Offroad-Express

Hi i am new to the forum.

I am considering in selling my bmw to get an off roader.

So i am just wanting some ideas on a which truck to get, whether to get a petrol or diesel, to get one standard and then mod it or get one already modded.

I want it still to be road legal and have room for 4 people and luggage for going away.

At the moment i am thinking of either getting a hilux or safari.

Thanks in advance for the help and info.

hey,
whats your price range?

Hi mate,

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I had a hilux surf for my first truck, I think it was a perfect beginners truck, handled nice, comfy and they look good.

I am biased though im a bit of a toyota man

If you are going to get serious about 4wding then I would recommend looking into a cheap "dedicated offroad" truck ie trailer truck and a cheap tow wagon ( trying to go offroad then drive around and get wofs starts to become an issue after the bug bites )

Good luck

Caleb

oh god, whats your leaning to on breeds of trucks, as those two are the light or dark side depending on who posts up next
safari strong drive train weighs heaps buy one with a diff lock and a winch
surf 3litre one solid axle or idf one , need a lift and a rear locker plus winch

My price range is most likely going to be around 8k.

I dont really want a serious off roader. Just really something that i can go mucking around with.

I am pretty keen on the 3liter hilux as my cousin has one and loves it.

The early 90's Hilux's with torsion bars wound up, coils in the back and 33s are very common and bang on that price range, if you want something basic to start with

wayfastwhitee wrote:The early 90's Hilux's with torsion bars wound up, coils in the back and 33s are very common and bang on that price range, if you want something basic to start with

Yeah that's what i have been thinking about.

If i ha the money i would get thin truck
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/toyota/hilux/auction-445111760.htm

Jellymeat wrote:

wayfastwhitee wrote:The early 90's Hilux's with torsion bars wound up, coils in the back and 33s are very common and bang on that price range, if you want something basic to start with

Yeah that's what i have been thinking about.

If i ha the money i would get thin truck
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/toyota/hilux/auction-445111760.htm

yeah thats been on trademe quite a while now. Your best bet is probably to find a standard one for cheap and do it yourself, its a very basic setup. A lot of the lifted ones you see on trademe have had a hard life

Jellymeat wrote:

wayfastwhitee wrote:The early 90's Hilux's with torsion bars wound up, coils in the back and 33s are very common and bang on that price range, if you want something basic to start with

Yeah that's what i have been thinking about.

If i ha the money i would get thin truck
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/toyota/hilux/auction-445111760.htm

i'd go diesel with the hilux. them v6's get thirsty as dailys!
ive had a 3litre dsl surf all lifted etc, but found it unstable when getting busy offroad as the front wheels couldnt drop much further then they sat normally. (bit too high i reckon) but in hindsight, it went bloody well, was comfortable and nice to drive.
ive now gone to an older solid front surf and love how well it goes offroad even as standard.
you can get some standard ln106 hiluxs for around your price too if your that way inclined.
safaris are pretty good as a base too. bit harder to break!

i'd go diesel with the hilux. them v6's get thirsty as dailys!
ive had a 3litre dsl surf all lifted etc, but found it unstable when getting busy offroad as the front wheels couldnt drop much further then they sat normally. (bit too high i reckon) but in hindsight, it went bloody well, was comfortable and nice to drive.
ive now gone to an older solid front surf and love how well it goes offroad even as standard.
you can get some standard ln106 hiluxs for around your price too if your that way inclined.
safaris are pretty good as a base too. bit harder to break! [/quote]

Origionally I was going to go diesel, but I have been told that the 2.4L are piss weak. Did the early 90s come withe a 3L diesel?

How much would a lift kit cost for a hilux?


And has anyone had and/or done off roading in a bighorn?

An early 90's 1kz (3 litre) prado would be my pick (also biased). You could pick one of them up for 8k. Beam axle, coil sprung all round, comfortable and have lots of room!!! Handle great on and offroad with a small lift and 33" tyres (though my old one was only a 2.4 I know people with the 3 litre).

RJT wrote:An early 90's 1kz (3 litre) prado would be my pick (also biased). You could pick one of them up for 8k. Beam axle, coil sprung all round, comfortable and have lots of room!!! Handle great on and offroad with a small lift and 33" tyres (though my old one was only a 2.4 I know people with the 3 litre).

I'd go with this, I have RJTs old Prado and its only downside is that it is 2.4, still goes ok though, You just have to know what to expect.
If you don't mind buying shares in a fuel company a Cherokee is a cheaper option, smaller inside but like a car to drive, heaps of power, capable enough out of the box, BUT, they do drink.
Safaris are good reliable solid wagons, Just Big.
Pajero, Surf, Bighorn, all good vehicles all with their own pros and cons, Petrol vs Diesel, IFS vs Solid axle, sooo many options

if you want a good reliable truck then either a safari or prado/surf would be your best option.
Safari - pros,heaps of room, very strong,depenable,good offroad even as standard,can get them with winch, Lsd diffs actually work.Heaps of grunt when turboed
Cons - HEAVY,front seats don't have that much room,the high roofs are massive.

