good first 4x4

[dan88]

hi guys

I am just getting into 4wheeling and am trying to decide what my first 4x4 should be. i want something with 4 doors, not too fused on petrol or diesel, manual. budget is around $4k. I have some basic mechanical knowledge and hope to learn more so it cant be too rooted. must be road legal

cheers

[damon]

were are you situated my mates got a truck hes had for 12mths hes no mechanic nor 4wder its been on gravel roads at worst but it needs wheel bearing (rear) head gasket and crank seal well within your budget with plenty to spear for repairs its a tidy truck and a good starter truck

[dan88]

in wellington, what kinda truck is it? and can a newbie handle a headgasket repair? was trying to find one that goes to start with

[J_Dub]

At $4k ide say either a Jeep Cherokee if u want a solid axle front and something with some power with a huge supply of after market parts to build it into a beast, not too good as a daily driver as they suck gas or....

Or a Terrano if ur after reliability, comfort and economy. These have a lot of potential and all the engine work you can do yourself. A good general truck. Though you may out grow it if you get serious.

Or just cut the crap n buy a hilux an be done with it

[damon]

no worries its in chch youll find something to suit more local good luck n have heaps of fun

[dan88]

finding a hilux for $4k would be a challange, especially a 4x4 double cab. i would like one though having already owned three 2wd models, just sold my 2001 hilux extra cab which is where my funds come from to buy a 4x4.

i was looking at a terrano but they have no chassis so dont want one

[J_Dub]

Yes they do. Only after I think 96 they hav no chassis.
Cherokee have no chassis

[dan88]

i was looking at the 1995 later model

[dan88]

are the 1995 LWB escudo's worth looking at? 2.0L. how bigger tyres can you fit under it?

[Roughy]

hi guys

I am just getting into 4wheeling and am trying to decide what my first 4x4 should be. i want something with 4 doors, not too fused on petrol or diesel, manual. budget is around $4k. I have some basic mechanical knowledge and hope to learn more so it cant be too rooted. must be road legal

cheers

Was in ya same position 6 weeks ago! I went in a friends 4wd on a local club run, asked around and the answer i got was the Mitsis!
They are great value for money and parts are not to hard to come by. Short wheel bases are better for off-road in any vehicle though. I'm packing a 93 SWB Pajero 3.5L i picked up for 4k and I haven't looked back, love it!

There are a few on Trademe to give ya an idea:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Categor ... uggested=0

[kbjj]

Short wheel bases are better for off-road in any vehicle though.

Not nessasarily the case. Varying terrain and situations change requirements all the time

[rokhound]

Short wheel bases are better for off-road in any vehicle though.

Not nessasarily the case. Varying terrain and situations change requirements all the time

kbjj is quite right. At a basic level most people believe that swb is the go. In the real world I have found that unless you are into specific parts of competition (trials, winch challenge etc) 105-112inch wheel base is the optimum size for all the varying terrain in NZ. Others will dis agree, but I don't give a shit.

Just remember that the wagon you buy for $4k is only worth that for a reason. If you hang around the 4wd scene long enough, you will make up your mind about what smokes your tyres the most. The other thing to remember is that when you get lots of varying comments on different vehicle makes etc, the information is worth what you pay for it (which is in variably nothing ).

[Mattman]

MWB seems to be the go, SWB can get quite upset on rutted hill climbs and descents whereas the LWB handles those with ease but gets it's arse smashed up on all the tight corners.

Don't discount the Isuzu's either - they are a very strong truck with a massive rear diff and good strong IFS and they are priced reasonably well.

Matt.

[derk]

if you want good relevant advice you'd be better off specifying the types of vehicles your interested in and what sort of off road driving your wanting to do so you can get some relevant pro's and con's opinions otherwise you'll just get lots of replies from people with vehicles there wanting to sell and people telling you what sort of 4x4s are suitable for themselves and the type of driving they do

[Gyxx]

Hey dude.

