patrol buying help

[BLKWDW]

Looking at upgrading our commodore to a larger 4x4 for our soon to be 4th kid. A patrol is one 4wd on the list. We have a budget of 15k to spend what do people recommend we buy. They car will be the mrs daily and would be lucky to do 150ks a week in it. No real plans for off roading in it but if i can get my way we'll do a bit touring in it towing a camper eventually.
Id say the 3ltr is out of our price range but what bout a n/a diesel?. Would a 4.5, 2.8td or a n/a 4.2 best suit our needs. What are common problems to look out for when looking at all 3 vehicles.?

The other 2 contenders are th 80 series and nm pajero.

[AB]

Welcome to the forum mate, don't forget to put up an intro about yourself in the introductions section.

Would the misses mind driving a GQ or do you have your heart set on a GU?

[97_gq_lwb]

Td42 turbo would be my choice.
Common problems would have to be hmmmm nothing i can think of lol.
rd28 cracked cylinder head, harmonic balancer coming loose , gearboxes.
Zd30 some sort of hand grenade apparently never had much to do with them myself do a search on zd30 nads

[BLKWDW]

After something bit newer than a gq. Td42 turbo is way out of my price range.

[Benno7]

Go the 4.5 on gas if the td42 is out of your price range.

[stets]

the 80 series is in the same age bracket as the gq patrol.
in gu's 15k isnt going to get you a lot, maybe a 2.8td. not the best tool for the trade.
the 80 series had a 4.2 diesel in them as well, they hold the value well, but can be picked up in your range. good truck, reliable, and pretty capable off road as a tourer for sure. more comfortable than a gq too. the pajero is a waste of money IMO. comfortable to drive and ride in, but not much chop in the bush. parts arent easy to get a hold of except in the cities.
if you can get a n/a td42 gu patrol, that would hands down be the best choice. they hold their value well and it would be hard to get a good one that hasnt been abused in your range.
not just for patrols, but in any 4wd you look at getting, look for red dust under the lip of the door seals, this tells you if it has spent a bit of time off road. scratches on the bottom of the chassis rails is off road damage. check for matching shocks and springs, dealers will often only replace one if it needs replacing. odd shockies show signs of corrugated road use. check shock mounts on the axles, any dents or scratches on the crossmember, cracks in the window surround on the bigger door, most car yards will paint the under with black, any pits, flakes or other in the paint are signs of rust underneath, and the car has probably taken a swim in salt water. i could go on for another hour writing things to look for, basically in your price range, a good gu patrol will be hard to find without having something undesireable about it. go up to 20 grand and it opens up a whole new ball game

[BearGUST]

About a year ago I picked up a late 2002 GU ST ZD30 at the auctions for $13,000. I was also toying with the idea of a 80 series but ended up paying less for a far newer Patrol. I'm very happy it! The ZD30 (most of which were solved by GU3) has quite a reputation for issues but there is info on here how to minimise these issues.


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I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?vhtcdc

[BearGUST]

About a year ago I picked up a late 2002 GU ST ZD30 at the auctions for $13,000. I was also toying with the idea of a 80 series but ended up paying less for a far newer Patrol. I'm very happy it! The ZD30 (most of which were solved by GU3) has quite a reputation for issues but there is info on here how to minimise these issues.


---
I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?mxbwci

[BLKWDW]

the 80 series is in the same age bracket as the gq patrol.
in gu's 15k isnt going to get you a lot, maybe a 2.8td. not the best tool for the trade.
the 80 series had a 4.2 diesel in them as well, they hold the value well, but can be picked up in your range. good truck, reliable, and pretty capable off road as a tourer for sure. more comfortable than a gq too. the pajero is a waste of money IMO. comfortable to drive and ride in, but not much chop in the bush. parts arent easy to get a hold of except in the cities.
if you can get a n/a td42 gu patrol, that would hands down be the best choice. they hold their value well and it would be hard to get a good one that hasnt been abused in your range.
not just for patrols, but in any 4wd you look at getting, look for red dust under the lip of the door seals, this tells you if it has spent a bit of time off road. scratches on the bottom of the chassis rails is off road damage. check for matching shocks and springs, dealers will often only replace one if it needs replacing. odd shockies show signs of corrugated road use. check shock mounts on the axles, any dents or scratches on the crossmember, cracks in the window surround on the bigger door, most car yards will paint the under with black, any pits, flakes or other in the paint are signs of rust underneath, and the car has probably taken a swim in salt water. i could go on for another hour writing things to look for, basically in your price range, a good gu patrol will be hard to find without having something undesireable about it. go up to 20 grand and it opens up a whole new ball game

Yes but the 80 series looks modern with its rounded shape which makes a difference with the mrs. Thought i might update this anyways and let everyone know i talked the mrs into keeping the commy and i now own a gq patrol so once i sell the landcruiser i'll have funds to spend on it.

[Snapperman]

never buy a 2.8l and tow...been there.....

[BLKWDW]

its a 4.2 i bought

[wet & windy]

just thought i'd drop in my 2 cents worth.bought a gu 3ltr about 6yrs ago paid 28000 (there did not seem to be may about) it's a standard st had about 110000 on the clock and was pretty tidy.didn't know about NADS until just recently and i am in the process of doing them to hopefully prolong the life of the motor.anyway i digress,i gave the patrol a bit of a flogging as far as regular services were concerned, and i have paid the price.had to replace fuel pump approx 7000 grand this included new injectors as it ran like crap after the pump was replaced.i have run biodiesel in her and also used cooking oil( i had a fish and chip shop). my point being i now know how important regular services are.this has nothing to do with buying a newish 4wd but i sure feel better getting of my chest.

[teleman]

Hey mate

You should be able to pick up a series 2 3.0 litre for around 15k with under 200 on the clock. The 3.0 are fantastic if they have been looked after. Make sure you look them over well.

[1peter]

A few months ago i bought a 98 GU 4.5 in perfect condition with 116,000km's on the clock, snorkel and towbar for $13,300. I am another $2000 out of pocket after putting it on LPG which means a grand total of $15,300 for what i consider to be a great vehicle. It has never been off road by the look of the under carriage and the 4500 stickers on the paintwork aren't even faded. My point is, you can buy a great vehicle for the money if you look around and make some offers. It's a buyers market.

[biggq]

Ive just missed out on this , and it wasnt a scam . it sold within the hour.
http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Automotive/Used-Cars/AdNumber=TP005130614