Cheap 4 Wheel Drive

[dom]

I am living on the island of Koh Phangan in probably the most inaccesible place, 2 kilometers of dirt track up a steep hill connected to a another dirt track which is 8 kilometes of ups and downs to the nearest concrete road village. I make this run and back about 3 to 4 times a week.

Has anbody got any ideas on the most economical, cheap to fix, cheap spare parts, stable and safe 4 wheel drive vehicle in the B200,000 to B300,000 range ?

Somebody suggested a landrover with another brand engine but am concerned at the possible lack of availability of parts. I have also not managed to find one even for sale.

I have heard that the Suzuki Caribbean is a cheap alternative but that they turn over very easily and are not that stable on steep windy dirt track bends.

Am I looking for the impossible, does anyone have any ideas?

[Crash999]

Has anbody got any ideas on the most economical, cheap to fix, cheap spare parts, stable and safe 4 wheel drive vehicle in the B200,000 to B300,000 range ?

I would stay away from a Land Rover as if anything goes wrong with it you'll be in trouble. Agree with you about the Suzuki- it was infamous in the US many years back for having the unfortunate characteristic of rolling over very easily.

Have you looked at something like a Toyota Tiger 4x4? Not so prestigious but the advantage there is that they're everywhere, thus would be easy/cheap to fix.

[tuky]

I used to belong to the Suzuki 4WD drive club of ##. I have only ever been in one Suzuki (Sierra) that rolled over and that was in such a place that most 4WD's would have turned too, we took our Suzies everywhere and quite often passed Toyotas, Landrover's and so forth that were stuck.

If your only looking at paying a small price your not going to get much.

A bit of 4X4 driver training would solve any roll over situation.

[Crash999]

I used to belong to the Suzuki 4WD drive club of ##. I have only ever been in one Suzuki (Sierra) that rolled over and that was in such a place that most 4WD's would have turned too, we took our Suzies everywhere and quite often passed Toyotas, Landrover's and so forth that were stuck.

The roll-over issue was actually during lane-change testing, not off-road testing. Caused quite a stir and the car (marketed in the US as the Suzuki Samurai) was eventually withdrawn from the US market.

Proper training will improve anyone's ability, but it of course doesn't improve the innate ability of the vehicle.

Found this while looking up info on the old Samurai:

"Suzuki's own internal documents prove the company knew of the Samurai's rollover problem, but marketed the car anyway. Quoting a Suzuki memorandum dated July 14, 1985, 'It is imperative that we develop a crisis plan that will primarily deal with the 'roll' factor.'"

This is sort of a no-brainer... Any vehicle with a high center of gravity is going to have a higher chance of rolling-over. Says more about unrealistic buyer expectation than anything else.

"Notes from a Suzuki meeting in July 1985 state: "IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WHENEVER THE CAR IS PHOTOGRAPHED, THAT ALL FOUR WHEELS BE ON THE GROUND!!!" (All caps and exclamation points, as in the original.)"

Nice one!!!!

I rented a Suzuki in Phuket before... Overall not a bad little thing, but I prefer the utility of larger trucks.

[Begs]

I have a Toyota Tiger 4WD, great for Thailand.

[tuky]

I used to belong to the Suzuki 4WD drive club of ##. I have only ever been in one Suzuki (Sierra) that rolled over and that was in such a place that most 4WD's would have turned too, we took our Suzies everywhere and quite often passed Toyotas, Landrover's and so forth that were stuck.

The roll-over issue was actually during lane-change testing, not off-road testing. Caused quite a stir and the car (marketed in the US as the Suzuki Samurai) was eventually withdrawn from the US market.

Proper training will improve anyone's ability, but it of course doesn't improve the innate ability of the vehicle.

Found this while looking up info on the old Samurai:

"Suzuki's own internal documents prove the company knew of the Samurai's rollover problem, but marketed the car anyway. Quoting a Suzuki memorandum dated July 14, 1985, 'It is imperative that we develop a crisis plan that will primarily deal with the 'roll' factor.'"

This is sort of a no-brainer... Any vehicle with a high center of gravity is going to have a higher chance of rolling-over. Says more about unrealistic buyer expectation than anything else.

"Notes from a Suzuki meeting in July 1985 state: "IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WHENEVER THE CAR IS PHOTOGRAPHED, THAT ALL FOUR WHEELS BE ON THE GROUND!!!" (All caps and exclamation points, as in the original.)"

Nice one!!!!

I rented a Suzuki in Phuket before... Overall not a bad little thing, but I prefer the utility of larger trucks.

I do not disagree crash, they certainly feel unstable.

However, the long wheel base version seems proliferant in LoS, which I believe has a lower centre of gravity.

I personally would not buy one, the 1.0/1.3 litre engine is a little too small, but as a vehicle to get around in a couple of times a week, on tracks not too bad it would be ideal, good on fuel and not too expensive.

