Offroad-Express

Hey Everyone!

I've taken a job in NZ and will be moving in about a month. I've been checking out this site and a few others finding out more info on what kind of rig to get out there.

I have done a fair bit of wheeling but not in the last few years. I went to university in the upper midwest in the back woods and got alot in there with a stock Bronco II and stock ranger. Don't know if you've seen them (B2) but not entirely the most stable vehicles ever, lol. I have been in NV for the last 3 years and haven't got out much, but I'm looking to getting into wheeling again.

So couple questions on getting a new rig. Where are good places to purchase a rig? I see alot about certification, what has to be checked and how often? What are peoples opinions on the better 4 wheel drives out there? What are good places to get accessories for your rigs?

I'm thinking I'd like to keep the rig pre-96 since it's going to see some action. I've been eyeing the older hilux and 7x series landcruisers. But I am pretty unfamiliar with nissans and mitsubishis.

Any input is appreciated.

Regards,

Pete

so far my surf has taken me the places iv wanted it to take me without a struggle but make sure you get a 85 or older then that so you get the solid front axle

You can find everything you need to Know about Nissan Safari/Patrol or Ford mavrick on here = http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/

Buy the way go safari and you wont look back

go toyota not nissan

hi ya , with cars there we have a 6 monthly safety check called a warrent of fitness ,major mods to the suspension and body lifts require a engineer to check them and certify that its safe to drive on the road,
buy a safari ford liked them enought to badge engineer them to ford mavricks
your a star trek fan too cool

coxsy wrote:hi ya , with cars there we have a 6 monthly safety check called a warrent of fitness ,major mods to the suspension and body lifts require a engineer to check them and certify that its safe to drive on the road,
buy a safari ford liked them enought to badge engineer them to ford mavricks
your a star trek fan too cool

The LVV certs aren't done by engineers. The system is organised by the hot-rod club who assign mechanics to certify the cars. Some engineers could be doing it, but it's not a requirement.

Heavy vehicle certifications are the ones done solely by engineers, the difference in cost is huge.

Hi and welcome to NZ...when you get here of course

as for which type of truck / rig to buy..... plenty of people will have the opinion that thier brand is better than the others, but really it comes down to what you like and how you drive. Nissans are ok and strong and so are the cruisers. but take a spin in some of the different safaris and cruisers when you get here and you will find that you will like one and not the other.

as per my avatar, 40's rule the galaxy

Hi Pete welcome.
Where in NZ are you relocating to?
If you can hold off buying a rig for a little while once in NZ; I would go on a few runs with a local 4x4 club and see which rig suits your taste and also which type of four wheeling you like. Our sport has many disiplines so you may find one rig suits your tastes better than others.

Cheers

Jason.

Welcome in advance. Have you thought about may be bringing the toys (mod kits) with you for Jeeps and get a Jeep here to modify according to what you want???

There are plenty of Jeeps here, some of which have never seen dirt let alone mud. We normally have to import most of the stuff for Jeeps from US. It might be cheaper to get the kit shipped with your household stuff.

Keep in mind that YJs are relatively rare, but plenty of TJs and now JKs. Grand Cherokees and XJs are abundant as well, but then it depends on what you want to do with it. Do you want more bling or function.....

Hi pete i"ll be more than happy to take you out and show you around some of the tracks around otago,more than welcome to drive my safari to see if you like it,long as you stay on the right side of the road (left hand side )cheers tim

Pete, I just saw this post, and do mine eyes deceive me or are you a Trekkie fan?

Beam us ALL up, Scotty..........

one of these

Theres always a Landrover.....some of these come with Heaters as standard ....organise a beer night with the local ORE'ers and thend have a look at their trucks, go as a passenger on a trip or 2...

really depends on what sort of trips you are doing, I'd look at a nissan or a toyota

coxy.... your farking joking right?

for once in my life im speachless....... stone cold dead farking speachless......

Apologies to Pete, kinda lost the thread there for a tick.......... gudday pal, and welcome........

Ive seen tripping the light fantastic....... but im still gobsmacked..... Coxy coxy coxy........

Depends what your into.

Day plays - hard core I'd go supra powered solid axle surf (just bring over the marlin crawler and longs when you come oh and the 37's or bigger tyres - there will be room in the container)

Day Plays - serious club trips I'd go cruiser on coils, prado, surf (IFS ok with twin lockers) lifited, definitely a LR in there as well.

Safari trips - ( 2-10 days) I would go long wheelbase 80 or 100 series cruiser, lwb nissan or lwb LR (countys) and surfs ( IFS twin locked, makes up for lack of solid front axle) You need the extra room for gear and passengers. SWB's are ok but you definitely appreciate the extra space and most of the tracks in otago arnt that hard on the long scenic trips (unless you drive a nissan, it's generally the most challenging terrain they'll attempt )

Zuks are very capable but there is only room for you and a packed lunch so no good for safaris etc.

Mike

and not one mention of a Jeep..... gee Mike, i feel neglected

Must be mo growth clouding his judgement

BTW Pete, no matter what you decide to buy, try bringing stuff with you from States. It will be so much cheaper.

