tonyt Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Hi Raiders! I am in the market for a new tow vehicle and with my new family, beautiful baby girl Kirra just arrived, I am leaning towards the three models above. They are all more than capable of towing my current rig which probably weighs less than 1100kg. But being fisherman we all know we like to explore, do the odd bit of beach driving and launch our boats at less than ideal locations. To be honest after doing research I am leaning towards the Ford, mainly because of its torque and car like handling "dynamics". I launch and retrieve 95% of the time at good ramps in Sydney, and the other 4.5% at bream tournament venues up and down the coast which also have good ramps. My dilema is the other .5% which involes holidays. Which if any could handle beach driving without concern or perhaps tow a boat out to Fraser Island for an example??? Thanks in advance Dave have a look at the new land rover freelander 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mik Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 (edited) Lots of vehicles mentioned here & I guess if I had to stack them all up I would go a landcruiser too, but only the utility as I have been in a few wagons & just don't like them (Personal choice with way too many rattles in muh head to even begin mentioning why) But, of the three you stated in your original post I can't vouch for the Pathfinder enough. Last time I looked at these they were identical in motor & running gear to the Navara, of which I have alot of experience with. Diesels, be it Nissan or others have a much better re-sale value, are simply the only choice when doing any serious towing, off-roading etc. Modern petrol engines are great, don't get me wrong, but diesel is the choice for anyone "Off the beaten track" for a very good reason. They are strong & reliable. That's my opinion & I stand firm by our choice of nissans & diesels in general. You are paying for the vehicle, it all comes down to what you like, what feels right & what fits your budget. No point in buying something your either too scared to drive incase it gets a scratch or you can't afford to refuel once you've paid your monthly installments. Test drive, test drive, test drive. Ask others opinions by all means & take what you feel is good advice & than do some more test driving. Any dealer worth their salt will be happy to give you the keys one more time. One last point, don't judge any vehicle by the salesperson. There are good & bad in every industry. Judge the car & if you think it could be a contender but the salesperson was a jerk go to another dealer & see how they go. Who knows, by pitting dealers against each other you may even get the price dropped a bit. Keep the bastards honest. Cheers & good luck. Oh BTW, almost forgot. I have a Navara Stx which as I said is same undercarrige & motor as Pathfinder. I tow a 6.3 mtr ally boat no probs & am forever finding myself in conditions & places that would scare the be-jesus outta your average granny. For such a small motor (2.5 litre) it constantly surprises me. We also regularly tow 3 to 3.5 tonne trailers around in the bush for work & the navaras handle it very well. The Pathfinders should have exactly the same gearbox & transfer case as the Navara which has 2WD, Hi4WD & Lo4WD. If you can't get up a hill in any diesel in lo4WD then your trying to drive up a vertical wall 100 feet high! Edited February 25, 2008 by Boofhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booma Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Hi everybody I have just joined. I have owned boats for years but have not done much for some time. Now that I am getting some spare time I have just ordered myself a 560C Barcrusher for my 60 th birthday present. I went with that as a good all rounder which is light enough to haul long distances and can be easily handled by myself and my wife. I only intend to use good ramps, no beach launching! I also need to upgrade the second car which is a 1997 falcon ute (6 cyl). I need something that will tow the BC well, is auto, and good for the wife to drive at other times (she doesnt like any 4WD's!). It looks like a V8 Falcon or Commodore ute (1 tonne) with a lockable rear cover. (Better fuel economy when towing than a 6cyl I reckon). Anybody have any experience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmesie Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 (edited) Congrats on the Pajero Stewy - you won't regret it for one SECOND - the DiD motor is an absolute gem (I have a DiD Triton and it pulls like a train) by all accounts it's magic when combined with the Pajero 5-speeed auto too You probably don;t need any more forums, but here's a good Aussie Pajero site - Pajero Forum Funnily enough a white Pajero Exceed is high on my shopping list too - I will send you a PM Cheers Holmesie Edited February 25, 2008 by Holmesie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
