all speaker manufacturers replied:

Ladies,

The age old question of which 4x4 to buy.....that should spark some debate here. Anyway IMHO most of these vehicles are good value although the Patrol maybe a touch heavy for you, it would probably be a toss up between a Prado or Pajero with myself leaning towards a Prado.

Toyota have a very good parts supply right around this country and therefore getting spares shouldn't be a problem. Fuel consumption is going to be hard to predict beacuse you are towing a trailer and coupled with additonal load in the 4WD you will probably need to ask which has the better torque figures (power).

A UHF radio would be a minimum and dependant on how remote you go maybe consider hiring another form of comms like sat phone or HF radio. Once again a vehicle mounted winch is nice to have but you have to consider the practically of using one, maybe hire or buy a hand winch for that ugly situation where you may get stuck although these are hard work and not suggested for two middle aged women.

I would also enquire as to your previous 4wd experience and whether you intend travelling tracks that are frequented by others so if you do get into trouble there may well be others to help.

I would suggest to enrol in atleast a basic 4x4 course and maybe even look to the government auctions to pick up vehicle already kitted out with all the gear you need like bullbar, winch, roof rack etc.

I will waffle on some more later in the day.

Stuart.

Cashy replied:

The question that came to me straight away was "what are the tracks". There are a number of ways to the center some a lot harder then others. A lot depends on where you are starting from.
But aside from that I would erecomend the Prado in Turdo desiel for the fuel efficiency and for the long range tanks as standard (159l). Depending on the load beig carrier and the tracks being used I would recommend a suspension upgrade with a 2" lift. But most important is to ensure that you are running All-terrain tyres and that the trailer tyres are the same size and on the same rims therefore you have extra spares even if you have to leave the trailer and come back for it later. A UHF is handy for talking to other travelers in the area. It is also worth consibering a EPIRB as a safty measure. But for longer distance and more remote areas I would go a HF or Satilite phone. But If you are on a well travelled track then you should n't need it. I would recomend joining a club and getting some 4WD training a well in advance and finding out how to use all the gear you are carrying. It is also possible that they may be running a trip to that area at the same time and there might be room.

Regards

Cashy

paul replied:

Hello ladies you can't go past a Auto turbo diesel Jackaroo for what you are going to do, it's not to big and not to small it will be ideal for towing your camper

Bob replied:

Prado Pajero Jackeroo - you can't go wrong. Cashy made a good point about having the same wheels on the trailer as the vehicle, so that might dictate the vehicle you choose. Changing hubs/wheels on a trailer can be done but cheaper not to. I'd go for a standard vehicle. The tiny percentage increase in capability that modification may give you is hardly worth the cost. Similarly, a winch is a dead weight on the front of the vehicle you will never use. Unless your vehicle has been flogged already replacement parts are not an issue - with careful driving they just don't break. You will go through tyres, so take at least two spares for the vehicle and one for the trailer (all the same if possible). The most valuable thing you can take is a puncture plugging kit and compressor. If you don't go too far off the beaten track, petrol is fine. In some isolated places it isn't available. A couple of plastic jerry cans in the trailer are cheaper than a long range tank, and hold just as much fuel. Jackeroo is the best diesel, and the Pajero is the better petrol vehicle. Take'm for a drive and see.

Bill replied:

Just looked at the replies you have received ladies and feel I should emphasise the value of the fuel capacity of the Prado - 159l compared with 90l for the Pajero. I recently travelled 700km from Oodnadatta to Birdsville through the Simpson Desert in a Prado. Arrived at Birdsville with 40l still in the tanks - would have had to carry 4 or 5 jerries in a Pajero.

Mike replied:

Chris, to get away from the boys squabling, go for the T/D Jackaroo. It has all the capability you will need and is very easy to drive. You will not tow the trailer across the desert anyway, so fuel capacity is not really an issue. If in doubt, carry a couple of jerry cans on the trailer, but the std tank will get you between fuel stops on the Oodnadatta, Birdsville and Strezlecki Tracks. Forget about winches, if 2 middle aged ladies can't get more help than they need out there, then this isn't Aussie. Take at least 2 snatch straps though as it really is etiquette to get you own strap dirty first. I hope you enjoy yourselves and hope we meet you out there. Happy trails, Mike.

Bob replied:

I will probably try something different again, there are new releases occurring all the time. Maybe the Porsche Cayenne. I like variety. It doesn't stop me remembering fondly cars that gave me 100's of thousands of kms of absolutely trouble free motoring all over Australia.

I am sorry you find my postings annoying Bill - but then bigots are often intolerant and easily annoyed.

Bob replied:

Bill
I am finding it a bit hard to follow your line of reasoning. Perhaps in future when you get a bit rattled and upset and dash something off, read it back to yourself first a few times before you hit the "submit reply" button.
Bob

Bob replied:

Bill
How can I agree with you when you are wrong?
The Pajero was a quad cam and even had a '36 valve quad cam' sticker on the side.
When they reverted to SOHC power dropped to 140 kW and PULP was no longer needed.
I am wondering if you really ever owned one if you weren't aware of such basic detail.

Ted replied:

Bob What made you think a Pajero was made with 36valves? I really think you've got it wrong! They are a 12 valve motor.

Bob replied:

I realise and stated on an ealier post that the Pajero changed from 4 cams to two, and dropped from 153kW to 140kW, and dropped the requirement for PULP. Someone else claimed that the Pajero never had a quad cam like the Prado, and I countered by saying that that my 1996 Pajero was a quad cam. Two cams per bank of cylinders is a quad cam. If it isn't hten the Prado isn't a quad cam, the Lexus V8 isn't a quad cam etc. I think Mitsubishi dropped the quad cam motor to keep the overall cost of the vehicle down, while still maintaining reasonable performance.

Bob replied:

I checked the figures in Overlander. 13.7 for the Prado, 14.7 in the Pajero. Different, but not that much. Over 100,000 km about $900 difference in fuel costs. In fact the difference is proportional to max power output which I guess says that you don't get the extra power out of thin air, and if you have got it you tend to use it.

Bob replied:

Ted
Ask anyone who they would believe: your figures with a 25% difference, or overlander's 1 L/100km difference? I would be interested to know your friend's consumption. Maybe he had a remediable problem. From memory I never used more than 15 L/100 km with the 153 KW motor, so the overlander figure looks about right. By the way, I no longer have a Pajero. I now have a V8 4WD and a Turbo Diesel 4WD. Unlike others on this list I am happy to change marques from time to time without feeling the need to be committed for life to one in particular.
Bob

Bob replied:

Ted Your guesses were way off the mark. My maths is a little rusty but Prado Power/Paj power is 132/140 by 100 =94%. Prado fuel cons/Paj fuel cons is 13.7/14.7 by 100=93%. 93 and 94 % look pretty bloody close to me. I'd say that power is proportional to fuel consumption. I still don't believe your figures, are you sure you didn't cock up your sums there too?

The MALS replied:

Gentlemen, Thank you so much for all this invaluable info. I love fruit so was impressed with the comparisons of apples - Delicious are my favourites!
We have purchased a vehicle taking into account all your advice. We have a 2000 RV6 Prado -would have liked a t/d but rare as hen's teeth second hand. It only had 27,800 km on it so we felt as though it was almost new. This,as well as BB,TB,wide tyres,tinted windows convinced us. we have added a dual battery system and a new power socket in the back for the fridge. Tried it all out last weekend -GREAT. Towed the camper well and very comfortable. Roll on June when we head west for a month! Hope to see you on the road.