Toyota Prados - thoughts anyone?

Page 1 / 2
orca123, May 29, 10:00pm
Probably a 2006/7 VX model. Just never owned a Toyota before so looking for anyone experienced with these SUVs. Do they seem to develop the expensive cambelt issues that (I have been told about) the Surfs get?

monaro17, May 30, 12:13am
Assuming you are talking about diesel model? They are well built an engineered but are quite expensive to buy compared to others. (Toyota tax). The petrol version is fast refined and powerful but dreadfully thirsty. The diesel is solid and reasonably powerful but not as economical as you may expect. There is the odd diesel that can have issues but if its been well cared for and serviced you should be ok

msigg, May 30, 2:15am
They are one of the best 4x4 out there, seen these with 4k plus still going strong, Make sure you get a good inspection done and change the coolant/anti freeze on a regular basis, not changing this wrecks more cars that anything else.

a.woodrow, May 30, 5:33am
No car "develops" expensive cambelt issues. They just need to be replaced when they are due

andy61, May 30, 6:12am
Never heard of the diesel Prados having expensive cam belt issues. They are prone to cracking heads.

brapbrap8, May 30, 6:25am
We have a 2004 Prado VX Diesel, have owned it since new and done 213,000 km and it has been great.
We still use it heaps, but they only tow 2.5ton which is quite limiting for me.
Servicing every 7,500km is a nuisance too. I guess that is what you expect from an old fashioned Toyota. It looks like it should go forever though.

thejazzpianoma, May 30, 7:51am
One of the most over rated and hidiously over priced vehicles on our roads. I would be hard pressed to think of a similar vehicle that is likely to cost you more (initial outlay for age/depreciation/running cost/maintenance cost/repair cost). and what do you get in return for all that expense?

Not a particularly startling vehicle compared to what else is available in the segment for the price.

Basically, a car for someone is not very good at basic arithmatic and listens to wives tales and what the crowd is doing instead of thinking for themselves. You can do SO much better it just isn't funny.

gedo1, May 30, 8:24am
I prefer to take the opinion of those who have experience with such vehicles over the opinion of one person who has a repeated bias against them. We have relations both here and in Australia who work on 4x4s. In particular one who works for an outfit in the northern part of Western Australia where they maintain and repair many vehicles which are used in their extreme conditions. His firm opinion? Prado (if you can't afford the full Landcruiser). The company's opinion about European 4x4s - too soft and unreliable. Rangerovers okay but too expensive etc etc. Another relation who works at a firm in Waikato which specialises in farm vehicles and other 4x4s has exactly the same opinion abut Prados. So what do you want to believe? Yes, they keep their price well as you can easily see from their sales even here on Trademe but there is a reason for that. and I have covered that.

thejazzpianoma, May 30, 8:30am
No experience?

I have worked on them for family and customers. I have close friends with them whose progress (and many many many expensive repairs) I have followed over the years. I have also watched a steady stream of them go through a close friends workshop and seen literally dozens with cracked heads etc along with his recycling bin that seems to always have one of those heads inside.

Have I owned one myself? No, and for obvious reason!

Even if I had ZERO experience though, anyone can pull out a calculator, do the math and see that they are not viable purely from a financial perspective, before you get any further.

There might be some perceived benefit for them over more up to date vehicles if you happen to be driving through the sahara on a regular basis and doing field repairs yourself, or doing some sort of extreme off roading. that being the only benefit in return for the many many expensive compromises pointed out above. But is the OP actually doing any of that?

gedo1, May 30, 8:31am
Also was reading a couple of magazines last week while we were in Australia and I was passing time waiting for a flight. One was a Camper and Caravan mag and the other a 4x4 mag. Interesting comments in both about questions from readers asking opinions on good 4x4s for towing etc. Prado way up there. Euros? Need I say. Also surprised to see the camper mag did not recommend a certain well known American brand - saying their repeated reliability problems made them somewhat unsafe if they were being used away form repair facilities (as can be experienced in AUS)

thejazzpianoma, May 30, 8:36am
They are a complete and utter pile of junk for towing considering the price. How do I know?

Was in one of it's close cousins (4Runner) that flipped half a dozen times after the trailer got a sway on. No trailer stability control, actually no stability control at all, no power to pull the trailer out of the sway. If God hadn't been really looking after us that day we would have been dead. Yet if we had been in a Touareg or similar we would have more than likely reached our destination and not even really noticed the trailer sway.

