Wot to do

[Cracker]

Gday fellas
Im just about to finally get my first patrol but in stuck with a decision.
Do i get a newer patrol like 05-07 pretty stock 150,000-200,000 kms $20,000-$25,000.
Or i hav my eye on a 2003 gu 3 180,000kms all the fruit compressor awnings racks lift kits gauges lights winch? Any advice be helpful thanks

[Cuppa]

Depends what you want to do with it I guess. If you like how the 180k is set up & are likely to make use of it then I reckon it’s a no brainer if the price is similar or less.

[MEGOMONSTER]

If your gonna spend 25-30k on a stock car, you still need to drop 10k on top to match the other vehicle.
So may be worth while buying the earlier model and only spending a few k to fix how you want it.

[threedogs]

Personally Id go the common rail diesel with no accessories
DI motors have a bad reputation so maybe hit and miss,
whats the history like on the DI 2003,
I'd go the stock CRD and start fresh then you know where you stand
And do it up the way you want it

[Cracker]

Apparently the 2003 di has been very well maintained. Been reading heaps about di vs crd and very much confused myself wot i wanna do lol. I wanna get one with fruit once i buy i wont hav much money too as all fruit. Just worried the 2003 di maybe a lil too old but it would vey much suit wot im after hence this my predicament lol
Cheers fellas

[threedogs]

I have a 2004 DI with 205,000 on the clock and IMO drives like new .
max boost is 19psi and 10 psi at hwy speeds, blows a lot of other 4x4 away
where are you as you can test drive mine if near by?

[happygu]

Cracker,

I will preface this by saying that you need to buy the one you can afford, allowing for the accessories you need (not want).....

I would also add that buying the CRD over the Di would be the best option in most cases, as the reputation of the earlier Di's can be questionable in some instances.

There can be problems with any motors, but less likely with the CRD. Main issues stem from head gaskets or cracked heads, or loose oil pump bolts on a small portion of the early ones, and the Di can suffer from Head issues which more often stem from cracked heads, cracked pistons which lead to expensive rebuilds.

Having said that, my old 2003 model, which I sold to one of my customers is still going strong at over 300,000 klms, so they obviously dont all have issues. Every time I speak to him, I urge him to move it on, as the older it gets the more likely something is to go wrong and it wont be cheap - everything seems to be expensive to fix, but I guess if you are paying $100 per hour it racks up pretty quick

Mic

[happygu]

Oh, and the later Di's seem to go a little better, acceleration and fuel economy wise than the CRD

[Cuppa]

Re. Di’s & CRD’s & my earlier comment about the decision being a no brainer. Have to say I omitted to put my brain into gear - didn’t even consider the different motors, sorry.

[Crate]

I am kind of in the same position as you, not just yet but 12-18months away from upgrading the old GQ to a diesel GU in the sub $30k price bracket. I have changed my mind 300 times already and am likely to change it again, but currently my thinking is the best option is a 04-06 DI 3.0 ST (ST-L if I can find one) manual sub 150,000km, the reasons being:

- I can't justify paying the same money for a ~2000mdl TD42
- I prefer the styling of the GUIV onwards
- I do all my own maintenance and whatnot and believe that the DI is eaiser to "fiddle" with for performance gains etc
- I am dubious on the early CRD's for a couple of reasons, oil pump bolts coming loose is one and fuel consumption is another
- I believe the DI's are more durable when it comes to bad fuel


If I was in the market right now I would buy this:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/171358315...84.m1423.l2649