Used traybacks and utes

[WinstonWolfe]

I'm trying to convince a young fella not to buy a used Subaru WRgofast in favour of a trayback or ute.

He is likely to be at uni for a few more years, has a w/e job at a local produce co-op, lives in a semi rural area, and really only needs the car to drive to the train station (10kms away) and going out with mates on weekends. They do a bit of mountain biking around Bunya and Samford.

I've built a case for him getting a Toyota Hi-lux, diesel if possible, 2 wheel drive, 4 cylinder...and he prefers a manual.

Suggested he stay away from Mitsubishi's cos they might start charing a bucket for parts if they scale down in Australia.

Also suggested he stay away from 4wd's cos of the higher maintenance costs and wasn't keen on the utes because of the larger petrol engines.

Can anyone suggest anything else or issues to look out for with old diesels.

 

[MichaelW]

Sorry Winston,

Just bought a brand new Navara STX 4x4 Dual cab ute with the big 4ltr petrol guzzler of an engine so breaking a few of your rules there. And... I couldn't be happier with it!

But I'd support diesel over petrol if he isn't planning on an LPG conversion. We went petrol as we plan on converting it and keeping it for a decade or more. I calculated about a 5 year payback at current petrol vs gas price differentials.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[willair]

I'm trying to convince a young fella not to buy a used Subaru WRgofast in favour of a trayback or ute.

He is likely to be at uni for a few more years, has a w/e job at a local produce co-op, lives in a semi rural area, and really only needs the car to drive to the train station (10kms away) and going out with mates on weekends. They do a bit of mountain biking around Bunya and Samford.

I've built a case for him getting a Toyota Hi-lux, diesel if possible, 2 wheel drive, 4 cylinder...and he prefers a manual.

Suggested he stay away from Mitsubishi's cos they might start charing a bucket for parts if they scale down in Australia.

Also suggested he stay away from 4wd's cos of the higher maintenance costs and wasn't keen on the utes because of the larger petrol engines.

Can anyone suggest anything else or issues to look out for with old diesels.

Winston,just tell him one item before he walks into any flytrap car yard,
go along to the car auctions first and check the auction prices-inline with the car yards there is roughly 40-50% difference in prices,the bmw-porsche-any euro above 2002 are worth nothing,pity porchse don't make utes..

 

[WinstonWolfe]

Winston,just tell him one item before he walks into any flytrap car yard,
go along to the car auctions first and check the auction prices-inline with the car yards there is roughly 40-50% difference in prices,the bmw-porsche-any euro above 2002 are worth nothing,pity porchse don't make utes..

Hey Will....... the three times I've been to car auctions (Zillmere and Valley), I noted they had reserves on the cars that were about 2k under glass's guide or red book, and a lot didn't have a RACQ inspection report. So basically you were bidding on something you couldn't take for a test drive or know the history of. I priced the risk at more than 2k

Am interested if you have had different experiences.


Michael, did you salary sacrifice that 4wd, or buy it under your property development business entity abn?

 

[RumpledElf]

Hrm, I wouldn't mind a ute ... but in the absense of a buyer for my house and a HUGE reluctance to rent it out all my money is currently going to attempting to fund a $10,000 subdivision on a $25k income without getting a loan.

Come on, someone buy my house already ... I want a ute ... and some other stuff

 

[battler]

He is likely to be at uni for a few more years, has a w/e job at a local produce co-op, lives in a semi rural area, and really only needs the car to drive to the train station (10kms away) and going out with mates on weekends.Twin cab would be ok , if more then one mate
I've built a case for him getting a Toyota Hi-lux, diesel if possible, 2 wheel drive, 4 cylinder...and he prefers a manual.Nothing wrong with that

Suggested he stay away from Mitsubishi's cos they might start charing a bucket for parts if they scale down in Australia. I would too.

Also suggested he stay away from 4wd's cos of the higher maintenance costs and wasn't keen on the utes As far as I know Hilux's only come in utes because of the larger petrol engines.

Can anyone suggest anything else or issues to look out for with old diesels.