If I were after a 4 door 4WD for $4K I'd probably be leaning towards a Mitsubishi Pajero or possibly a Jeep Cherokee. This is simply because I think these vehicles would be the best bang for your buck in that price range. I'd be very surprised if you could find a decent Toyota or Nissan in that price range that didn't need more money poured into it.
Once you've got an idea what sort of vehicle suits your needs best have a good search on this forum and on Google to find out what potential faults to look out for when buying (they all have faults, none of them are perfect but some have a lot less faults or less expensive faults than others).
Just do your homework first and make sure you get the vehicle that suits what you want to do. For example the CCVC I think will only take vehicles with a separate chassis and a low range box.
Good luck finding a vehicle.

[shortylux]

$4K and 4 door I reckon an XJ Cherokee is pretty hard to beat. Assuming you don't mind the fuel bill. Mine owes me about $2500. For $4K you could buy a mint one, or spend $2000-$2500 and have something a little more rough but have money to service/upgrade it.

Drive train wise from what I read they are pretty damn reliable So long as you don't go bigger than 33" tyres.

Common problems are cracked chassis around the steering box and chassis end panhard mount. Also They all seem to get rust in the roof at the top of the c and d pillars. If you have access to a welder and some patients all the above is easy enough to fix. Also the crack exhaust manifolds, which is a bit of a bitch. Just takes time to fix.

The lack of a chassis didn't excite me, but off set that with the plethora of affordable bolt on extras available and the fact that a solid axle Nissan or Toyota is 3 times the price and likely doesn't have the same power to weight. The Jeep is good fun. I'm running 31's with no lift but a little rubbage. Easy to buy ($300) or build a shackle lift kit for the back and springs out of a ZJ or WJ (can't remember which) for the front if you need a lift.

Oh yeah and it's auto but with decent power who cares (plus I have electrically manualized 1 and 2).

That's my 2cents. Enjoy what ever you get.

[Roughy]

Short wheel bases are better for off-road in any vehicle though.

Not nessasarily the case. Varying terrain and situations change requirements all the time

kbjj is quite right. At a basic level most people believe that swb is the go. In the real world I have found that unless you are into specific parts of competition (trials, winch challenge etc) 105-112inch wheel base is the optimum size for all the varying terrain in NZ. Others will dis agree, but I don't give a shit.

There's experience talking! Interesting reading what people have to say about wheel bases.
I would say the jeeps are good but parts are easier to pick up for mitsis!

[Weemsy]

Ever thought about a Land Rover Discovery?
I never thought I would own one, but now I have 3!!

I've had pajeros, suzukis, nissan safaris, jeep Cherokee, hilux, Isuzu mu and nissan mistral. I find that the disco is the best bang for buck of everything I've owned.

I wouldn't run one as a daily driver as mine are v8's, but they will run 31 inch tyres standard or stick a set of 2 inch lift shocks and springs in, and run 33 inch tyres, or 35's with a guard trim.

My 2c

[Hamz]

There are a lot of options people have said here. I would pay attention to one's who have been on the forum the longest as they probably know a thing or two

I will plus one the Isuzu range but that is purely biased, but both the mu wizard and bighorn from th 96-98 era both are quite reliable given they are looked after. Strong economical diesel engine and low range. 4 door and shouldn't have too much trouble finding one for 4k. Both will take 31" tyres from stock too.

Also the Nissan Terrano (or pathfinder) is a excellent first 4wd too. Similar to the Isuzu's really. The v6 petrol not too bad on gas. Excellent motor off road, and also the td27 has plenty of torque and good economy too. These motors can be worked quite a bit and have good power out comes. Also takes 31" tyres in Stock for. Should be able to find the WD21 model under 4k too.

I got my wizard for 2k and spent 1000 to get 6 month wof, reg, and 5000 RUC's

Brother in law got his Terrano for 1600 and spent about the same to get his on the road.

Also both have good forums to get info and help off
Www.clubisuzu.com

And

Www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/

Hope this helps. Good luck!

[dan88]

just an update, i have brought a LWB escudo 1995 with the 2.0L V6. its a bit rough, though that just means that i can have more fun fixing it!
looking forward to working on it and taking it out for some adventures.
I'm sure i will be asking lots of advice on how to fix it

cheers

[Gyxx]

Congrats on the purchase. Hopefully we'll see ya soon out there doin it.