Total noob, help me pick a off road vehicle

[SirDrinksalott]

Some nice Disco 4 around 130km about $50k or just above near me, unfortunately I don't have 50k!!

 

[lostproperty]

Also the info on wheel sizing is totally inaccurate

Which part? D4 comes with 18's and D3 comes with 17's, 16's that clear the brakes are harder to come by than normal rims same issue as with a Pajero if you wanted to go down in tyre sizes, just something to point out that might not be considered but I think from OP's responses probably won't be considering a LR anyway.

 

[boobook]

Which part? D4 comes with 18's and D3 comes with 17's, 16's that clear the brakes are harder to come by than normal rims same issue as with a Pajero if you wanted to go down in tyre sizes, just something to point out that might not be considered but I think from OP's responses probably won't be considering a LR anyway.

I am sure Matt will know 100 times more about this than me, but I am pretty sure the D4 comes with 19" plus sizes, and can take one or two aftermarket 18" rims and no 17 or 16" options. The exception is the early 2.7l Diesel Disco 4 which came with 18" rims. Presumably, that is the same as the D3. I am not sure if you can get 17" aftermarket for the D3.

But I get your point, there is not enough sidewall and getting 19" tyres in stock in the outback is near impossible. If 17" rims are available for the Disco that would be a big plus. My vehicle came with 18" rims, and I got a set of 17" for off roading for the same reasons.

 

[shanegtr]

I am sure Matt will know 100 times more about this than me, but I am pretty sure the D4 comes with 19" plus sizes, and can take one or two aftermarket 18" rims and no 17 or 16" options. The exception is the early 2.7l Diesel Disco 4 which came with 18" rims. Presumably, that is the same as the D3. I am not sure if you can get 17" aftermarket for the D3.

But I get your point, there is not enough sidewall and getting 19" tyres in stock in the outback is near impossible. If 17" rims are available for the Disco that would be a big plus. My vehicle came with 18" rims, and I got a set of 17" for off roading for the same reasons.

Yep, D3 and 2.7 D4 the smallest rim that can be used is 17". Aftermarket 18" rims can be fitted to the D3 v8 and 3.0 D4 where the smallest factory rims that will fit are 19". There is no 16" rim that will fit any D3/4.

 

[discomatt]

The issue I had with the Disco 1 was the link between the drive shaft and the rear diff. Instead of using a mechanical (u coupling?) it used a rubber disk which compressed on one side. It perished twice in 2 years.

Also the ABS would randomly force your foot off the brake and if it were coming up to a stop at the lights, the hand brake was needed to stop the beast!

The late model D1 had the rubber coupling, it made the drive train a lot smoother and removed the clucks but as you say not very durable, I replaced mine with heavy duty uni joints. ABS in the D1 is crap, unreliable system that does not work well even when it works, mine is "modified" so it doesn't annoy the crap out of me and is much better. This is the price you pay when you have totally new innovations and features no other manufacturer has in a car. LR are and have always been ahead of the pack in that respect but it is sometimes to their detriment

 

[discomatt]

What thay said about rim size, personally I will take the bigger brakes over rim size any day, if you want a rock hopper where you really need more rubber and less wheel but a GQ Patrol. LR's are perfectly capable on the wheels they come with

 

[lostproperty]

Yep, D3 and 2.7 D4 the smallest rim that can be used is 17". Aftermarket 18" rims can be fitted to the D3 v8 and 3.0 D4 where the smallest factory rims that will fit are 19". There is no 16" rim that will fit any D3/4.

