buying an old ute

G

gg1965

Hi all,

I am doing a fair bit of reno work and I basically don't like going to Bunnings and filling the back of my 4 year old car up full of things. Plus, i am getting jack of hiring trucks or utes everytimg i want to cart something heavy. So I'm thinking of buying an old ute.

I been looking in the papers, and looking at the prices and models and there seems to be a stack of 15 year old utes (either 6 cylinder, V8 - gased or no gased) all for under $5k. That is the type of money I would like to spend.

So does anyone recommend, or not recommend, a particular model of ute that is about 15 yrs old. My preference is probably for a gassed V8 one, but a 6 may do. A Diesel is also an option but I definitely don't want to pay for 4WD drive facilities as i won't be using that.

I am thinking though that many of these cars may have been hooned out in their lifetime so i may have to be careful with what i look at. So what can i look for and what are talltale signs of a ute that has previously beeen in the hands of a hoon.


Thanks


g
 
I live in one of those agricultural support towns smack bang in the middle of some good farming land. Its ute central. The pub usually has a dozen utes parked out the front at the end of the week. With a dog in each tray of course.

So I say go out to the country and buy a ute from a country dealer :D

I swear everyone in a farming area has a ute or three, quite regularly see the older ones sitting by the side of the road for sale as the owner has had a good year of cropping and bought a new hilux. Less likely to be hooned in the country, more likely to be used as a workhorse. Every other ute out here is a Toyota, battered and dented but still running just fine.

Should see the local Toyota dealership here, its wall-to-wall shiny new utes. But they still service cars like mine ... *someone* has to be fool enough to drive a hatchback just to balance out all those hiluxes and landcruisers.

Oh and a tip: don't buy a ute that isn't WHITE if you don't want one that was hooned. Hoons don't lower themselves to buying white utes.
 
Have a look at the auction sites for a good diesel ute.
Try and get a indirect injection diesel.stay away from the newer commonrail.
Do some research on Blending WVO and diesel and it should only cost you
about 60 cents a litre for fuel.
Plenty of takaway shops giving away their WVO.
 
nww said:
Have a look at the auction sites for a good diesel ute.
Try and get a indirect injection diesel.stay away from the newer commonrail.
Do some research on Blending WVO and diesel and it should only cost you
about 60 cents a litre for fuel.
Plenty of takaway shops giving away their WVO.
Click to expand...

Just as a matter of interest, why would you not buy a direct injection diesel, and whats wrong with common rail??

Boods
 
takeaway shops have a contract with companies for oil removal. they sell to you, they are in breach of contract.

it's easy enough to make biodiesel though, but lets not forget the 44gal drums of methanol at $220 a pop plus ASIO suspiscion that you're a terrorist and the bordeline meth lab out back to brew it all that has your neighbours call the local council which alerts the feds who raid your house then charge you for "manufacturing dangerous goods in a residential area" and then slap you with a fine for avoiding fuel excise payable on biofuels.

good times all round.

diesel is good, but just make an HHO canister and inject raw hydrogen in with the mix on a non-EFI vehicle.
 
Pity you're not interested in a 4WD....

I have my trusty Nissan patrol trayback ute for sale. 1992 model, I bought it new and it is such a great tough vehicle that rides almost like a car being coils all round. Has worked (in Landscape industry) like a trojan over the years without issues...can't kill 'em they say....
Petrol 6cyl...sit on or under 100klicks and you will observe reasonable fuel efficiency.
Clock stopped on 142,717klms when I pressed the trip meter and it broke the odometer. The speedo & rev counters still work though. I'd have to honestly estimate it would have at least 300,000klms by now. Last few years have seen it not doing so much work and even had about 18 months of very little klms when I had a company vehicle supplied to me.
never had the tappit cover or head off and nothing ever gone wrong bar 2 fuel pumps in the 16 years I have owned it.
Alloy bullbar, steel tray with ladder racks and towbar and 6 months rego (due Dec 09).
Very reluctant to sell it but we have gone for a dual cab now so it's surplus to our needs sadly.

I'm about to put it up on eBay when I get some pics ready.....

Can supply many years of service invoices.....

PM me if interested.

Oh....and it's white...(for rumbledelf)...lol..!!!
 
