I'm lucky enough to find a 2002 90 series Prado Advantage in a very good condition with a full service history. Shout out to the previous 2 ladies who owned this car and never took it off road. Yes the kilometers is 420,000, but it drives like dream (V6 3.4L).
With the prado ( I speak from experience ) Avoid ones ( petrol engines ) that have been fitted with LPG. A lot of the dual-fuel systems are just awful. We had endless tuning problems and stalls on LPG. They also drink the gas like no tomorrow, so best just to grab a diesel or keep the petrol ones burning the liquid stuff.
The 90 series Prado is a good thing. Thirsty and gutless when towing but as reliable as a politician breaking promises. A big thing to watch is lower ball joints. They need to be inspected every service and should have almost no play. Replacement should also be the real Toyota stuff as anything else flogs out in no time and can lead to a serious front suspension failure
We have a 2002 Pajero Exceed which is a 3.8 Petrol. It has independent suspension all round so great on the road. I do not take this car rock climbing etc but it handles off road quite will. We have over 300,000ks on the clock and go well.
Was wondering how they missed it out, would have thought the value and cheap mods would have it up there. Tend to fit a lot of Hilux surf mods without much modification as well.
I was waiting for it to be mentioned!!! So so underrated!!! Anywhere the LC can go, my Challenger can also go. Super capable off-roader and not to mention, cheap. Still got mine.
We have had 3 Grand Vitaras as off road paddock cars for 10 or so years, increasing in the generations. The 3rd gen we have now is so good off-road, beating hiluxs and land cruisers on getting stuck in soft paddocks purely because of how light and placeable they are. Although because they are quite light, and we have a set of very warn road tyres on it, it will get stuck in the wheel tracks of the bigger cars!
I've got a 06 Grand Vitara. Modded the heck out of it, Bullbar, 2" Lift, AT Wheels, Roofrack. Absolutely love it. The 2.0 4cy is reliable but very underpowered with all the mods added. Still not done modding it either, Snorkel, Front/Rear Diff locks, 1" lift spacer, bigger MT wheels, etc.
I always wrote off the 90 series as being shit, but I ended up with an immaculate 3.4 V6 manual example with 350,000 on the clock that fell into my lap. After driving it for a while (and coming from 60, 80 series Cruisers and Land Rover Disco 1s as my previous benchmarks) I definitely get why you still see so many of them - it's a bloody great all round vehicle for what it is and good examples are out there for under $10,000 if you look around.
My mate got a 2 door Grand Vitara and I dismissed it as a chicks car, that was until I drove it offroad, it was an absolute little weapon and was the most fun I've ever had offroad, it absolutely eats up the dunes and it loves a rev
Buy a manual 2nd gen CRV. You'll be surprised how capable they are and you don't have to live with something that steers and handles like a Pirate ship.
@Morris Thanks, this is great stuff with valuable contents. I used Pajero NP, Sorento 1st Gen, Prado 120 and 150 in the past. Based on my personal experience I'd like to rank Pajero NP over Sorento considering the reliability and the maintenance. The Sorento running repairs are too often. The CVs, Driving belts, Brake Pads, Steering columns, Tire Rods, etc. wears very fast and need replacements sooner than a Pajero. The Pajero built to last long compared to that. However, Sorento 1st gen off road capabilities are in par with the Pajero NP. Based on my experience, I rank Prado 90 and Pajero NP at the same level and Sorento as second.
The Hyundai Terracan is a pretty good option basically a 2gen Pajero not half bad looking and pretty reliable see quite a few at 300k petrol and diesel there's one not far from where I live with v6 456ks on it apparently needs a harmonic balancer
Good mentions but when I imagine a 4wd it's to try and tackle every obstacle, most of these cars just seem to like to cheese around the problem, out in the bush I've seen vehicles that seem somewhat capable get stuck really badly. The Navara, Wrangler from part 1 seems like the better choice if your serious, I have a 3rd gen jimny it's size makes it harder to terrain over worn 4wd tracks by bigger 4WD's and the power is really underrated makes me wonder how well it would tackle on the incline without the fear of getting stuck. Prado is good mention but expansive, I'm surprised the land rover discovery 2 wasn't included and possible a Holden Rodeo would be nice to see what would be the cheapest in terms of full off road in a extreme sense.
