What should I get Patrol or Cruiser ?

[Fireguard]

G'day All,

I'm hoping for a bit of unbiased advice.. I'm looking at getting myself a 'Propper' 4x4. By a process of elimination I've narrowed my choices down to Cruisers or Patrols.

Now before the Toyota Vs Nissan debate explodes, I've already pretty much convinced myself that I'll get a Patrol, But I am doing my research before i jump in and spend the cash.

The vehicles I'll be looking at will be approx 4-5 yrs old and ex government fleet.

Having said that I'll probably get a Patrol doesn't mean that I'm not open to the idea of a Cruiser, I basically need convincing which way to go.

So any advice on which way I should go would be appreciated, also which models to lookout for would also be handy, and more importantly when I do go to get one what should i be looking for and looking out for (IE faults/potential problems etc)

[glen boulton]

i am a toyota man though and through. so dont listen to me...but try ringing a few deisel specialist and ask them on ratio how many toyota's to that other brand they see with total engine failures. i know this is going to open up a huge debate here i'm sure, but the reson i say this is i have spoken (a few years ago) to berrima diesel about this. and in the six cylinder range the toyota is less likley to give up with a poor servive history. handy to think about this if you are in the second hand market when you don't realy know the service history.. but i will ad though evidently it is the other way around in the four cylinder market. anyway this was just interresting for me to hear. ring them and ask for yourself... i'm sure there is a deisel specialist on the west coast that you can ask.
i have had many deisel cruisers , mainly factory turbo deisel but my last one was the v8 petrol gxl.. i just love em..
good luck with your serch

[The Bleeder]

Hi Rob,

What are you looking for. Petorl or diesel. I've only owned diesel crusiers. Both 4, 6, and the latest one V8. The little 4cyl (3.4L non turbo) had been around Oz and up the cape. Got treated pretty hard and it survived. The 6cyl (series 80) even though it was a turbo wasn't all that good. The 100 series was better which is probably what your looking at. The 200 series diesel is the ducks guts.

Now for the Nissan, the 3.0L turbo diesel is fantastic (according to a guy I work with). He didn't like the 4.2L turbo. He said gearbox and transfer problems but this may have been in older models.

[Fireguard]

Cheers for the suggestions guys,
I'm looking for a Manual Diesel.
The one's i have been looking at are the 3L Turbo Diesel, I'm not intersted in the Petrol and from what I've read the 4.2 is OK but a bit thirsty

I've also done a bit of reading about the ZD30 motor on the eariler patrols blowing the ConRods, but from what I've found that was only really a problem with the GU II and prior 2003, but I'm still looking.. I'm also hoping becasuse they are fleet vehicle there SHOULD be a pretty good service history (I Hope)

[cytan]

I had a Nissan Patrol for five years and it was good to me, but if I could have afforded a Toyota I would have went that way, because I think they are better.:doh:

[glen boulton]

my v8 petrol cruiser got 4.5 klm per litre....so it had to go.... but it was still nice though and went like stink even with the wake boat on the back. i just recently brought a MWB cruiser, we have had one years ago BK (before kids), it was the turbo diesel 4 cylinder .this one is a project car for my boys. 350 chev and all the crap that young blokes put on. its just for fun in the watagans and up at stockton beach north of here. its a bucket... but the kids will have a ball, i might even like it too ;)..
i forgot to say one of the contributing factors to me was the residule value at the end of the lease. in the particular comparison that we did at the time ..the cruiser was worth more money second hand at the end of the term. mind you this was only one of the factors we threw in the mix. we were just lucky they were company vehicles. we have 3 kids and lots of hobbies. so we always have a good tow car. now i'm babbling and this is not helping you. sorry

[mic-d]

We've had a Prado for 5 years now and it is brilliant. My brother who lives way out west bought a new diesel (ZD30)patrol about 3 years ago and had one major problem, it often would not start after a long trip, it would just wind over and over. Went to several dealers workshops sometime for weeks, noone bothered to drive it a distance to replicate the conditions only one ever found the same problem and they couldn't identify the cause. He spoke to Nissan HQ and they couldn't give a stuff. In the end he had to break the lease and sell it, it was just too dangerous not having a reliable car out there. He now has a Toyota.:wink:

Cheers
Michael

[Horsecroft88]

Get a TDI Landrover, the best and the original proper 4 x 4 !! the V8 is nice but thirsty.

