Does anyone *not* like their 150 Prado?

[maulbeagle Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close maulbeagle]

the last few line of the full article linked to by r4ndll put it in perspective:

But Ian Crowder, from motorists' group the AA, warned the risk should not be overstated.

"By far the most common way of a car being stolen is still from thieves breaking into homes and stealing keys," he said.

"The keys are still the weakest link in a car security chain. If someone has your keys, they have your car."

[matt12 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close matt12]

Let me summarise your issues from the first post:

1. warning beeps
2. keyless start
3. traction control
4. radio without keys

This is not really that much of a disaster is it?

1. Agree. Yes the warning beeps are annoying.
2. Agree. Yes the keyless start is annoying (so much simpler just leaving keys in the ignition)
3. Disagree. Surely you appreciate traction control and dont want to burn-outs in an underpowered 4WD?
4. Agree. Would be nice to use the radio.

A few small problems but not enough to ruin the car.

If you have buyer's remorse (post purchase dissonance) then just admit that ... your current excuses are pretty weak. Is there anything else?

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

"By far the most common way of a car being stolen is still from thieves breaking into homes and stealing keys," he said.

Actually, they don't even "break" in. People leave their doors open and/or unlocked. The thieves simply walk in, grab the car keys, the mobile phone and the wallet/purse usually from off the kitchen bench or lounge room coffee table. They then leave casually in your car.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Wife and #2 have a key storage system that is very theft deterring. The keys are left in different locations and never stored in the same place twice. Ironing board, shorts pockets, table, top of the fridge in the garage, study, desk in bedroom, bedroom floor etc. so effective is this system most of the time they have no clue where the keys are...

[Linedropper Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Linedropper]

Sounds like our place. I found my wifes keys in the front door this morning when I left for work.

[BlakMoth Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close BlakMoth]

Yep I can also agree. Keyless start on the Rav means her key could literally be anywhere in the house or car. And the house keys? F knows


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[Sydneydude Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sydneydude]

I love my Prado which does not mean I love everything it's got. I dislike the design of the sunroof (Moonroof they call it OMG), the low quality of the leather seat, the sluggish diesel (not to mention the injector issues), the silly SatNav and the bloody alarms, the cluttery unergonomic switches, and console in general the stupid third row which cannot be taken out easily (love our Mini Cooper for everything that Mr Toyota did not get right), but at the end of the day so many things work well and the package as a whole is right. I enjoy the overall good quality.

[Danda Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Danda]

Sounds like the opinion of most of us makes me wonder if the 120 was getting the same reviews when it launched ?

[MelbournePark Member Find all posts View Profile Close MelbournePark]

I know a chap in QLD with a 120, which was stolen. The thieves went along the side of his house, broke a window, and with a long stick with a hook on it, removed the keys that they saw after prowling around.

He got an insurance payout. It wasn't new - it was his work car (bought new) and he bought it from his work when it was I presume out of lease.

Anyway, they found the car a month after he was paid out. It was close by, in near railway station car park.

But - there were no keys. They were going to auction it without keys. And he had a set of keys ...

So he went to the auction house, and checked his old car out - and it looked fine. He made an offer and after some haggling, he not only bought the car, but he was able to drive it away (due to having a set of keys).

He's still got the 120. He enjoyed a substantial margin from the payout compared to what he re-bought his own car for. No wonder he doesn't want to sell it!!

As far as I am concerned, I love my 150, although the wheel tyre issues are a negative. One should be able to buy low cost 17" wheels from Toyota that fit a KDSS Prado.

As far as unergonomic switches _ I think that is mostly a Kakadu thing. But you can get used to them. I don't like though the lack of white high lighting of text for the fuel and bonnet switches. With white text, I'd not select the wrong lever.