We said to our son to get a Hilux diesel when he first started out, and every time he has replaced a vehicle he has said "I shouda bought a Hilux diesel"

One other thing to consider is that you can't leave anything in a ute at a train station, as it won't be there when you get back

Also hilux's can be a bit skittish if empty and your running late for the train on a country road.

As far as Toyota's reliability is concerend, Im still grinding along in a 25 year old landcruiser and the hilux's are just as reliable.

 

[units4me]

Tell him to look at the Falcon Egas (dedicated factory LPG).

Much more power, comfort, style and much cheaper to run than any Hilux diesel.

Repairs/parts are cheap and simple also.

 

[twobobsworth]

Just bought a brand new Navara STX 4x4 Dual cab ute with the big 4ltr petrol guzzler of an engine so breaking a few of your rules there. And... I couldn't be happier with it!

Have the D40 Navara in diesel. Very disappointing. Same fuel economy as petrol and gutless.

 

[boods99]

Hilux diesels are pretty robust machines. the 3L diesel (2.8 litre) is reliable as, however lacks grunt. The engine is not bad for 2wd, but if you buy a 4wd, you will find that it is quite underpowered. Earlier models came out with a 2.4 liter (2L) and the later model was a 5L. After that you start getting into the electronic stuff, which is pretty expensive to fix should things go wrong.

I spent the last 15 or so years working on these animals and can tell you;

- you will need to spend about $500 on new injectors every 100,000kms.
- make sure you change the fuel filter regularly, like every 10,000kms at most.
- always use a reliable fuel source - drum fuel used on farms/minesites is a killer as it contains heaps of water. This will ruin your fuel system.
- always keep your air filter clean - this will reduce black smoke and prolong your engine life. I mentioned this because of the fact he lives in a semi rural area = lots of dust.
- timing belt to be replaced at 100,000kms. Allow about $700.
- see if you can get a compression test done before you buy to give you an idea of the condition of the engine. If it comes up good, and you look after it by doing the abovementioned, it should last you for ages.
- Look for fuel leaks from the fuel pump - this is a very commmon occurence due to the low sulphur fuel, it attacks the seals and they go hard. If this is the case, allow $250 for new top cover seal, if it is leaking from anywhere else other than the top cover, the pump will need to be removed and rekitted. Allow $1200. (pr**k of a job - whole front engine needs to be pulled apart, radiator out...)
- Another common issue with these is that the hand primer will start sucking air, causing the engine to run rough, and then stall. If I had a dollar for every time this happened.... (Allow approx $300)

Hope I haven't scared him away from buying one, but I thought this information is important so the young fella goes into this informed.

Boods

 

[willair]

Hey Will....... the three times I've been to car auctions (Zillmere and Valley), I noted they had reserves on the cars that were about 2k under glass's guide or red book, and a lot didn't have a RACQ inspection report. So basically you were bidding on something you couldn't take for a test drive or know the history of. I priced the risk at more than 2k

Am interested if you have had different experiences.


Michael, did you salary sacrifice that 4wd, or buy it under your property development business entity abn?

Winston,yes i understand the maths and numbers with those Auction outlets in Zillmere and the other one near the Airport,plus the public can bid so most times the person who owns the car is standing behind the bidder and will take the punter too his exit level then stop and play dumb, much like the Qld Government Tender System,the way to buy very cheap late model utes is to watch the weekend papers for the auction listings and "Target" the belly up Businessess that are sold under recievership and in the final stage of winding up,there has been several that i have been too lately that go 40% below market value all the cars the business had in its fleet,that's the one item people don't understand with auctions,they don't care less what price the get for everything because they don't own nothing,they are only there to sell everything out the door as quickly as possible,then receive their 18%plus sales payment,be carefull winston it may be me standing behind you in the old overalls..wilair..imho..

 

[WinstonWolfe]

Brilliant info Boods. Thanks a lot for posting that.

