What To Do !! What To Do!!

[colley]

As most of you no i am having to sell my beloved V6 SWB due to personal reasons and can no longer afford to have an every day runabout for work and the v6 as toy So I will be listing my V6 up for sale at the weekend once i have given her a good clean as i have just returned from my holiday in her.
This is my dilemma once i have sold my v6 and my everyday runabout (Clio ) i am looking to buy another 4x4 diesel that i will use everyday for work and come the weekend will become my greenlaner. I would like a 2.8 as they are good on fuel and they are bomb proof, however finding a good one with low miles is hard As i will be doing 12 to 15k a year i need something with under a 100k.

So what should i do wait for a good 2.8 or cross to the dark side
I have been looking at other 4x4 and found one or two that i like however they are not a frontera
This is what i have been looking at..............
Fourtrak 2.8
Trooper 3.1
Surf 2.4 + 3.0
discovery 2.5

I would like some advise on what to do as i cannot make my mind up. If you have had any of the above trucks or know what they are like with regard to reliabilty and MPG any advise would be greatly recived

[Gazeddy]

been told the surfs have a head issue where they crack. not a cheap fix. know a few guys who run round in four/sportraks they love em but get a independant one or its cart springs all round. the discos have a big following near me only problem i know of is rot

[Wilberforce]

Gazeddy, I think with the Surfs, the head issue relates to the 2,4 engine, rather than the 3.0...

As for the others, Louis has a leafsprung Daihatsu he uses up the woods, and he's not killed it yet, heh...
Don't know much about the rest, although one chap I knew in the 4x4 Response Group had a Disco 2.5, with the 200 TDi engine which he just used to run on veg oil and a little white spirit. No reliability issues beyond the usual wheelbearings, etc.

[BoxCleva]

Stay in the family - Get a trooper

[4x4 bobby]

Ive heard that Fourtracks are quit good, dont know the price of parts though!

[colley]

[BoxCleva]

top Fella

[4x4 bobby]

Only good thing about Disco's is the price of parts.

[colley]

I am toying with the idea of buying a 2.0 sport that is good condition body wise as these can be easily found, then build my own truck
I should be able to find a late 2.0 sport with a face lift dash, then look for a 2.8 engine with low miles or use a 3.1 engine from a trooper as they are more readily available and basically the same anyway.
Have lots of ideas running through my head

[4x4 bobby]

Colley you've got the off road bug so it would end up being a beast whatever you do, so your daily runabout will get exspensive to run. My addvice keep your V6 its in good nick.

[colley]

I would bobby but could not afford to run it everyday In standard form i could afford to keep it as its excellent however with big wheels and a lift it makes a big difference to the mpg. With the lift and big wheels it does about 19 to 22 however standard its great. I went to wales in it last week with 4 adults and a 6 foot trailer on the back fully loaded and it returned 28mpg However in standard form i would not be able to do the laning i love
What ever i get next its only going up +2 and i will run ATS instead of mud's as i will be using everyday for work

[4x4 bobby]

Put A/T's on the V6 and lift it again you will still be able to do the laning. If you get a 2.0ltr then mod it your milage will be nearly the same as the V6 especially with a big diesal engine conversion.

[gregster]

Had a few of the trucks you are thinking about mate....

Fourtrak 2.8
Independant is better than the leafers on the road, but leafers albiet antiquated were tougher...
Strangely high towing weight...3 or maybe even 3.5tonne IIRC...
Lockers etc are gonna be as hard to find as with a fronty, but there a few places around that do mods...Bloodred, Milners..
Spares are much the same as a fronty, Milners doing most bits, but far less examples in breakers for pillaging...
Drive ok, go ok, strangely much smaller inside than they are outside...(kinda reverse tardis!)

Trooper 3.1
Not had one but know people who have and they are good trucks...good thing is just imagine you are looking at a fronty, they suffer all the same things but with the added bonus of corrosion on the chassis, something Fronties dont get as bad...Good truck though and your muds/at's off theV6 will go straight on...Mods will be the same as a fronty...

