i'm loving my 2000 model 540i that i bought for prettymuch the same reason, although i have neither the track car or trailer yet LOL

can pickup some nice 10year old euro's for around 10-15k the 540's have bucketloads of power & torque in the old 4.4 v8 & such a cruisy car to drive around, only cost me 11k and only 160k on the clock log book fsh

V8 Ford Explorer? Later models around 15-19k.

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91 GX Wagon, V2 STi RA conversion.
08 HSV Grange "The boat"
16 WRX STi

Agree with the epic fuel usage from an RA rodeo. You should buy my 80 series Landcruiser ^_^

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MY93 Impreza GX 1.8L, 0hp, 0nm

Liking the Navara for it's practicality and price.

Liking the X5 for the luxury and comfort that I would enjoy in a daily. I'm a bit concerned about servicing costs though, and availability/price of parts for it.

Both are pretty comparable in towing abillity and economy.

Where is my compromise? lol

You'd be surprised by BMW servicing. I was very impressed when i was comparing servicing of an M3 against a GTR for a customer.. Might be cheaper than you think.

If you end up going with a Nissan, drop me a PM. I might be able to help

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They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Lest we forget .

Holden Combo

I might have a chat with a few workshops before making a decision then. Will be sure to get in touch if the navara wins out haha.
Haha bit more than a compromise in both those fields



Been looking on caravan and 4wd forums to get some opinions and comparisons.
Starting to come to the conclusion that with a 4wd it can be cheap, comfortable or capable....but choose 2

Gonna rule out the BMW. Too many gadgets; although it would be nice, on an older second hand car, it will just mean there are more things to go wrong with it. If I have to ask how much it costs to service I can't afford it anyway hey?

Looks like a 2004/2005 Navara ST-R 3.0TD is the way to go. Although I found a 2002 Toyota Landcruiser Prado at a decent price at a dealer I might have a look at, as it has a 3.0TD also.

I found most hiluxs were done up with a load of 4WD gear, and in somewhat tacky condition for their price.

So....

After a bit of shopping around and testing...
Decided against the Navara. And the Hilux. Bit rough for daily duties IMO, as the ride was almost as rough as my WRX on coilovers.

So I went back to the drawing board. And a few family members gave me a nudge towards a Range Rover. Did a few sums and worked out that the 4.6L engine on LPG would be just as economical to run as my Liberty.

So I did some research and started looking, and was contacted by a mechanic from a reputable 4WD (Landrover specialist) workshop with a suitable vehicle.

Picked it up last week. Pretty happy with it so far, very comfortable car to drive.

2001 Range Rover HSE 4.6L

So many gadgets etc, and I know I'm gonna have to pay to keep it in good nic.

LPG conversions are still somewhat rare in these models as most people who could afford to buy one could afford the petrol consumption. So mine is still on petrol; and will keep it that way for a few more weeks at least while I get to know the car. Conversion will cost around $3500-4000, which I can then claim back $1250 rebate. The money saved from petrol consumption will cover the conversion cost after roughly a year.

Even though I had to compromise with the auto transmission, at the end of the day I've got just what I was looking for, at a total cost of around $15k (post-LPG conversion)

But I can see it becoming another money-pit like the WRX

ewww