el_guapo3291
Legendary Member
Fellow Carbies,
I currently drive a 2011 Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.4 Manual.
I love it, it's got more than enough capability both on and off road and is super reliable with low maintenance costs.
But...
The one thing it lacks is a load bin and all the space and versatility that comes with it, like right now if I want to go camping out in the bush I could easily do it if I drop the back seats but then it limits it to just 2x people or if I want to take the dogo's to the beach for some fun same problem and lots of fluff to clean up afterwards.
So...
I have been contemplating getting a DC 4x4 but with a budget of R350k-ish what should I look at?
It needs to be 2013 or Newer (Otherwise can be diffcult to finance)
The most availble option is the Ford Ranger but I have read some horror stories about them and engine/turbo failures that cost +-100k to fix, which is money I definitely would not have lying around
I'd love a Hilux but the Toyota badge generally keeps them above the budget and they are also insanely high risk vehicles.
Isuzu KB would be great because they're reliable workhorses and lower risk but they seem rarer than unicorns...
VW Amarok, would be the closest replacement to the GV in terms of ride and refinement but a BiTurbo Diesel mostly paired with a fancy Auto box seems like a good way to ensure high maintenance costs down the road.
Nissan NP300 1980's design and very poor safety, so even though the drivetrain is great will have to pass on that.
Nissan Navara Don't fancy the newer model with the Renault 2.3, the older model is very rare to find nowadays.
Is there perhaps something that I have missed that ticks all the boxes? Also any real ownership experience (preferrably long term) with any of the above (or other options) would be great.
Or
Should I just get a trailer which mostly fixes the problem? 👀
I currently drive a 2011 Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.4 Manual.
I love it, it's got more than enough capability both on and off road and is super reliable with low maintenance costs.
But...
The one thing it lacks is a load bin and all the space and versatility that comes with it, like right now if I want to go camping out in the bush I could easily do it if I drop the back seats but then it limits it to just 2x people or if I want to take the dogo's to the beach for some fun same problem and lots of fluff to clean up afterwards.
So...
I have been contemplating getting a DC 4x4 but with a budget of R350k-ish what should I look at?
It needs to be 2013 or Newer (Otherwise can be diffcult to finance)
The most availble option is the Ford Ranger but I have read some horror stories about them and engine/turbo failures that cost +-100k to fix, which is money I definitely would not have lying around
I'd love a Hilux but the Toyota badge generally keeps them above the budget and they are also insanely high risk vehicles.
Isuzu KB would be great because they're reliable workhorses and lower risk but they seem rarer than unicorns...
VW Amarok, would be the closest replacement to the GV in terms of ride and refinement but a BiTurbo Diesel mostly paired with a fancy Auto box seems like a good way to ensure high maintenance costs down the road.
Nissan NP300 1980's design and very poor safety, so even though the drivetrain is great will have to pass on that.
Nissan Navara Don't fancy the newer model with the Renault 2.3, the older model is very rare to find nowadays.
Is there perhaps something that I have missed that ticks all the boxes? Also any real ownership experience (preferrably long term) with any of the above (or other options) would be great.
Or
Should I just get a trailer which mostly fixes the problem? 👀