Patrol bought - user now insecure due to permanent empty wallet.

[harry-potzer]

Was this the right thing?! This is (by now) the only question.

I just wanna be sure because in the last few days I thought it over several times and talked to some people (sure none of them really involved in 4wds or even traveller's cars). I bought a Nissan Patrol (specs follow) for 7.500$ from a guy that travelled with the car before (only 2 months) and said, that he bought it for 7.5 as well and put money in it so it'll actually be worth about 11 grand.

Then comes the petrol question...we'll probably travel about 20.000km. It uses about 20l/100km so 4.000l for 1.40AUD = more than 5 grand for fuel!

But anyway..please check the specs and just tell me I catched a good one...that car/money is really keeping me up at nite :icon_bonk:

The specs...

1992 Nissan Patrol 4x4 4.2l GQ
389.000km
5speed (manual)
good service record covering the last 4 years (newest thing were steering bearings in october)
WA rego until March 12
freezing cold aircon
powersteering
2 sets of keys + immobiliser
2nd battery + converter
12v pressure pump
radio transmitter (uhf)
compressor + tyre deflator


Extras for camping/wellness :cool:

safety material
tools, spanners, axe, jack etc.
3 jerry (petrol) tanks
radio with mini-jack
Ironman rooftop-tent with fitting annex on rooftop rack
bedding/matresses/cutlery for 2p
3 stoves and a 4kg lpg-tank
12-volt Esky
storage boxes
big outdoor light
40m power cable
washing line
camp showers
some games and beach stuff


Books
Maps 6
Australian 4WD Guide
Nissan PAtrol Repair Manual

[growler2058]

Id be pretty happy with that mate,mine cost me 3k td42 bare bare basics uhf only extra and well in excess of half a million km on the clock

[HippoNZ]

Id be pretty happy with that mate,mine cost me 3k td42 bare bare basics uhf only extra and well in excess of half a million km on the clock

They keyword in that mate was "td42" of course shes still going strong!

[Stumpjumper]

Harry the price you payed for the patrol was reasonable, it sounds like its been looked after and shouldnt let you down.
Now you have to realise its a big car, big motor and can be expensive to run particularly on petrol. (mines on gas/petrol) If you were travelling around Australia and intending to stay on the bitumen you maybe dont need a 4x4?? Just a van.....4 cylinder......lot cheaper to run etc etc
However if you intend going bush and getting rough and dirty and you want to see the real outback then the patrol is a good choice.

[Silver]

Harry, I've got a carby petrol - on a trip even with a roof rack it does a bit better than 20/l per 100 on the highway - but not much better. You would have paid a lot more for a diesel, esp a turbo diesel - so it might work out not too different in $$. What you will notice is that not all petrol stations are only 400ks apart - and that is a real benefit of the diesel - along with better wading/fording ability if the diesel is fitted with a good snorkel.

Just drive and enjoy it! Also, see if you can hunt up a book called Outback Australia on a Budget - one of the main themes of the book is to drive little, while travelling a lot - in other words, spend time in places getting to know them and really see the sights, rather than seeing the country through the windscreen on the main highways. This is especially important if fishing is your thing - it can take a few days to get the conditions and the knowledge right.

[Dhuck]

Mate I think you have done well. I only get 20 odd litres to the 100. Plus the extras you got, mate thats a hell of a list. Go hard buddy

[harry-potzer]

The thing is that I was pretty sure what I buy because friends at home adviced us to get a 4WD if we really want to go to the outback or other places you'd really need 4 wheels power. But how important is this? I really can't tell...

Interesting is the point about the 400kms - thanks for putting another minus point to my brain. I really love this car and all that comes with it (especially rooftop-tent because I can't sleep in the car comfortably with more than 2m). I have been thinking about an lpg-conversion to get the price down. But then the conversion is 2 grand and I don't know if I'll ever get this money back (do I?)...

[patch697]

Yep..... If the Patrols been well looked after then I'd be pretty happy paying that with all those extras.

