Offroad-Express

Hi there
I'm new here. I'm looking at buying a 4wd, mainly for hunting, fishing and tramping. I'm looking at Toyota Surfs and Nissan Terranos - diesels.
However, I'd like to know whether manuals or automatics are best? and which of the two has better fuel consumption?
And which of either manual or automatic has trouble free motoring? And what is the maximum mileage I should look at?
Sorry, so many questions. I hope someone can help! If you have any other advice, including opinions or expert advice on deciding between the Surf and Terrano, please fire away!
Cheers.

Hi, i'm biased here as I drive a 95 Auto Terrano.
There are countless pros and conns as to which is best, auto / manual.
In the end I believe it comes down to what you are comfortable with.

As to the better truck of the two, dare I say it, maybee not the Terrano?, although they are a real nice drivers vehicle, plenty capable and reliable. They just lack a decent sized boot space in my mind, dunno about the surfs here tho. There is something nice about a surf......... (scratches his head).........

Hozit going. Buy a manual, if there is trouble its cheaper to fix a manual. Auto sit lower in a 4x4 so you may get stuck more as the auto catches on to obsticles.Toyota is the best man. Dont get a terano. You can look at heigh milage, I have 480 000km on my fj40, with the factory motor, all original! Toyota's go forever. A manual is better for the petrol consumtion, auto's on avrage use 5-10% more gas.
The surfs are good, the only thing is the head is a weak point. check the tyres and under body, also check for rust in the bottom of te doors or just above the mudflaps.
Hope this helps

ive had both auto and manual both have there pros and cons but if it comes down to it i prefer the auto for offroading as i find they r better at climbing and tend to go thru da deper mud easier as far as millage goes well ive got a 4.2 safari lwb and for its size and weight it is quite economical bein a deisel and has plenty of spacein it
hope this is a help
if ya want a smurf i know of a well lookd after 1 has new front diff well serviced but its a deisel auto think its a 93 model he wants abt 10 k for it

surf has a snorkle and full set of 5 factory mags and still has a 12 month warrinty on it

We have a 90 manual smurf and a 90 auto terrano. I've also had an 88 manual smurf. All turbo diesels.

The 2.7 terrano motor has been bullet proof and leaves the smurfs at the bottom of the hill. My 88 2.4 cooked and needed replacement, also big $$$ if you can't do it youself... Terrano is sproket and Smurf is cambelt...

The terrano auto-box has a pretty slushy feel to it and is prone to cooking. Mine is rebuilt and has a V8 trans cooler installed. It better love me long time. Also big $$$.

Both are good trucks with their pros and cons.

Characteristic things to watch for...
Terrano - gearbox, steering(Idler arm, tierods, centerlink), Rust under rear seats/floor-pan
Smurf - 2.4 Turbo Diesel(2LT)

I find the manual surf gets more K's per litre around town, but i put that down to the slushbox in the terrano generating relatively high revs at low speeds. Not sure how much cos rev counter is stuck. Terrano seems to do the same or better on long hauls.

I prefer manual, but my auto goes good so just drive it!

Thats my experience, hope it helps...

Thanks heaps for all your replies. I'll have to keep thinking - there doesn't seem to be any clear winner over autos vs manual, I guess the pros and cons vary from car to car.

There aren't very many manuals in Christchurch (and where the few exist, they are highly priced) so my options are a bit limited.

Nuts - thanks for the offer of the 4wd for sale. I think I'm keen on a non NZ previously owned.

Cheers guys - but if there are anymore comments, keep them rolling in.

I have a 93 Auto Prado and I love the auto.... wouldn't go back... spare one cost me $250, can kill 10 of those before its worth reconing...

if is a 2.4 turbo surf id go for the manual.
in my opinion auto will use a little more gas and can suck a little power.

i think an auto would be better off road if it was in a vehilce with abit of power. with a manual that is underpowered bit you can rev it up and drop the cluch and you will hopefully be able to spin the wheels enough, with the auto it has to start from nothing all the time. though when you have enough power to do this the auto can offer more feel and would be better for hills rocks and river crossings. if you learn afew techniques then they go down hills fine to.

my 2c

Pete

I drive an auto and was very skeptical of it when I bought it. However, I have now grown to love it. Auto gives me more control over obstacles as I don't have to worry about stalling, particularly on steep hill climbs where I might have to stop and then re-start. I have learned to use my left foot for braking and controlling the auto much more effectively now. In a manual, normal humans only have two feet and controlling three pedals with two feet needs practice.

In an auto, your two biggest enemies are heat (tranny getting too hot - better to put an extra cooler) and water ingress (keep an eye on the oil condition and change it frequently - oil costs less than a replacement tranny).

Fuel economy depends more on your driving style than the auto/manual debate.