D4 with 16" rims, probably can't be bought anymore, photo is from 2012 and the wheels were a special import

 

[discomatt]

Not 16's the smallest possible are 17 and that is not possible on V8 or 3L as far as I and every other Aulro member is aware of

 

[shanegtr]

D4 with 16" rims, probably can't be bought anymore, photo is from 2012 and the wheels were a special import

Those are 18" not 16

 

[lostproperty]

Hi Everyone,

I thought it would be a good idea to get some peoples experienced opinions on what I actually need for the type of 4x4 driving I plan to do. My biggest issue is that I don't know what's out there and I would hate to have spend top dollar on a ute when I could have gotten around in a forester

Budget: Up to $60K
Where I plan to go. I have small children (under 5) so for the near future nothing too far, but I care a lot about on road comfort, that doesn't mean I wouldn't sacrifice some for off road performance, but it is important to me. Eventually though I do plan to take it across Australia. So reliability and durability is very important as I plan to keep it till it's ready for the scrap yard.

Initially my main trips will be to beach and bush camping spots, I have no intention of taking on 4wd tracks just for the fun of it, basically If I don't have a reason to take a track I wont take it. If there is a difficult track to get a to a good camp site I'm all up for it, but I'm not into challenging myself or the car, mainly because of my high budget and I would cringe every time I would scratch or scrape the car. I don't have issues if this happens on my way somewhere, just making a point that if it can be avoided easily, I will avoid it.

The vehicle will also be used as daily i.e shopping, dropping kids of etc but I don't have to do a lot of driving to and from work, thanks to COVID my workplace will let me work from home indefinitely. I plan to regularly go camping, fishing, hit up nice picnic areas etc Eventually probably will need to tow a small trailer for dirt bikes, jet skis and potentially a boat at some time (Nothing to huge, one of those 6-8 people ones).

What's really got me thinking is the new D-MAX, but this is more of a want than a need vehicle. Prices have been released and at $59K driveaway for the top of the range, that is going to be hard to beat, it also comes with and LSD this time round and diff lockers, so it will be more than capable. However, you can get a pretty solid Triton for $40K that I'm certain will go everywhere the D-MAX will and plus it wont hurt as much when I scratch it or destroy it haha Plus it leaves a lot of budget for future upgrades. From everything I've also seen its a fantastic cruiser and really quite great off road. I've also seen the current BT-50, the looks dont bother me and it seems to be extremely reliable and capable and comfortable. At 38K driveaway my cheapness is kicking in real hard.

So based on that my questions I guess are, how much damage will I potentially be putting on my vehicle body work with the type of 4x4 Driving I plan on doing, what vehicles do you recommend and what accessories should I get for the above. I also have no issues with buying used vehicles either, Manual or Auto is fine (I prefer manual, but hear auto is better for noobs, although I have no issues with paying for a new clutch so doesn't really bother me either).

Initially I was leaning towards the Pajero tank, but then thought it might get a bit annoying to dirty the rear of it, where in a ute I can just pressure clean it out, but I like the security of SUV's over Dual Cab utes (For the crap in the back). So feel free to sway me if I should go down the ute or the SUV route based on your experience as well.

Thanks everyone

Just getting your thread back on topic mate sorry for causing the hijack about D4 wheels

An MUX might also suit your needs and definitely fits your budget, they have a lower payload than the DMAX but pedders make a GVM upgrade kit. Not the flashiest car but will do everything you want it to with plenty of aftermarket parts and also feedback from other people who own Isuzu's they're warranty replacements have all been handled very well when they've needed to fix them. New models have a DPF but they don't have any issues with them running in the cars. The new dmax will be a lot better than the current MUX and it's most likely be about 12 months before they update the mux as there was 18 months between releasing the old dmax and the mux last time round. If you can manage with a Ute you can get a lid for the tray and the new model is fully featured as you mentioned diff lock better interior and a lot of safety equipment. Unsure on size inside as never been in one but I'm sure it'll have more room than the current dmax as the wheel base is longer if memory serves me correctly. Good luck with it mate

 

[aleks001]

Just getting your thread back on topic mate sorry for causing the hijack about D4 wheels

