Buying a prado for the first time

[Johny Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Johny]

Can i have a little advice please. we are looking at buying our first 4wd and the prado 150 gxl diesel is looking good as we have compared`it to the pajero vrx .As this unit has all we need to start out ,the question i need a little help with is Do i go a alloy bull bar or steel bar and what sort of tow bar is best as i only have a 5mt quinny but down the track possibly a camper trailer
Thanking you
johny.

[Guest Close Guest]

Re: buying new

Just basing my reply on the 120 series, it is better to buy an ARB deluxe steel bar (or Sahara) than the alloy Sovereign bar that Toyota offers. The steel bar would be much stronger in a roo strike.

There was an instance where a Toyota towbar snapped when using a weight distribution hitch. I believe that a Hayman Reese towbar would be stronger. My colleague has a HR towbar and his is bolted and spread across the chassis and looks like a better mounting option than the Toyota towbar.

If you had to buy new, then I suggest waiting a bit until the aftermarket guys sort the accesories out. Otherwise, a 120 series D4D is still a very nice vehicle.

[leachy_9 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close leachy_9]

Re: buying new

Steel bar.

It is hard to comment on the towbar as I haven't seen what Toyota / ARB / Haymen Reese are offering. Unless your planning on using a weight distributing hitch I don't think there will be great differnce between them.

Leachy

[The Silver Beast Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close The Silver Beast]

Re: buying new

Toyota Tow Bar is a Hayman Reese bar. Has anyone seen any of the bars for the 150 yet??

Just basing my reply on the 120 series, it is better to buy an ARB deluxe steel bar (or Sahara) than the alloy Sovereign bar that Toyota offers.

I completely agree with this amts I had a Sahara Bar on my old 2001 pathy and it was great apart from two things a) cost b)The plastic inserts around the IPF lights come loose easily and are not the cheapest to replace for a tiny bit of plastic.

Cheers, Ben!!

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

Re: buying new

Ben i seen one fitted on yet to be delivered prado at the local dealer this week .I could not have a close look but from the distance ,it is like the tow bars of old from Hayman Reece , the cross member sits below the bottom of the bumper bar but the bumper did have a large cut out where the tongue was positioned ,tongue section i think was on top of the cross member, the rear ground clearance would be affected when fitted but it looked an improvement over the 120 toyota bar.
Russ

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

Re: buying new

Ben i seen one fitted on yet to be delivered prado at the local dealer this week .I could not have a close look but from the distance ,it is like the tow bars of old from Hayman Reece , the cross member sits below the bottom of the bumper bar but the bumper did have a large cut out where the tongue was positioned ,tongue section i think was on top of the cross member, the rear ground clearance would be affected when fitted but it looked an improvement over the 120 toyota bar.
Russ

If you get a brochure than you can see it in the accessory section, has a full bar running under the bumper.

[njak90 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close njak90]

1st time 4x4 buyer

hey guys

this is my first post, as the subject states i am a 1st time 4x4 buyer, i am 20 years old and have been looking for a good 4x4 for awhile now, taken a few 4x4s for test drives and am very new to the world of four wheel driving (only ever been twice), i think i have finally decided on what to buy but looking for some advice, at the moment i am looking at the 3door zr 150 series prado, i was wondering if there is anything that i might need to know before i commit to buy. what brand is best for bullbars?, also is steel or alloy better?, rated recovery points who fits them and where? should i go genuine towbar or aftermarket? what tyres should i buy?, should i upgrade the suspension? how capable offroad is the 3door against the bigger brother(5door)? and any other advice would be greatly appreciated, also i might also add that the prado will only go offroad 3 or 4 times a year and spend most of the time taking me from home to work on week days and driving from home (Canberra) to sydney every second weekend.

thanks heaps all advice is welcomed

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

Re: 1st time 4x4 buyer

Welcome, as a first 4wd I'd suggest a 5 door instead of 3 door. The shorter wheel base in the 3 door makes steep ascents interesting to say the least.

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

Re: 1st time 4x4 buyer

Welcome to the forum..

