Vigo Prerunner 3.0 Extra-cab Automatic - Does It Exist?

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

I am a bit confused - having seen them in used car magazines, but asking a Toyota dealer as well as checking various web sites i can't find it - i am talking about the Toyota Vigo pickup, in the 2-Door Extra-Cab version, 2WD, Diesel 3.0, with an automatic transmission.

I found only the 2.7 Benzine or the non-PreRunner 4x4 with automatic.

I am planning to get a brand new Vigo in a couple or three months, while i personally prefer manual, my boyfriend can't drive such and hence it must be an automatic, but i insist on PreRunner.

So does this car exist at all?

Also, do Vigos come with rear bumper or is that an extra to pay for?

Best regards.....

Thanh

[torrenova]

Why do you insist on Pre Runner ?

I wanted one in auto but they did not make them as of last year. The regular Vigos were too low unless 4*4 so in the end we went with a D-Max Highlander.

I've heard rumours but no facts. I'd guess if not on the Toyoto website then they don't exist.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

Why i insist on PreRunner? because regular Vigos somehow look like they've got toy car wheels on them - i mean a big body and very small wheels. "Low", as you mentioned. Looks <deleted>.

The PreRunner looks decent compared to it, and as i will have to get the car on finance i won't be able to do any modifications to it to "make it higher"......

So i guess my BF will need to learn to drive a manual

best regards.....

Thanh

[imaneggspurt]

I rented a 3.0 litre vigo with 2 doors, 2 wheel drive auto,.

[dave_boo]

Hi

Why i insist on PreRunner? because regular Vigos somehow look like they've got toy car wheels on them - i mean a big body and very small wheels. "Low", as you mentioned. Looks <deleted>.

The PreRunner looks decent compared to it, and as i will have to get the car on finance i won't be able to do any modifications to it to "make it higher"......

So i guess my BF will need to learn to drive a manual

best regards.....

Thanh

As of July 2008 there were no manual diesel Pre-runners. In fact, there were no petrol models either, at least in Nakhon Sawan.

For some odd reason, when we bought our's, the wife was insistent on a manual transmission. It's odd because she can't drive a manual that well. A manual bike such as my CBR 150 is not an issue, but a car having the controls 'reversed' (gas with foot, clutch with foot, shifting with hand, brake with foot instead of the way a motorcycle is set up) throws her off. However, the 3,0 L has such wonderful torque that taking her to a back road and letting her drive had really boosted her confidence, at least to the point when I had left.

When we were shopping for a car, she let the salesman know what she was looking for more or less, I had wanted to get a car, preferably the cheapest I could with SRS and ABS, but she would have nothing of it. It HAD to be a truck. Looking back, I'm glad I let her talk me into it, since it has proved useful. Once the salesman learned I had caved, he tried to show us the 4x4s. Ever take a Thai into a gold shop? That's about what happened to my wife's face! I quickly squashed that idea since we do not need 4 wheel drive and it would have just been a waste. However, the Pre-runner is a good compromise. Has 4 doors, a shorter bed than what I wanted (but still roomy), and plenty of power. It sits high enough I was able to go visit Khonwan from the forum with relative ease. I bring that up because where Khonwan lives would be a tough trip on a buffalo that was sporting a pair of hiking boots. However, no matter the rut or inclination I asked the Pre-runner to tackle, it just shrugged its shoulders and rolled over it.

Also, running from Nakhon Sawan back to the airport it fit 5 very comfortably, even though one of those was our 5 month old baby.

I hope this information helps you out.....

[Plus]

There's no automatic transmission for raised up diesel Vigo Pre-Runner with 2 wd system, or Fortuner. 2wd auto Fortuner comes only with petrol engine.

I have no idea why, but my guess is that trasnmissions are designed in Japan, not here, and if there's little demand, the HQ won't bother.

[torrenova]

You could get a D-Max Highlander 2WD auto (I've got one) or go the Vigo 4*4 route or perhaps another make has a raised truck with auto ?