Cruisers are ok we have them for work but are extremely thirsty, whether petrol or diesel. They at least handle well, almost like a car. Patrols are harsh and agricultural. We used to have a Prado at work and it was rubbish, sorry mate, its handling was dangerous, it offered no advantages over a Cruiser, and was equally thirsty.

[Christopha]

I'm a Nissan driver, a Navara. Bloody great bus and having had a Hilux as a work bus in the north west I wasn't impressed.... even though it had a very tall top speed. ;)
If I could afford a new car now and had the extra bucks I would definitely buy a 4500 V8 Cruiser. In my case I would buy a ute but having driven a wagon I loved it!
If it wasn't a V8 then it would be a Nissan 3.0

[Optimark]

I myself am currently looking for a cab chassis for some serious haulage, so I know what you are going through. I also have narrowed it down to either the cruiser or patrol.

On Thursday I was in the local newsagent and saw a thick soft cover book, called Lemons and Dogs, or Dogs and Lemons. Sort of everything the manufacturers don't want you to know about.

It costs $25.00, which I didn't have, however I quickly looked up both the cruiser and patrol entries, interesting reading is all I can say.

For verification purposes I looked up a range of vehicles I know very well, they were spot on.

It was in the car magazine section, about 35mm thick and sort of a squarish not quite A4 format type of thing. I think it had a red cover, or mainly red cover.

This I believe will help you, as I'm sure it is going to help me when I purchase a copy next week.

A $25.00 outlay for reasonable (I believe) information on a potential purchase for anywhere between $20,000 to $50,000 odd is nothing.

Mick.

[Chikoroll]

3.0L grenade patrol

google it

[Geoff Dean]

Previously had a 2.8L Diesel Hilux, currently got a 3.0L Turbo Diesel Navara.

Before marriage, I used to spend nearly every weekend in the Victorian High country. The ratio of Toyota v everything else combined was about 80% 20%.

The ratio of vehicles needing assistance was about (T) 10% (EEC) 90%. This included Suzuki's and Ladas, so is probably not a fair comparison. :U

If it was me, I would be getting the Cruiser, but saying that, the Nissan is probably not a bad second choice.

Good luck.:D

[Horsecroft88]

Nah, Range Rover Sport, definitely the best 4x4 in the world. Ask Clarkson (Topgear UK), All the rest are just imitations !! :D

[timelord]

Two words --Cruiser---Bulletproof:2tsup:

[Fireguard]

Well I went out and finaly got myself a Patrol. 05 GU4 ST 3L TD.

Goes really well so far, spent plenty of time on the beach and after I fitted the new rubber (BFG's) it just cruises along.

[Chikoroll]

spent plenty of time on the beach?

did you check inside the chassis rails for sand/rust?

[Fireguard]

Probably should clarify "I've spent plenty of time on the beach", and as soon as it gets home it gets driven up onto the car ramps and throughly hosed off underneith.

We've got a pretty good suspision that the car had never been offroad before we got it, from all log books etc and the condition of the car and the fitted acessories it looks like it was previously owned by a couple of "Grey Nomands" theyve done their trip accross the top of australia and have then sold the car

[soundman]

There has been quite a bit to do about nissan problems of late, seesm apart from the mechanical failings the customer service seesm to have failed too.

seem the only nissan to have is an old one.

as far as the crusers ..... there are just so many of them....BUT.. copmpare the cruser with the hilux particularly in load carrying capacity in the tray.

then look at the fuel comsumption and price.

Unless you need the towing capacity.. the hilux looks pretty good

you could buy a new hilux for the price of a couple of year old cruser.

cheers