Simple answer to all the above to's and throw's gentlemen, simply buy a new 4x4 every 4 years and let someone else worry about whats about to fail or wear out.
My last 4x4 was an 02 rodeo 2.8 turbo duel cab, the thing just kept on going with just maintance costs and some new bits as they wore out, engine and drivetrain were original. I was so impressed with it I did not bother with replacing it at 4 years and so another 4/5 years or so went by until one morning it stopped in a bad way.
Some quick assessments were over fuelled pump which was correct in the fact it was opened up but 4 years before it blew and that thing carried drums of fuel and tools up and down Walcha mountain for perhaps 8 years every week.
I bought a new Tritan 2.5 which made the rodeo look like a POS in every way except the old rodeo was better suited to a workhorse.
I spent around 6.6 thousand on the 2.8 rebuild and 2 weeks after getting it going again its pump packed it in (2 trips on NRMA) in a few months.
Over a grand later she was back on the road so I offered it for sale and eventually sold it for $8000.00 cash after I agreed to replacing the windscreen and re gasing the AC.
The Triton goes like the clappers, very good on fuel but has been plagued with problems like injectors and sensors since new, its got 148 K on it now after 3 years and is now out of warranty, it will be sold off after Christmas. Mine was sold with the very impressive 5 + 5 year warranty, ha ha what the lying salesmen did not tell me is in the book somewhere it says 5+5or 130 thousand which ever comes 1st.
I have owned 2 rodeos new, both excellent 4by's
2hilux's new, 2.8 and new 3.0 when they arrived, the later 3.0 was sold after 1 year as it was not suitable for my uses, both utes were reliable and had good brakes and steering, the 2.8 went better than the 3.0.
My 1st 4x4 was a 83 model, 2nd hand 50th anniversary Nissan Navara with a 2.5 diesel, it had side steps, chrome sun razers nice upholstery and was a very nice looking 4x4.She run at 110 all day until it saw a hill, then the gearbox had to be used and had steering that would go out of whack very easy, it used oil every week, gearbox lasted about 1 year then got stuck in 3rd.
I payed too much for it and it cost money every time i looked at it, was not my best buy and I think I has 2 gearbox replacements in that thing.
