Hi guys,
By way of introduction, my name is Seb and I have been reading quite a bit on this great forum. I'm originally from Europe, but have been living in Australia for almost four years now. I enjoy it a lot - especially getting out there and exploring this great country.
It has long been my dream to buy a 4WD, kit it out and travel around Oz. I've finally managed to free up some time and save up enough money to do it. Initially, I had my heart set on a GU Patrol - until I actually drove one, that is! Since I will also need to use the fourby as a city run around and seeing that I live in an apartment complex with fairly small parking spaces, I decided the Patrol was just too big and truck-like in handling for my purposes. So out I went to look at Prados - and I'm hooked! It's exactly what I need, and I've been on the quest for a suitable one ever since. Planning to go with Petrol, as I can get better vehicles in my price range of around $30k.
One of my main criteria for selecting one (besides it not being a lemon) is resale value. I may have to return to Europe at the end of the year, so it is paramount for me to be able to sell the Prado fast and at a reasonable price (everything can be sold fast if it is discounted enough, but I'm trying to not lose too much money!).
In light of this, I am considering two options:
1. A late model, high km example, i.e. 150 V6 with above average kms
2. A 2008 - 2009 120 model with average or below kms for the age
For option 1 specifically, I am currently looking at a GXL in silver with 142.000 kms on the clock. It has a full service book (except for two services), was owned by a multinational oil company, but from looking at it it seems it's never been off road. Feels more like an exec car.
It would be terrific if you could help me out with the following questions:
a) in terms of resale value and ease of sale, would you go with option 1 or 2? Why? (btw - I'm aware of differences between 120 and 150 models thanks to this forum, but none of them matter much to me. Only concerned with resale at this point).
b) regarding the 150: Apart from missing two services (I think 50 and 70, but need to double check), some of them were also quite late e.g. 5-7k over the recommended mileage. Is this a worry?
c) I'm still trying to find out what use the vehicle was being put to, but seeing that it's done more than 35,000 kms per year, I'm assuming they are mostly country / high way. What would be the most desirable use for such a high km vehicle? I'm assuming highway?
If anyone can shed some light on this, I would be very grateful!
Hoping to be a Prado owner soon!
Cheers,
Seb
By way of introduction, my name is Seb and I have been reading quite a bit on this great forum. I'm originally from Europe, but have been living in Australia for almost four years now. I enjoy it a lot - especially getting out there and exploring this great country.
It has long been my dream to buy a 4WD, kit it out and travel around Oz. I've finally managed to free up some time and save up enough money to do it. Initially, I had my heart set on a GU Patrol - until I actually drove one, that is! Since I will also need to use the fourby as a city run around and seeing that I live in an apartment complex with fairly small parking spaces, I decided the Patrol was just too big and truck-like in handling for my purposes. So out I went to look at Prados - and I'm hooked! It's exactly what I need, and I've been on the quest for a suitable one ever since. Planning to go with Petrol, as I can get better vehicles in my price range of around $30k.
One of my main criteria for selecting one (besides it not being a lemon) is resale value. I may have to return to Europe at the end of the year, so it is paramount for me to be able to sell the Prado fast and at a reasonable price (everything can be sold fast if it is discounted enough, but I'm trying to not lose too much money!).
In light of this, I am considering two options:
1. A late model, high km example, i.e. 150 V6 with above average kms
2. A 2008 - 2009 120 model with average or below kms for the age
For option 1 specifically, I am currently looking at a GXL in silver with 142.000 kms on the clock. It has a full service book (except for two services), was owned by a multinational oil company, but from looking at it it seems it's never been off road. Feels more like an exec car.
It would be terrific if you could help me out with the following questions:
a) in terms of resale value and ease of sale, would you go with option 1 or 2? Why? (btw - I'm aware of differences between 120 and 150 models thanks to this forum, but none of them matter much to me. Only concerned with resale at this point).
b) regarding the 150: Apart from missing two services (I think 50 and 70, but need to double check), some of them were also quite late e.g. 5-7k over the recommended mileage. Is this a worry?
c) I'm still trying to find out what use the vehicle was being put to, but seeing that it's done more than 35,000 kms per year, I'm assuming they are mostly country / high way. What would be the most desirable use for such a high km vehicle? I'm assuming highway?
If anyone can shed some light on this, I would be very grateful!
Hoping to be a Prado owner soon!
Cheers,
Seb
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