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I see i will have two possibilities - either have my boyfriend learn to drive a manual, or indeed go for a D-Max.

Because i was at a Toyota dealer's myself in the morning today and took whatever information i could get - fluent English sales guy (NOT a girl, phew!) who knew a bit about cars..... and gave me tips as well, but even he did not know why Toyota refuses to put the Auto gearbox into a Prerunner, where it is well possible to have an "ordinary" Vigo jacked up and all the extras added to make it look just like a Prerunner - including even the "Prerunner" stickers! Of course this would add some 50k to the bill, the expensive part being the wheels (16" vs. 15" on a regular Vigo and the reason why i don't like the regular one - and they have a five-hole mount while the bigger ones have six holes, which means the whole other stuff has to be changed as well).

HOWEVER including a raised suspension a la Prerunner, while possible and made by Toyota, will void the factory warranty - talk about corporate weirdness here.

Oh, and to get Auto i will need to go for a four-door to begin with - even the regular 2-door won't come in Auto unless it's a petrol engined one! Weirdness again. I am sure parts of each one would fit into each other one....... And to go for a 2.7 petrol, well, i can as well keep my gas-guzzling Volvo. And the four-door Diesel's fuel savings are out of the window comes time to pay the road tax - 8,000 Baht vs. 1,600 for the two-door is a HUGE difference.

So yeah, will have to talk to the BF in the evening and see what we'll do.... D-Max or manual Vigo, i think everything else is out of the range (that four-door, "made like a Prerunner", would cost 820+k Baht - budget being around 700k).

How much are those D-Max "Rodeo" or "Highlander" ones??

Best regards......

Thanh

[torrenova]

I seriously would not fret about an extra 6k on tax on something which costs 7/800k and which will eat many times that each year in fuel and maintenance provision.

If fuel economy is an issue then you really don't want a 3.0L truck, 4 door or 2, auto or manual, you want a diddy town car.

The latest prices for Isuzu I have are here http://www.isuzu4u.com/prices.php

Some other information;

http://www.isuzu-tis.com/2008/product/hilander-index.html

[imaneggspurt]

You could get a D-Max Highlander 2WD auto (I've got one) or go the Vigo 4*4 route or perhaps another make has a raised truck with auto ?

Or buy a 3 inch lift kit for the vigo, 2500 baht installed,.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi.

Seems like it's a conspiracy - i can't seem to see an Isuzu "Highlander" 2-Door Automatic?? Is yours a 4-Door?

And yes, i DO "fret" about the extra 6k in tax, because "tax" = complete, 100% useless waste of money. It doesn't buy me ANYthing, giving it to a beggar on the street would do something better than paying it as tax.

At least with Isuzu, the standard one ("SLX") looks decent enough because it doesn't have such small wheels on it like the Vigo.

Jacking up a Vigo is no problem, but i buy a brand new car (as opposed to a cheaper second-hand one) for one reason only - to HAVE the warranty. And jacking up voids that, hence - no go.

And yes, i won't need a 3 litre truck NOW - but maybe as soon as early next year i WILL need one. And i don't swim in money and can't buy a new car every couple of months, in fact this will be the first brand new car i have ever owned. And it will be with me for a minimum of 10 years anyway.

Best regards.....

Thanh

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi.

I'm back from the Isuzu dealer - left a visibly disappointed guy there, but if they try to rip me off like THAT - no thanks, then i rather keep driving my old Volvo.

So, both website and prospect state the D-Max "SLX" comes with 16" Wheels. The design is the same as on the Highlander, too. But the actual car, guess what? 15"! And of course the 16" cost extra, 19k here (11k cheaper as on the Vigo because at least they both have the 6-stud mount).

Isuzu throws in more freebies than Toyota - but therefor i have to pay 25k extra for the air conditioner! What a joke.

