Looking to buy a Prado

[Hewy54]

Due to a change in my daughters marital status she is looking to buy a car.
For the last 12 years she has had a variety of tow vehicles, all company cars and has had a Sahara, RR sports, Q7, Pajero, X5 and currently a Jeep Wrangler. She needed to be able to tow up to 3.5 t and money was not an issue. Her situation has now changed.
She wants a medium to large SUV that can tow the boat (about 1.8 t) and can spend up to $30k.
I have looked at various options and am thinking Prado, 120 series, automatic, diesel.
Any advice on Prado problems, 120 v 150, or other vehicles would be greatly appreciated.
I am also hoping that in a couple of years time I can talk her into a camper or small hybrid so she can travel with us

[Coolblue80]

More bang for the buck if you look at Pajero in your budget. I would think you would get a newer vehicle with less k's in a Paj than a prado.
Just my 2c. But I'm a bit biased towards the Mitsy.
Cheers, Mike.

[BrisVegasGolfer]

Nothing wrong with the Prado, but the Pajero for that money will be newer and have heaps more grunt.  Misses out on the long range tank of the Prado, but that's a $1k fix through the aftermarket.

[chester ver2.0]

120 series is the most versatile of the 2 however it was stopped in 2009 so they are getting a bit long in the tooth
If you go a 120 go the latest model possible and make sure there is no rattling on startup as they had problems with the injector seals that could lead to premature engine failure.

The 150 from 2009 onwards uses the same engine and running gear but has a front mounted intercooler and they have done some work with injectors turbo etc. It is a smoother and quieter vehicle to drive and looking at her history of vehicles will probably suit her better.

The only real required mod for towing with the prado is some beefing up of the rear suspension as it is very soft and you will notice a fair bit of sag in the bum when hooking up a trailer

As for known faults there are a few little things 1. the injector issues but later models had this sorted. 2 cheap servicing some lazy buggers when they do the timing belt at 150k do not do the tensioner and this can cause problems later on down the track 3. The water pumps are known to weep and develop a  leak at about 200k and this is about the time the viscous coupling on the fan needs replacing so if you are going to keep it beyond that it is a good time to overhaul the cooling system 4. there are reports of the 150 series having some inner guard cracking issues for those who fitted large aux batteries under the bonnet however this seems to be limited to those with heavy off-road use think mining vehicles

Over all a good vehicle with a few little problems that can be easily managed and reliable over all

[scblack]

Isn't a Prado only 2.5t towing capacity? You mentioned she needed 3.5t earlier. If only towing a boat at 1.8t should be fine.

Regardless, personally I think you would get a newer vehicle looking at something like a Pajero, or possibly a Isuzu MUX at that sort of budget. What about a Ford Territory with tow pack? - you would get a very nice Territory at about $30k.

[tryagain]

Pajero's will certainly offer more bang for your buck, but the thing to also take into consideration is resale value at the other end. Not saying this will definitely change the outcome as it varies on how long she plans on keeping it but is something to factor in that a lot of people forget about.