what do you consider to be the advantage of Diesel over petrol there are good petrol vehicles, 4wd, towing loads all over the country without issue, same as there are diesel I used to always buy diesel vehicles for those heavier jobs thinking they were somehow built for it and more able, a long line of utes and cabins past, now I use a petrol SUV, the running cost is actually less, they all have their torque curves to get used to and a relearn how to drive it under the harder conditions but when back on the road doing 95% of their work the petrol eats the lumbering diesel everytime, when the real 4wd work begins - 5% of the time - the petrol is still in there just as strong, uses slightly higher revs but does the job with ease
skin1235,
Jan 8, 9:14pm
the modern petrol SUV with its auto box, auto hubs, softer suspension, better ride, equal tyres, better equipment ( comparing to '85 SUV and utes) are as equal as a diesel engined model, all you (gain?) is the difference in fuel, and most diesels of those sizes you're looking at do not achieve the lt/100km that the petrols do
mals69,
Jan 8, 9:14pm
D21 hold their price for a good one too - TD27 they put in London black cabs do million of km's without being touched
Father-inlaw had a Prado - and went good - smoother better power from the 3.0 - corner well too - prob good bet if got the $, and if can afford 2000 year + yearly WOF's
mals69,
Jan 8, 9:19pm
Father inlaw had the prado then triton now 58K new hilux - IMHO you would have to be a real pickie bugger to spend 54K more for a so called better ride than a 4k terrano - nothing in it- new hilux worse with the rubber band tyres it came out with (trd model)
skin1235,
Jan 8, 9:20pm
there is no advantage in towing weights, both petrol and diesel models are rated the same, the equipment and features are the same, the traction is slightly in the diesels advantage due to a heavier engine but the difference is only on paper - they both pull the same trailer loaded to the same amount
I'd sooner be a passenger with you in a petrol than a diesel too, quieter and smoother ride, better appointed for passenger comfort, not so bulky to get gear into and out of so yeah, I ask why does it have to be a diesel
ralphdog1,
Jan 8, 9:24pm
How many k's a year are you going to do Ambo?
skin1235,
Jan 8, 9:25pm
'but the real men only drive diesel utes' is hardly a reason to part with hard earned cash for something that excludes the advantages the petrol has
franc123,
Jan 8, 9:29pm
Everybody forgets the 3.4V6 Prado, its funny as for the recreational user in most aspects its more pleasant to operate, and because everybody goes arghhhhh its a gas guzzler they go and fork over more money for a 1KZTE version and completely ignore all the other costs associated with them. including the dreaded head replacements. Because of this the V6 is mostly cheaper to buy, and really there is less to go wrong with it. You still need to do the usual checks for Toyota Slob Syndrome, this of course is a poor ratio of asking price vs previous service history and general condition, in short don't pay high prices for someone else's neglected wagon that they're hocking off while the goings good because they know expenses are coming up no matter how clean and shiny it looks.
ralphdog1,
Jan 8, 9:32pm
I've had one (3.4 V6) for about 7 years.Only use for towing. You (and Skin) are right, with one proviso, petrol stops making sense when the annual k's get up, I think somewhere north of 10,000 a year.
skin1235,
Jan 8, 9:36pm
my impression is that its a lot higher than 10k ann before there is an advantage I used to have a link to a calculator but that has been lost now but there is a point where the advantage swings the other way, does it swing far enough to warrant the change when non cost related advantages are considered? better ride, longer legs on hills etc
franc123,
Jan 8, 9:38pm
Yep absolutely right IMO. That's why I said recreational and not daily driver/business in the above post, the tipping point maybe a bit higher than 10k p/a though? Probably more 15.
mals69,
Jan 8, 9:39pm
Agree diesel only good for folk that have their vehicle ticking over for long periods of time.