Oh, and of course, no 2-door Highlander with automatic, and the "SLX" automatic also no turbo. But the f***ing 4-door automatic has the turbo engine! And of course also the Highlander is available in 4-door with automatic.

Why can't i just get the body that i want with the engine that i want and the gearbox that i want? This is standard everywhere! Except for Thailand.

What else mis out there - Chevy? It's actually a D-Max so i expect no difference. Ford? My BF hates them for no particular reason. Triton? Weird design. Well.... looks like he'll HAVE TO learn to drive a manual.... or not getting a truck.

Best regards....

Thanh

[kartman]

I think the reason you can't find a 2door Vigo auto pickup is Toyota would not want them being used as workhorses totally overloaded with the associated warranty claims. I've heard a number of fairly new Vigos with their backaxles

crying "enoughs enough" so adding a auto box is not a good idea on their part, you probably can get them in other markets where Toyota are confident laws and enforcement means this will not happen, as you say everywhere but Thailand. So auto boxes go in 4 doors and benzine 2 doors for the "private" market.

[torrenova]

Sorry but I don't get the OP getting so upset when she is buying the truck. Sod the BF if he doesn't want this or want that. Let him buy his own truck.

If you were a guy OP, I'd say get some balls and just do what you want. Then again, if you don't need the vehicle and all it is is a status symbol for your Thai BF then you really shouldn't be buying one at all. Money can't buy love and neither can trucks.

Whatever you do, put it in your name.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi.

@Torrenova

First of all i AM a guy. Second it's my Thai BF who's doing the financing stuff, so he pretty dam_n well has his rights to decide what car to get as he's paying for it. I have the privilege of driving it sometimes, i personally won't need ANY car as i get everywhere quite happily with my motorbike.

Thing is, we want to move to Chiang Mai and thinking of having some sort of own business there, which would require, you guess it, a truck. Therefor we want to get one now (next couple of months). As we are NOT planning to switch cars again any time soon, it must be some decent looking truck as we will be stuck with it for some time.

Automatic is not a requirement for ME - i learned on a manual and back in my home country drove only manual cars. He never drove a manual, and be honest - do YOU want your brand new vehicle crashed because the driver can't use the gear shifter, or is "in the process of learning it"? And no, there is no chance of buying an old junker with a manual box just for this purpose first. Money doesn't grow on trees. Plus, and i agree to this, driving a manual in a city like Bangkok with permanent stop-and-go traffic IS a pain in the behind (we won't move to Chiang Mai the next few weeks but probably some stage next year).

My rant is about the fact that Thai automakers (well Isuzu and Toyota at least) try to force people to buy the (more expensive and way higher taxed) four-door models if they want the comfort of an auto-box and the looks of the more advanced model. They should at least give the OPTION of getting an auto in a regular one, for extra cash of course, but no - not even the OPTION is available!

And the "weak gearbox" wouldn't count - after all the auto box IS available with the stronger engine (Isuzu) or the wanted body type (Toyota) but in both cases - only in the four-door variant! And as they are all classified as "one ton trucks" i can't see the difference in gearbox usage. A four-door, besides costing 120k more to begin and then the 4x higher tax, has a much smaller bed where i can't even get my bike on (which is somewhat bigger than a Wave), that is why a four-door is out of the equation - at least my bike has to fit onto it. Plus, it's only him and me so why do we need four doors and four/five seats?

I'll talk to him in the evening to see if i can convince him to get a manual or at least a regular D-Max (screw turbo or intercooler, i'm not sure if there's just the intercooler missing or the turbo itself as well) as, compared between the "regular D-Max" and the "regular Vigo" the D-Max looks way better even on it's 15" wheels. And even with the 25k "aircon ripoff charge" it's still just 10k above the similar Vigo and it's two-door, 3.0 Diesel, Automatic - almost there. We can still "jack it up" after three years when the warranty is over anyway.

Best regards.....