[growler2058]

If your going real "outback" you womt get gas in a lot of places get yourself a long range fuel tank

[harry-potzer]

If your going real "outback" you womt get gas in a lot of places get yourself a long range fuel tank

That's exactly my problem...$$$$$$$$$...90l by now - what would be "long range"? Of course I still have 3 jerries...

[growler2058]

I think 120 ltr long range is the go plus the existing tank plus your jerrys you'll need mate

[harry-potzer]

Strange that no one said "BEST DEAL EVRRRRRRR" yet because that was what the guy I was buying it from was telling me...that he could have easily sold it for 9.5...

[harry-potzer]

Ah, maybe I forgot to mention WA rego...

[Finly Owner]

I think you did get a great deal. But what we say may have no effect on your feelings. Yes big truck like vehicles are heavy on fuel, petrol ones are just a tad more so. If you drive without heavy acceleration, that will save you some fuel. The three jerry cans could certainly be a cheap alternative to a long range tank, but at the cost of losing some storage room. If you want something strong and reliable, you've got it!

Go to sleep, think of how many places you can now traverse with confidence, soft sandy desert, muddy tracks, some water crossings, bush tracks, bitumen. You can cook your own meals, sleep highoff the ground in safe dry and comfort.


But you could sell all of that and buy a little fuel economical car that will let stay on the bitumen, have nowhere for extra fuel, be a struggke everytime you want to set up cooking needs, and repack tent into a cramped boot/trunk and rear seat.

Be a shame to miss all that our great country has to offer, because of a worry about a little more on fuel,


Just my thoughts, Raw and Honest. Hoping it offers a different angle to view your quandry.


Tim

[harry-potzer]

I think 120 ltr long range is the go plus the existing tank plus your jerrys you'll need mate

maybe not "real"...there's nothing there really worth travelling weeks...

[harry-potzer]

I actually want to thank you very much for that post...maybe I'll just pick 2-3 avocados more than I would with a Toyota Hiace and therefore see the sun going up at really special places.

[MudRunnerTD]

^^^^^^^^^^^ What He Said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Silver]

3 jerries takes up a bit of space in the cargo area - I know from personal experience, and I also have a cargo barrier to help keep them there in case of accident.

You can do the outback on a pushbike. You can do a huge range of bits and pieces in a 2wd too. But I'd suggest you'll get to some more interesting places with the Patrol for example Fraser Island off Qld etc. The journey can be as important as the destination.

If you decide to sell it when you finish touring you will probably do ok on resale.

My suggestion? Stop worrying and second guessing, and start travelling :-) And look for that book - it is Brian Sheedy's Outback Australia on a Budget - mine is the 2nd edition and you should be able to find it second hand, don't know about new.

[harry-potzer]

So...I thought it over and had a good deep sleep tonight.

Our decision now is to keep the car cause we will have lots of opportunities we wouldn't have with a 2wd campervan. Even if it uses a bit more petrol than we'd prefer and even if there are some rusty spots it is still better than a damn campervan half as old with nearly the same mileage that has only been owned by backpackers, is fully rotten and will probably break down if we are more than 200kms away from a town. ;)

I even thought about investing a bit into the car and get an auxiliary tank or even a bigger main tank - though the prices are really high on those, we'll see.

I have looked up the book on the internet and found "Centre on a Budget" by Sheedy here http://bit.ly/sxX4zM and "Outback on a Budget" here http://bit.ly/vDMHny...get both?!?!?!

[harry-potzer]

The "real" outback is far more beautiful than people who've never been there would imagine.

Problem is that I'll need a long range fuel tank then...because I don't think that there are petrol stations every 400km are they?

[Silver]

So...I thought it over and had a good deep sleep tonight.

Our decision now is to keep the car cause we will have lots of opportunities we wouldn't have with a 2wd campervan. Even if it uses a bit more petrol than we'd prefer and even if there are some rusty spots it is still better than a damn campervan half as old with nearly the same mileage that has only been owned by backpackers, is fully rotten and will probably break down if we are more than 200kms away from a town. ;)

I even thought about investing a bit into the car and get an auxiliary tank or even a bigger main tank - though the prices are really high on those, we'll see.

