MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: MarkVS on August 14, 2012, 06:28:49 PM
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Everyone,
I am really struggling at the moment. I am looking to buy my first 4WD which will also be my first second hand car ever and I am not mechanically minded.
Based on how much I will use it (occasional weekend 4WD and some trips)I have narrowed it down to the 2003 - 2004 NP Pajero Diesel (great value and the 3.2 reads well) or Prado 120 diesel series (the 3.0 diesel reads well and the Prado seems to hold value well). Looking around 150,000 Km. I have been told in dielsel's this is just 'running it in'.
Can I please get feedback on which way I should concentrate and why. And from people that have either had both or are mechanics. My wife would prefer auto for ease of use.
Please help me work out which way we should jump.
MarkVS
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If you can put up with the extra cabin noise in the Paj go for that if it is cheaper. Auto diesel is a match made in heaven.
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I had 2 brand new 120 prado's both for about 80,000km and couldn't fault them. The rear door could be a PITA at times but I think the Paj is similar. I haven't had much to do the the Paj except for the police ones and they rode prety well and had plenty of power.
Regards
Jas
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better off with this
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2003-Jeep-Grand-Cherokee-WG-MY2003-Limited-Grey-5sp-Wagon-/170888725559?pt=AU_Cars&hash=item27c9c30437 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2003-Jeep-Grand-Cherokee-WG-MY2003-Limited-Grey-5sp-Wagon-/170888725559?pt=AU_Cars&hash=item27c9c30437)
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There's always one...
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There's always one...
You mean one voice of reason? Yes thats me
The jeep is BETTER appointed, MORE capable offroad, MUCH better onroad and is allround a better car than either of the 2 in the OP..
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LOL...................
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You mean one voice of reason? Yes thats me
The jeep is BETTER appointed, MORE capable offroad, MUCH better onroad and is allround a better car than either of the 2 in the OP..
Of course it is ::) That's why he asked about Jeeps as well :P
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Go the Prado. I've owned a 120 for the last 6 years, can't fault it.
S
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We have a 120, some good freinds of ours have a pajero, both have there pros and cons, but I think you would be happy with either one - not sure if this making the decision any easier for you though.
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Am I right in thinking that the old 3 lit diesel engine in the 90 series was carried over into the 120 for a while? They were pretty slow until the D4D was introduced. I have a 3.2 Paj and I like it (pulls like a train), but it would be noisier than the Prado.
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Hi MarkVS,
I own a 2004 NP Pajero Exceed 3.2 diesel. I brought it secondhand with 47,000km, and it now has 162,000km on the clock.
At the time I purchased mine, I narrowed my choice down to the Prado and Pajero. Both are good vehicles, but there were a few reasons that I ended up with the Pajero (which may not be applicable to you now).
Firstly was value for money. My Pajero being an Exceed it is top of the line. It has lots of luxury features as well as lots of electronic driving aids making it a very comfortable rig for a family tourer. For the money I paid for my Pajero, the best or nearest equivalent Prado I could find at the time was a TX (lower spec than a Grande), which was not as well appointed as the Pajero Exceed, had 95,000km on the clock (double) and was still $10k more. Put simply, I could just get "more" car, for less money, buying the Pajero.
The next deciding factor was the engine and driveline. The 3.2 DiD of the Pajero just eats the 3.0L of the Prado (of that vintage) in everyway. The Prado diesel isn't a bad engine (I owned a KZN-185 Surf previously that had one in it), but when compared with the Pajero, it's simply a slug. On paper the difference is obvious - Prado 96kw with 343nm, Pajero 121kw with 373nm. The Pajero also came standard with a 5 speed triptronic autobox, versus the Prados 4 speed box, which makes very good use of the low down torque of the 3.2 engine.
The next thing which won me over was the Pajeros handling. It just felt so nice to drive, feeling more car like on the road and sporty compared to the Prado, which felt slow, heavy and un-responsive and more like a traditional old school 4wd. I'm guessing the major difference here being the Pajeros independent suspension and monocoque chassis.
Next and probably final major thing was the Pajeros warranty. When I brought my Pajero it was a little over 2 years old, but still had almost 3 years factory warranty. I know this wouldn't apply to your situation, but I think the 5/10 warranty offered on these cars from new was and possibly still is the best on the market, which I would suggest reflects the confidence Mitsubishi has in these vehicles.
There's other things which I thought were better in the Pajero over the Prado (like the way the 7 seats fold away under the floor), but I think these are probably a more to do with personal opinion.
So after owning my car now for 5 odd years and 110,000km, I'm still really happy with my choice. Apart from the usual servicing and parts that would typically be replaced (brake pads, air filters etc), oil changes at 15,000km instead of 5,000km for the Toyota, the only thing which I've had to replace was the starter motor, which started playing up just recently after 160,000km - which is not a bad length of service. The car is my daily driver, my weekend tow vehicle for my 21 foot boat, but also gets used 2 -3 times a year for family 4wding holidays and has been ultra reliable, fuel efficient and comfortable.
As others have pointed out, the direct injected diesel of the Pajero is noisy at idle and during acceleration, but quiet at cruising speed. In all honesty the diesel "chatter" doesn't bother me, and it's hard to hear the noise over the AT tyres, modified exhaust, 2 young boys in the back seat, and the wife chewing my ear off in the front seat.