Thanh

[gymshark]

Tut tut Torrenova, didn't the rainbow flag give you a clue?

[kartman]

Weak gearbox would count if it was a"weak" gearbox, who says Toyota and Isuzu use the same model /specification auto box?. I doubt there are many interchangable parts except bulbs,fuses,nuts&bolts between a Vigo and a Dmax otherwise they would be the same vehicle, which would solve your problem you could buy a auto Dmax and put your prerunner stickers on it. What you need to do is invent Bangkok's version of speakers corner so we can all come and liston to you ranting on!.

[canopy]

I am looking at the Vigo and I too would prefer an auto box and am also frustrated by the lack of configurability. I drove a manual for years, but to tell you the truth it seems an antiquated carry over from another era. If it was one of the modern hydraulically actuated gearboxes rather than the ancient foot pedal with hand synchronization on a lever that hasn't changed since Henry Ford's time, I would be all for it.

[gymshark]

We got a new vigo a couple of months ago (manual) and it was handy when Sis got it stuck in mud, if it had been auto would have been a nightmare. Nice motor.

[Thanh-BKK]

Weak gearbox would count if it was a"weak" gearbox, who says Toyota and Isuzu use the same model /specification auto box?. I doubt there are many interchangable parts except bulbs,fuses,nuts&bolts between a Vigo and a Dmax otherwise they would be the same vehicle, which would solve your problem you could buy a auto Dmax and put your prerunner stickers on it. What you need to do is invent Bangkok's version of speakers corner so we can all come and liston to you ranting on!.

You just gotta love people who read 25% of the stuff posted, imagine the rest and then complain about it.

Now you show me where i mentioned that i want an Isuzu gearbox in a Vigo truck or vice-versa? If you are able to show me that i'll buy you a beer.

In fact i was referring to your own post where you guessed the reason for the non-availability of such gearbox in two-door models is because Toyota would fear them being misused as work horses (read: too weak to actually drive a fully-loaded pickup truck) and hence would generate lots of warranty claims.

Now since Isuzu also doesn't offer them, i am right to assume it is for the same reason (or simply to copy Toyota??) which means that both manufacturer's gear boxes are too weak, yes? But then WHY do they offer them in other models with the same or even stronger engines?? You tell me, please.

Anyway the topic can be closed now as we have made a decision - a D-Max it'll be, regular one, two door auto, possibly with the extra 16" wheels and otherwise "full option".

Best regards.....

Thanh

[kartman]

Please put "a" not "the" then there would not be any confusion ,so its a Dmax, all the ranting about Toyota was a waste of time probably what most people at speakers corner think .Don't forget when you get the new vehicle to look out for motorbikes without lights!

[torrenova]

Tut tut Torrenova, didn't the rainbow flag give you a clue?

How the hel_l would I know a rainbow flag signified gay ?

It could just as easily have been Greenpeace for all I know.

I consider myself re-educated

[Flash500]

Tut tut Torrenova, didn't the rainbow flag give you a clue?

How the hel_l would I know a rainbow flag signified gay ?

It could just as easily have been Greenpeace for all I know.

I consider myself re-educated

Me too..as if every1 is supposed to know...or care!

[mgjackson69]

Tut tut Torrenova, didn't the rainbow flag give you a clue?

How the hel_l would I know a rainbow flag signified gay ?

It could just as easily have been Greenpeace for all I know.

I consider myself re-educated

O M G !!!!!!!!!

I have been getting motorcycle advice from a GAY MAN ?!?!?!?!!?!?!!? :D

Just joking Thanh - your personal choices make absolutely no difference to me. Plus, I was already aware....

[Thanh-BKK]

Just to clarify:

Being gay is NOT a "personal choice", nobody ever came up and asked me "do you want to become gay or straight". It's the way it is, full stop. And i'm pretty comfortable with the way nature has programmed me.

