4x4 for farm work! which one?

slivebloom

I'm looking for a good 4X4 work horse, for off road use & pulling trailers etc.
so far the toyota landcruiser is the best but it is out of my budget, so the next best is Pajero/Shogun, Defender 90, Nissan Patrol. A 1995 to 2000 model. My question is which one is the best. e.g. is the 2.5TD Pajero better then the 2.8TD for reliability. a SWB is what I need as well. I've seen some low millage ones in the UK online sale pages. I've a 2.5 Pajero which has done well but it's end is near!

L-M

If ur buyin a defender, expect it hard to find a good one, hard to find one and expect to pay big money for one as people are tending to charge plenty for them... I'd reccomend a 96-99 2.5tdi Discovery, will pull ur trailer, do the farm work and good for on road use... Plus the tdi is a great engine...U would pick up a 99 with about 110k upwards for under 9000... And the lower the years the cheaper...:D

pburns

I was in the same position a few months ago. Bought one of these:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=780000

That's been there a few months so I'm sure there's haggling room. For a Pajero or Landcruiser of similar age/mileage you'll be talking €€€€s more.

I don't use it for trailering but do give it hells bells off-road (well actually i take it easy but very rough terrain, across drains etc.) Much better to drive on-road than a Landie or L200 Mitsubishi.

Land Rovers are for people who like fixing things. If you want reliability buy a Jap

L-M

I was GOING to say that looks as ugly as sin, but then i realised what i was supporting... They would be a good invesment too...OP but if u can afford a defender go for one...

colm_mcm

I'd suggest a late Daihatsu Fourtrak, they're very reliable and capable off road, they're relatively unknown in Ireland too, making them cheap.

Muckeroo

Land Cruiser cant b beaten. Next best is the Isuzu Trooper. There reputation aint the best but as long as ya avoid the 99-01 models you wont have a problem. They started using the 3.1 engine in 99 but they blew wthe turbos and gaskets. You'll pick up fairly new one at a good price.

L-M

Acutally ya, we had a trooper meridian inside and thinking it would be there awhile. The first customer that came in we pushed it out straught away for 1500 under the askin. Well the amount of calls that we got for it after it was sold was crazy, our mouths were left open. So maybe this could be a good idea as well...

Muckeroo

Limerick-man wrote: »

Acutally ya, we had a trooper meridian inside and thinking it would be there awhile. The first customer that came in we pushed it out straught away for 1500 under the askin. Well the amount of calls that we got for it after it was sold was crazy, our mouths were left open. So maybe this could be a good idea as well...

Anymore of those troopers goin?

L-M

Not as of yet... I didn't realise there was such a market for them... We even comtemplated gettin a few... Kept us entertained for half an hour...:D

colm_mcm

Troopers are insanely good value for money, but later models than 01 still had a good few issues, as long as you budget for the odd turbo/gearbox/engine/ECU, you'll be fine. Even if you have to replace all of the above it'll still work out cheaper than buying a Cruiser.
Still wouldn't buy one though

E92

Are Troopers still sold here? Its been like the same design since 2000BC.

S.I.R

a trooper or a land rover defender ( clsssic ! )

trooper is a million times better but some people just like the sound of the rover :rolleyes:


either way you cant go wrong... just dont by a ford... or anything american for that matter


just remember.... all jeeps drink feul like i do cider so you want to have a deep pocket to keep em running

colm_mcm

E92 wrote: »

Are Troopers still sold here? Its been like the same design since 2000BC.

they're essentially the same since 1991 I think. They stopped importing them in 04 as far as I know, but Harris's still had them in stock till earlier this year. I think they were still MPH clocks on them, and if someone wanted leather etc. they would get it retro fitted.

slivebloom

Thanks for the threads lads. The Nissan Pathfinder looks good "pburns" but I forgot to say that the Father drives it as well, and he wants a SWB ( has a bad hip, & the 4x4 is his only way to get around ),

Limerick-man: the defenders are great for the farm but are they less reliable as Japs???

