A few ideas - Toyota Landcruiser, Toyota Landcruiser Prado (but which model), Nissan safari (SWB, LWB), Nissan Patrol, Land Rover, Izuzu! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And if you tow, how well and fuel economy. Any problems you have encountered with your 4x4. Google is great but would like your opinions. Cheers
dinosaw88,
Jun 26, 10:53pm
Personally, I would pick the Safari/Patrol (same thing) LWB because I need more than 4 seats. 4.2 diesel manual. But I havnt owned any of the above, buying a Safari to tow my big boat when I've sold my Navara.
tazcsv,
Jun 26, 11:07pm
We use a 80 series VX Land Cruiser 4.2 td auto for the boat and 3x horse angle load. Iv found Diesel is the way to go with towing heavy loads and with the cruiser it doesnt get pushed around on the road so its more stable. Safari i would imagin would be much the same. A td prado would be my next pick. Fuel economy it still good towing with the cruiser.
mugenb20b,
Jun 27, 1:23am
Yes, the newer the better. Avoid anything pre 1997.
sg_equine,
Jun 27, 1:31am
Great thanks. yea we have been looking at the toyota vehicles as hubbies a toyota fan. having to sell the altezza to fund the 4x4. but needs must and all. :) So anything before 97 will cost us money! Prado - td model! whats the difference between them. as far as i can gather from the net GX, GXL are base models. VX, RX TX are better. But not sure about how they tow. would love a landcruiser but not sure we'll be able to afford anything newer than about a 94.
mugenb20b,
Jun 27, 1:39am
Well, whatever you get, make sure your local mechanic checks it out before you hand your money over.
But, I'd be looking at a 4.2 litre diesel, 100 Series Toyota Landcruiser, or a 2002 + 3.0 litre turbo diesel Prado. I'm just saying avoid anything pre '97 because most of these will have done big mileages towing god knows what. So, the newer the better.
Also, keep in mind that 4WD Toyotas cost an arm and a leg.
sg_equine,
Jun 27, 2:00am
great thank you
ralphdog1,
Jun 27, 5:11am
Questions which are important. How many k's a year will this vehicle do!. How many of those k's will it be towing! How big are the horses (Ponies, Clydies.)! Will it be your everyday runner! How much do you have to spend! Is the horse float braked!
tazcsv,
Jun 27, 4:52pm
Im a big fan of manual cars but when it comes to 4wds ill never go back to a manual again, An auto in my mind is alot better for towing. You just need to look for the right truck, ours is a early 80 series vx cruiser with over 300thou ks and and it just keeps going and going. Cruisers are worth paying extra for.
dinosaw88,
Jun 27, 9:58pm
What does the Toyota have that the Nissan doesnt! They look pretty similar to the Safari except price. Would you get the 4L diesel!
bwg11,
Jun 27, 10:44pm
Just be aware that longer wheelbase vehicles tow better than shorts. In the 96 - 2000 Prados, TX & TZ are longs whereas RZ & RX are shorts. I do a lot of heavy towing and replaced a 96 SWB Prado diesel with a FJ Cruiser. The petrol cruiser fuel consumption is about 1 litre/100 km worse than the diesel Prado, but heaps more power. The FJ still gets shunted about a bit with heavy tows. I would expect a long Prado or Landcruiser to be slightly more stable.
mugenb20b,
Jun 27, 11:15pm
Stronger gearboxes, no rust problems, better resale value, one less oil filter to pay for, more legroom, better tail gate door design, and it has a nicer dashboard layout.
1hotdragon,
Jun 27, 11:17pm
I have a 1998 Chev Blazer 4x4 with a 4.3L V6 petrol engine I use it for towing my 20ft boat. I've found it to be very good on fuel & am very happy with its alround performance & when I compare it to the Hi Lux I had before hand the Blazer wins hands down.
tazcsv,
Jun 27, 11:17pm
Iv never driven one so i couldnt comment but id say the safari/patrol would be very similar but i have herd the non turbo nissans are slugish but that goes for most toyotas to i guess.
tazcsv,
Jun 27, 11:22pm
LOL I had one of those blazers to and the best thing i done to it was roll it and write it off. It had plenty of power yes but no handling to go with it, It used its fair share of fuel and then some. Im the oposite as my old surf would win hands down but the vx cruiser is 10 steps above again.
1hotdragon,
Jun 27, 11:27pm
Lol i was the other way around my Hi Lux was nothing but a pain in the butt in the end just to get rid of it I gave it to my ex . Handling wise my Blazer is sweet as I put heavy duty Gabriel shocks on the back because of all the towing it does & now it handles like a dream.
msigg,
Jun 28, 1:12am
mugenb20, the pros for a safari over a toyota are, better fuel economy(not full time 4x4), longer lasting engines, I think it has a better back door option, cheaper to buy.
carclan,
Jun 28, 1:22am
Great wall
r15,
Jun 28, 1:30am
i'd buy a prado (and i did) or similar smaller sized truck unless you plan to be towing this horse float every day.hundreds if not thousands of people around nz use prados for towing boats and things, and a decent sized boat and trailer is commonly around 2.5 ton
whatever you get, make sure its long wheel base- makes the vehicle more stable when the trailer pushes or pulls on the tow bar when cornering etc
or if you're only really using it for towing, and not other daily driving needs- get a cruiser or patrol.
the whole basis of this post is although patrols and landcruisers are bloody nice trucks, they lose all their novelty when you find a small sized parking space, or a parking building, possibly wont fit in your garage etc.
mears69,
Jun 28, 1:45am
i have a 1997 prado tx, they are good for towing but mine pretty thirsty. i have had very little problem with it and it goes really well for a large vehicle. i think you have to be careful of older ones as they have a reputation of blowing the head and the 7 seats are pretty useful.
sg_equine,
Jun 28, 5:45pm
All very helpful information. I know what a SWB Safari drives like, thats what I towed my float with when I was a teenager. Towed like a dream, never gave dad any trouble. Was a 89' 4.2 diesel non-turbo. But he just got rid of it. Had done some serious Km's over the past ten yrs. My original reason for posting this was to gain a NZ prospective on these vechicles. The internet was helpful with Aussie, UK based information and some NZ info. My husband would prefer a toyota. I've towed with everything ford, mazda (as dad had access to company cars) and the nissan safari. Haven't towed with a toyota. Landcruisers are huge. Prados more my size. Just haven't been able to find which model prado would be best suited. It will be towing once a week. And it will be a every other day driver as it will be our second car when our altezza wagon sells. Again thanks for your help :-)
tonyrockyhorror,
Jun 28, 5:52pm
I thought the glue & dog food factory picks up!
red97,
Jun 28, 7:30pm
rough
thejazzpianoma,
Jun 28, 8:01pm
Prado's are absurdely overpriced and the sole reason for buying a Toyota (supposed reliability) is pointless because the diesels used in those are basically guaranteed to crack a head when used for towing. (Actually when used for anything but towing will bring it on sooner).
Now, in fairness, in your price range you are really choosing the best of a bad bunch of old fashioned high maintenance diesels. So with that in mind if you DO get a Prado make sure its already cracked its head and that its been replaced with a good quality improved design version.
Otherwise set aside the 4-5K to get this done as it WILL need doing sooner or later.
r15 actually raises a good point about whether this is also your everyday vehicle. Modern common rail trucks will do a good job of both but the older stuff is very expensive in terms of direct running costs and maintenance. So with that in mind it may be worth doing the math on just having a cheap old tow vehicle and something else for everyday.
tazcsv,
Jun 28, 8:05pm
And your suggestion is !
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