BTW I have some great pics of Suzies in all sorts of postions from my days in the club, some where every vehicle that went through certain parts of terrain had to have several folks holding them up due to to the nature of the terrain.

Fantastic fun and great driving expreience.

[Ajarn]

Isuzu is number one in truck sales, and they also have more service centers than anyone else, and spare parts are all manufactured in Thailand. Excellent reputation for service, which I also agree....

A 5+ year old Isuzu should be within your price range, I'd think.

Good luck when buying a used car.

Of course, the other obvious choice of an all -terrain, all-weather vehicle is the Honda Dream, which I've seen in places elephants had difficulty walking...

And there's the elephant as a middle choice, too!

Fuel is free, and it even produces puay (fertilizer) you can sell!

[chaiyapoon]

Would definately recommend the Suzuki SJ413 sporty for shorter trips.

I have a 2 year old model that has a spring shackle lift and bigger tyres and I would rate it as good if not better than the series 3 landrover hybrid I have back in Uk.I have driven it all over Thailand. About 14000ks in 6 months including extensive trips off road.

I've enjoyed driving in Koh Chang,Koh Lanta and the hills of Loei nothing has stopped me so far not ditches, stream beds,banks,or very steep climbs.In 4wd low range 1st and 2nd gear its climbing ability is superb.Its weakness is on road as it is just too slow for very long journies.Handling problems seem to be limited to the short wheelbased models not made in Thailand.Mine cost me 320.000b with all mods and 9000ks on the clock 11 months old.

[Pepe']

I am living on the island of Koh Phangan in probably the most inaccesible place, 2 kilometers of dirt track up a steep hill connected to a another dirt track which is 8 kilometes of ups and downs to the nearest concrete road village. I make this run and back about 3 to 4 times a week.

Has anbody got any ideas on the most economical, cheap to fix, cheap spare parts, stable and safe 4 wheel drive vehicle in the B200,000 to B300,000 range ?

Somebody suggested a landrover with another brand engine but am concerned at the possible lack of availability of parts. I have also not managed to find one even for sale.

I have heard that the Suzuki Caribbean is a cheap alternative but that they turn over very easily and are not that stable on steep windy dirt track bends.

Am I looking for the impossible, does anyone have any ideas?

Dom,

I have heard something also about a Thai Jeep "knock off." Heard they were cheap and pretty good but have no experience.

Hey I've been to Kok Pangan. What's the full moon festival like these days?

Are you working or just hanging there?

[medicinebox]

Logically, you need to see what dealerships are on Koh Samui.

And go for cars manufactured in Thailand.

Theres a good dealership just opend recently (Toyota Kho samui), I think they deal used cars also.

Hope this helps.

[tuky]

Would definately recommend the Suzuki SJ413 sporty for shorter trips.

I have a 2 year old model that has a spring shackle lift and bigger tyres and I would rate it as good if not better than the series 3 landrover hybrid I have back in Uk.I have driven it all over Thailand. About 14000ks in 6 months including extensive trips off road.

I've enjoyed driving in Koh Chang,Koh Lanta and the hills of Loei nothing has stopped me so far not ditches, stream beds,banks,or very steep climbs.In 4wd low range 1st and 2nd gear its climbing ability is superb.Its weakness is on road as it is just too slow for very long journies.Handling problems seem to be limited to the short wheelbased models not made in Thailand.Mine cost me 320.000b with all mods and 9000ks on the clock 11 months old.

There you go...long wheel base is also a functional pickup (rot gaba).

You will not flip it unless your challenging the thing in some serious places.

Highway driving is limited to 90-100KPH tops.

[tuky]

Service it every 5000-10,000k and you will get 150k-200k out out of it then you will need a power plant replacement.

I know my Suzuki, trust me!

[maerim]

If you are thinking of buying a Land Rover a bit of advice, don't unless you want to spend more time working on it than driving it.

The series 2a Land Rovers had 6 spline half shafts they used to snap for fun same with the lay shafts.

As they have only been making them since 1947 you have to realise it takes a bit of time to get the design right.

If you get a diesel, an indirect injection one you will also have problems with the precombustion chambers cracking.

If you decide to go for one make sure you have in your toolbox a set of jump leads and a tow rope because you will need these vital bits of kit.

I for one wouldn't touch one with a bargepole, much better with a 4 wheel drive pick up made here.

[john b good]

I won't offer any comments on 4WD vehicle running costs in Thailand (because I don't know about them) but I have had quite extensive experience with these vehicles per se.

The vast majority of 4WD's used on major mining, construction and pipeline projects around the world is the Toyota Land Cruiser.

All other makes are in the minority and would perhaps make up only 5-10% of the total count.

On one project we used mostly Mitsubishi Pajeros but we also had a few Land Rover Defenders. Most of the fleet had already done a quite bit of work.