achjimmy Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Hi everybody I have just joined. I have owned boats for years but have not done much for some time. Now that I am getting some spare time I have just ordered myself a 560C Barcrusher for my 60 th birthday present. I went with that as a good all rounder which is light enough to haul long distances and can be easily handled by myself and my wife. I only intend to use good ramps, no beach launching! I also need to upgrade the second car which is a 1997 falcon ute (6 cyl). I need something that will tow the BC well, is auto, and good for the wife to drive at other times (she doesnt like any 4WD's!). It looks like a V8 Falcon or Commodore ute (1 tonne) with a lockable rear cover. (Better fuel economy when towing than a 6cyl I reckon). Anybody have any experience? Booma to fishraiders and congrats on the BC. They look an excellent fishing platform. Both cars you mentioned should pull the boat well espiecially if you are using good ramps. Thing i like about the AWD on ramps is it is just so surefooted even at low tide when you drop a trailer wheel over the edge. Congrats on the Pajero Stewy - Funnily enough a white Pajero Exceed is high on my shopping list too - I will send you a PM Cheers Holmesie Ditto stewy the interior finish is fantastic, mate has the model below with same driveline and loves it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mik Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Any spanish people here? Sorry, just remembering what the Spanish translation of Pajero means. Feel free to delete this post Stewie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkymalinky Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Get a vehicle with low range 4WD so you can do any offroad stuff. My Brother in Law towed a 4.75 Quinnie with a Klueger (3.3L) until trading his boat for a 5m glass ski boat (no accounting for taste!) and while the car handles both, it doesn't do it in a way I'd call comfortable. You certainly know there's something behind you... mainly because of the lighter weight of the car I think. I just traded a subaru Outback for a Prado and the difference in towing, launching (and fuel bills) is huge. The only complaint I have is that it's hard to see the fairly small trailer behind me when I'm backing it with no boat on it. You'll pick me at the ramp... I'm the one with the trailer crooked in the water. Cheers, Slinky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyt Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Hi everybody I have just joined. I have owned boats for years but have not done much for some time. Now that I am getting some spare time I have just ordered myself a 560C Barcrusher for my 60 th birthday present. I went with that as a good all rounder which is light enough to haul long distances and can be easily handled by myself and my wife. I only intend to use good ramps, no beach launching! I also need to upgrade the second car which is a 1997 falcon ute (6 cyl). I need something that will tow the BC well, is auto, and good for the wife to drive at other times (she doesnt like any 4WD's!). It looks like a V8 Falcon or Commodore ute (1 tonne) with a lockable rear cover. (Better fuel economy when towing than a 6cyl I reckon). Anybody have any experience? get a 3 litre outback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cut_loose Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 60k on a car you guys are nuts my dad brought a new vz for a family car we tow our 4.2 meter quinnie dory no problems at most city ramps .. where not really into beach driving or launching plus the commodore cheap too run so how did you go did you buy a car yet mate .... p.s stewy i like your new set of wheels ... years of good touble free motoring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris 55 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Stewy does this mean the Commodore is gooooooooooooone it must have been hard to part with her especially as you seemed to change your mind and wanted to keep her Boof Yes I know what Pajero means in Spanish good for the Mardi Gras Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewhunter Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 I know why I changed cars now The ramp at the Cooks River has a lot of sand on it at times and with the new Pajero it just straight into the sandy stuff and no more wheel spin With 12 speakers and sub woofer and dvd player with infared heaphones and remote control, what more could you want?? OHHHH!!! yeh leather interior,more lights than you can poke a stick at including lights that follow the road and it uses bugger all diesel and costs me less to insurure than the SS YOU BET WE ARE HAPPY !!!!! and you dont even know the boat is on the back. Cheers Stewy Awww Stewy. How could you forget the heated seats?!! Glad you're happy mate. Can't wait for a trip in it! Cheers, Grant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris 55 Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Jeez Stewy Too bad you didn't go all out with the extra's Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsswordfisherman Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 and don't forget the Vanity mirror complete with light on passenger and driver sides, the reversing sensors, the sunglasses holder and the rear vision mirror that senses amount of light etc ........ The bluetooth answers your phone and turns the radio off. After the call is finished the radio comes back on. Of course no vehicle is complete without the DVD with remote control which can also be used for a little playstation gaming when the fish are not biting Can't wait to make use of the heated seats in winter All jokes aside it is a magnificent vehicle and stops swordie playing with the boy racers --- no more ss Cheers mrsswordfisherman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmesie Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 good to see you are happy with the Pajero (as I thought you would be) thanks for the chat the other day Stewy, I've still not done anything about a new car yet, but the time is coming soon!! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cut_loose Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 stewy all those extras ... sounds great mate ..... ahhhhhhh heated seats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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