Buyer Guide

So popular is the idea of going bush it has spawned a new breed of car capable of leaving the black top while retaining the attributes of a family sedan.  Most of these newcomers are sneeringly referred to by 4WD enthusiasts as soft-roaders for their limited offroad ability, but they offer acceptable around-town road manners and quite reasonable ability for the occasional dirt trip.Along with the Toyota LandCruiser, Nissan's Patrol is definitely not soft. Around town it's big and bulky, but it really comes into its own in heavy going.Nissan launched the GQ Patrol, also known as the Y60, in 1988. It was aimed fairly and squarely at Toyota's LandCruiser, which was the top-selling four-wheel-drive. The GQ was a traditional 4x4, designed for heavy-duty use in the bush or beyond.  It came in short wheelbase hardtop form or long wheelbase wagon and cab chassis.Its foundation, and the source of its great strength, was its separate chassis. Unlike softroaders, which are of unitary construction, the Patrol's body was perched on top of the chassis. As a result, getting into the cabin was quite a climb.There was a choice of three powerplants initially, a 100kW 3.0-litre petrol in-line six, a 125kW 4.2-litre petrol in-line six and an 85kW 4.2-litre diesel in-line six. They were all overhead-valve and carburettor fed.An update in 1992 brought a fuel-injected 4.2-litre petrol engine, which generated 129kW, and an 85kW 2.8-litre turbo diesel.  The standard transmission was a five-speed manual, and there was an option of a four-speed auto.Power was then delivered to the wheels through a two-speed transfer box. High-range two-wheel-drive was available for highway touring, with the choice of high and low-range four-wheel-drive once you left the blacktop behind. Coil springs were employed front and rear, with discs at both ends, and power steering.Models included the DX and ST Hardtops, and the DX7, ST, TI and ST3.0.  The entry-level DX had tilt-adjust steering, two-speaker cassette sound, cloth trim and vinyl mats. The ST also had airconditioning, power windows, power mirrors, central locking and four-speaker sound.Perched at the top of the model line-up was the TI, which had a leather sports steering wheel, woodgrain highlights, leather seats and seven-speaker sound. There were a number of upgrades before the arrival of the GU (Y61) in 1997.The trade gives the GQ Patrol the thumbs-up. There is little that goes wrong with them. The petrol engines are prone to cracked heads when run on LPG, but it's usually because the coolant has been low or lost. Gearboxes, drive lines and diffs give little problem, though leaks from the rear diff seals are common. Properly serviced, however, the leaks can be eliminated.Early Patrols were known to suffer from front-end shimmy, at 70 to 80km/h, but most were fixed under warranty. The fix was to remove the shims from the top and bottom of the steering knuckles, eliminating the free play. Generally, the body and body hardware stands up well.For more than a decade, John Thompson and his 1989 LWB GQ Patrol were as much a part of the Shell Australian Touring Car Championship as Peter Brock, Dick Johnson and the cars they raced.Thompson drove his long-wheelbase 4.2-litre petrol Patrol from one side of the country to the other towing a trailer laden with more than two tonnes of Shell track signs, flags and banners to every round of the championship. The Nissan has just ticked over 500,000km, and Thompson says he's delighted with it.It had bad wheel shimmy before the front end was realigned; has twice cracked cylinder heads; second-gear synchro went at 450,000km and it has blown a clutch.Tough and reliable heavy-duty off-roader for the serious off-road enthusiast, but a little big and beefy for anyone contemplating buying a four-wheel-drive for city duty.Tough and reliable off-roaderBig and bulky for regular around-town useSigns of heavy off-road useBig climb to get aboardCan have head problems

Hi, I'd like to get some advice please. I'm looking to buy a 2013 Audi A5, 2.0-litre Quattro convertible. The car has travelled 40,500km. My concern is the automatic transmission on the car, which is the Audi seven-speed S-Tronic. As with the VW DSG transmission, I know there were a lot of issues with these transmissions. This is my concern with buying the car. Should I buy an extended warranty on the car?

Are there any problems with the diesel engines in the 2017 Hyundai iLoad?

I brought a 2007 Mazda 6 the other day and now my transfer case is stuffed. What can I do about this problem?

Is the Nissan Navara 2007 any good compared to other utilities? What are the faults on this model?

We are looking at buying a second hand van to convert into a low profile camper. We have looked at Hyundai iLoad's/iMax's in particular. Aiming to get a diesel engine. I have heard there can be issues with the turbo failing in some of these models. Is this true? if so we are looking at vans with 150 000km or less. Are there any red flags or recommendations to look out for when shopping around for these vans? Our budget is approx. $15 000.

What vehicle best suits my needs? I work for a large organisation that sources vehicles primarily from Toyota. Our people travel across regional and remote Queensland to deliver services and are restricted by budget. I am seeking advice on what is the best type of vehicle for the type of driving we do. Here is a specific example and I am trying to determine if a 4WD provides an advantage or is unnecessary:

- servicing central and western QLD;

- travelling from centres like Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville west to Longreach, Winton and Cloncurry;

- on the road for between 3-5 days maximum twice each month;

- driver and 1 passenger;

- carrying resources and service information appropriate to the need (largest item would be a portable marquee);

- mainly sealed roads, some dirt roads (condition unknown);

- high likelihood of encountering wildlife (Roos, Emus, cattle, wild boar).

This will give you an idea. While I would like to provide 4WD vehicles to all services, it is cost prohibitive and I don’t have it clear that a 4WD is required. Can you help me?

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I'm looking for a family SUV for around the $20k mark (maybe more). I've been looking at Diesel or Petrol Mitsubishi Outlanders as we want something quite spacious inside, but still small and economical enough to nip around town with as it will be my partners daily drive. The only thing I really desire is that it be suitable for beach driving/sand tracks as we often hit the sand over summer here in Western Australia. Is there any other cars that you would recommend? I have looked at Grand Vitaras but my partner doesn't like them. I know the Subaru Forester or Outback would do the job but aren't as economical as the Outlander.

I'm tossing up between buying a 2014 Mazda 3 Astina ($18000/71000km) or a 2016 SP25 ($20000/83000km). Which would be better buy as I like both?