail and seems to make stuff all difference.

 

[Wilson_753]

......Depending on the level of offroading you are going to be doing and amount of kilometres, required reliability etc, i probably wouldnt buy one on thier reputation alone. Some people may disagree. I have researched the dual cab ute market a bit and the best rig on the market is the VW Amarok however, the after sales servicing and parts prices are a killer! Be prepared to bend over with no vaseline! For that reason my money would be on the Isuzu D-Max. Best quality dual cab ute on the market that doesnt suffer the after sales financial suffering that the VW does. I am a Toyota man through and through, but I would seriously consider a D-Max over a dual cab Hilux. Just my 2 cents.

VW Amarok doesn't have low range 4WD in most models, no good if you do decent four wheeling. I've got a Ranger and had no faults with it, comfortable to drive, plenty of power, great on diesel, decent ground clearance and good stock underbody protection, electrics are great too, 1st gear is a little too short on the road being a 6 spd, good in the paddock however. Heard good reports from the dmax too, worth it for the engine, not too many I know have navara's so don't know much about em, I either go the Ranger/BT50 or Dmax.

Cheers.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

Hey all,

Just wondering of peoples opinions of the Navara D40 St's and is there anything else under 40k worth looking at in a 4wd dual cab?

Essentially this would replace my Nissan X-trail which my wife will get.

My limit is 40k and I just want a dual cab that's comfortable on long trips, roomy back seats, looks tidy and can handle a bit of 4wd'ing.

I've looked at other dual cabs such as the Triton, Colorado, Dmax and Amarok but keep coming back to the Nissan as it seems to offer more value for money (6 speed, more gadgets etc). Thoughts?

Cheers everyone.

At 40K you clearly aren't talking new given that even the none of the D40 4x4's retail drive away for under that anyway. So it's an open market then but I'd look at a used Navara or DMax regardless. Despite being a VW fan I'd avoid an Amarok unless it was a low spec version. Avoid the Triton (despite the excellent engine) and I'm not a fan of the new Ranger (another great engine but a bloated body)...

If you do go new then a Great Wall is not an option but the Foton Tunland 'might' be worth a look. As might the new Tata...

Thing is though...trays on dual cabs are little more than postage stamps. Might as well buy a wagon. Or a full size commercial cab chassis...

 

[Bryce88]

At 40K you clearly aren't talking new given that even the none of the D40 4x4's retail drive away for under that anyway. So it's an open market then but I'd look at a used Navara or DMax regardless. Despite being a VW fan I'd avoid an Amarok unless it was a low spec version. Avoid the Triton (despite the excellent engine) and I'm not a fan of the new Ranger (another great engine but a bloated body)...

If you do go new then a Great Wall is not an option but the Foton Tunland 'might' be worth a look. As might the new Tata...

Thing is though...trays on dual cabs are little more than postage stamps. Might as well buy a wagon. Or a full size commercial cab chassis...

There are plenty of D40s under 40k and are brand new.... Series 7 is sitting at $39,990 drive away on their website and plenty of Series 6's for around 36k drive away on carsales.

Currently sussing out some Dmaxs at the moment.

 

[floody]

In the much more modest spending category...


...Looking to move into a 1998-2004 Hilux. Probably 2.7 petrol, 3 litre turbo diesel is too spendy. Want single cab, styleside tub.
How are they to own? Preferably I want the absolute base spec, e.g unpainted bumper/grille, semi-bench seat, vinyl floor, manual, steel split rims etc.
Prone to any particularly major failures in daily and occasional light trail use?