There is a few questions in there.. all of them have been discussed many times. Have a search through the 120 post etc to find info about the bars, genuine towbars vs non genuine (eg hayman reece), ARB vs TJM vs ECB etc
ARB do alot of aftermarket accessories, eg steel bar (much stronger then the toyo alloy bar, and a much better approach angle) Also the new generation 120 series ARB steel bars come with rated recovery points on front, correct me if Im wrong, I dont believe ARB have put together a bar for the 150. I think ECB have brought out their version.
For tyres, check out the 120 series tyre section to read up on BFGs vs Mickey T, vs Coopers etc.. There is alot of good information in there on many threads that will keep you busy for hours

Just remember though that alot of brands of accessories that people put on their vehicle comes down to their individual preferences and what they will be planning on doing with their vehicle. As standard they are a very capable 4wd, but throw in a few additions and they become mean :twisted:

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

Buying a prado for the first time

From my avid reading recently of Pradopoint, there is such a wealth of knowledge on here, I wondered if I can throw these questions out there for some feedback.
In August, I have the option of changing car for work and for the first time I am getting a 4WD so that we can do some offroad adventuring, outback touring etc. Last year it would have been a no-brainer because the 120 series seemed a brilliant machine but this year everything I read about the 150 suggests that it is now a bit underpowered with the heavier weight and same diesel engine. I have also been reading some of the threads about the turbo lag especially obvious when you cruise into a roundabout, then look to accelerate out of it and nothing happens for a second or two. I took out a GX diesel at the weekend and I noticed the same thing.
The other vehicle I was considering was the Pajero GLS which seems very good and good to drive but they just don't seem to hold their price like the Toyotas. I will be doing quite a lot of kms, about 50-60k a year so a 3 year old vehicle will have 150 or so on the clock. Is there anyone out there who has gone through the same decision making re Pajero or Prado re resale and price. Also can anyone give me any feedback on whether they find the power issue or turbo lag a problem.
Finally, when I get to order it, for a beginner going outback touring, do you reckon I have enough with just the alloy bull bar ( I notice most people seem to get ARB instead of Toyota's one) or do I need to be thinking right from the start about different wheels, suspension etc etc.

I would love to hear anyone's feedback. Thanks

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

Re: Buying a prado for the first time

OK, just been through this decision making process. Resale was a consideration, and the Prado, according to the Redbook site at least, holds its value better than the Pajero, however, as per my other post, this was not the primary consideration. Quality of finish, legroom, general comfort and various other features including fuel economy contributed to the outcome. Bear in mind that my comparison was based on three year old vehicles, with the pajero bottom book being 59% of original purchase price, and the toyota at 69% for the post sep 2007 VX, but how the toyota fares with the new model, who knows. Even so, the difference is less than the difference in purchase price.

As to power and turbo lag, there is no question that a diesel is no race car, but on a trip down the coast on the weekend I managed to find myself well over the speed limit on a number of occasions without realising until I looked at the speedo. Overtaking should be planned, and the use of the tiptronic style gear change allows things to happen a little quicker. Being in Canberra, there is no shortage of roundabouts, and the turbo lag is noticeable, but generally only for the first half a car length or so, particularly from a standing start. Having had vehicle for nine days, and having only put just over a thousand K's on it, I am now used to it, and compensate, either by waiting a moment for a break in the traffic, or by approaching in a manner that does not require coming to a dead stop, minimising the lag experienced. Around town it is pleasant enough to drive, and on the highway, acknowledging that it is a diesel and that overtaking should be carefully planned regardless of what you drive, it is a pleasure to drive, to the point that the stability control kicked in on a couple of occasions due to, I assume, my pointing it into a downhill off camber corner a bit quicker than maybe the manufacturer intended. It would have coped happily without the electronic assistance. Coming back up the mountain, the vehicle maintained speed happily and was not overtaken, and there were no vehicles queued up behind due to a lack of acceleration coming out of tight corners and on a relatively steep grade.

My recommendation would be to drive both and make your choices based on the criteria that are important to you. My purchase was based on a requirement for a comfortable family wagon with a 2500Kg min towing capacity, not an Outback tourer or rock hopper. Your motives will vary.

Not being a hard core offroader, I can only offer observations about the difference in the ARB bar vs the Toyota option. I was lucky enough to be in a workshop where there were two other Prados, one fitted with a genuine bar and the other with an ARB. The ARB bar exposes significantly more of the front tyre when viewed from the front. This would likely allow a better approach angle if you were planning hardcore offroading. Both bars had light mounts and winch mounts, and both required the front panels to be cut and shut to fit. I did read a post here somewhere that talked about water damage resulting from the fitment of bars.