And yes, i AM a mechanic so if i give motorcycle advise you can follow it. I used to fix motorcycles in Germany, commercially, it was my job. Here i just can't do too much for lack of quality tools.

Regards

Thanh

[Plus]

With Toyota 3l diesels mated to 2wd - when they raise the suspension, they can't use the autobox anymore. I don't know exactly why, but it doesn't sound too strange to me.

They have never had that kind of autobox, since pre Vigo days.

My personal opinion is that they'd have to redesign the transmission and that is done in Japan, not here, so no can do.

Even in the car market, Toyota gear boxes are ten years behind the curve. They work ok, but you don't get CVT or five speed or paddle shifters (only top Camry has a more or less modern gearbox).

I'm not sure you can get 3l engine, 2wd with auto gear from other makers, too. Not from Nissan, not Triton, apparently not Dmax, perhaps only Ford.

[mgjackson69]

With Toyota 3l diesels mated to 2wd - when they raise the suspension, they can't use the autobox anymore. I don't know exactly why, but it doesn't sound too strange to me.

They have never had that kind of autobox, since pre Vigo days.

My personal opinion is that they'd have to redesign the transmission and that is done in Japan, not here, so no can do.

Even in the car market, Toyota gear boxes are ten years behind the curve. They work ok, but you don't get CVT or five speed or paddle shifters (only top Camry has a more or less modern gearbox).

I'm not sure you can get 3l engine, 2wd with auto gear from other makers, too. Not from Nissan, not Triton, apparently not Dmax, perhaps only Ford.

It *might* have to do with driveline angles...as an automatic transmission is usually longer than a manual, it might make the universal joints run at more of an angle than the engineers are happy with.

[mgjackson69]

Just to clarify:

Being gay is NOT a "personal choice", nobody ever came up and asked me "do you want to become gay or straight". It's the way it is, full stop. And i'm pretty comfortable with the way nature has programmed me.

And yes, i AM a mechanic so if i give motorcycle advise you can follow it. I used to fix motorcycles in Germany, commercially, it was my job. Here i just can't do too much for lack of quality tools.

Regards

Thanh

Fair enough...amend my previous comment to read "that you have chosen to follow the way that nature programmed you".

You do realize that my comment re: "motorcycle advice" was made with tongue planted firmly in cheek, yes?

[Thanh-BKK]

Fair enough...amend my previous comment to read "that you have chosen to follow the way that nature programmed you".

You do realize that my comment re: "motorcycle advice" was made with tongue planted firmly in cheek, yes?

Hi

Yeah, i did indeed. I just wanted to tell you that... because usually gays have that kind of image like.... can cook and do makeup but helpless with machines... well, i'm a queen but a power queen, my heart is a two stroke engine and i've got oil in my veins, maybe i WAS born with a wrench in my hand

However, back to the "pickup" topic, if it's all about the longer gearbox then i don't understand why they (yup,Toyota themselves!) offer to "jack it up"..... of course, voiding the guarantee in the process, but nevertheless it is possible! And, what is the difference (regarding the gearbox!) between a two-door and a four-door - as the four-door IS available in raised form, from Toyota as well as Isuzu. As the engine in both versions sits at the same place, as does the gearbox, as does the axle - so why the heck "auto, raised suspension" only in four-door, if not for simple marketing purpose? "Four-door = sedan-like, can have automatic". BS.

Anyway, decision is made - Isuzu D-Max it is, SLX, Space Cab. They DO have turbos, just not that new VGS turbo (which, again, comes in connection with auto only in a four-door). 25 horses less, screw it - still got more than enough Maybe we'll put the 16" wheels on it from the "Highlander" series, but not sure - the stock ones also look ok, and outright nice if compared to the standard Vigo

Best regards......

Thanh

[Nickthegreek]

Have you looked at the mitsubishi,

I keep seeing lots of those jacked up with the bigger wheels?

Just a thought,looks nice and sales have been increasing in Thailand..

http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.th/mitsubi...us.php?CarId=31