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Hi guys and ladies!

I truly missed the desert drives but couldn’t join after what happened to Angela’s car (Scots lass...).

Surprise surprise, I’m finally taking the step, have made up my mind, and know what car to buy... (well, almost sure, that’s why I’m back here 😁).

2 choices, both pajeros (descent and cheaper than Prado). Brand new but older versions (one is of 2017 another of 2018).

Attached you can see the descriptions of the 3.5 one. The 3.8 is similar but of 2018, 18 inches tyres, has sunroof to and is more powerful, dah!

Price wise, I can afford both as it is a price I can pay in installments, that is the same I’m paying for a monthly rental car now anyway. But obviously I’d go for the cheapest if you guys consider it to be enough for off-roading and travel drives... but if it’s significantly better to go for the more expensive one as the difference in price ain’t too big then I’d do that. The 3.5/2017 one is 76K, the 3.8/2018 is 99K.

Both cars are brand new but in liquidation as they are last units and older versions.

thank you in advance!

Jamy

17E58F73-C8C0-442D-9FA3-BABF1ECDE1FE.jpeg

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Is this only for road or daily driver + weekend offroading?

What type of offroading you plan to do with this 4x4?

  • Beach level / newbie drives
  • Intermediate level and exploration drives
  • Cross country expedition, like you mention earlier
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I can get a cheap sedan for daily drive, and my commute is only 20 minutes now.

The offroading is more for intermediate and exploration, as much desert driving as I can, and cross country expeditions. Not necessarily Africa, but yeah, rough terrains... like taking a boat to some parts of Asia and driving from there...

If you know of any better option that I can get within my new budget, please feel free to advise 😅

Edited by Jamy B.
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In that case stay FAR FAR AWAY from Pajero, sorry to burst this bubble.

New Pajero is reasonably good offroader for beach / newbie level offroad drives. For doing serious intermediate offroad drive you need to do lot of modification to be safe and powerful. Pajero approach and departure angles are not great, engine performance is borderline acceptable.

Instead you can / should look into two different categories within your budget by slightly lowering year model:

  • Option 1: Nissan Xterra / Toyota FJ Cruiser - (ready for any level of offroad) - My highest recommendation.
  • Option 2: Nissan Patrol Y61 (old shape) / Toyota Land Cruiser - (If you like big and bulky 7 seater, lot of storage)

Rem big and bulky will again struggle on extreme drives due to lesser power/weight ratio. That's why I feel Xterra / FJC will cover the whole spectrum of offroading very well.

Btw, @Emmanuel, @Shamil are using Xterra for daily drive and plus weekend offroading without any issues.

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32 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

In that case stay FAR FAR AWAY from Pajero, sorry to burst this bubble.

New Pajero is reasonably good offroader for beach / newbie level offroad drives. For doing serious intermediate offroad drive you need to do lot of modification to be safe and powerful. Pajero approach and departure angles are not great, engine performance is borderline acceptable.

Instead you can / should look into two different categories within your budget by slightly lowering year model:

  • Option 1: Nissan Xterra / Toyota FJ Cruiser - (ready for any level of offroad) - My highest recommendation.
  • Option 2: Nissan Patrol Y61 (old shape) / Toyota Land Cruiser - (If you like big and bulky 7 seater, lot of storage)

Rem big and bulky will again struggle on extreme drives due to lesser power/weight ratio. That's why I feel Xterra / FJC will cover the whole spectrum of offroading very well.

Btw, @Emmanuel, @Shamil are using Xterra for daily drive and plus weekend offroading without any issues.

Thanks for tagging us on this thread @Gauravbhai. Being a person who used to drive a pajero for about 14 years and then switching to the Xterra, i think i can throw some light into this discussion. When i got rid of my pajero(i had a SWB 3.0 and a LWB 3.8), i was in fact, about to purchase a FJC but then the xterra presented itself as a much more viable option in terms of passenger comfort, adequate amount of power for advanced offloading purposes and all in all a more family friendly SUV compared to the FJC. The Xterra, In comparison to the pajero, even though is more powerful (4.0 vs 3.8), surprisingly consumes lesser gas. Yea surprise surprise! Its probably to do with the weight aspect since the xterra is lighter than the 5 door pajero.

Bottom line, the pajero, as @Gauravbhai mentioned, is great for beach cruises and in general a more comfy on-road ride(if passenger hauling and light offroading are the primary objectives). But if you want the best of both worlds whereby you are able to SLIGHTLY compromise on passenger comfort (its almost negligible by the way) and yet require the brute engine strength to go crazy on offroad terrains, then look no more as the xterra clearly has all those boxes beautifully checked off. Only downside being is that you will have to settle for a pre-owned option as production of this vehicle has stopped since 2015.

Edited by Shamil
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To make your search and buy more streamline, I highly advise to stick to offroad version and higher engine size of any 4x4 you pick and choose. Offroad version will have better underbody protection, firm suspension to take the abuse and differential lock for extreme offroad conditions and self recovery. Higher engine size will offer you better power/weight ratio which is always desirable for serious offroading. While buying a new ride you can easily choose these option to make a perfect choice rather than modifying later. I am big fan of stock but capable vehicle to keep the headache to the bare minimum as I have driven highly modified 4x4 with no comfort and tons of headache every year for passing.

  • 2015 Xterra offroad 
  • 2016/17 FJ Cruiser Xtreme

Also try to buy a 4x4 that has been driven more on road than offroad, as regularly pushed offroad 4x4 will offer you lesser usable life.

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4 hours ago, Jamy B. said:

I can get a cheap sedan for daily drive, and my commute is only 20 minutes now.

The offroading is more for intermediate and exploration, as much desert driving as I can, and cross country expeditions. Not necessarily Africa, but yeah, rough terrains... like taking a boat to some parts of Asia and driving from there...

If you know of any better option that I can get within my new budget, please feel free to advise 😅

Well if you want to overland it. Your best bet would be to get your self a 100 series Land Cruiser. The Xterra and FJC were never launched in Africa, Asia or Europe. 

 If you ever have a breakdown or need some bits out there, good luck finding and parts out in these places for an Xterra or FJC.

It would actually be preferable to get a diesel engine LC 100 but those aren't available here.

And for that budget you can get a pretty decent 100 series plus have money left over to mod jt.

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I agree with you @desertdude on 100 series better for overland trips, BUT I strongly disagree to buy 100 series - FULL SIZE BOAT - GOOD FOR NOTHING IN DESERT DUNES HERE IN UAE OTHER THAN DESERT SAFARI'S TRAIN TRACKS.

I learned offroading in 100 series in 2006 and realized its limitations in the first 3-4 months when I knew what I want it after seeing everyone climbing the big red (smallest of 3 peak in shj) and me sitting down as that boat in stock shape going "NOWHERE".

@Jamy B. for such extensive overland trips, you should fly to those country and rent the well equipped 4x4 made for those specific terrain, because you can't enjoy overland vehicle here as they gonna cough up on tall dunes becauase of there size and weight. So buy something for here like FJC or Xterra that you can freely enjoy every week without any headache - at least in this region - UAE, Oman and Saudi.

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