Advice on what to buy

[701LLL Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close 701LLL]

Hi everyone,

I am after some advice on what I should be looking for in a 2nd hand prado.

We have a budget of 40-45k and will be doing a bit of of 4 wheel driving, also we have a camper trailer that we will take out at least once a month and hopefully in the next 2-3 years do a trip around oz, we do travel on dirt roads everyday and have 2 kids (hopefully more in the next few years) so id like the car to have air conditioning in the rear of the car including the 3rd row. We have been looking at the 3.0L 2015 GXL models, but have heard mixed reviews on the 2.8 and 3.0 L and dont know where to start looking now..... Also is there anything we should have done to the car before we take it off road?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[tempestv8 Member Find all posts View Profile Close tempestv8]

The 2.8 has a DPF, whereas the 3.0 does not. Whilst all diesels do not like short trips, this is more so with the 2.8 as the DPF requires sufficient time to burn off the accumulated particulates. So if you know that your vehicle is going to do a lot more short trips, the 3.0 may be the wiser choice. Toyota NZ stipulate an injector copper O ring replacement at regular intervals, which Toyota Australia, strangely does not. Its this O ring seal that, when compromised, causes issues for the 3.0.

There is currently a class action suit against Toyota Australia for the 2.8, so at least the dealers won't be able to deny knowledge of the DPF issues, which seems to affect only some vehicles, not all. Since you drive on dirt roads, presumably your travel times would be DPF friendly. I'd personally pick the 2.8 just for it's better NVH and it's the current generation engine, so Toyota would have a vested interest in getting it right.

There are reports of dust getting past the air filter element, so many folks are addressing this issue by lubing the rubber seals around the element with a general application of rubber grease, which seems to do the trick.

[701LLL Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close 701LLL]

thanks for the advice, we ended up getting a 2016 prado and we are very happy with our purchase, we did test drive the 3.0L and the new 2.8L are alot quieter and smoother to drive. Just have to get some seat covers and a bullbar and we will be right. Cheers mate