Sold the prado: jeep?

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

Going from a prado to a jeep ! Good luck with that . Better get yourself a roadside assistance membership and a big fire extinguisher

[Black Mamba 2014 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Black Mamba 2014]

One of the car that I wanted to take for a test drive was a Jeep Grand Cherokee (Trailhawk edition), but they did not have any Trailhawk in stock but had a lot of Limited/Overland models and for some unknown reason he got me to test drive the Jeep Wrangler (cheaper). I was dressed in wife beaters, black shorts and double pluggers so the vibe that I got from the dealer was these young couples can't afford a car like this and specially dress like that.

I did the same thing with Toyota and I spent all day test driving all their car's. It's taken me a whole year to decide what car I should buy and ended up going for the Prado, I did like the Landcruiser/Sahara/Kakadu (but hated the leather) and the unbreakable Hilux but my partner wanted the Kluger Grande (I say @#!* that, Kluger is a nice car but its a fat mums car or a hot mums car (MILF)).

Too much leather in the car, must be nice to drive on road. If you are worried about cars/suv/4x4 thirsty on towing, theirs a simple solution for that... don't tow!

I really hate to say it but from all my friends and my friends friends (who are familiar with Jeep) all Jeep Australia dealership and service sucks massive balls sack. Jeep parts are expensive (in saying that all vehicle parts now days are expensive) because they have limited parts and aftermarket parts available here in Australia and the electronic system is not reliable.

The first problem that you have encountered is that you have a petrol 4x4/SUV type of vehicle for towing, you don't see any Kenworth T659 prime mover in petrol. Diesel engine vehicles are the best vehicles for towing, however, if you do not look after it it will cost more to fix. Their are a lot of nice vehicles out there that has good fuel economy for towing but you got to look at it long term in relation to service/parts/issues/ and probably re-sale value.

If you dig long and hard enough all vehicle have problems doesn't matter what it is, it is you as the buyer who will experience those problems. And at the end of the day Toyota will always look and drive like a dream than most cars out there because of all the aftermarket parts that readily available here in Australia.

Buy a Diesel Prado or the King of the off road Cruiser and you can't go wrong or don't tow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdjnNxvZtIU

[scoopix Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close scoopix]

Really appreciate the feedback, I was heading on the path of the diesel grand Cherokee , plenty of grunt and I thought they had fixed their reliability problems, re think again?

[lippa Member Find all posts View Profile Close lippa]

If I needed to tow 2.5t plus, I'd have a 200 series, I don't so I have a prado. There your 2 only sane and rational choices.

Enjoy

Lippa

[rhs58 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rhs58]

If I needed to tow 2.5t plus, I'd have a 200 series, I don't so I have a prado. There your 2 only sane and rational choices.

Enjoy

Lippa

Well, after much research, test driving, considering my options, my needs, and my Toyota dealership experiences, it came down to 200 series or a Land Rover Discovery.
I bought the Discovery.
I don't think I was insane or irrational.
Jeep didn't make the short list.
Was sorry to see the Prado go, the purchaser got a great well equipped 4x4.

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

My son said that he would dis-own me if I ever bough a Jeep. He works on them and drives a Patrol.
Bazza

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

My parents made the same decision with a Disco TDi about two years ago. I told them not to buy it but at $5k and full service history, it was a "bargain". They did a moderate about of miles towing an older 22ft caravan. They loved the comfort and fuel economy. Three months ago it drop a big end resulting in terminal damage. Bye bye Disco. Their mechanic bought it for $500. Bargain.

[Black Mamba 2014 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Black Mamba 2014]

I like and don't mind the discos. My uncle bought one a year ago for around about $76k with 4000 km's on the clock, he hasn't had any problems with it. I wonder if the service and parts would cost an arm and a leg, not saying anything bad about the VX and Kakadu but if I wanted a luxurious mid size 4x4 I would buy a Land Rover Discovery 4 Series 4 SDV6 HSE MY13 Sports Automatic. But I hate leather in 4x4 and I believe with the background life story behind the Prado GXL I have made the right choice in purchasing a reliable/rugged/manly/off road capable 4x4.

However, a 200 series and a Disco is nowhere near the same category.

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

Jeep ..ha hah hah hah hah hah ..Have a look at the Izuzu MUX though

2nd that, my neighbors bought the T/D Isuzu and it's got the lot for $50 g he got everything chucked in drive away and it tows effortlessly in fact it might even be my next buy !!!

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

^^May join you on that one. I can see the market for mid sized SUV's getting quite squeezed in the years to come from the competition. Really like the look of them.

[Rogerthatv2 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Rogerthatv2]

2nd that, my neighbors bought the T/D Isuzu and it's got the lot for $50 g he got everything chucked in drive away and it tows effortlessly in fact it might even be my next buy !!!

Thinking the same myself, I am still hanging on to hope (albeit slim) that Toyota release the Fortuner here. The number plates on the VX 150 would spin on the way to trade it in!

As for the Jeep, I think over the last few years especially they have come a long way, just not long enough in my opinion but.


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[farmernz Member Find all posts View Profile Close farmernz]

i wanted the jeep , it had heaps of spec for the price, but little things kept popping up that i saw as negatives, it had flimsy felt like stuff in the wheel arches that i thought wouldnt stand up to gravel roads, it had no auto down shifts when you touch the brakes on hills, resale of trade ins appeared low to me as the 2 years old ones on the dealers lot were 1/3 (plus) less than new ones, especially when compared to 2nd hand prado. it did drive very nice, but now that i have had the prado 12 months im very happy with it.

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

Jeep sure does tick a lot of boxes. They just forgot that one that says "Reliability".

[K & M McF Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close K & M McF]

Just because a vehicle can legally tow (say) 3.5 tonne compared to (say) 2.5 tonne of another vehicle does not mean that it will do it better or safer. I am amazed that some non-Toyota vehicles have towing capacities that are much more than a similar sized Toyota. I have a boat that is a bit over 2 tonne, even with my Prado at 2.5 tonne capacity I would not want to tow 2.5 tonnes far. I certainly would not want to tow 3.5 tonnes using a different but similar vehicle.

As to Jeeps, everyone here has said it all.

[Black Mamba 2014 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Black Mamba 2014]

A does look good when it's towing something but this is the only four wheel driving that a serious owner would see in his beer and skittle lifestyle.

From what i have been reading and a word of mouth I would rather buy a to tow because it's more reliable than a Jeep GC.