Hi All
Thanks for the warm welcome, tomorrow marks four months of Patroling and I must say I'm really enjoying being able to see past the 4x4 in front instead of gazing blindly into the spare wheel.
I bought the "Truck" from a dealer which is an unusual departure for me but I found private sellers had unrealistic price expectation compared to many dealers and then there's GST the dealer has to remit so private sellers should really be at least 10% less just to compete and that's before you consider warranty but that's not reality.
The factory warranty expired the day before I purchased it but it came with the statutory 3 month warranty so I got my mechanic who has owned these for ever to go over it and be extra fussy, he found an oil leak (film) from a grub screw at the front of the engine, it would slip out of second gear occasionally and the drivers electric window wouldn't stay up so back to the dealer it went and they couldn't have been better, they found a boot fouling the gear lever, the window winder was adjusted, the oil leak fixed and a faulty turbo pipe (that I didn't know about) replaced.
The dealer is part of the AHG group and my opinion of dealers has softened somewhat as a result of their behavior.
The "Truck" came with a couple of new Chinese tyres on the rear which turned out to be square and transmitted vibration into the cab, they're now gone and the "Truck" is as comfortable as I think it's ever going to be and I'm rather enjoying stirring a manual gearbox again.
I've never been into bush bashing for the sake of it but over time have had a few beach and dune experiences with friends and once we take off in the van I'm looking forward to accessing a range of places (thinking fishing spots) and experiences that have until now not been accessible for me.
Cuppa, you mentioned the grey nomad lifestyle, I'm looking forward to it with nervous anticipation and have already drawn both knowledge and inspiration from the caravannersforum, thanks.
I'm currently rebuilding a 1990 van that had what I thought was a little bit of relatively simply rectified water damage but of course I soon discovered that water damage in vans is like rust in vehicles and what you see is a very small part of what you actually get, as I progressed it soon became evident that I had either a significant loss or a major rebuild on my hands, with time not an issue I opted for the rebuild which interestingly offered more opportunities than problems.
This is not the time or place to delve into the project but I'm looking forward to the day it's fully equipped for free camping, hitched up to my new "Truck" and we take off with the Patrolers and nomads .
Here's the little lovely I bought set up for two, kitchen/dining at the front, sleeping in the middle and ensuite at the rear.
As it currently sits.
New internal plan
Sorry All, I didn't mean to get carried away with my story but I feel like I've joined a club that I probably should have joined long ago, better late than never I guess.
Thanks
John
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