If going for a d22 navara, make sure the injector pump on the zd30 models has been replaced as they can fail with out warning and leave you stranded. Everything apart from the engines on these utes are pretty solid though. 90 series prados are great too, I wish I got another one instead of my d22. The v6 is a great engine, very smooth and reliable. Just watch out for headgasket issues
I'm sorry but number #1 should be the Pajero. The Prado because it has a toyota badge is worth 2-3x more for the same thing, and it doesn't have super select. Stuff that. Best bargain 4WD is a Paj hands down
I have the 3.8lt NP Pajero and it’s noisy with AT tyres and thirsty at 15-20lt per 100k but it’s been dual fuelled with lpg for 15 years or more. It’s had its little niggles but in the sand, snow and around town it’s great and easy to drive. If they made a new one with new safety tech I’d buy it tomorrow. Keep up the great content you deserve more viewers for your no bullsh@t reviews, thanks.
ery time I see the Ford Escort in the background I wonder if it was mine. 1980. 2 door. Silver. Modified transmission tunnel to fit a Supra 5 speed gear box.
If you do a Partb3, what about some earlier subaru foresters with their manual low range gearing. While have not gone to town on my 2010 model, there are plenty that are jacked and awesome.
I'm just going to keep saying on every budget offroad video you do "7L Toureg", with air suspension and dual lockers standard it is untouched at 10-15k.
Hi Brett, awesome thing but the sheer cost of injectors and a bunch of other mechanical gremlins left it off the lists of our experts. They all agree the Touareg is hugely underrated but when working on a really tight budget, the cost of keeping them at their best is just too high. - AK
Funniest thing on the Nissan Hardbody D22 I recommend looking one with a TD27 engine because those are bulletproof And for the suspension it's otherwise crap and I actually drive the same van and it just broke down on me and the problem is, you guessed it the suspension 🤦🏾♂️🙄
i am really suprised Pajeros are that cheap in Australia. I expexted them to come right after the patrols and Land Cruisers when is comes to used vehicle prices.
Most of the cars on both are what I was expecting might appear on it lol with the exception of the KIA and Jackaroo that is lol Can't wait to see what next Tuesday top 5 theme is lol Good video as always guys and look forward to Friday's video as always 👍
Got a sorento 3.5 v6 for 3000 euro. It took me time to find a non complitely abused. But still... Absurd how much of an off roader you get for the money
I love these old prados!!! Always said value for money cheap 4x4 wise they are about as good as can get surprisingly given the badge. Pajeros are hit and miss, awesome cars when they work but not the most reliable!!!! Bit like a disco/defender!!!
Great vid as always mate. Would love to see a vid on the Outlander! Particularly the 2.3L intercooled turbo diesel. I just got the 2013 model, and would be very interested in hearing what you think--Also contrasting the diesel 6spdAuto with the 2.4L petrol CVT.
@@ReDriven there are no major mechanical issues. engine, gearbox and drivetrain are proven to be very good. they can have some issues like every older car...
@@ReDriven i got one but I don't think u guys one come to mildura to review it though 😄. I got the volvo s60 t6 r design polestar tuned 2014 model, i know its a big name for a small car lol.
⭕️⭕️ Since I am just immigrating to Australia and not familiar with the car market, I have a question, do you think the car prices are plummeting in the next months and I should wait?
@@Lazy_Tim Thank you Tim for answering. In my country the prices which owners put on their ads are a bit higher than reality and the buyer gets a discount. Even the owners know it and they put the price a bit higher intentionally, to give a discount to buyers 😅😅. Is the situation is Australia the same?
@@arad907 I don't think anyone selling a car second hand can expect to get their asking price. When are you immigrating? The longer you wait I think the better the market will be for you.
Prices are certainly dropping back following the explosion from COVID , but time will time if they’ll drop to what they were before. New car waiting times are reducing (one of the biggest factors behind the rise) so some people are heading back to new cars. Prices are definitely falling, but we’ll wait and see if they keep falling
One of my mates had an Escudo and it was a fucking rig. I myself have a 2006 NS Pajero and it is easily the best vehicle purchase I have made, at the moment just has a 2 inch lift and some 33 inch Nankang mud tyres, but am gonna slap on a bullbar/winch combo and some roof racks. Side not; The Delica 4x4 is a fucking chad of a vehicle, can still manage to get some for the 8-10k range, but most are around 12-15k for a not shit one.
@@ReDriven haha yes there were (i owned one), based on the Mazda 'B' series and built by Ford Australia to try and take some sales away from the Toyota Surf in 95-98 it was a nice idea on paper but the actual thing was woefully under powered.
I am a fan of 4xoverland and those are his personal preferences. He's a deciated Toyota and Land Rover person. Pajero is a 12 times Paris Dakar rally winner and its on its own league compared to the rest of the models.
