looking at land rover lr3 , nissan pathfinder , lexus 470

[toynut]

have been checking out a few gently used vehicles that may fit the wifes needs as well as mine . looking at 2005 - 2007 models

looked at nissan xterra slightly larger off road package available with rear diff lock - off road package hard to find .

looked at the pathfinder , never was a fan but the new one looks good lots of room inside , available with off road package .

looked at the armada omg this is huge , might be a little too big .

considering the land rover lr3 found a 2005 has good reviews and is not considered disposable like previous land rovers quite pricey for used but looks and performs on and off road . has that authentic yuppiness

also thinking of the titan quad cab

others on my list :

toyota 4 runner most of the used ones i am seeing have huge milage why do guys put so many miles on these , geesh buy an echo .

toyota FJ 80 , what can i say i could pick up a very nice one from the states for $15,000 and still have some money to put into it .

toyota 100 series /lexus 470 , nice whats there to say not too expensive considering what they cost new and they say right up there with the lr3 , maybe better resale value as well . ultimate luxury 4x4 .

new fj cruiser , not a fan why no 4 door wtf ? all the reviews point to this truck at the top of the list , so i will give it a look .

might have a look at the 4 door wrangler , used ones are hard to find !


lots to choose from , hard to make a decison . this will be a keeper looking at long term ownership maybe even somthing to pass onto the kids .

thoughts ?

 

[canucksafari]

I would go with the FJ80 from the US or a JDM Nisssan Safari. The rest IMO are not much more than a station wagon. BTW, prices on the Safari seem to be coming down but what is being offered are 5 seaters and autos which are about $2500 less in value. A LWB 7 seater with a standard should be in the 15,000-18,000 range.

 

[toynut]

there is one at maximum over drive with 32,000 kms for $21,000 any thing at all to look for in a safari , i am pretty sure i will never be able to drive a right hand drive , i drive 8 to 12 hours a day on the left hand side ! this has to meet my wifes needs as well , the lr3 is a very capable off and on road performere as is the gx 470 i am looking in the $30 K range .

 

[d0ubledown]

if RHD is an issue, dont bother with jdm's and trying to get the mrs to convert. however, thats what test drives are for...give it a shot if youre not totally put off by it.

it depends on what your needs are of course. if you want off road capability, forget the newer pathy's and armadas as they have weak IRS. The FJC is suprisingly roomy and comfortable inside...you'll just have to deal with the suicide doors and spartan interior.

if you dont need too much room, then the 4runner or xterra are good choices...the runner of course having more of a reputable rep with off road capability. dont know too much about the xterra's but fwiw, calmini just put out a nice bolt on SAS kit for them.

if you do need the room, then look no further than the 80/LX 450 series. if you want something more current and sophisticated, look at the 100/GX470's. IFS, but still an off road capable luxo toy. i dont know too much about the latest breed of Landy's to make an opinion...but i know their older stuff is pretty good. however being a british automobile...well...y'know how that goes.

good luck in your search...let us know what you've narrowed it down to. im in the same boat, as i'll soon be in need of a 3 child hauler, off road capable truck. ive narrowed it down to a US spec 80 or a jdm HDJ81....

 

[toynut]

just got off the phone with a nissan dealer i can get into a new 2007 off road edition exterra with factory rear locker for about $10 K , with my 06 x trail as trade . payments would be low . with only one vehicle this is swingable .

 

[canucksafari]

I agree with D0ubledown, if RHD is an issue go for an 80. Flog what you have now and pick-up an 80 locked front and back. You wife will be happy because she has a nice LHD vehicle to cart the family arund in. You will be happy because you have a real 4X4. And the fuel companies will be happy because you will help keep them in business. However, I bet the money you save will cover the extra fuel.

BTW, the Safari at Maximum Overdrive has been there a long time. People just do not know them well enough and are not going to put out that kind of $$$ for something they don't know. For those who want to wait, I am sure he will come down a significant amount. Abbotsford Japan Auto had one - not near as nice - and I believe he came down about $3000. It sat on his lot for about 8 months.

 

[brownbear]

I would go across the border and buy a year old 100 series. Something with low KM's.

80's are fine if you can fix em yourself, otherwise they cost lots. And consume more gas than a v8 100 series.


I went 80 cause I plan to convert the engine, as well solid axle(not required for wife tho).

The 100 was out of my price range, or I would have gotten one of them for the wife.

Good used deals here on mud for used 100's. Keep an eye out.

I would however be tempted not to buy a new vehicle when the pricing has not been adjusted yet for our strong dollar.

 

[bj70_guy]

The extra $10K you'll spend on a new Nissan would insure and put fuel in that second vehicle for a long time.
I think a BJ60 + a new X-trail PLUS $10K in exchange for a new X-Terra sounds like a pretty crappy deal. YMMV.