What about the Nissan Patrol? see link ( it works )???
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/NISSAN+PATROL/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-51-62-4294965034-4294967243/search.action

Stephen

Why'd they stop importing Troopers? They always seemed immensely popular, around here anyway. I see loads of them on the road. fugly yokes

GB15

slivebloom wrote: »

The Nissan Pathfinder looks good "pburns" but I forgot to say that the Father drives it as well, and he wants a SWB ( has a bad hip, & the 4x4 is his only way to get around ),

Just out of interest why does his bad hip have any influence on a long or short wheel base. Is there a height difference for getting in and out of them?

I'm sure the extra load carrying of the LWB would come in handy. Also the SWB models almost always look uglier than the LWB (apart from the Pajeros).

slivebloom

I agree GB15, SWB not as good looking, but to a 70yrs farmer, looks aren't top of his list. ( will it get across a mucky field is top )...
The bad hip has nothing to do with the LWB or SWB but when it comes to turning in tide spots the SWB makes it easy for a man of his age. Plus he don't use the mirrors, the SWB is just shorter and so easier for him to get around, and he would like a step on the next 4x4.

the troopers are all over 3L' so very hard on diesel!

ballooba

I was on Safari recently which is the ultimate test for a 4x4. I got talking to the chief engineer in one of the lodges one evening. I had previously thought that Landcruiser were the ultimate when it came to offroading. He told me that his Landcruisers gave far more problems than the Defenders. The Defenders were covering 250K+ Miles on dirt roads with few problems.

CJhaughey

ballooba wrote: »

I was on Safari recently which is the ultimate test for a 4x4. I got talking to the chief engineer in one of the lodges one evening. I had previously thought that Landcruiser were the ultimate when it came to offroading. He told me that his Landcruisers gave far more problems than the Defenders. The Defenders were covering 250K+ Miles on dirt roads with few problems.

I doubt that is true for most of Africa.
All I ever saw there was Landcruisers, not the 90 series common here but the 70 and 80 series, with the very odd Nissan Patrol GR /GQ.
All of the Aid companies use TLC with no exceptions, and even the Taliban use Hilux
I would take that with a pinch of salt.

BeardyGit

If you can afford it, go with a TD5 Defender 90 with a full service history. They've come a hell of a way and the TD5 engine is simply superb in that platform. The only thing that's unreliable about a modern Defender is the planks who think "Sure it's a landrover, they're tough as nails, it won't mind waiting for a service for a couple months more". Tools.

Every mountain rescue team in the country use Defender 110's, the same throughout the UK. They're expensive, and as volunteer funded bodies the decision to buy them isn't taken lightly, so teams ensure they service that investment as demanded by the manufacturer, and recommended by anyone who knows their landies. The Defenders reward the simple attention they receive with bulletproof reliability and outstanding offroad performance. Same with NHS 4x4 ambulances in the UK, the ESB here and countless others who know what they're buying.....

Timmaay

My old man has a td5 discovery, their a great vehicle with a brilliant engine, will comfortably pull a cattle trailer, they are much more comfortable than a defender (which was our last 4x4), They're great for normal driving also, I've often gone to motocross races pulling a trailer and bike at an easy 120kph, plenty more power available for overtaking if I need it at that!

As far as reliability is concerned, we've never had much trouble, clutch had to be change after we got it but that was covered by the dealers 3 month warranty. Fair enough they mighten be quite as reliable as the japs but they are very easy to work on, parts are cheap and plentyful.

CJhaughey

Timmaay wrote: »

I've often gone to motocross races pulling a trailer and bike at an easy 120kph, plenty more power available for overtaking if I need it at that!

And the legal maximum for towing a trailer is what speed ?

ballooba

CJhaughey wrote: »

And the legal maximum for towing a trailer is what speed ?

lol

Go easy. Most people don't know that one. My bro was pulled on the M1 for it a few weeks back though. Is it 80km/h?

What about one of these OP?

http://www.tanksforsale.co.uk/Tanks_Trucks_Jeeps_for_sale.htm

Timmaay

Robbing this from another thread:

Hows the view from there:p:p
Yes, I know its 80kph for any trailer, but come on, a 200kg(?) trailer and 100kg bike are hardly going to effect a the braking performace of a 4x4? I'd be far happy to be doing a similar speed to most other vehicles on the motorway than be causing a big obstruction by sticking to 80.