It’s amazing how many 90 series Prados are still on the road. Testament to how good they are
I'm lucky enough to find a 2002 90 series Prado Advantage in a very good condition with a full service history. Shout out to the previous 2 ladies who owned this car and never took it off road. Yes the kilometers is 420,000, but it drives like dream (V6 3.4L).
100% Once you start to notice them you see them everywhere!
I had a 3 door 2010 2.4l 4cyl grand vitara. I chucked some AT tyres on. What a little monster. Loved that car.
Wow. Spot on. 1st gen Sorento is a well kept secret.
Not anymore!
With the prado ( I speak from experience )
Avoid ones ( petrol engines ) that have been fitted with LPG. A lot of the dual-fuel systems are just awful. We had endless tuning problems and stalls on LPG. They also drink the gas like no tomorrow, so best just to grab a diesel or keep the petrol ones burning the liquid stuff.
The 90 series Prado is a good thing. Thirsty and gutless when towing but as reliable as a politician breaking promises.
A big thing to watch is lower ball joints. They need to be inspected every service and should have almost no play. Replacement should also be the real Toyota stuff as anything else flogs out in no time and can lead to a serious front suspension failure
I actually had the most 4x4 fun with a Suzuki SX4! But like all things mechanical sympathy is important
With my wife and I moving from Canada to Australia all your videos have been super helpful. Especially since I'm a car enthusiast.
We have a 2002 Pajero Exceed which is a 3.8 Petrol. It has independent suspension all round so great on the road. I do not take this car rock climbing etc but it handles off road quite will. We have over 300,000ks on the clock and go well.
PA Mitsubishi Challengers are very a underrated and capable 4x4 would love to see it in part 3
Was wondering how they missed it out, would have thought the value and cheap mods would have it up there. Tend to fit a lot of Hilux surf mods without much modification as well.
I was waiting for it to be mentioned!!! So so underrated!!! Anywhere the LC can go, my Challenger can also go. Super capable off-roader and not to mention, cheap. Still got mine.
Challenger should be in the top 3
We have had 3 Grand Vitaras as off road paddock cars for 10 or so years, increasing in the generations. The 3rd gen we have now is so good off-road, beating hiluxs and land cruisers on getting stuck in soft paddocks purely because of how light and placeable they are. Although because they are quite light, and we have a set of very warn road tyres on it, it will get stuck in the wheel tracks of the bigger cars!
I've got a 06 Grand Vitara. Modded the heck out of it, Bullbar, 2" Lift, AT Wheels, Roofrack. Absolutely love it. The 2.0 4cy is reliable but very underpowered with all the mods added. Still not done modding it either, Snorkel, Front/Rear Diff locks, 1" lift spacer, bigger MT wheels, etc.
I always wrote off the 90 series as being shit, but I ended up with an immaculate 3.4 V6 manual example with 350,000 on the clock that fell into my lap. After driving it for a while (and coming from 60, 80 series Cruisers and Land Rover Disco 1s as my previous benchmarks) I definitely get why you still see so many of them - it's a bloody great all round vehicle for what it is and good examples are out there for under $10,000 if you look around.
My mate got a 2 door Grand Vitara and I dismissed it as a chicks car, that was until I drove it offroad, it was an absolute little weapon and was the most fun I've ever had offroad, it absolutely eats up the dunes and it loves a rev
the 1 thing that has put me off wanting to buy is the fact i find them girly. might have to keep my eyes out for one, maybe a series 2
Have to go a Paj had a 3.0 V6 manual thing would not die even though it sucked fuel
Buy a manual 2nd gen CRV. You'll be surprised how capable they are and you don't have to live with something that steers and handles like a Pirate ship.
suzuki vitara an off road beast love em
Prado is the pick of the bunch
@Morris Thanks, this is great stuff with valuable contents. I used Pajero NP, Sorento 1st Gen, Prado 120 and 150 in the past. Based on my personal experience I'd like to rank Pajero NP over Sorento considering the reliability and the maintenance. The Sorento running repairs are too often. The CVs, Driving belts, Brake Pads, Steering columns, Tire Rods, etc. wears very fast and need replacements sooner than a Pajero. The Pajero built to last long compared to that. However, Sorento 1st gen off road capabilities are in par with the Pajero NP. Based on my experience, I rank Prado 90 and Pajero NP at the same level and Sorento as second.
Very nice. Redriven is underrated.