What sort of budget are you looking at? You could get something thats just a toy (trailer queen) and keep a towing rig for daily driving. That way you don't have to worry about warrant of fitness or certification for your trailer queen.

TJ wrote:

BTW Pete, no matter what you decide to buy, try bringing stuff with you from States. It will be so much cheaper.

yeah yeah, Real cheap.... and while youre at it...... illl have hhhhhmmmmmmm..... now let me see....

Hey thanks everyone for all of the responses!

tgaguy1, I'll be moving to Dunedin, but I'll be looking for a place in Waikouaiti after we get settled in.

86-surf, Been thinking abour the surfs too, looks just like the 4runners here. I love the removeable tops.

Kiwibacon, thanks for shedding some light on that stuff.

wopass, yea the 40's are pretty big over here too. I know a few that have vette motors in them...wow....

TJ, I never really thought about getting a jeep over there. It's a good idea, but I think I might try and get something that I can't get over here. You know give something new a try. But still an idea to ponder. Could make for some interesting luggage if I decide to get one afer all.

1nzsafari, thanks for the offer! I was checking the safaris out and was wondering are their diesels turbo-ed or not? Looks like that safaris are pretty abundant.

Moriarty, You know it. One of these days my communicator tattoo on my chest will work and I'l get beamed up. LOL.

Coxsy, nice. very nice

Jerry, yea landrovers are pretty cool. They seem a bit spendy, but maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.

mike, Probably mostly day plays. When you say longs what do you mean by that? Some goof advice though, thanks!

TJ, that's a good point. I'm looking at around 15k NZ for something that I can drive around, but the lady will be getting a vehicle too, not sure what she is thinking yet. Maybe I can have her get something that can pull, but I don't know if she'll go for that. I'll hopefully be bringing my 4 wheeler and snowmobile, so I'll need something that won't fall on it's face pulling a few lbs, err kgs.

Thanks again everyone.
Pete

Hey B2 welcome to NZ, albeit in advance!

What sort of Sled do you play with?

There are very few people out here with snowmobiles privately owned although I personally know 2 guys of the 10 with sleds that I know about.

I have only ridden workhorse Bombardier 550f's, that was down in Antarctica. Even though we always had them heavily laden with survival packs and lots of fuel, they were damn good fun.

There are a couple of guys near Queenstown who ride a lot with some big MX sleds. We have heaps of country which in wintertime is just right for sledding.

NCC-1701-B2 wrote:TJ, I never really thought about getting a jeep over there. It's a good idea, but I think I might try and get something that I can't get over here. You know give something new a try. But still an idea to ponder. Could make for some interesting luggage if I decide to get one afer all.

Just bring the kit from US and buy the Jeep locally here. We use RHD Jeeps so bringing a kitted Jeep less than 25 years old would have to be converted before being allowed on the roads (not economical). The only thing would be the front panhard rod and steering box skid plate that cannot work from a LHD suspension kit. Otherwise, have a look at http://www.trademe.co.nz for pricing of used truck and whats available for you and your wife.

Also, things like ARB lockers, front and rear bars and winch would be cheaper to buy in US and just have it shipped as part of your household items and furniture.

NCC-1701-B2 wrote:TJ, that's a good point. I'm looking at around 15k NZ for something that I can drive around, but the lady will be getting a vehicle too, not sure what she is thinking yet. Maybe I can have her get something that can pull, but I don't know if she'll go for that. I'll hopefully be bringing my 4 wheeler and snowmobile, so I'll need something that won't fall on it's face pulling a few lbs, err kgs.

Hey, I drive a Jeep and still talk in inches, which confuses the hell out of younger people at the parts counter and shops.

Look forward to meeting you.

15K can go a long way here, and I do mean for 2 cars.
Just try before you buy.

Waikouaiti is a nice place with some nice people.
Whats the draw card?
Your not heading mining are you?

Tim.

TJ, I noticed that all the tires and rims are in inches, do you find that most parts are standard or metric on jeeps out there? Chevy is one of the few that still run almost all standard here, I know my older ford were a hodge podge of both, 10,13, and 15 seemed to be the magic sizes.

timotheus, actually yea. Well not mining so much but engineering out there. Seems like a great mine, the underground I work in now is good, but we have alot of acid and heat issues which make developing difficult. I like the rock out by you guys alot more. What are people's opinion of the mine out there?

IcedJohnno,

I'll be bringing my arctic cat zr 440 sno pro. it's an 02 factory race sled. I never got to race with this one, but did with a 2000. When I got this my second year of university, the economics of school and racing just didn't jive so I just kept the sled for fun. I just got a 144" track for it and I'm waiting for some rail extensions to fit the larger track. She's got a bit of a coolant leak, but should get that fixed before we go. I also have an 04 ski-doo summit 600 144" but I'm selling that, before i leave. I'm trying to find a 700 efi for my sno pro, but they're pretty pricy. then it would be a pretty sweet sled. Nice avatar pic, what do you drive?

