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Like okie said there is not realy a bad vehicle, yes you get the ones that was made on a Monday or Friday , but like my dad used to say "if you look after you vehicle(service it on time, fix that breaks asap and wash it now and then)it will serve you very good "That is what I live by and that is why my bakkie is almost 11 years old and still running like a Swiss watch with 192000 kms on the clock. .Hope you ladys find the perfect vehicle .

Just remembered.

An important consideration.

There are some manufacturers of 'toy' 4x4s that give you a dodgy spare wheel. Most European luxury manufacturers do. If you are taking your vehicle of dirt roads DON'T BUY ONE. They compromise your safety. A year ago I saw one on the back of a flatbed with a puncture and the 'marie biscuit' tyre beggared.

Ask before you buy.

I would say that you have to not just ask but check that all is well. Before you buy secondhand it is wise to get the AA to do a check on the bakkie. And remember NEVER TRUST A SALESMAN they will tell you what you want to hear just to make the sale.

For R280k you can buy what ever you want second hand. So go and see what you want go around and test drive all the brands and then decide. You can get a relatively new fortuner or a Land Cruiser 76 Im sure if you wait a while you can get an Amarok, ford, nissan or isuzu. Most top brands will reliese their new models soon (This year, ford, next year, toyota.) then the prices of the second hand ones should drop a bit.

All landies leak through the panel gaps,
Toyota's roll over on gravel (just change the shocks and throw the general grabber tyres in the fire)
You can get a draadkar (kids toy car made from wire) to leak oil with a ford badge (I drive a ford)
Isuzu's sound like tractors
Everything japanise is appliances according to the Americans (Jeep drivers)

Just a few of the jokes Okie referred to:

* Spietkops skud jou hand wanneer hulle jou 'n spoedkaartjie gee. (Speedcops shake your hand when they give you a speeding fine)

* Hoekom het meeste Defenders jerrycans en gasbottels? Sodat die bestuurder kan koffie maak terwyl hy wag vir 'n insleepvoertuig. (Why do defender drivers carry jerry cans and gas bottles? So that they can make coffee while waiting for the towing service)

* Landrovers het die beste brandstofverbruik van alle 4x4s. Hulle word altyd gesleep deur iets anders. (Landrovers have the best fuel consumption off all 4x4's, they are always towed by something else)

* Hulle sê 90 persent van Landrovers wat gebou is, is nog op pad, die ander 10% het hulle bestemming gehaal. (They say that 90% of landrovers that has been build are on the road, the other 10% made it to their destination)

* Hoekom noem landrover hul modelle, 'n Reeks 90, Defender 110 ens? Dit is die topsnelhede. (The reason why landrover name their models 90 and 110 is because it is their top speeds)

* Jy breek nie n Landrover nie..... Jy koop hom stukkend. (You don't break a landrover.....you buy it broken)

And with the new consumer protection act they have to inform you of all defects etc.

thanks for all the info guys,

What are your experiences with Toyota Fortuners, good or bad?
The more recent ones have been modified to improve roadholding.
Are corrugations still causing loss of control?

Fortuners or as they have been called frotuner or just plain tunas are from the Toyota stable and yes there has been issues with them doing their best to lie on their backs on the side of the road but even though Toyota has never acknowledged the problem it seems to have been sorted. You will still get all the goodies from the Toyota brand, reliability, good resale, high fuel consumption and expensive spares.

As an off road vehicle they are as competent as the best out there and with a bit of driver training will go most places and back without serious problems. The ride is slightly harder than the Pajero sport that is about the best to compare this able SUV to and it would seem as if the rough road problems have been fixed. I know that by upgrading to something like the Old Man Emu suspension and better tyres most of the earlier problems were also eliminated.

In a nutshell they are very capable and reliable vehicles with good back up and resale value and the only negative is that they tend to be a bit thirsty and spares are pricey with a slightly harder ride.

I am not a Toyota fan just realistic

i have the best idea for you by far......

pick anything you like except anything pink....kit it how you want then to save any hastle..hire me as a driver.....?????

Hi I am also doing a bit of hi-jacking here. We are looking for something that we can manage the soft sand in and go into place like central Kalahari. Our Nissan Xtrail is not powerful enough to pull us through thick sand. I think we need low range.
But we a re looking at spending up to R120 000 and after my lovely xtrail, dont want to feel jolted to death on the trip.
There was only one brief mention of Isuzu. We saw a 3.ltr diesel double cab 4x4 - 2002 model. What do you think of that?
We cant decide between double or single cab - just the 2 of us, but like the idea of being able to pack a fridge on the back seat....
We also jeard that the Toyota 2.7 petrol was quite good but wouldnt that be very thirsty?

We are hoping to be able to take some of those 4x4 trails in KTP in May and then cross over into Bots.

We wouldnt dream of going on our own

Hi Tracylee,

I have a 2.7 Toyota double cab and laden, I get 8k/l from CT to Upington. Naturally your consumption would vary a lot off road.

The Isuzu 3l is a powerful unit, and other forumites who have one could lelp here, like Weskusklong and Switchback.

I have a 2008 model Landy Puma , 2.5 lit diesel ( Ford Transit motor ) , probably the best Landy ever produced , will go anywhere Fuel consumption about 9.25 km/lit .
And I also have a 1970 Nissan 4x4 with 3 liter , 6 cylinder petrol engine , and you will not find anything better , but very very thirsty - usual fuel consumption at about 6,5 km / liter .

Thank you BB and Okie

People who have landies seem to love them to bits, but for some reason we have always been a bit wary of them. Heard stories of people having a lot of mechanical problems??

We tested a Toyota 2.5 4x4 today and it was nice and high but seemed very sluggish on a tar road hill. Didnt try it off road.

The Xtrail has made me very fond of Nissan - but it is also thirsty.

Maybe SO wants to do difficult roads with boulders and things, but I just want to be able to get to those special places in comfort ...

Tracylee - the only people who's ever complained about problems with Landy's , are those who's never owned one
The average age of Jap vehicles before being totally unusable , is not more than 10 - 12 years , but Landy's have been around for about 60 years , and a lot still being used , so it is understandable that some old ones need attention .
Besides that , Landy owners NEVER ever make derogatory remarks about other vehicle brands .

Enjoy your vehicle , whatever you decide on

Oh , by the way ,according to statistical data in the UK over an 18 year period between 1990 and 2008 , the Landy Defender can be considered as the safest vehicle of them all , based on fatalities sustained in vehicle accidents . Makes you think

Okie,

That must be because they are to slow to get in accidents, or to slow to cause damage to anyone in the landy.