Thanks so much mate. - AK
The Hyundai Terracan is a pretty good option basically a 2gen Pajero not half bad looking and pretty reliable see quite a few at 300k petrol and diesel there's one not far from where I live with v6 456ks on it apparently needs a harmonic balancer
Good mentions but when I imagine a 4wd it's to try and tackle every obstacle, most of these cars just seem to like to cheese around the problem, out in the bush I've seen vehicles that seem somewhat capable get stuck really badly.
The Navara, Wrangler from part 1 seems like the better choice if your serious, I have a 3rd gen jimny it's size makes it harder to terrain over worn 4wd tracks by bigger 4WD's and the power is really underrated makes me wonder how well it would tackle on the incline without the fear of getting stuck.
Prado is good mention but expansive, I'm surprised the land rover discovery 2 wasn't included and possible a Holden Rodeo would be nice to see what would be the cheapest in terms of full off road in a extreme sense.
If going for a d22 navara, make sure the injector pump on the zd30 models has been replaced as they can fail with out warning and leave you stranded. Everything apart from the engines on these utes are pretty solid though.
90 series prados are great too, I wish I got another one instead of my d22. The v6 is a great engine, very smooth and reliable. Just watch out for headgasket issues
Isuzu bighorn/trooper/jackaroo great trucks and gen 1s are beautiful
8:41 I would guess that pic is from a car dealership in South Africa... WeBuyCars... 😉😉
I'm sorry but number #1 should be the Pajero. The Prado because it has a toyota badge is worth 2-3x more for the same thing, and it doesn't have super select. Stuff that. Best bargain 4WD is a Paj hands down
I would add Mitsubishi challenger which should be in the top 3
These are best car reviews on YT
I have the 3.8lt NP Pajero and it’s noisy with AT tyres and thirsty at 15-20lt per 100k but it’s been dual fuelled with lpg for 15 years or more.
It’s had its little niggles but in the sand, snow and around town it’s great and easy to drive.
If they made a new one with new safety tech I’d buy it tomorrow.
Keep up the great content you deserve more viewers for your no bullsh@t reviews, thanks.
Same engine as the 380, no issues.
Also owned an NP with the 3.8l. This is a non mivec engine so you only get 150kW and yes I rarely saw under 20l/100km. Solid rig though.
@@mvnorsel6354 no issues, touch wood.
ery time I see the Ford Escort in the background I wonder if it was mine. 1980. 2 door. Silver. Modified transmission tunnel to fit a Supra 5 speed gear box.
I still miss my yellow mk2 2ltr with sierra 5 speed box, so I can sympathise.
If you do a Partb3, what about some earlier subaru foresters with their manual low range gearing. While have not gone to town on my 2010 model, there are plenty that are jacked and awesome.
I'm just going to keep saying on every budget offroad video you do "7L Toureg", with air suspension and dual lockers standard it is untouched at 10-15k.
Hi Brett, awesome thing but the sheer cost of injectors and a bunch of other mechanical gremlins left it off the lists of our experts.
They all agree the Touareg is hugely underrated but when working on a really tight budget, the cost of keeping them at their best is just too high. - AK
@@ReDriven the Touregs post 7L as per your review are sketchy, but from most reports the 7L was more reliable. Just don't get the V10!
@@ReDriven there might be some injetor problems but compared to diesel prado injector and piston failures they are minor...
Funniest thing on the Nissan Hardbody D22
I recommend looking one with a TD27 engine because those are bulletproof
And for the suspension it's otherwise crap and I actually drive the same van and it just broke down on me and the problem is, you guessed it the suspension 🤦🏾♂️🙄
What about the first and second gen Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV? Maybe they're more overlanders. That'd be cool, an overlander video.
Forgot about the 105 series fz landcruiser I got mine for 10k with 270 000km and it’s so good
R50 is an absolute unit, even in stock form with just off-road tires.
i am really suprised Pajeros are that cheap in Australia. I expexted them to come right after the patrols and Land Cruisers when is comes to used vehicle prices.
kia sorento 2003-2008 is very popular in europe central and eastern, espacialy 2006-2008 because of the 2.5 CRDI 170hp
I feel pk and pj rangers can be a bargain as well, I got mine for 7k with only 210,000km with no major problems
Great video, mates! I’ve always wanted to have that J90 Prado 😁
Most of the cars on both are what I was expecting might appear on it lol with the exception of the KIA and Jackaroo that is lol
Can't wait to see what next Tuesday top 5 theme is lol
Good video as always guys and look forward to Friday's video as always 👍
What about the ssangyong rexton review vs pajero or Isuzu?
I was looking at older Pajero....crikey, the prices were high.