They are a Yobbo chest beater car for people who are incapable of basic math or reasonable logic. There are very very few people for whom their few tiny advantages would make them a worthwhile buy in this country.

muzz67, May 30, 8:38am
Yet another thread trashed.

gedo1, May 30, 8:38am
Just spoke to nephew in Australia and we talked abut heads on such vehicles. He upset me with his rather basic response that I heard they suffer from cracked heads. Two words combined into one - the first part relating to cattle and the latter part relating to their effluvia. Obviously not a set of words I would use but I have to take his opinion over anyone else's, So then I asked what percentage of Toyotas he worked on. Man,y since they were so popular over there and only a few he could recall with heads cracked. Not literally dozens, you will note. In every case they had not been maintained by the owners for the last 300,00kms so it was likely they got a bit tired.

gedo1, May 30, 8:42am
You would not have been driving it by any chance would you Jazz? (lol) I don't believe you would have been surely for a number of good reasons! God to know you still have and maintain your consistency. rare these days. rare?

thejazzpianoma, May 30, 8:42am
LMAO. now they don't crack heads.
This is beyond hillarious.
The 1KZ on the early one cracks heads, just as it does in every other application and it cracks them like no other motor I know, regardless of how well it's maintained. This is common knowledge, has been for years and the proof is available to anyone who cares to stop by a busy garage with a few Toyota's with 1KZ's inside (chances are at least one will be having a head replaced).
Then you have the later D4D engine (which is what's really applicable here) and that has it's own expensive design flaws (injector seats to start with).
But there is clearly no arguing with the troll. Best of luck OP. You either do your own math, research and do some critical thinking. Or you listen to the back slapping boys club who ignore logic and copy each other.

The choice is yours!

bwg11, May 30, 8:43am
Yes, as one with a heap of 4x4 experience, I can't even be bothered posting once he appears.

gedo1, May 30, 8:47am
Good to see you can laugh from the top of your hill! Scandinavian in my ethnic background so far from being insulted by the word "troll".

brapbrap8, May 30, 9:20am
You have your wires slightly crossed Jazz, the VX Prado has stability control, as well as pretty much every other safety feature any european car has.
They are still probably one of the safest vehicles on the road a decade later.

We have a new Audi in our fleet, but credit where credits due to the Prado!

ezekiel67, May 30, 9:24am
And if you didn't sound like a raving lunatic before you sure do now.

phillip.weston, May 30, 9:32am
I think the real question to be asked is - what are you going to use it for? Actual off-roading or just to cart the kids to school? If the former then yes they are an excellent vehicle for that task, if the latter then I could think of much better vehicles to do the job with.

gedo1, May 30, 9:39am
Did not know that word as presented so looked it up. "Hill-"? Well, that was obvious. "-arious"? = pertaining to. So hillarious must mean (in the context of your comment) ". This is beyond (anything to do with a hill). " Does that mean your opinion comes from somewhere near a hill? wait. it could mean from you are so far above the level of any hill that your opinion is of a heavenly nature? . actually a later comment on your post tends to support that later contention. Is that where you see you are coming from? Do tell. Please note - this post is not really serious but did give me enough amusement to want to clarify. No offense intended to any being or surreal entity.

cheapy11, May 30, 9:39am
I recently upgraded from a 98 Turbo Diesel Surf to an 06 Prado VX and its a great machine. Its a bit larger and petrol V6 which is a bit thirsty but from 06 they have the 5 speed Auto which helps, but it has heaps of grunt! Camchain no cam belt, mine has done 270 km & still runs like a dream (has been well serviced by past owner) and they really seem to hold their value. I would just ignore a certain poster who would have us all driving Fiat Panda's. (P.S The 4runner that whoever flipped ISNT a Prado is a 4runner which is the smaller Surf)

meow_mix, May 30, 9:52am
I think Jazz is being a bit hard on them.

The Toyota Landcruiser has one of the most unique and best reputations in the automotive world.

rovercitroen, May 30, 3:22pm
I know a couple of people who have had Prados long term. They have had really good runs and the Prados have a great reputation for reliability provided they are maintained correctly which applies to any vehicle. They have good resale value in New Zealand and not for no reason.

richardmayes, May 30, 11:24pm
My boss has got a VX Prado diesel, albeit a brand new in 2013 one.

Once you look past the leather seats, keyless operation, dual zone air conditioning, little courtesy lights on the running boards, electric steering wheel that folds up to let you in/out etc etc etc. to be honest it is pretty bloody rough for something that is meant to be a quasi-luxury SUV.

It is definitely a ute or van mechanicals with a flash looking body on top, and it's not even a particularly smooth or powerful ute engine.

For an SUV intended for mostly on-road use, a Ford Territory is much nicer.