Am i a nutter? - Toyota Hi-lux 4x4

[Malt_Vinegar]

Having recently been thinking about vehicle reliability, and how TG tried very hard to kill one of these and it kept going. Would i be a total nutter wanting one as my only form of transport whilst selling my BMW and saving for a new vehicle?

Just how reliable are they, looking around everyone is very happy with them, and claims they are totally dependable even with astronomical miles.

I do need a car, but not really as much as i used to. I now live right next to the station, and commute to work that way. I probably only "need" a vehicle 1-2 times a week now.

Are there any other cars that are totally reliable and under 1k I dont want to spend any more, as i want to save up moolah. This is all very hypothetical at the moment, as i really dont want to sell the BMW, but im starting to think more and more about it.

 

[Rednut05]

Toyotas on a whole are seen to well built.

 

[PardonTheWait]

My best mate had a Hi-lux surf as his only transport for a few months, that thing was great!

Capable off road, surprisingly, loads of room inside for all of us, and it was fantastic for towing. It had plenty of power, his was auto and it never lacked because they engine had plenty of grunt to power through the autobox. It wasn't very expensive and it was a great vehicle for off-road fannying about, carting lots of people in comfort, and towing. Great car.

 

[Adz]

The problem (and sometimes the blessing) with sub £1000 cars is that anything serious that goes wrong could be terminal. Bear that in mind and you can't go far wrong really. In a similar vein, I fancy an old V8 Range Rover .

 

[Zuban]

Check out the toyota owners club for info, but generally speaking, people seem very happy with there hi-lux's, check out the surf's for imports. only complaint i have seen is warped heads on the 2.5 td's, worth bearing in mind on high milers.

 

[Zip]

Ive heard the new ones are good
What BMW do you have? If its only a 318i or 316i then the hilux should be more fun

 

[andi]

Seems a bit of an extreme measure just for reliability. Unless you want to go off road, I'm sure you'd be able to find a better barge thats as reliable...

 

[v0n]

only complaint i have seen is warped heads on the 2.5 td's, worth bearing in mind on high milers.

2.4's, not 2.5's. There were thousands of 2nd generation Hilux Surfs with faulty heads and there is absolutely no way of telling if it will go or not until it's actually gone. I had 92 J plate 2.4 Surf for a year, head was gone right after it was shipped to UK, importer replaced it, I did 22,000 of very happy miles in it and it was absolutely fine. If it wasn't for fuel prices and me doing high mileages I would never ever get rid of it. Unfortunately there is no such thing as economical japanese import car.
General consensus with Surfs is to always go for 3.0 litre as they are better, stronger and mpg is almost the same. But you won't find one anywhere around £1k mark.

 

[Zuban]

2.4's, not 2.5's. There were thousands of 2nd generation Hilux Surfs with faulty heads and there is absolutely no way of telling if it will go or not until it's actually gone. I had 92 J plate 2.4 Surf for a year, head was gone right after it was shipped to UK, importer replaced it, I did 22,000 of very happy miles in it and it was absolutely fine. If it wasn't for fuel prices and me doing high mileages I would never ever get rid of it. Unfortunately there is no such thing as economical japanese import car.
General consensus with Surfs is to always go for 3.0 litre as they are better, stronger and mpg is almost the same. But you won't find one anywhere around £1k mark.

What he says

 

[commited]

Wont be anywhere near as comfy as your Beemer and will drink fuel. Seems a bit silly to me!

 

[vanpeebles]

if u want ultra cheap and no frills but with mega reliability, get a perodua, or a daihatsu move