[GQWORKNPLAY]

Long story short, sold my patrol 2 years ago and need a wagon now, have been looking at the Challenger as they seem good value. think i can get a V6 02 mod for 5 or 6k.

Just looking for a wagon with hi low range.


Any comments:

 

[gf0012-aust]

aren't they just a triton with a monobody? eg just like the bronco is sitting on an F100 chassis?

 

[coxsy]

my mate had a diesel one ,over here, ARB bull bar , winch , twin lockers ,patrol spec wheels offset 32" wheels, two inch ARB lift went well ,
note don't remove the sway bars doesn't do much but breaks the rear shocks, big hits move the alignment out of wack , everytime

 

[LycraMooseKnuckle]

reliable, are mostly a triton with a family body, but turning circle is the size of a cruise liner.

Pajero is a superior vehicle all over. Including the front suspension and steering - just better.

 

[parscheese]

R50 Pathfinder?

Cheers

Justin

 

[ACMPatrol]

From that era the Jackaroo is way superior to the Challenger. Avoid the diesel as they had some (simple if you know) problems that few mechanics can fix.

 

[GQWORKNPLAY]

Cheers guys. Yes the Pathy pajero and jackaroo are all on my list.

 

[LycraMooseKnuckle]

hurts me to say this, but the Pajero is a superior vehicle to the pathfinder.

i looked at them all before I ended up decided i wanted either a land rover or a jeep again.

ended up with a jeep haha

 

[BeNos]

the pajeros before they went full independent where a bloody good truck. get a diesel one and whilst slow (what diesel from that era wasnt) they are a good solid and quite capable truck for the money.
that would be my pick anyway

 

[BeNos]

and the r50 pathy imo is rubbish. being a one piece body and chassis just doesnt make them a good truck. the paj and jackaroo and the challanger are all on ladder chassis which imo makes them a better truck.

 

[james008]

A mid 90's onwards Jackeroo is a good choice, the front end changed in 1998(??) And the 3.2 diesel was dropped in favour of a 3.0.
Both diesels are good engines, which you'd expect from Isuzu, bar an issue with early 3.0's... I can't exactly remember what the issue was but I believe it was oil pressure related, it was fixed though and a recall was issued.
The 3.5 petrol is gruntier and quieter than the diesels but apparently love a drink.

Don't know a whole lot about Challengers, my mate has a Triton with a 3.0 petrol that I've only driven a couple of times, I find it lacked a little with low down torque but once moving it shifts along fairly well. If the Challenger is an auto it would help disguise the lack of torque down low.
I know Pajero's (and I think Triton's) got a 3.5 to replace the 3.0 which is supposed to be an all round better engine, perhaps the Challenger got it too.

Have you checked out 90 series Prado's? That could be another good option as they were very popular and I've not heard of too many issues with them. Not sure how they compare on price to the above options though.

 

[parscheese]

and the r50 pathy imo is rubbish. being a one piece body and chassis just doesnt make them a good truck. the paj and jackaroo and the challanger are all on ladder chassis which imo makes them a better truck.

I think calling them rubbish is a bit harsh. IMHO

Pajero is better but it's in a different class to the Pathfinder.

Challenger is ordinary neither great or terribly bad.

The Jackaroo has woeful on road dynamics.

I'd also suggest the Petrol is a better choice those early diesels make a 2.8 look fast.

The 3500 is a great engine.

Cheers

Justin

 

[bloke83]

Frontera v6 are better than you'd think and you can shoe horn a rodeo diesel drive line into it.

 

[GQWORKNPLAY]

Pajeros and prados seem to be a little more popular and seem to be commanding a higher price. I've come across a 98 chalenger V6 auto for 3k, there is a little smoke once warmed up, and on decel... i'm thinking valve guides... Everyhing else i see is around the 6 or 7k mark.

I'd like to get a 2000+ cause they had coils on the back and cruise....

Great info guys, thanks heaps

 

[Nissnut]

My wifes Pathy ticks all the boxes for us except economy.
The V6 drinks harder than my P40.

I'm thinking Pajero myself come trade-in time, the wife will never trade the Pathy cos she loves the colour....a womans logic I suppose....lol.

Cheers......Lionel.

 

[Leethal]

Just looking for a wagon with hi low range.

Dare I say it...

Have you considered a model called a GQ patrol? Fits your criteria, fits your price and they seem to be reasonably popular on this forum...

 

[LycraMooseKnuckle]

and the r50 pathy imo is rubbish. being a one piece body and chassis just doesnt make them a good truck.

I think calling them rubbish is a bit harsh. IMHO

Yes and no.

Nothing wrong with a uni body - they can be brutally strong without weighing as much as the moon.

The issue for the pathfinder is that it is not brutally strong and it turns out they love to rust when not cleaned carefully.

For uni body vehicle similar to the pathfinder in size but superior off road and far stronger construction, the funny looking KJ Cherokee is surprisingly good pick. The 3.7 V6 is not going to win any economy awards, but neither was the Nissan's 3.3L (or 4.0L in the R51). And here's the shock part: the Jeep's auto gearbox is going to be more reliable than the Japanese boxes.

The great thing about buying a 4wd designed in the 90s and with manufacturing run extended into the early 2000's is you're buying a damn reliable car which will go for years and only really experience minor failures like radiator tanks, hoses, suspension wear and on certain models the auto gearbox. Unless you buy a diesel in which case it may not be a matter of "if" it ****s itself, but when.

 

[GQWORKNPLAY]

Dare I say it...

Have you considered a model called a GQ patrol? Fits your criteria, fits your price and they seem to be reasonably popular on this forum...

Lol, yeah i was waiting for that, i'd love a patrol but its a bit truck like for the missus to drive around and i couldnt help myself with a patrol and it would end up a money pit.

I'll be happy with a standard fwd... i drive a hilux for work and manage to get that into some pretty serious places.

Anyone know if the autos give any trouble? manuals are hard to find

 

[LycraMooseKnuckle]

autos in the nissan seem to poop themselves between 180k and 250k apparently.

but like anything else, most will likely make their way to the wreckers before it dies.

 

[smicko]

I had a 2000 NM Paj with the 3.5 petty, not a bad bus. You can get them to go most places but you've gotta use right foot and velocity, they don't crawl. Used to have a ***** of a time getting off soft beaches with a tight exit angle as you need momentum to get through the soft stuff but the independent front end likes to go straight when traveling at a rate of knots and jump out of the track.

A s1 or s2 Disco is always an option too, they're a very capable bus.