An MUX might also suit your needs and definitely fits your budget, they have a lower payload than the DMAX but pedders make a GVM upgrade kit. Not the flashiest car but will do everything you want it to with plenty of aftermarket parts and also feedback from other people who own Isuzu's they're warranty replacements have all been handled very well when they've needed to fix them. New models have a DPF but they don't have any issues with them running in the cars. The new dmax will be a lot better than the current MUX and it's most likely be about 12 months before they update the mux as there was 18 months between releasing the old dmax and the mux last time round. If you can manage with a Ute you can get a lid for the tray and the new model is fully featured as you mentioned diff lock better interior and a lot of safety equipment. Unsure on size inside as never been in one but I'm sure it'll have more room than the current dmax as the wheel base is longer if memory serves me correctly. Good luck with it mate

That's alright, all of that information is useful to someone. Unfortunately I'm one of those people who will talk about a million cars and then buy something I never even thought of haha My main issue is I still haven't really decided what I want to do with the vehicle. If I'm just going to do some small fire trails and beach runs I'd probably just get the new DMAX and leave it stock. However, the more I think about it I would really like to have a more capable vehicle so I can get to more secluded camping sites. If I go down this second route this is what I'm thinking.

NX Pajero close to new with very small KM's can be found for $40K. I would then put on it. Bullbar, front winch, front and rear recovery points, full underbody protection, 2" lift kit, 32" M/T Tyres on smallest rims possible, front locker, rock sliders, snorkel and maybe even side rails later on. I would keep the stock rims and tyres and put them back on for around town driving. This would be my starting point I would then see depending on my camping/touring needs roof racks, dual batteries, spot lights, fridge, draws etc etc really depends on how I find camping with little kids. If I'm only going to go away for 1 night stays then I would put all that off for quite a while, but still have an extremely capable vehicle. I also like that that Pajero doesn't have the diffs hanging so low like all the dual cabs, it means when you do a 2" lift you actually get some serious lift because you don't have the diff's dragging around + bigger tyres and you have some serious clearance.

So I guess im leaning more towards spending in the $40K section on something newish and spending $10K making it a weapon (keep in mind I can do most work myself, I only suck at electrical) But like I say, I'm one of those people who never ends up buying what he talked about for months.

 

[lostproperty]

That's alright, all of that information is useful to someone. Unfortunately I'm one of those people who will talk about a million cars and then buy something I never even thought of haha My main issue is I still haven't really decided what I want to do with the vehicle. If I'm just going to do some small fire trails and beach runs I'd probably just get the new DMAX and leave it stock. However, the more I think about it I would really like to have a more capable vehicle so I can get to more secluded camping sites. If I go down this second route this is what I'm thinking.

NX Pajero close to new with very small KM's can be found for $40K. I would then put on it. Bullbar, front winch, front and rear recovery points, full underbody protection, 2" lift kit, 32" M/T Tyres on smallest rims possible, front locker, rock sliders, snorkel and maybe even side rails later on. I would keep the stock rims and tyres and put them back on for around town driving. This would be my starting point I would then see depending on my camping/touring needs roof racks, dual batteries, spot lights, fridge, draws etc etc really depends on how I find camping with little kids. If I'm only going to go away for 1 night stays then I would put all that off for quite a while, but still have an extremely capable vehicle. I also like that that Pajero doesn't have the diffs hanging so low like all the dual cabs, it means when you do a 2" lift you actually get some serious lift because you don't have the diff's dragging around + bigger tyres and you have some serious clearance.

So I guess im leaning more towards spending in the $40K section on something newish and spending $10K making it a weapon (keep in mind I can do most work myself, I only suck at electrical) But like I say, I'm one of those people who never ends up buying what he talked about for months.