Surf/prado - Pros- Lightish,good amounts of room(lwb)Strong drive line,good off road,good power if get the 3ltr(1kzte)
Cons - From my experiance not as good on road as safari,silly electric hubs,Heads have reputation for blowing,dont come with winch,Ifs limits front flex,lsd diff don't work that well.

I've got a safari(lwb low roof) and really rate it as a good general use truck. Have just done trip from in'gill to palmy north and back with wife and two kids. had plenty off room for all our gear incuding huge tent, cot and stroller.Only let down is lack off grunt on hill but a turbo kit will solve that.

My two cents
mike

8K is a great starting point. When I bought my first truck (surf) I spent 3 or 4 and got someone's problem.

I got my double cab hilux (ln06) for 8K, and I really enjoy how simple and reliable it is. No electrics to get water damaged, no turbo heat up that engine. Plus they are light and have good ground clearance.

Starting out you don't need a highly mod'd one. Adding bits here and there to suit YOUR needs/ driving etc is a good way to go. In saying that however some trucks with 4wd goodies on it allready can save you alot of $ as thoes parts are often expensive and sometimes are not recovered when selling the truck.

Stuff to think about anyway.

Cheers Tom.

Thank you guys for the info. I just have a few more questions>

Are the 2.4L turbo diesel hiluxs any good?

What is the fuel economy like in the safaris?
And in the 1kzte?

is it better to go LWB or SWB?

This weekend i am going to go and look at some hiluxs and safaris and see which one i prefer and go from there.

How much do lift kits cost for hiluxs?

Jellymeat wrote:Thank you guys for the info. I just have a few more questions>

Are the 2.4L turbo diesel hiluxs any good?

What is the fuel economy like in the safaris?
And in the 1kzte?

is it better to go LWB or SWB?

This weekend i am going to go and look at some hiluxs and safaris and see which one i prefer and go from there.

How much do lift kits cost for hiluxs?

the 2.4s are fine as long as you look after them. they're not fast machines but do the trick.
safaris do suck more fuel then hiluxs (they are 6 cyl 4.2l after all)
if you want a safari, go swb for offroad.
with an indepandant front hilux, a pair of rear springs and shocks wouldnt be much more then 400 bucks anywhere. (front is free)

used to get 545kms went it was stock, now about 450kms now on 34'' and turbo

Roenut wrote:
the 2.4s are fine as long as you look after them. they're not fast machines but do the trick.

True, but as with most trucks you don't know its past service history. All you have to be aware of is that the 2.4 turbos can, and do, go pop. If you are keen on one check for all the signs of overheating, and take it for a long drive up a steep hill.

Cheers Tom.

Jellymeat wrote:Thank you guys for the info. I just have a few more questions>

Are the 2.4L turbo diesel hiluxs any good?

What is the fuel economy like in the safaris?
And in the 1kzte?

is it better to go LWB or SWB?

This weekend i am going to go and look at some hiluxs and safaris and see which one i prefer and go from there.

How much do lift kits cost for hiluxs?

2" susp lift two years ago from 4wd bits:

torsion bars 600
shock front 190
shock front 190

shock rear 226
shock rear 226
coils 260

total: 1692

luckyme wrote:

Jellymeat wrote:Thank you guys for the info. I just have a few more questions>

Are the 2.4L turbo diesel hiluxs any good?

What is the fuel economy like in the safaris?
And in the 1kzte?

is it better to go LWB or SWB?

This weekend i am going to go and look at some hiluxs and safaris and see which one i prefer and go from there.

How much do lift kits cost for hiluxs?

2" susp lift two years ago from 4wd bits:

torsion bars 600
shock front 190
shock front 190

shock rear 226
shock rear 226
coils 260

total: 1692

Thats expensive as! If you have the right contacts at BNT shocks are just over $100 a corner and springs are about the same. There are cheaper alternatives too though

My 2" lift in my surf cost me an oil change

uwshho wrote:

luckyme wrote:

Jellymeat wrote:Thank you guys for the info. I just have a few more questions>

Are the 2.4L turbo diesel hiluxs any good?

What is the fuel economy like in the safaris?
And in the 1kzte?

is it better to go LWB or SWB?

This weekend i am going to go and look at some hiluxs and safaris and see which one i prefer and go from there.

How much do lift kits cost for hiluxs?

2" susp lift two years ago from 4wd bits:

torsion bars 600
shock front 190
shock front 190

shock rear 226
shock rear 226
coils 260

total: 1692

Thats expensive as! If you have the right contacts at BNT shocks are just over $100 a corner and springs are about the same. There are cheaper alternatives too though

My 2" lift in my surf cost me an oil change

yeah mate, thats what you pay with no contacts if you want quality

have you decided what to get yet? you asked also what a bighorn is like. these guys are all biased toyota or nissan, but if you want another flavour, a bighorn is a good option. the 3.1l turbo intercooled bighorns a quite reliable if you keep feeding them oil, good milage (about 700-750k to a tank i hear) they are IFS but good on road and off road capability is quite good. i own a MU/Wizard, has been intercooled, 2" suspension lift, wound up tortions balljoint flip, swaybar removed from front. articulation is good enough, comfortable fit 4 ppl, i get 700ks at least of a tank (depends how you drive), im not biased, i believe is the driver, not the truck IMO.

Thanks