Hope this ramble helped. Good luck, you won't go wrong buying either a Prado or a Pajero in my opinion anyway.
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Another vote for the Paj, with the exception of the dual mass flywheel (which won't be a problem in an auto) I couldn't fault my 2002 NM GLS
:cheers: Brett
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Gday MarkVS
I am similar to a few previous posters who chose the Pajero over the Prado. I also think that the choice was the best for me. About the only thing I would change would be to have the longer range through extra fuel capacity.
New car options and accessories are numerous and wide ranging ... unfortunately, a larger fuel tank is not one of them. A great pity in a country like Australia where some distances are vast.
Good luck with your choice ... I'm sure both vehicles will get you to where you want to go and more importantly, back again.
Cheers
RayMc
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Hi MarkVS,
We have a 150 Prado and cannot fault it, the 120 has the same motor and suspension which really makes it beautiful to drive. I work in the Pilbara and all the mine sites use the Prado 120 & 150 they never breakdown, I have never seen a Pajero on a mine site so for me shows that the big guns don't trust them. As for resale the Prado Shits on anything else and that was my final decision maker for me when I bought my Prado. Good luck in what ever you choose.
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Better still buy mine and you won't have to look any more.
Wayne
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You wont go wrong with either.
Pajero is better on road due to independent rear suspension but wears rear tyres faster when towing.
Prado will cost more, as others have suggested 10k more for a similar model.
Pajeros tend to be trinkety as they go up trim levels and can look gaudy and out of date pretty early.
Third row seats in Pajero are not as safe as Prado due to the in the floor storage leaves a large gap around the shoulder area of the lap sash belts. (Prado 150 are similar)
2003/04 Prado will still have the older pre D4D engine in them. Super reliable but not as much power as the Pajero or the later D4D Prado.
Before you splash out do consider a 4.0lt petrol Prado. The pre d4d diesel gets around the 12 - 12.5lphk and the petrol is around the 14lphk driven similarly. You will catch this up on services easily. Plus, the 4lt is way cheaper than the diesel. I have an 04 Prado TD auto and love it. If I went again I would have got the V6 petrol and I love diesels being a diesel mechanic and all. But the $$ and power are in the v6 favour IMO.
have fun, you wont regret it.
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Our choice when we were looking was the Prado. Had it for over four years now and still love it. We've got the D4D model 120 have done 110000 km in it. Great for touring, huge fuel capacity, quiet and smooth. Generally more expensive but. Just make sure that the injectors have been replaced or factor in about $3k when they go(and they will). Or make sure you get a decent warranty with it. I have just had to replace mine and it hurt the pocket. Apart from that they are a great 4wd.
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oil changes at 15,000km instead of 5,000km for the Toyota,
Toyota has a 5k interval for dusty or hard work otherwise it is 10K. Most Toyota dealers will not do the five unless it needs it.
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Toyota has a 5k interval for dusty or hard work otherwise it is 10K. Most Toyota dealers will not do the five unless it needs it.
I stand corrected then as I thought it was the standard service schedule. But having said this I remember when owning my 1KZ-TE the oil basically had to be changed at 5k as it was black as black, and just looked really bad. That was simply from normal highway driving. Everyone I know that owned a TD Prado wouldn't go any longer than 5k without changing the oil.
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what about http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/261081993978/ (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/261081993978/)
Go and drive both cars, the Paj and the Prado are both great cars. You may eliminate one just by driving it..
I've driven a VRX Paj up the road from work here, and if I was cashed up, I'd have taken it on the spot.
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Toyota has a 5k interval for dusty or hard work otherwise it is 10K. Most Toyota dealers will not do the five unless it needs it.
Still own the 1kz-te and yes every 10k for oil change and every 5k for hard work. I still change mine every 5 because this is the way I help look after my truck. Still for sale, just go to the classifieds.
Wyno
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I stand corrected then as I thought it was the standard service schedule. But having said this I remember when owning my 1KZ-TE the oil basically had to be changed at 5k as it was black as black, and just looked really bad. That was simply from normal highway driving. Everyone I know that owned a TD Prado wouldn't go any longer than 5k without changing the oil.
You were not wrong. Initially they did this however changed a while ago. I only found out when we were travelling and booked it in for a 5k.
We had a simliar thing with our newish Rav. The manual said change the fuel filter at 70kish but they pushed that out to 150k I think.
cheers
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To everyone,
thanks for your responses. As everyone has said, I really can't go wrong with either.
As for all of the other types of cars, I started looking into them (Jeeps, Patrols etc) but it really did started to do my head in....so I decided to narrow it down to 2..and based on people I knew, Prado and Pajero were the 2.
WYNO - would like to get your car...but Kerry I think would prefer an auto, the styling of the 120, and the Bris/Melb/re register etc etc just started making it too hard.
Thanks again.....now for the looking.....
So if anybody knows anyone selling a 2003-2004 Prado/Pajero, diesel, auto, approx 150,000 km on the clock, in good mechanical nick, that would be a great 2nd car/holiday car, let me know.
Thanks
MarkVS