Used Pajero/Prado/patrol?

SloppyGossy

SloppyGossy

New Member
Upgrading from a 2005 2.8 Mk Triton due to needing more space with 2 growing kids.
Looking at paj, prado or patrol under the 50k mark, will be used for mostly town driving and school pick ups but also holidays and will be taken off road atleast once a week. Will also be using to tow a caravan in the short future.
Was looking at newer models but seen bad things about dpfs. Are they a big issue considering what I will be using the wagon for? Should I buy older pre dpf models?
What is the most reliable? Prefer a manual unless auto is somewhat better? Manual paj seems rare to find compared to auto.
Should i stay away from wagons that have had engines replaced with low kms?
Thanks heaps, will appreciate any guidance and info!
 
smitty_r51

smitty_r51

Well-Known Member
Can you find a 2010-2013 Pathfinder

They came in a manual up to the ST-L but you got leather seats and space for 2 adults in the back... we took ours everywhere with 2 young adult males, 60l of water and enough supplies to feed two always eating kids.

check the timing chain has been done and get the turbo checked out. no dpf on the manual and as long as it has a heavy duty clutch fitted you'll have no bother with it.
 
cam04

cam04

Well-Known Member
Decent budget for 2nd hand, drive them all and see what you like. Just picked up a 2014 paj for the old man with 120kms on it in perfect condition for less than half that.
 
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boobook

Well-Known Member
Go the Pajero.

One thing to watch is the doors, and more specifically, the tyre, can hit a trailer. You can get spare tyre lift kits.
 
red hilux

red hilux

Well-Known Member
I just re-read your post

HOw big is the caravan,

IRS cars, you want air bags to help level the car out, or it will chew out the tyres
 
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Lost1?

Well-Known Member
So towing 3T? Patrol would be the preferred choice. Prado or Pajero is getting a bit marginal if you want to cruise at 100km/h.
 
2

2luxes

Well-Known Member
With a van of that size and weight, by the time you load up the car, particularly down the back, you may have changed the car's handling characteristics from the manufacturer's understeer design to oversteer. Oversteer has caused an endless number of van crashes.

Look up RV Books on the net and read through the huge amount of free reading on vans or better still buy the book that covers the subject.
 
discomatt

discomatt

Well-Known Member
I will cop a heap of criticism for this but the best tow vehicle for your budget would be an early Disco 4, 2.7 diesel , only the 6 speed not the 8 but the pay off is a very reliable engine
If you’re considering a Patrol hook up the van and give the asthmatic thing a test drive, I bet you will quickly dump that idea, then consider every option other than the Disco will definitely need new suspension
Check out AULRO for a heap of gear bro about them before spending any hard earned
 
H

hulsty

Active Member
V8 Patrol for sure or a Petty 200 series, heaps of room, dead reliable and will tow well with 3T on the back.
 
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boobook

Well-Known Member
cam04 said:
I get a cold chill thinking about the fuel bill towing 3t with a petrol v8 in these times. Not what I’d be looking for.
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I remember a review of the Y62 . It was getting 3km per litre of fuel when towing in that review. A drive from Melbourne to Sydney is 600 bucks in fuel. Nearly $1 per km travelled. :eek: Forget that retirement trip around Australia. Cheaper to fly 1st class to Monaco for a few months.

I'm quite sure Nissan has improved that figure in later models. But still that or any big V8 will drink.
 
cam04

cam04

Well-Known Member
boobook said:
I remember a review of the Y62 . It was getting 3km per litre of fuel when towing in that review. A drive from Melbourne to Sydney is 600 bucks in fuel. Nearly $1 per km travelled. :eek: Forget that retirement trip around Australia. Cheaper to fly 1st class to Monaco for a few months.

I'm quite sure Nissan has improved that figure in later models. But still that or any big V8 will drink.
Click to expand...
And that's just it, just because someone can afford it, doesn't make the economics add up. The OP should take this with a grain of salt because I can't get my head around towing big vans long distances anyway, but when you're driving the Barkly highway into a 30 knot headwind with a full size van on and the 'economy' is reading up nearer to 40 litres per hundred than 30, if you don't question what you're doing and why you're doing it, that would seem slightly irrational to me. My last trip, I travelled twice as far each day than any sane bikky dipping van dragger would, did it faster and used half the fuel. Then I spent the savings and then some on motels and restaurants when I wanted, and camped in places the bikky dippers can't get to when I could. Best of all we didn't stay in any van parks haha - I lie, we stayed at Boulia van park but we had a whole section of river bank to ourselves in the unpowered section so I'm giving myself a pass on that one.
I got home and proclaimed to the Boss that if we ever do a lap it will be in the Subaru (comfy and just 'offroad' enough) with a couple of suitcases, a toothbrush and the credit card. Sorry, that was a rant and O.T.
 
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