skin1235,
Jan 8, 9:48pm
my 3.2 petrol SUV does 8.2 lt/100 doing the same work the old diesel did at 10 lt/100, in the petrol on the open road that drops to 7.4, the old diesel never changed yes its an older Ssangyong, it equals, even betters the hilux it replaced, the cabin means better security for gear, and much nicer to use for me and for any passengers, Ssangyong may not be your choice, it wasn't mine either until I borrowed this one from the dealer for a week on proviso I could use it up the tracks and in the paddocks, come the end of the week I couldn't get there quick enough to pay for it
ambo11,
Jan 8, 9:50pm
To be honest the petrol vs diesel thing for me is gas guzzling. I've owned a few jap V6 petrol cars, and they were insanely thirsty. Windom/Maxima/Diamante (put me off Mitsis alltogether). I want to use whatever I buy as a car sometimes too, and remembering the cars I had and their guzzling, puts me off. Plus, the dreaded V6 of the Windom which is a common Toyota V6 engine, and costing thousandsto fix. Maybe my thinking is wrong, but I'm not interested in a petrol. I know diesels are gutless, noisy and are dearer to service, but at least I know I wouldn't be emptying $50 into it to do a 50km drive each time. RUC does not bother me, what $30-40 for 1000km? I'm fine with that.I'd probably do 5000km a year? Cherokee I had was good, but again every time we went anywhere it was a pain at the pump, although a lot more economical than the jap V6. Maybe its a mental block. but when I see petrol 4wds I just see petrol pumps and empty wallets.
ambo11,
Jan 8, 9:51pm
skin, what make/model do you have? Yours sounds economical, but probably out of my budget.
ambo11,
Jan 8, 9:53pm
sorry just re-read that, yeah a mate suggested a ssannyong, (he has a Mercedes G Wagon)but haven't seen anything around my price.The Korando I like, although many will say its ugly.
skin1235,
Jan 8, 9:55pm
I was the same ambo, the thought of the pump kept me in a 10/100 diesel far longer than necessary, the petrol does 8.2/100 doing the same work, 1.8lt less, I have to use low ratio on the farm a lot, the petrol is much smoother when ground speed is very low the wallet seems to work out about the same for me, still empty lol
skin1235,
Jan 8, 9:57pm
its an old '97 Musso 3.2 lt, 6 inline, same motor in the Merc C class? and Merc running gear right through, coming up 240k paid $4700 for it with a stuffed CV, CV cost $450 ex Australia and took 2 hrs to fit
franc123,
Jan 8, 10:05pm
Good luck with sourcing your diesel Prado for $8k, you aren't getting one for that money that's likely to be a long term economic proposition. Don't say you weren't warned.
2sheddies,
Jan 8, 10:07pm
That's a wee bit surprising about your previous cars ambo. I had a 3ltr Max and found the economy for a car that size was quite impressive. Even the 4ltr Falcon I have now isn't as bad as everyone makes them out to be. Driving sensibly I can get that down to 9 litres or so on the highway. Not bad for an old girl. A lot of times you find it's people who've never even owned or driven one that make all the noise about supposed gas guzzling. (not including your good self of course ;-)
I don't really care anyway. I like a big car and I know my preference means I have to pay more to run it, so I just accept it.
skin1235,
Jan 8, 10:08pm
Linda and I also have a Mitsi Dion 2lt ( yeah I know ! ), the ssangyong cannot match that for consumption but is a better ride, the 3 or 4 points in it don't even get considered on long trips, the ssangyong ride is so much better I happily put the extra 2 lts in the tank, plus the ssangyong will cruise all day at 120 and still have some when passing, the mitsi takes a lot longer to pick it up, and if on a hill ( passing lane) won't get up to 120 with the ease of the other, one thing I do notice, the larger engine doesn't change consumption with the big trailer behind it - hauling another car out of welly to home in the mitsi got it way up in the numbers, nearly 12/100, way up from empty trailer at 6.8 to 7/100, the ssangyong still hauls those sorts of weights at the normal 7.2 to 7.5 if its really heavy
its your decision, your money, your back, I just asked the question why the predominant diesel choice
horses7,
Jan 8, 10:10pm
Cant go past Terrano either 2.7 or 3.2 both great engines but 3.2 easy first choice for extra power,both great to drive and handle pretty well,Mistral only looks higher because its so narrow,also a lot more Terranos to chose from and still some good ones out there,
skin1235,
Jan 8, 10:13pm
put some 75 profile tyres on the falcon and get it down to 7.9- 8.2/100
ambo11,
Jan 8, 10:14pm
Cheers Skin, thanks for that, and frank, wasn't implying I was going to buy an $8K Prado, just noted they are here for that and wondering about their longevity. and you've answered that well. lol. I'll keep looking round and maybe go sit in a few 4wds if i see any for sale, sounds like I just need to pick one and take the risk. Cheers all
skin1235,
Mar 4, 9:17am
at 5k per ann I'd be looking more at a petrol with good figures, probably SUV not ute, and something non agricultural or less agricultural, who knows it may become the replacement 'car' by choice theres lots of choices out there, enjoy, I hope you get something suitable and something you can accept for a good price cheers back
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