The Nx Pajero is a great value for money option as well. I'm in the same boat as you currently researching before purchasing and even though the Mrs wants a brand new car she also doesn't want to spend a heap of money straight off the bat. End of life models like the Pajero are great because any issues with them you know what they are or they have been fixed already. Heaps of aftermarket parts and a good strong reliable engine and transmission. It has a good payload compared with the MUX but from what I've read it's nicer on the road to drive than a Pajero sport. Only downside I can think about the Pajero is when compared with a prado is has a standard sized fuel tank which means longer touring carrying a jerry can instead. Rear bars to fit a wheel carrier and jerry holder are harder to find for the nx because of rear air con vents etc but it's a pretty big car not super modern and will have plenty of space inside. Rear setup with draws will be a lot more efficient than an MUX/Pajero sport as it's square and also bigger. We had a 1988 pajero approx when I was a kid and it literally didn't stop until it rusted out. We took it off-road, towed an overloaded trailer to Forster every year it did everything we threw at it, had over 350000kms when we sold it. I've heard mixed reviews about Mitsubishi after sales support so maybe do a bit of research into your local dealer too. Some parts take time to arrive for small things as they don't stock a lot of Mitsubishi parts in Aus as we aren't a big marker and Mitsubishi is in pretty bad financial shape globally so it almost adds to the concern. My brother has an Evo X and races it most weekends, did 120000kms on standard clutch and would have done more if he didn't start doing skidpan work with it, they do make good cars, luckily the tech in the Pajero is older meaning it's just refined rather than redeveloped with massive shortcuts taken

 

[aleks001]

The Nx Pajero is a great value for money option as well. I'm in the same boat as you currently researching before purchasing and even though the Mrs wants a brand new car she also doesn't want to spend a heap of money straight off the bat. End of life models like the Pajero are great because any issues with them you know what they are or they have been fixed already. Heaps of aftermarket parts and a good strong reliable engine and transmission. It has a good payload compared with the MUX but from what I've read it's nicer on the road to drive than a Pajero sport. Only downside I can think about the Pajero is when compared with a prado is has a standard sized fuel tank which means longer touring carrying a jerry can instead. Rear bars to fit a wheel carrier and jerry holder are harder to find for the nx because of rear air con vents etc but it's a pretty big car not super modern and will have plenty of space inside. Rear setup with draws will be a lot more efficient than an MUX/Pajero sport as it's square and also bigger. We had a 1988 pajero approx when I was a kid and it literally didn't stop until it rusted out. We took it off-road, towed an overloaded trailer to Forster every year it did everything we threw at it, had over 350000kms when we sold it. I've heard mixed reviews about Mitsubishi after sales support so maybe do a bit of research into your local dealer too. Some parts take time to arrive for small things as they don't stock a lot of Mitsubishi parts in Aus as we aren't a big marker and Mitsubishi is in pretty bad financial shape globally so it almost adds to the concern. My brother has an Evo X and races it most weekends, did 120000kms on standard clutch and would have done more if he didn't start doing skidpan work with it, they do make good cars, luckily the tech in the Pajero is older meaning it's just refined rather than redeveloped with massive shortcuts taken

I'm not to concerned about Mitsubishi's support in fact it will probably never see a Mechanic as I would prefer to do all my own work and maintenance. Also for getting parts, forget Australia. https://partsouq.com/ Hit those guys up they in the Arab Emirates somewhere, most prices are 1/5 th of what they are here and even with shipping its significantly cheaper. If you can't find a part on their site, send them an email with your VIN they usually can source it. They will probably get it to you faster then Mitusibishi or anyone for that matter if they have to get it from O/S themselves.

Good luck to you to mate, it seems like a very slippery slope (financially) with this sort of stuff, so I would hate to spend a tone of money and realise that I didn't need to and on top of it ruined the car for on road driving.

 

[Robbo63]

Thanks everyone for the input, I'm happy to hear from more people. What I gathered so far is that based on what I plan on doing I don't need to start with any upgrades and the body of the vehicle should come out fine in most situations. I will also be going on a lot of of these trips with a friend so for a start I think I will just get some recovery gear and recovery points on both our vehicles so we can help each other or others out if we get stuck. I might also get some decent A/T tyres after I see how my first off road trip goes. The reason I mentioned the triton was because of this video:

I think a lot of people are allergic to Mitsubishi which seems to be a shame because everyone I've known that's had a Triton or Pajero, they have all had almost no issues with their vehicles. I'll probably let the test drive decide in the end what I really want, it's nice having a nice vehicle to and since I plan to keep it forever it might be worth spending a bit more.

