First 4x4!

[Jimmyboyjr4]

Hey all,

I'm 22 and just about to buy my first 4x4. Very excited, shopping at the moment and quite terrifying buying for the first time!

Was curious to hear about others first 4x4's, experiences, life lessons etc.

:)

[AB]

Don't rush the decision mate and don't buy on passion.

The forum has shiploads of knowledgeable people so make sure you suck their brains of any questions you have. Feel free to put up a post about your budget, what you want and need mate as you can get a lot of great advice off here and best of luck!

[taslucas]

Are you getting a GQ? Theres plenty of info around here mate.

What sort of driving will you be doing? Will it be a daily driver? How much do you have to spend?

[Jimmyboyjr4]

Yeah looking at a GQ Shorty in Newcastle at the moment and really just looking at the moment. If I come across something ideal though I'm not going to hesitate for too long! Cheers for the advice though. While my budget is not huge ideally around $10,000 or less there is the benefit of it only a weekend/bush car so uncomfortable high driving not that important.

Been looking through the forums for mechanical info, unfortunately not my trade. Are there many 4x4 specialists willing to check trucks over?

[taslucas]

Theres a thread on here somewhere called "buying a used vehicle, what to look out for" or something similar.
What engine and how many ks on it will play a big part in what to look out for.

[Jimmyboyjr4]

The one I am looking at right now is a 4.2l Diesel, with about 260ish on it. I've got to call the guy tomorrow to find out with or not is is 12V or 24V. Apparently recently reconditioned as well?

I came across a really good thread on here the other day, I can't find it anymore though hopefully find it soon.

[Parksy]

Good luck with the sale. Just beware when sellers claim the engine has been reconditioned. It's usually a helping ploy to sell the car quicker. If they can supply receipts on the work done to the engine, then all good. Bonus for you. But 260k is not high mileage for these beasts.

[Jimmyboyjr4]

Yeah having a look around that seems to be what I have discovered, I will definitely ask if he has receipts. Having a look at some photos of it I think it does look fairly straight and clean, although without seeing it who knows.

I've been enjoying learning what I can while I search though. What are your opinions on Shortys?

[liftlid]

a GQ petrol gas is possibly one of the best 1st 4x4 to buy. simple, cheap to buy and run, tougher than most and easy to fix, plenty of aftermarket support, very capable, long wheel base loves hills and dirt roads. shorty's can be scary for beginners, unless you like always driving around with 1 wheel in the air!
what ever you buy stay away from IFS. nothing lasts like a solid front axle.

[happygu]

Jimmy,

Best of luck with it and lets hope it is a good one for you.

First thing to do once you have the car, is to set yourself up for some training, so that you know what to do in tricky situations ( and none of us have ever been in any tricky situations .... :oops: ).

Either join a club or tag along with some experienced wheelers on an easy type trip, to get the feel for it.

See you in the bush.

Mic

[Jimmyboyjr4]

Yeah I'm probably going to head back out with the Nissan Patrol club on their training course. Did that with Dad years ago.

I work with a a lot of experienced guys at work to seem to go out a fair bit so will probably join them when they go out!

Cheers,

[GQ TANK]

I second the club idea - "experience guys" might not know some of the basics that a club can teach.

ie don't recover using a towball as the anchor point

[Morton]

I highly recommend joining a club too, proper basic training & your set for life, learning bad habits from the start make it harder to change that bad habit in the future, most clubs have a driver trainer, Blue Mountains/Penrith/Lithgow area has several clubs & I would attend a few meeting of different clubs till you find one to slot into or you can get onto 4wdnow.com & it lists every club in the Greater Sydney West & Mountains area, bound to be something in there to suit you

[Jimmyboyjr4]

Thanks guys for all the advice! I picked my car up yesterday, I love it :)

Am signing up for the Nissan Patrol club soon, there are a few near me but I want to go for something a bit bigger and more structured. May go with with local one as well too, will enquire in to that too actually!

[Winnie]

Put some photos up mate! We love photos! Did you get that shorty TD42 you were looking at? You will have years of hassle free wheeling with that rig mate, enjoy it!

[Jimmyboyjr4]

Yeah picked up the shorty, me and my uncle went over will probably need a new clutch and a radiator in the next 6 months. Other then that there it seems to be perfect, picked it up from the address that it was first bought from in the manual one owner!

[Parksy]

Nice one! Looks like a beaut!

My advice is grab a couple of cans of fishoil or cavity wax and go crazy inside door trims, inside the roof section by removing the grab handles and using the hole as an entry point as well as the sun visors, pull out the rubber bungs in the floor and fish oil, inside the chassis, underneath, inside the bonnet sections, everywhere! If you can park it in a garage for a week then perfect to let it all sit and seep in nooks and crannies then dry. Check the floor section under the drivers feet for rust. Same with passenger side.

[Avo]

Good job,now the journey.Enjoy

cheers

[Jimmyboyjr4]

Parksy, what does the fish oil do?

[Parksy]

Preserves your car. Stops it from rusting. Provides a barrier between the metal and water. Must do for all my cars I've owned.

[Jimmyboyjr4]

Oh yeah, we noticed that in the engine bay will have to check out the rest of the truck. Thanks for the tip!

[Parksy]

Pull out the battery and give the tray an inspection. They like to corrode. Treat with some rust killer if needed.

[Jimmyboyjr4]

So I get that you pull of the grab handles to treat it with fish oil, but I think I'm misunderstanding where exactly you would do it?

I checked under the floor there was none, I was careful with that I spent all Wednesday night with a mate cutting the rust out of his and welding new plates on to it.

I'll pull the battery out tomorrow and have a look.

[Parksy]

When you pull out the grab handles, the hole where the bolt went is now an entry point to chuck a section of pipe and inject some fish oil into it. Otherwise you have to pull out the roof lining to get to it. The actual top of the roof doesn't corrode as bad as the sills do, they like to rust from the inside out, so protecting these are a must.

[Jimmyboyjr4]

Oh ok, perfect!

How often should you do this?

What brand is decent to use?

[Parksy]

Maybe once a year will do. I was lucky when I bought my patrol that somewhere in its previous life someone had filled all the cavities with some brown waxy stuff. Not sure how long it's been there but when I tried putting fish oil on it, it just wouldn't stick. Would bead off and run down. Not complaining that's what I want it to do.

Don't think brand matters. I went with the cheapest stuff, though this might smell a little. There is deodorized stuff, just costs a little more.