Which Crew Cab to tow my rib

[TimMcC]

Hi

I have finally bought a rib ( 5.5m Osprey Vipermax ) and am now looking for something to tow it and the various trailers I have . I am considering a late
90’s crew cab as they can be taxed cheaply here . On my short list are the

Mitsubishi L200
Mazda B2500
Ford Ranger
Toyota Hilux

Any opinions on any of the above or any suggestions for alternatives . It must be a crew cab as I need room for passengers and a passenger 4x4 will cost a fortune for motor tax over here .

Thanks
Tim

[codprawn]

The ultimate crew cab tow vehicle is the Land Rover 110 Defender!!!

A mate of mine had a Warrior and hated it - so did I - his new Nissan Navara is much better but I don't know if they were around in the 1990s?

[TimMcC]

Originally Posted by TimMcC

Hi

I have finally bought a rib ( 5.5m Osprey Vipermax ) and am now looking for something to tow it and the various trailers I have . I am considering a late
90’s crew cab as they can be taxed cheaply here . On my short list are the

Mitsubishi L200
Mazda B2500
Ford Ranger
Toyota Hilux

Any opinions on any of the above or any suggestions for alternatives . It must be a crew cab as I need room for passengers and a passenger 4x4 will cost a fortune for motor tax over here .

Thanks
Tim

Also forgot to mention the Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.0 TD . Anybody use one of these ?.

[paul holder]

i have a ribcraft 6.5 + 200 optmax . we use a 90 land rover with a ball on the front + 24volt battery pack for the boat winch all the other junk goes in the back you cannot brake them.think about when your tired & wet you jump in and away you go .we have a nisson pathfinder its a car . navarders not that old . suzui a car.if your slip very agresive think about an auto box

[Nasher]

Hilux every time

Nasher

[Mollers]

I have an L200 which is good other than the turning circle. The latest Navara has been slated recently for safety reasons. If replacing, I'd probably go foe a Hi Lux, the new L200 is a soppy looking thing.

[doggypaddle]

I would go with codders, a 110 is by far the coolest build quality is far better than it used to be and the resale value is far better than most other 4x4s as well (including other rover products). with a decent coat of waxoyl inside and outside the chassis they should outlast most others too, and if you think landrovers are too old fasioned design and the jap stuff is superior i draw your attention to drum brakes and cart springs on the back of the competition!!
the 110 does have its shortcomings, the cramped interior being my main critisism, but to be honest i dont think you will have much problems with any of the one you listed, get what ever you prefer or is available in a colour your significant other half likes Landrovers are strage things they are a bit like marmite personally i love both.

[Roy Smith]

We are on our third Nissan Nivara
the one we now have is the latest type 170 BHP which if i was honest is a
better driver than the older ones but not as strong, the safety thing was a
recall on the air bags because ford motors said that in a test,
they did not inflate as quick as they should.bit of sour grapes fixed by a
soft ware up date.
If i was buying a new pickup/crew cab i would have a Toyota Hi Lux
the new 3 ltr just feels like it will last for ever, my dad as had a colorado for 10 years Auto diesel, over 200 thousand miles and still going strong.
I was always a land Rover man, but i just got fed up taking our TD5 back to the dealer, My brother in law pointed out that when there is a major desert expedition and you need to stake your life on the reliability of the 4 x 4
its nearly always Toyota Land Cruisers or Nissan Patrols, now do they know something we don't.

[martini]

Forget the warrior, turning circle is awful. The mazda is the same vehicle as the ford but cheaper. The navara does go well and holds it's value well, can be a plus or a minus point depending on wether you buying or selling. As it's prob going to be a rust bucket when you sell it I would say a minus point.

So I vote Mazda

Edit - Compare the price of the Toyota's, they're good but they know it

[doggypaddle]

[QUOTE
I was always a land Rover man, but i just got fed up taking our TD5 back to the dealer, My brother in law pointed out that when there is a major desert expedition and you need to stake your life on the reliability of the 4 x 4
its nearly always Toyota Land Cruisers or Nissan Patrols, now do they know something we don't. [/QUOTE]

The japanese did seem to have a habit of plagerising and improving on at the same time, the original landcruiser was an extremley close copy of a landrover, though landrovers had a pathetic 2.25 diesel and the landcruiser had a far better 3.6?or 4.2 six cylinder.
the daihatsu 2.8 engine is a copy of a BMC2.5 but again far better than the original.
jap stuff may be more reliable than landrover but landrovers construction allows it to last longer when maintained(in a triggers broom stylee)