Surf 2.4 + 3.0
Surf 2.4td...head probs, silly prices cos its a yota, gutless, starter motor is a biatch to change unless its had a body lift...
Again small inside for a big truck, although huge boot, silly spare wheel storage underneath that will have rusted up...Nice low low range...even on 33's...Sadly most are autos...
Nice arches though and it got a cupholder in the dash...Dodgy rear windows (slide into tailgate things) are a pain, and sunroofs leak, and lacquer is poo on earlier ones so dont view in the rain!Often have nasty coloured trims, if you buy one with red seats it will probably have a red plastic dash! Brown and grey trims are common...but seats are comfy...Bumpers rot really badly, especially the corner bits front and rear. Wipers are poo, and switch gear (heater controls in particular) can be iffy on earlier ones.
Surf 3.0...Same as 2.4 but More expensive than 2.4, and more juicy,and normally has a horrid auto box behind the 3.0td that makes it even more juicy still...

discovery 2.5
Great towcars (much better than a 2.8 fronty I am ashamed to say!), and good offroad ability with just a set of tyres...but rot well, and most will have been worked hard...Dont go earlier than 300tdi and try and get one with 24spline axles rather than 10's, or you will changing shafts weekly if you run agressive tyres or use the RH pedal offroad. Get as much history as poss, if its full of craddocks reciepts for £10 UJ's, budget for having to change most of the drivetrain over the next year...Loads and loads of mod potential that is reasonably priced but will sadly just make it look like everyone elses.
But they do rot rather well...

Hope this helps mate...fuel consumption is a difficult one, most of the cars above will achieve near 30mpg if you are nice to them (65 on a motorway and shift early) but if you try and travel any faster you are gonna find that your V6 wasnt so bad after all on juice.
What sort of budget have you got mate? Just wondering if a salvage TLC colorado might be a possible...

[colley]

Thanks for the info guys
As for budget it depends on what i get for the v6. But should be around £2000
The problem with the v6 is, yes it will do good on fuel if you drive in normally however having 200bhp under your right foot its hard not to put your foot down at the lights and burn off all the boy racers
I do like the look of fourtrak but would still prefer a frontera if i can find a nice one
A land cruiser would be very nice however dont think my budget will stretch that far Greg

I did find this and could be tempted by a 2.5 however could not justify spending that much on it If it was £1400 then may be

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260823016082&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[fogman]

why not a 2.2dti colley ?

[colley]

I have got a B series v6 which i love at the moment and have had a 2.0 and a 2.8 swb previously. However i prefer the A series over the B series
They A series just feels much stronger, and i prefer the driving position in the A series

[fogman]

fair enough then mate

[yaki]

Didn't see a Land Cruiser on you list

Have a few mates with Disco's and Fourtracks,

DIscos were all sub £1000- buys and needed loadsa welding, mainly rear arches, rear door pillars, sills and boot floors plus they leak and rot round the alpine windows but bits are plentiful and usually cheap

Fourtracks are better than most people think, good 2.8 engine and huge towing capacity Biggest downside is the gearbox crossmember is waaay too low, gets clobbered on eveything

[RatCav]

Need I answer this question

Trooper 3.1 obviously. Not as economic as the 2.8 but just as bombproof. Watch for post 1995 import autos as they have the electronic bosch VE fuel pump. Its reliable enough just a pain to replace IF it goes wrong. If you find a Lotus edition at a good price snap it up. They have far better suspension than the others. Lotus handling kit is exactly what it says. Much tighter when cornering and far more steady off road. The Trooper is quite a bit bigger than the Frontera mind so you will be sitting higher and the back is boxier so more load space in the back. I have seen some LWB Mk.I's floating around for sale at the moment and while a bit more basic inside they could have the good old tried and tested 2.8 TD under the hood (the SWB's have the 2.6 petrol) which will return low to mid 30's mpg wise (I got 37 out of mine a couple of months ago after 2000 miles of granny driving around town and bypass driving)

Earlier Discos, as said, are rot boxes ... and they don't dump the 2.5 diesel for the Isuzu 2.8 for nothing. Its a naff engine that cannot really handle the weight and load of the Disco. Yaki has poited out the rust areas and he is true to his word. Saying that a clean and tidy one will be loverly to drive on road for distances as the suspension is really soft ... some would say too soft for off roading as they do have a tendency to roll around like a weeble.

I love the Fourtraks. There small, light agile and basic ... with a massive heart under the hood that will runn all day as it has othing weight wise to drive. They are tough old things as well, but could do with a suspension lift as Yaki says.

Yota 2.4 have weak engines. They are also quite underpowered. My mate in his 2.4 pickup struggles to hit 70 in his rolling on 31's. Also the gearbox crossmember sits about 3-4" lower than the chassis. First target to get clobbered. Some Toyota parts are expensive to replace as well.

Another one to add to the list is the Isuzu Bighorn
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ok thats just the Isuzu Trooper when it was sold in the home country Japan ... but I do mean something when I say that as the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) machines have tighter suspension and usually more toys inside. Another bonus is they are less likely to have rotton front/rear crossmembers and body mounts.

[fogman]