Last edited:
Thorpey said:
Oh....and it's white...(for rumbledelf)...lol..!!!
Click to expand...
I'll give ya tree fiddy for it :D

We're only, er, 350km from the NSW border lol

I get teased by tradies sometimes for not having a ute ... usually when I come in to buy lots of plasterboard/flooring/timber/etc and I ask THAT question ... "can you deliver?"
 
boods99 said:
Just as a matter of interest, why would you not buy a direct injection diesel, and whats wrong with common rail??

Boods
Click to expand...

Common rail are great and some of the most fuel efficient diesels.
I have a new VW Jetta and after 20,000k's my fuel average is 4.6L/100km

If your looking for a cheap vehicle to run on a blend of Diesel and WVO (waste vegetable oil)
then go indirect as this injection can handle poorer fuels compared to commonrail which is computer controlled.

I get my WVO from the local chippy who is happy to give it to a local who supports him.
Some of the WVO pickup services has spread tales to chippy companies
that they cannot give it away which in NSW is incorrect.

Yes biodiesel is more complex but is able to be used in Commonrail and is
more time consuming.

Blending requires WVO to be settled and filtered to 1 micron using a filter sock
worth about 10 bucks, you then place 50% WVO 10% ULP and 40% diesel
into a container and shake it all around then into my old ute.
This blend has worked for me but different makes require different blends.

Its also possible to do a small conversion to run the motor on full WVO using
a heat exchanger to thin the WVO.

Of course you need to do your own research for your particular vehicle.

Any running WVO is more environmental friendly than ULP and Diesel.
 
RumpledElf said:
I'll give ya tree fiddy for it :D

We're only, er, 350km from the NSW border lol

I get teased by tradies sometimes for not having a ute ... usually when I come in to buy lots of plasterboard/flooring/timber/etc and I ask THAT question ... "can you deliver?"
Click to expand...

LOL...checked out that "big stone thing" you have for sale....love the assorted kitchen table chairs.....:cool:
 
i think you would be better off getting a duel axle trailer , use it to death and then sell the thing, you can carry everything in or on it! and you can do rubbish removals as well !
 
GG,
Do the maths then you'll end up going the trailer.

Less purchase cost, less rego, less insuance, less repars & maintenance. Won't get pulled into booze buses as often (especially friday arvos).

They're versatile. Can put a cage on it, hard or soft top. If 7ft or longer, can use as a camper.

I got a second hand 7x4 in top nick about 3 yrs ago for $350. Guy hardley used it and kept it in garage. It was like new. Best thing I ever did. I use it all the time. Only the really big stuff gets delivered now.

It also made for a good investment - metal prices have gone up since and they're now a lot dearer.

Project 1080.

The project: 10 IPs in 80 mths.
 
If your budget stretches, get a dedicated LPG falcon ute/tray. Tons of power (LPG=156kW, 380Nm torque), best to drive, cheap to buy, by far cheapest to run and very comfortable.

I also have a new Mercedes 111cdi manual diesel van which does around 10 L/100k of diesel ($1.20/litre) normal driving (highway 8.5L/100k). My Dedicated LPG Falcon auto ute gets around 16 L/100k ($0.40/litre) in the same conditions (highway 11 L/100K). Do the maths.

:)
 
paid $250 for my ute. With rego/insurance, owes me $1400. Is good, i been driving it of late more too stir people then anything. Its a nissan 720 with a tray top. looks like a mini pickup.

My new car keeps getting scratches and concrete smeared inside etc... trailer good, but sometimes u invest in not so pleasant area, and u dont wanna have 2 look out window @ kids walking past ur car etc...

personal preferance, but happy with my purchase.
 
Hi all,

Thanks for all the replies.

I don't really want to get a trailer as that would mean that i would have to put a towball on my 4 year old Japanese 4 cylinder car that is really not designed for towing.

So a dedicated ute is the much preferred option.

I was originally thinking of either a falcon or commodore ute - mainly for size and parts, but i will still look at some toyota or nissan ones. It doesn't need to be flash or anything, but it has to be reliable. Maybe a toyota is the better way to go as I've had previous good experience with reliability with an old landcruiser and it was unstoppable.


Thanks


g
 
I am also in the process of finding an old ute for under 5k, finding one in this price bracket isnt the hard part, its finding one with reasonable amount of k's which is rather fuel efficient.

At the moment im thinking a Datsun 1200 4spd, pick one up for around $3,500-4,500, extremely fuel efficient, engine is very basic, ive heard they keep on going so i dont think you will have much trouble with one eigher.

Well thats my 2 cents anyway.
 
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