Also what's up with the Jeep Grand Cherokee, I know about Jeeps reputation, which as far as I'm concerned they have rightfully earned themselves, but the Cherokee seems really capable and that engine seems like a rocket. From some owner reviews I've seen most people haven't had any dramas.

Most people that rag jeeps have never driven one. I have a 2013 WK2 diesel and love it fitted winch and bar, side steps, chief rack, looks and runs like a dream

 

[joshinthecity]

MU-X

 

[FranksnBeans]

That's alright, all of that information is useful to someone. Unfortunately I'm one of those people who will talk about a million cars and then buy something I never even thought of haha My main issue is I still haven't really decided what I want to do with the vehicle. If I'm just going to do some small fire trails and beach runs I'd probably just get the new DMAX and leave it stock. However, the more I think about it I would really like to have a more capable vehicle so I can get to more secluded camping sites. If I go down this second route this is what I'm thinking.

NX Pajero close to new with very small KM's can be found for $40K. I would then put on it. Bullbar, front winch, front and rear recovery points, full underbody protection, 2" lift kit, 32" M/T Tyres on smallest rims possible, front locker, rock sliders, snorkel and maybe even side rails later on. I would keep the stock rims and tyres and put them back on for around town driving. This would be my starting point I would then see depending on my camping/touring needs roof racks, dual batteries, spot lights, fridge, draws etc etc really depends on how I find camping with little kids. If I'm only going to go away for 1 night stays then I would put all that off for quite a while, but still have an extremely capable vehicle. I also like that that Pajero doesn't have the diffs hanging so low like all the dual cabs, it means when you do a 2" lift you actually get some serious lift because you don't have the diff's dragging around + bigger tyres and you have some serious clearance.

So I guess im leaning more towards spending in the $40K section on something newish and spending $10K making it a weapon (keep in mind I can do most work myself, I only suck at electrical) But like I say, I'm one of those people who never ends up buying what he talked about for months.

Just as a heads-up looking at your desired mods. There's nothing crazy there or unreasonable but you will be up for some payload pain. Even your "starting point" mods are going to be around 250kg, before you even add a fridge or drawers in the back, which will be another 100kg easy.

The NX Pajero only has a payload of 685kg. So with 350kg of stuff hanging off it and you in the seat (85kg or so) you've only got 250kg for the wife, kids, clothes, fuel, tent/swags, food, water, camera gear, cooking stuff etc. It's going to be very tight.

I'd seriously reconsider if you really need rocksliders and side rails unless you're going to be doing some properly tough tracks. They're nice insurance for sure, but if you're just looking to do some moderate offroading and the occasional tougher track then it's a lot of weight to carry around for nothing.

I have just under a tonne of payload in an old Landcruiser and fully loaded (just me, the missus and 2 small dogs) I'm just over my GVM. I have a pretty simple set up - no coffee machines or anything, and I'm having serious trouble being under GVM with just the two of us.

 

[mikehzz]

Just as a heads-up looking at your desired mods. There's nothing crazy there or unreasonable but you will be up for some payload pain. Even your "starting point" mods are going to be around 250kg, before you even add a fridge or drawers in the back, which will be another 100kg easy.

The NX Pajero only has a payload of 685kg. So with 350kg of stuff hanging off it and you in the seat (85kg or so) you've only got 250kg for the wife, kids, clothes, fuel, tent/swags, food, water, camera gear, cooking stuff etc. It's going to be very tight.

I'd seriously reconsider if you really need rocksliders and side rails unless you're going to be doing some properly tough tracks. They're nice insurance for sure, but if you're just looking to do some moderate offroading and the occasional tougher track then it's a lot of weight to carry around for nothing.

I have just under a tonne of payload in an old Landcruiser and fully loaded (just me, the missus and 2 small dogs) I'm just over my GVM. I have a pretty simple set up - no coffee machines or anything, and I'm having serious trouble being under GVM with just the two of us.

The 685kg payload is only on the Exceed, the lower spec models are 775kg, more on the 5 seater.