Will, in the 90s I did go to a few liquidation auctions where everyhting from commercial building to kitchen sink went. Seemed to be enough interest to get fair market value....nothing like 40% off. I used to pick up computer gear and couldn't believe the ignorance of many bidders, as they'd pay more than new prices. And then, I would have thought the owner's relatives would be there to pick up anything going super cheap. And considering the auctions I used to go to attracted 5% buyer's premium, I've never gotten used to 15%. Nevertheless, I might pick up the Sat Courier-Mail later....

Battler, the exposed trayback issue was going to be resolved with bolted box.

Units, will check out the falcon Egas, though just found this snippet..

"LPG consumption is traditionally slightly more than petrol, but there are advantages.
LPG remains excise-free until 2011 and, at current prices, is about 60 per cent cheaper than petrol. From 2011 excise will be increased annually by 2.5 cents a litre until it reaches a ceiling of 12.5 cents a litre in 2015. By comparison, the excise on petrol is 38.1 cents a litre."

Considering we've entered a new era of large public debt, I wouldn't budget for petrol and gas excise to remain as indicated above.

 

[Mooze]

Not sure if he would go for it but what about a soft roader? Just from an MTB perspective, if he doesn't want a ute (best thing for throwing dirty gear in the back of), the RAV 4's will fit a bike inside with only front wheel off (handy for leaving at the station etc). Also easier to get the bikes on top of with racks than a larger ute.

We just sold our Navara - was best thing we ever owned (excepting the new troopie) for mountain biking and adventure racing - race or training over, dirty/wet gear goes in the back, bikes/kayaks on roof, it went many places a non modified 4wd is meant to go with no problems. (only thing I like more about the new car is we're able to lock the gear inside it, and I can just hose it out when it gets dirty - not liking the idea of stinky gear in the car though)

Before that I had a RAV4 - was great as a run around car, fit the bikes easy, good on fuel.

We also just got rid of our WRX around christmas - not a bad car, drank a bit of fuel, insurance wasn't too bad (but we're both over 25 - big difference), fit the bikes well, could take a single kayak but not a double. Maybe a subaru non wrx sports wagon might be an option?

 

[Harry75]

did anyone see what the guys from top gear did to an old hilux, they tried to kill it several times and they got it going every time.

 

[MichaelW]

Michael, did you salary sacrifice that 4wd, or buy it under your property development business entity abn?

Hi Winston,

The latter. I bought it under the property development business and get the 50% capital expenditure deduction as well as ongoing depreciation and usage deductions.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[Gargamel]

Hi Winston,

The latter. I bought it under the property development business and get the 50% capital expenditure deduction as well as ongoing depreciation and usage deductions.

Cheers,
Michael

So a chattel mortgage would be also be appropriate financing to use for the company deduction?

 

[MichaelW]

So a chattel mortgage would be also be appropriate financing to use for the company deduction?

Sorry mate, that's beyond my knowing. What I can say is that I financed it under a corporate hire purchase as this way its my asset. You can't do them under novated lease as obviously this is a lease arrangement and presumes the asset belongs to the lessor and not the lessee.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[Gargamel]

Sorry mate, that's beyond my knowing. What I can say is that I financed it under a corporate hire purchase as this way its my asset. You can't do them under novated lease as obviously this is a lease arrangement and presumes the asset belongs to the lessor and not the lessee.

Cheers,
Michael

Thanks, I'll ring my accountant.

 

[Nathan]

I had the new WRX, liberty, nissans, and old clapper utes, now got a old but late model Hilux. Bought it cheaper then wholesale (only reason why I bought) and it goes alright. I am in a phase where a sexy car doesnt bother me anymore. As long as it looks semi decent. My next vahicle in couple of months will be same as Michael W's Navara dual cab, STX Navara.

Its all personal preferance. If he young and wants WRX guess he needs to get it out of his system, if he buys a boring ute, and doesnt like it then you dont want him coming back to blame ya.

Guess theres no right or wrong...

 

[kingchevy]

I have a ford falcon ute in townsville with 175000kms on it for sale??
only want $9999 its in good nick a/c etc

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars...lcarhome&__Nne=15&trecs=31&__sid=121A6388D51B