And the leather's great - not poor quality. Because its tough leather. And the seats are superb (my wife and I did not like the GXL seats at all - like sitting on iron while my 90 series GXL has beautiful front seats (not the middle ones though, they are hard as nails). Our Lexus has very soft leather - and such leather is top drawer. But it would be destroyed in outback and rough and ready conditions IMO. My leather will last and last IMO.

The sunroof is superb. Syndeydude - you call it a moonroof. In comparison, Euro cars have lots of glass. But their sunroofs are crap. They cause problems. They fail. They cost a fortune to fix. Meanwhile Toyota's is built superbly, is built to last, and does the job brilliantly.

One thing that bugs me though is the bluetooth USB connection to my iPhone 5S. After I upgraded the software, the music from it looses connection when its attached as an iPod, via the USB connection. And its confused the bluetooth phone connection at the same time. Very strange - I may have to buy a separate iPod to resolve the issue. I even had to reload my contacts, and re-learn the voice command fast dial telephone numbers.

[macaroon1 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close macaroon1]

. No wonder he doesn't want to sell it!!

Surely he won't be able to sell it, or at least for only Chips, esp if another owner does the basic checks (which we should all do, just not on wrecks)????? The Vin number must be on the written off/stolen register surely. The legalities of this are somewhat perplexing. The auction house needs some accountability too. I once did some casual work for one and some of the heaps I jumped in should not have been on the bitumen.

[MelbournePark Member Find all posts View Profile Close MelbournePark]

Surely he won't be able to sell it, or at least for only Chips, esp if another owner does the basic checks (which we should all do, just not on wrecks)????? The Vin number must be on the written off/stolen register surely. The legalities of this are somewhat perplexing. The auction house needs some accountability too. I once did some casual work for one and some of the heaps I jumped in should not have been on the bitumen.

I think while it was the local police who contacted him, that it was the insurance company who had the vehicle sold. So they must have removed it from any stolen registry. It would have required a road worthy to transfer the ownership from the insurance company back to him, and at that time, such a stolen status would have been revealed.

While the insurance company made a loss, they made less of a loss because it was found. If it had of been auctioned, they may have got less than what the original owner paid. And he took a risk on the car - although he walked around it and looked underneath it, and since it was close by, it seemed (according to the local police) that it was merely a youth joy ride situation. But at an auction and with no keys, I presume the insurance company were happy to accept his offer to the auction house.

I wonder what I would have done, if I'd seen my own car at a railway car park, abandoned. Go home and get my keys? And then I'd be up on some type of criminal charge no doubt ... and if I'd reported it found, I'd have looked pretty criminal too ...

[MelbournePark Member Find all posts View Profile Close MelbournePark]

And something I don't like about the Kakadu - its low towing weight. While the GX and GXL can be upgraded to 3,000kg towing, so far no automotive engineer has done the same to a Kakadu or a VX.

I know one too ... hmm ... the engineers who do change them are in NSW. Costs about $1,500 all up I think. EDIT - $2,600 all up I think.

Not sure though if one got a GXL re-rated, and then had it raised, what that would do to a re-rating. Or the insurance isssues ..

[reggie426 Member Find all posts View Profile Close reggie426]

Am I correct in that this rant was about a car you don't like the look of and electronics but bought because you couldn't afford the one you wanted which also has the same electronics?

[Isiman Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Isiman]

Not the case at all reggie, it was mostly about keeping the missus happy.
If it was up to me, we would have had another patrol, if it was up to her and we had a spare 80 000 - 100 000 lying around we would have had a 200. We did look at the hiluxs, that would have been an alright compromise if not for the lack of space in the cab, especially for a baby seat in the back (seat, not tray, that suggestion didn't go down to well).

[reggie426 Member Find all posts View Profile Close reggie426]

Sorry, the way I read it was YOU weren't happy with the Prado. I'm not sure what your wife meant by a pretend 4WD, these Prado's will go absolutely anywhere a similarily equipped Patrol will go.

You don't need $80k+ to buy a 200 series, they can be found second hand for 40-50k