Got a sorento 3.5 v6 for 3000 euro.
It took me time to find a non complitely abused.
But still... Absurd how much of an off roader you get for the money
Where is the Isuzu DMax/ Holden rodeo/ Colorado?
I love these old prados!!! Always said value for money cheap 4x4 wise they are about as good as can get surprisingly given the badge. Pajeros are hit and miss, awesome cars when they work but not the most reliable!!!! Bit like a disco/defender!!!
Great vid as always mate.
Would love to see a vid on the Outlander! Particularly the 2.3L intercooled turbo diesel. I just got the 2013 model, and would be very interested in hearing what you think--Also contrasting the diesel 6spdAuto with the 2.4L petrol CVT.
It’s coming mate, hopefully soon. - AK
Our np Pajero, 380,000 k's n still going strong. Average around the 12l's per 100k's
Diesel obviously!
@@Lazy_Tim yeah
@@buster_1972 Owned a Diesel NS as my next Pajero. Apart from the DPF problems MANY!! it was a good rig also.
I think I am going to have to give up looking and just baja a vw bug!
i would pick cayenne or touareg they are beast offroad and onnroad
Just not so much when things go wrong mechanically. - AK
@@ReDriven there are no major mechanical issues. engine, gearbox and drivetrain are proven to be very good. they can have some issues like every older car...
Have you ever heard of Nissan Pathfinder R50?
Hi can u guys make a video on the Volvo s60 t6 r design or the polestar edition i think they r the ultimate sleepers.
Oh mate we wish! If we can find one with an owner willing to lend it to us, yes! - AK
@@ReDriven i got one but I don't think u guys one come to mildura to review it though 😄. I got the volvo s60 t6 r design polestar tuned 2014 model, i know its a big name for a small car lol.
i was hoping the mitsi challenger would be on this list.
It came very very close but the Paj beat it purely down to availability. - AK
can you do more on off-roaders under 10k
Certainly can!
R50 is an absolute weapon of a car.
⭕️⭕️ Since I am just immigrating to Australia and not familiar with the car market, I have a question, do you think the car prices are plummeting in the next months and I should wait?
They are dropping but not much. I've seen a 5-10% drop in second hand prices.
@@Lazy_Tim Thank you Tim for answering. In my country the prices which owners put on their ads are a bit higher than reality and the buyer gets a discount. Even the owners know it and they put the price a bit higher intentionally, to give a discount to buyers 😅😅.
Is the situation is Australia the same?
@@arad907 I don't think anyone selling a car second hand can expect to get their asking price. When are you immigrating? The longer you wait I think the better the market will be for you.
Prices are certainly dropping back following the explosion from COVID , but time will time if they’ll drop to what they were before. New car waiting times are reducing (one of the biggest factors behind the rise) so some people are heading back to new cars.
Prices are definitely falling, but we’ll wait and see if they keep falling
@@ReDriven Thank You mate! This is really my favorite channel in Car field.
One of my mates had an Escudo and it was a fucking rig.
I myself have a 2006 NS Pajero and it is easily the best vehicle purchase I have made, at the moment just has a 2 inch lift and some 33 inch Nankang mud tyres, but am gonna slap on a bullbar/winch combo and some roof racks.
Side not; The Delica 4x4 is a fucking chad of a vehicle, can still manage to get some for the 8-10k range, but most are around 12-15k for a not shit one.
Might not be in the same category and being an AWD, I'd put Holden Adventra right up there. Very capable off-road.
Just not international enough sorry mate. - AK
@@ReDriven nah, all good mate. Cheers 👍
@@ReDriven You should give some Aussie cars honourable mentions though, if they're good enough...
Stiffness🔥or sniffness?
This video feels like you just re-titled the "off-roaders for under 15,000" video. Still informative though.
Lada Niva! 🤣
Don't take a Navara off road, it'll get stuck..😬 terrible vehicles..
aww what no Ford Raiders? 😢
Not in Aus mate. - AK
@@ReDriven haha yes there were (i owned one), based on the Mazda 'B' series and built by Ford Australia to try and take some sales away from the Toyota Surf in 95-98 it was a nice idea on paper but the actual thing was woefully under powered.
Token comment to help the boys
Love your work!
KIA Really? lmao
Look up 4xoverland on youtube and you will see why the mistushity Pajero is well 💁♂?shit
I am a fan of 4xoverland and those are his personal preferences. He's a deciated Toyota and Land Rover person. Pajero is a 12 times Paris Dakar rally winner and its on its own league compared to the rest of the models.