Hi Pete, you'll have fun in a 4wd down Otago way, just one point, get a taste for Speights (the local beer in Otago), admit it's the best beer in the world (which it is, really!) and the locals will accept you quick smart!

And as for a truck, if you're looking at spending 15K.... this thing is a (my best George Bush voice) "W M D"

http://www.offroadexpress.co.nz/modules ... id_ads=585

Cheers, Goose

NCC-1701-B2 wrote:TJ, I noticed that all the tires and rims are in inches, do you find that most parts are standard or metric on jeeps out there? Chevy is one of the few that still run almost all standard here, I know my older ford were a hodge podge of both, 10,13, and 15 seemed to be the magic sizes.

Rims sizes are in inches always (yet to come across somebody referencing a rim in metric). Tyres (as they are spelled here) are a different story. Its normal talk for 15 inch tyres, but metric for 16 inch rims - go figure. But that is almost true for the rest of the world.

I don't have much experience about other models of Jeeps, but I do know about Wranglers (particularly TJs). They are produced only at the Toledo plant in Ohio and have mixed nuts and bolts. I guess when you live in a "global" world, this will happen. Even export TJs (RHD versions) were produced in US and exported globally, so you should not worry too much about localised variations for Australia/NZ market. As I said earlier, some steering components are not interchangeable from LHD to RHD because of the front diff location.

Good thing is all NZ new TJs came with Dana 44 in the back as a standard!!! No worry about D35c breaking under load.

Goose wrote:Hi Pete, you'll have fun in a 4wd down Otago way, just one point, get a taste for Speights (the local beer in Otago), admit it's the best beer in the world (which it is, really!) and the locals will accept you quick smart!

And as for a truck, if you're looking at spending 15K.... this thing is a (my best George Bush voice) "W M D"

http://www.offroadexpress.co.nz/modules ... id_ads=585

Cheers, Goose

(((VERY temp thread jack........)))
Ahhh, Goose Goose Goose. You are sooo one-eyed over yer beer, sure spates spaytes, spades whatever IS a nice drop, but its all tyhat mass porduced shit stuff from a continuous brewery.
Me and the redoubtable Siwsan called in to a wee brewery in Urenui, just north of New Plymouth

Ahhhh beer drinkers heaven, mate!! A very nice organic naturally brewed lager and a even nicer Mike's Mild Ale.

go here..........

http://www.organicbeer.co.nz

You can order online and they will courier it to you. be worth the experiment. OHHH BTW, dont drive after one flagon. too many roads, tooo many white lines, hard to tell which one to follow.....

(threadjack over)

(((Very temp thread jack continued )))

Ahh Bob, I only meant it as a reference for "quick acceptance" when Pete gets here, so as he doesn't feel lonely Myself, I prefer Heineken...


and maybe the odd Guiness or two.........

Goose,

You know I tried speights when I was there in August and thougt it was pretty good. I kind of get spoiled out west here because there are soo many microbrews. Colorado, Oregon, Montana, and Cali all have some pretty good beers. Funny you don't see much american beer out there, heh but I guess the only ones you'd see are ones I don't much go for anyways. I'm a big fan of amber ales, but pretty much any beer will do. I like to think I travel the world in search of beer.
The first place I stopped in to see the prices was some liquorking place downtown and about lost it when I saw the prices. But then later on I stopped by a wolworths on the outside of town and found the beer prices pretty normal. Back in Michigan everything is pretty cheap because the economy is a bit lower, but in Nevada, especially a mining town in Nevada things aren't soo cheap. So that was good to see.
I was checking out that surf yesterday. Seems like a pretty sweet rig. I guess just don't go fast and turn real hard....lol.

Moriarty,
I had some organic beer when I was there, some kind of green dude on it....can't remember what it was though. Not bad though......just remember something about a weird green guy.

TJ, I looked at that 4wdbits.co.nz and their tire prices seemed pretty normal. Seems like you guys get alot of tires that we can't here, bit more aggresive tread and such, road legal is what I mean. At least I assume they are..... I went to Costco last weekend and they had a 8 or 9 k winch for 300 buck. I don't remember the brand off hand, but it didn't seem like a stelar deal. Usually http://www.therangerstation.com has pretty good deals on a milemarker 8k winch for 300.....what does one of those cost out there?


Pete

NCC-1701-B2 wrote:TJ, I looked at that 4wdbits.co.nz and their tire prices seemed pretty normal. Seems like you guys get alot of tires that we can't here, bit more aggresive tread and such, road legal is what I mean. At least I assume they are..... I went to Costco last weekend and they had a 8 or 9 k winch for 300 buck. I don't remember the brand off hand, but it didn't seem like a stelar deal. Usually http://www.therangerstation.com has pretty good deals on a milemarker 8k winch for 300.....what does one of those cost out there?

If you look at the winch section of http://www.4wdbits.co.nz it will give you an idea of whats popular here. Milemarker is not something most people would want to buy here. Warn and Superwinch are popular for electric winchs (unless you go with no name Chinese brands). Otherwise a lot of guys are running PTOs on their rigs where its an option.

You can always bring a set of Super Swampers with you.....