[Bushchook Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Bushchook]

Re: Buying a prado for the first time

I have had my 150 GX for a couple of months now and totally stoked with it. My previous car was 100 series petrol (very thirsty), You are correct about the lag when approaching roundabouts though it feels through I have trained myself to approach corners and roundabouts at the right revs and found the car doesn't drop gears or lag along. Now it comes naturally and don't really notice it anymore. In regards to the power - of coarse we all wan't more though people are quick to forget that not so long ago we hummed around in prehistoric oil burners that produced sub par performance. By memory somewhere between 70 and 95 kW's was the going power band, not to mention woeful auto transmissions. But, we all still managed to get to our favourite destionations without any bother. If someone had told me 5 years ago that we could produce the performance we acheive today and manage 1200kms out of a tank I would have laughed in there face. I am planning on a few modifications in the near future though i am not going over the top. I have taken my car off roading a little since i have purchased it and am very satisfied with what it can do. I'm definately no rock hopping mountain destroyer, though i would consider the off roading I do not for the faint hearted. In regards to upgrades - 1) Tyres, 2)Snorkel (dusty roads) 3)Dual Batteries 4)Suspension. The Prado is a very capable vehicle with great off road ability and great to drive on the main roads(which is where we drive mostly). Your comment on the bullbars is highly debated though i am very head strong in buying steel. The alloy variants, aftermarket or genuine will not take the hit of a big roo, cow, wild horse whatever. You'll find it will do more damage than good.
I can't really comment on the Pajero as I didn't test drive it when i looked at a new car. I really was very impressed by the Prado and bought one with out consulting the wife or driving anything else.
Good luck with your purchase - and really at the end of the day Prado or Pajero or whatever you buy they are all very capable vehicles. (except Great Walls)

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

Re: Buying a prado for the first time

Thanks Bushchook. The bloke at the dealership ( don't think she's has ever driven out of town) told me that the alloy bars absorb any impact better without causing damage whereas the steel ones can result in damage. Also what sort of change do you make to tyres and suspension. Finally, haven't figured out yet why people have dual batteries. Is it for external items like fridges? Do you get Toyota to do all these or other suppliers?

[Bushchook Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Bushchook]

Re: Buying a prado for the first time

The other thing i didn't mention was how hideous the genuine bull bar is, The ARB deluxe bar is by far the best looking bar with the best fit(my opion of course). The steel bar is fully air bag compatible. The alloy bars are obviously softer and when hit with force will absorb the hit through your front end, taking out important cooling items in your car. The whole reason of having a bullbar well i think is to protect those key cooloing items. I would hate to call the RAC 300kms from civilisation cause a roo has caused the aluminium bullbar to destroy my radiator, trans cooler, intercooler. Big $$$$. Again this is my opinion. Tyre choice is up to the owner, personally when the time comes I will be buying a Cooper ATR L/T, they will last for up to 80000km. Previously I had BFGoodrich A/T's(which were great) and I beleive the Mickey Thomson tyres are a good make as well. I am not a fan of Mud Terrains (i don't do enough driving in that environment, plus the noise factor and wear factor on bitumen). Dual Batteries are great if you are getting away and require extra power. They will not take power from your starting/cranking battery and will run items like fridges, freezers etc. Check out sidewinder.com.au. The bloke blogs alot on here and has a 150 Series GXL that has a great Dual battery set up. I don't have a lot of knowledge on Suspension as my previous car came with all the mods before i bought it. Though if you are towing i would consider airbags for the rear and maybe a set of quality srings and shocks if you are gonna do a lot of off roading. Old Man Emu is a reputable brand as well as Bilstein.
I would personally get all my aftermarket mods done without the dealer as they will charge you the normal amount plus add there cream on top. in the end costinmg you more. This is a commen practise, I was in the industry for a while

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

Re: Buying a prado for the first time

Thanks for your comments thylacene. On the front bar issue, I thought that the Toyota option literally replaced the original bumper bar and therefore there would be no cutting and consequently possibility of water leakage? I notice that I think you use your vehicle for work Do you do a lot of kms in it? I do about 50k a year so one of the main factors I need to take into account is the value that is left on a 150k Prado at the end of 3 years which looks to be considerably more than the % left on the Pajero.