I have looked up the book on the internet and found "Centre on a Budget" by Sheedy here http://bit.ly/sxX4zM and "Outback on a Budget" here http://bit.ly/vDMHny...get both?!?!?!

haven't seen Centre on a Budget, I look forward to your review Harry! :-)

[Silver]

Problem is that I'll need a long range fuel tank then...because I don't think that there are petrol stations every 400km are they?

here is another book recommendation Harry - HEMA's Australia Touring Atlas. It does show some places where fuel is available, but is not 100% reliable, because they come and go, and for other reasons, for instance it does not show fuel at Thargomindah, but there is fuel there. (Hardly the far outback I know :-) )

[harry-potzer]

I will definitely try the car out before going to the outback due the only 4wd experience I have is from "Colin McRae Rally" on Playstation ;)

Who of you Brisbanites then knows a decent and cheap garage near to New Farm? The best choice would be a mechanic-assisted diy but I don't know if something like this exists in Australia. Because I'm really thinking over installing a bigger or an auxiliary tank.

Would something like this fit? http://tinyurl.com/7vbuy6q or http://tinyurl.com/79q7baa

And how much would the installation be?

[NissanGQ4.2]

Strange that no one said "BEST DEAL EVRRRRRRR" yet because that was what the guy I was buying it from was telling me...that he could have easily sold it for 9.5...

To him you may of been getting the best ever deal and he probable could of sold it for 9.5k if he had the time and waited.

May saying is..... a vehicle is only worth how much someone is willing 2 pay for it.

You could try and and sell it tomorrow and struggle to get 5 for it...............you could try selling it 2 months down the track and someone might give you 15g for it.

Really depends on the market at the time

[the godfather]

Hi Harry, sounds like you got a good buy to me. Lots of good extras there.
Travelling deep out back is always fun. You can get a fuel drops on most of the major trails (Gun Barrel, Stockman Track etc) Well over this way you can, at a cost of course. I would definitely go long range tank though.

[gruntlet]

That's exactly my problem...$$$$$$$$$...90l by now - what would be "long range"? Of course I still have 3 jerries...

Mine has 90ly mains and 75lt aux. I get around 16to100 unloaded. Rossco

[harry-potzer]

If you want a new tank that won't leak have a look at
http://www.longrangeautomotive.com.au/
http://www.browndavis.com.au/
http://www.thelongranger.com.au/
These places will fit it for you for additional cost, but they wont be assisted DIY.

I've already been on some pages to take a look but they don't seem as cheap as the used ones (for example http://store.mitchellbros.com.au/long-range-fuel-tanks/nissan-patrol).
I think I wouldn't replace the original one but fit in an auxiliary tank...hopefully I could get this done for less than 1.000?

Does anyone know a garage from where I can get a quote?

[wildgu6]

Harry Harry Harry, you paid 7.5k for it coz you thought it was worth it, hopefully you took it for a drive and you were happy with the way it ran (mechanically), handled,drove, comfort, color etc etc.
Trust me if you were happy with that, you will be more than happy with it off road, thats what they are built for and like the guys say there is so much gorgeous country out there that your standard vehicle wont even get near.. Apart from that buddy, you have a couple of grands worth of extras with the bugger, tuff truck, top extras great country, sounds like a great buy to me mate.
Price of fuel can be a bit of a pain, but if you need it mate you dont care how much you have to pay for it, Some remote places can sting you up to $3 a litre, but would you prefer to pay that or abandon your rig to be stripped naked by the locals, $3 a litre thanks. your gerry's will do fine until your financial enough to upgrade to a larger tank if thats what your after, I know what you meen about the $$$$ though, I go away and enjoy, but when i get back i have to bust my hump to get back on track only to do it all over again.....lol it is an addiction as you will find out. What a ramble but hope it made some sense.....ldid to me.......lol Enjoy mate

[wildgu6]

Oh and by the way mate, ive had a permenant empty wallet ever since ive had a miss's.......lol but it does work out mate..

[harry-potzer]

...for instance it does not show fuel at Thargomindah, but there is fuel there. (Hardly the far outback I know :-) )

I've looked up Thargomindah today. It's on Google Street View...so there has to be a petrol station (;