The one thing that stood out was that the Defenders would go where no other vehicle could and were in big demand for recovery of other vehicles bogged up to their underbodies.

I realise that my comments relate to work vehicles but you would be unlikely to ever see a Suzuki of any model being used when the going gets tough.

If your track is muddy go for a vehicle with narrow tyres as the fatter variety are not the best by comparison.

[mrvietnam2001]

I lived across the water from you in a development called santi thani and had a suzuki caribean for most of the time I was there ( about 9 months). Scared the crap out of me when going up top.

It's not just the easy roll over ( I DID flip in a suzuki samarai years ago and was on a flat road ( federal highway) in pompano beach florida), but also the lack of power. I can easily see blowing a clutch or trans going up those mountains and then it's bye byyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeee!

I'm back in the States now and drive a Jeep Cherokee 4X4.

Good luck

Mr Vietnam

[BKK_banger]

I lived across the water from you in a development called santi thani and had a suzuki caribean for most of the time I was there ( about 9 months). Scared the crap out of me when going up top.

It's not just the easy roll over ( I DID flip in a suzuki samarai years ago and was on a flat road ( federal highway) in pompano beach florida), but also the lack of power. I can easily see blowing a clutch or trans going up those mountains and then it's bye byyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeee!

I'm back in the States now and drive a Jeep Cherokee 4X4.

Good luck

Mr Vietnam

The Jeep Cherokee would also be my choice in Thailand.

I used to have a 1996 model 4.0l Limited that was absolutely great at highway and rough track work. The inside was sufficiently luxurious that you could enjoy it on a long run, say to Chang Mai from Bangkok with no ill effects or exhaustion.

The offroading was great as it had the power to weight ratio right. The departure angles were not quit egenerous enough and it coudl have benefited from a mild lift.

The only downside is that the aircon is not up to Japanese standards.

It is also possible outside your budget. A well used model goes for around 400,000 Baht.

However it is one of the few large petrol engined 4WDs at a reasonable price available.

I have driven pick up trucks here and they are worse than a Defender for agricultariness.

[Pepe']

I have heard thats Jeeps were especially problamatic in Thailand.

"Worse than a Defender for agricultariness." What does that mean

[dom]

Thankyou everybody for your input on my possible choice.

Ajarn....In did look into an elephant as a choice of off road transport but decided that they were too unpredictable, could cost me lots in food and possible damage claims if it ran loose. Also might stamp on me if pushed too hard!

Pepe....am hanging and working but getting a bit long in the tooth for the full moon parties these days although do go sometimes for the sightseeing.

Chaiyapoon and Tukyleith.........will look into a Suzuki SJ413 sporty LWB. This sounds like it could be a viable option but am a little hesitant on Suzuki's after reading everybodys comments!

BKK_Banger....know the Santi Thani development since nearly bought there myself and your point is well and truly taken!

John be good.....your point taken on the Toyota Landcruiser, will look at it as well as the Toyota Tiger but might have to save a bit longer.

So a choice between a

Jeep Cherokee (parts and servicing?)

Toyota Tiger (for availability and ease of parts)

Toyota Landcruiser (running costs?)

Suzuki SJ sporty (head height ? trips to BK?)

Dom

[royar2002]

I am living on the island of Koh Phangan in probably the most inaccesible place, 2 kilometers of dirt track up a steep hill connected to a another dirt track which is 8 kilometes of ups and downs to the nearest concrete road village.

Then you have to live in Than sadet or bottle beach. The road you talking about are heavy an will kill any 4x4 quikly. You can see that all bungalowowner rebuild their car specially to fits the crazy roads. A friend bought a landrover, but he had big problem to find parts. I know two farangs who bought armyjeeps, looks like a willy but im not sure. This is the car for your dirtroads and is very cheap. If you know a policeman or someone from army they can help you to buy one. You can also asked the monks in the temple in Chalouklaam (they have a jeep you can borrow for free). We use to borrow this when we make huts up in the jungle. Can use nearly everywhere. A small donation to the temple, maybe they can helped you to find one. The temple gets them free from the army.

[royar2002]

If you only need a 4wd from your place and up the steep dirtroad, buy a honda baja 250cc with a offroadsaleng. Take you anywhere.

[dom]

Thanks for your advice and yes I'm close to Thaan Sadet. I will go to Chaloklam and enquire with the monks as well as with the army and police.

I already use a off road bike which serves a purpose but can be dangerous when carrying passengers or supplies so a car would be good.

dom

[Khutan]

However, the long wheel base version seems proliferant in LoS, which I believe has a lower centre of gravity.

mmm, thats interesting, I drive a Nissan Frontier and had it lifted another 15cm (Yes I have a reason for that - Mud roads in Surin need the ground clearance for the wet pot-holed roads) but living up-country the amount those Suzuki's have been lifted astonished me. They look like the mud-truck from ######.