2006 Manual Diesel 3.0L boat towing

Hi everyone, chasing some advice regarding opinions on whether a 3L/4cylinder patrol would be capable of towing a 20ft boat approx. 3T. I am relatively new to 4WD's having not owned one (family members have owned so I have driven pathfinder and prado's) and am looking for something capable of the tow whilst remaining relatively cheap and hopefully durable and reliable. I have found a second hand 2006 model @ $10k with 260km on the clock, otherwise in seemingly good condition. Any ideas on things to check before purchasing and whether or not this would be suitable are most welcome, thanks a lot.

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Originally Posted by Ellerym96

Hi everyone, chasing some advice regarding opinions on whether a 3L/4cylinder patrol would be capable of towing a 20ft boat approx. 3T. I am relatively new to 4WD's having not owned one (family members have owned so I have driven pathfinder and prado's) and am looking for something capable of the tow whilst remaining relatively cheap and hopefully durable and reliable. I have found a second hand 2006 model @ $10k with 260km on the clock, otherwise in seemingly good condition. Any ideas on things to check before purchasing and whether or not this would be suitable are most welcome, thanks a lot.

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Hi Ellery, Welcome to the Forum, feel free to head over the the introduction section and post an Intro thread.

If it is a CRD Commonrail Deisel ZD30 then i would be happy to buy. My bet it is a DI Direct Injection ZD30 at that price and id probably be cautious about making that buy. To be honest the 3.0 Diesels from all brands where pretty average. Nissan DI 3L where particularly bad. The Toyota Prado and Hilux in the 3.0L where as bad though. Common Rail changed the World though and it will handle that easily. I think you will pay more than $10K for the car you need to tow 3T though.

What else are you expecting the car to do? when not towing the boat? How many kms a year are you expecting to use the car for?

You could consider a TB48 GU. around your price. the 4.8L straight 6 Petrol is a beast and will tow your boat with ease. It will drink fuel thought with that load.

Thanks mudrunner, I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to this, just checked and it is a direct injection - why is it that this is less suitable than the CRD? Are there any recommendations of a certain make of patrol or other 4WD you think would be more suitable? I don't mind an old model/high kms as I probably can't afford to go over $15k and will definitely make some inspections/pay for a mechanic to inspect before purchasing as well as conferring with other people with more experience. I will be using the car as my primary vehicle - approx 15000-20000km/year, and would be making trips up and down the WA Coast with boat in tow at some points through the year as well as camping w/out boat. What are the main diffs between the petrol and Diesel engines? Thanks for the help

It can be a little tricky getting the 3 Litre Di off the line without slipping the clutch - especially in hot weather on an incline, other than that they tow pretty well.

The Auto makes it a little easier for towing, but you are getting close to the tow limits.

CRD or Di will be real slow going dragging 3T behind it. But it will do it. The CRD is more reliable than the Di, though the Di your looking at is 2006, its better than the older Di motors. As happy mentioned too about your tow limits. Make sure on whatever you buy can legally tow this weight. IF fuel consumption isn't going to weigh in on your decision, the TB48 4.8ltr would be my choice.

It doesn't matter how you coat it, a 3lt Patrol, DI or CRD is not the best choice of tow vehicles, especially at around 3t, as they just don't have the power for comfortable towing. As suggested, a 4.8lt petrol Patrol would make a much better tow vehicle if you want to sick with the less expensive Patrols.

If your boat is 3 tonnes, you only have 200kg to hit the legal limit for a manual, and 3 tonnes will exceed the legal limit for an auto. Bigger is better!!!

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Originally Posted by happygu

It can be a little tricky getting the 3 Litre Di off the line without slipping the clutch - especially in hot weather on an incline, other than that they tow pretty well. The Auto makes it a little easier for towing, but you are getting close to the tow limits.

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Totally agree with HappyGu, off tow or moderate towing on the flat our old 2002 Manual GU ZD30 was a rocket ship. Unfortunately did have to sell it as we live in a quite hilly area towing horses that need smooth take offs, slow corners and incline restarts. We were going to kill the poor thing especially its clutch so had to sell and increase in diesel motor size which doubled the price back then. Sounds like above from the blokes a big petrol donk would definitely suit your relatively low km needs.

Agree with most posts above ^^^^

The ZD30 is a mongrel to get off the line with 3 tonnes tied to it.
You are definitely better off towing with a 4.8 for that weight

Our 2002 model struggled with a caravan of about 2700 odd kgs and it is an auto , hills were a big problem

With a big boat behind my old DI I found I had to use low range to get up steep boat ramps without riding the clutch.
3000kg would be a bit of a struggle with any hills, my CRD will hold its speed going up hills with car trailer & car, but acceleration is slow when the speed limit changes or to overtake.