 

[toynut]

it would be my x trail plus 10 k , my 60 will be sold on the side . there are cons to be sure , but we both work about 1 km from each other and our commute is less than 15 kms to work her parents take care of our kids and the are just around the corner of us . fuel and insurance repairs maintenance i am sure must be about $4000 per year . i am not sold on this one vehicle idea especialy considering ive dumpped at least $6000 into my truck since i bought it .

 

[cruiser_guy]

I'm with Norm. $10k plus your nearly new mall "SUV" for a slightly newer mall "SUV" is hardly a good deal. In a year from now that $10k difference will have shrunk to maybe a couple of grand (the difference is more than enough to insure the '60).

I'd keep what you have and drive the '60 for wheeling only and use the Xtrail for everything else. The extra insurance for the '60 isn't that bad.

I don't think any of the new offerings are real off road vehicles. They are more like off road wannabe's!

 

[canucksafari]

I agree 100% with Charles. You do not need to have insurance on the 60. Just put on insurance for the times you want to go wheeling. There are a number of guys over on bc4x4.com who seem to do this for their wheeling rig. Your wife will be happy with the shopping cart - I mean XTrail - and you will be happy because you still have your wheeling truck. All you would pay is for the storage insurance, but don't think that is much.

 

[Enigma]

Storage insurance is cheap, I cant remember exactly but it was either 25 or 75 for the year. I put a permit on my fj40 when I want to go wheeling, its a lot cheaper that way for the few times a year I do manage to get out. Its about 25 bux for one day (just the low low minimal basics) and gets cheaper (per day) the more days you get (2 days is $40 or so) for a max of 14 days.

 

[audaciousduo]

I picked up a 1994 FZJ80 about three months ago and have been very happy with it. My wife loves it and its off road abilities are incredible with the dual locking differentials. It far exceeds the abilities of my las truck which was a Land Rover Defender. As a recent Toyota convert and former loyal land rover owner who owned nine of them I would say stay clear of the Land Rover LR3. They have good reviews but are not that old yet. Look at what a six year old Range Rover goes for, a mere fraction of the $80, 000 new sticker price. Land Rover is now owned by Ford and quality / reliability have been huge issues since the late 1980s. The Fj80 is more comfortable, roomier, more capable off road with the diff locks, more reliable and one third the price of the LR3.
IMHO
Dave

 

[canucksafari]

Toynut. I see you biting on Mdrive's offering. Yes 32,000 kms is amazing. However, I will point out that the fact that it is an auto, it that it is only a 5 seater and does not have a winch reduces the value a bit IMO. The auto would be the biggest draw back for me. To make it trustworthy to use under load -like towing or under turbo loads - and just nice to drive you would be looking at up grading the valve body: http://www.4x4web.com.au/skips4x4/articles/stage2auto/. I think you are looking at between $1500-2000 if you do it yourself. A set of the rear seats will set you back at least another $500 plus shipping. Then an equivalnet to stock electric or stock PTO will set you back another $800-$1000 used. I think you would be better off waiting for one of Outback's offerings in a standard, 7 seater and with a stock winch. You would save enough money to put on a turbo and do a small lift to have it totally trail ready.

 

[toynut]

thanks for the input guys , i am leaning toward keeping and parking my 60 i have had some interest in it but i am not interested enough to jump thru all the sellers hoops , my heart really isnt ready to let go of it , if its in my carport at least i can do my front knuckles over the winter try my hand at swapping out the gears and maybe try and put some armour on it .

we will see the scarry thing is i put her x trail on craigs list and have oodles of people that want to see it maybe our "one vehicle " could be my 60 .

 

[cruiser_guy]

we will see the scarry thing is i put her x trail on craigs list and have oodles of people that want to see it maybe our "one vehicle " could be my 60 .

The '60 is a great vehicle if it's your only one, the problem is how much inlaw problems can you handle? Some folks, especially older folks just don't trust older vehicles. My dad is one of them but he didn't give us a vehicle so there's no problems there.

 

[canucksafari]

Some folks, especially older folks just don't trust older vehicles.

You can always tell them:

"Remember the good old days where they made vehicles which were dependable and built to last. Well, my 60 was built then and will out last and out run any new Pathfinder."

Kind of hard to back out of that one, especially if they are the type to always be talking about the good old days when things were built well.

 

[kim]

You can always tell them:

I thought for a minute that you said "You can always sell them".

 

[canucksafari]

I thought for a minute that you said "You can always sell them".

LOL. I have thought about that but the market these days is so bad for in-laws you can't even give them away.

 

[brownbear]

LOL. I have thought about that but the market these days is so bad for in-laws you can't even give them away.

LOL


If your father inlaw bought it to have a safer/newer vehicle his daughter can trust with his grandchildren I somehow doubt he will be happy with a 60 as the only vehicle...... IMOP anyhow.

So the big question is if you sold the xtrail do you get to keep the proceeds...? That would be sweet. Thanks pops for the 25K....