De Official " ..I eh know what van to buy " thread....
Posted: August 6th, 2010, 4:09 pm
...if you can't make up your mind after going thru all this information, going on test drives and talkin to your bank....
...then confine yourself to public transport
NAVARA
Pros:
- 2nd most comfortable interior
- good for prettying up
- POWERFUL engine (the most torque of them all)
- fast and smooth on the highway (will leave behind all other vans, once it gets to stretch its legs. Not the fastest off the line but best top speed - you know, like Bowser and Wario in the game "MarioKart").
- good resale value
- car-like ride, driver's sitting position is more like a car than a truck
- lots of space in the back seat for mid-sized adults, children and midgets.
Cons:
- Electronically controlled diff - not a "real" LSD like the purists on this forum would tell you >>>> Less grip in slippery conditions / offroading.
- lowest ground clearance so no offroading unless you get a lift-kit
- large size makes it a beeyotch to park in Port of Spain
HILUX
Pros:
- exceptional resale value, EXCEPTIONAL!
- most comfortable interior of them all (even though the styling sucks, at least the materials are good).
- high ride, good visibility (so you can see and dodge the dead dogs on the highway)
- also good for prettying-up - the original gangsta with de 20-inch chromes. Back in 2007 when they first started appearing, every man wanna see a hilux with 20-inch crims.
- good all-round performance in every category - power/performance/features/safety
Cons:
- EXPENSIVE (to buy and to maintain too)
- questionable safety when turning corners, more susceptible to roll over - if you ask the hilux to take a corner too hard, it will say "no" and take a lie-dong on its side instead.
L200/SPORTERO
Pros:
- powerful engine
- 3rd most comfortable interior
- the new 2.5L engine actually makes more torque than the 3.2L engine
- car-like ride (just like the Navara)
Cons:
- Styling - the damn thing's shape looks like a huge Slipper or a huge loafer's shoe
and the tray, wah' happen to de lower tail-end of the tray? They run out ink when they was drawing the design, and the design sheet accidentyally went to the factory as it was..... half-drawn????
- large size makes it difficult to park
- powerful engine but power isn't available readily until mid-high rpm.
RANGER
Pros:
- Powerful engine
- sporty and aggressive interior
- gearbox is perfect for the engine - pulls out the power just perfectly (the power comes immediately, unlike a Navara where you have to rev hard)
- Bulletproof reliability and durability
- Can carry heavier load than the navara and hilux (and tow too)
Cons:
- Softer suspension than the BT-50
- smaller tray than the navara
- styling of the newer models not as masculine as the older models
- smaller back seat than the Navara and hilux
Mazda BT-50
Pros:
- See above (same truck as the ranger - same designers)
- Longer tray than the ranger?
- One website says it can carry 2-tons in it's tray and then tow 1-ton at the same time
- Interchangeable parts with the Ranger
- Also the cheapest pickup even when fully loaded (180K or so for a 4x4, 2.5L, manual, fully loaded A/C, double cab, mp3 stereo, and so on) - possibly the best bang-for-your-buck in an all-rounder performance truck. You get the performance and awesome gearbox of the Ranger, with stiffer suspension - all for a much lower price!
Cons:
- See above under "ranger" (same truck!)
- Need to get the 3.0L to get a tray without the tie-hooks on the side
- SSL has questionable after-sale service, but at least they not as retarded as N&M. Seems like SSL favourite three words are "no" "parts" "available". Solution - buy parts from the Ranger instead.
Isuzu DMAX
Pros:
- powerful engine
- will haul and carry heavy loads like the ranger and bt-50
- aggressive styling, actually looks good when dressed up with 20's and a rollbar to the back
- does everything well (drive, haul, tow, comfort) but not exceptionally well
Cons:
- that engine NOISY!!! I find it sound like a maxi engine
- Nothing special about the truck's features - it doesn't stand out in any category, so it's just "good enough" all around
- low ground clearance, so watch out when off-roading or trying to drive over them dead-dogs on the highway - you'll still end up hitting it with the undercarriage.
WINGLE
Pros:
- it cheap!
- looks decent when dressed up (almost like a DMAX and Ranger had a baby and named it Wingle) - but from the back and sides only. Just don't watch the Wingle from the front, and you'll be ok.
Cons:
- it's chinese >>> it's a knock off (it's like buying a "rollecks" compared to a Rolex)
- it's a frigging chinese piece of crap
- otherwise unknown performance, not many reviews online for it.
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...then confine yourself to public transport
NAVARA
Pros:
- 2nd most comfortable interior
- good for prettying up
- POWERFUL engine (the most torque of them all)
- fast and smooth on the highway (will leave behind all other vans, once it gets to stretch its legs. Not the fastest off the line but best top speed - you know, like Bowser and Wario in the game "MarioKart").
- good resale value
- car-like ride, driver's sitting position is more like a car than a truck
- lots of space in the back seat for mid-sized adults, children and midgets.
Cons:
- Electronically controlled diff - not a "real" LSD like the purists on this forum would tell you >>>> Less grip in slippery conditions / offroading.
- lowest ground clearance so no offroading unless you get a lift-kit
- large size makes it a beeyotch to park in Port of Spain
HILUX
Pros:
- exceptional resale value, EXCEPTIONAL!
- most comfortable interior of them all (even though the styling sucks, at least the materials are good).
- high ride, good visibility (so you can see and dodge the dead dogs on the highway)
- also good for prettying-up - the original gangsta with de 20-inch chromes. Back in 2007 when they first started appearing, every man wanna see a hilux with 20-inch crims.
- good all-round performance in every category - power/performance/features/safety
Cons:
- EXPENSIVE (to buy and to maintain too)
- questionable safety when turning corners, more susceptible to roll over - if you ask the hilux to take a corner too hard, it will say "no" and take a lie-dong on its side instead.
L200/SPORTERO
Pros:
- powerful engine
- 3rd most comfortable interior
- the new 2.5L engine actually makes more torque than the 3.2L engine
- car-like ride (just like the Navara)
Cons:
- Styling - the damn thing's shape looks like a huge Slipper or a huge loafer's shoe
and the tray, wah' happen to de lower tail-end of the tray? They run out ink when they was drawing the design, and the design sheet accidentyally went to the factory as it was..... half-drawn????
- large size makes it difficult to park
- powerful engine but power isn't available readily until mid-high rpm.
RANGER
Pros:
- Powerful engine
- sporty and aggressive interior
- gearbox is perfect for the engine - pulls out the power just perfectly (the power comes immediately, unlike a Navara where you have to rev hard)
- Bulletproof reliability and durability
- Can carry heavier load than the navara and hilux (and tow too)
Cons:
- Softer suspension than the BT-50
- smaller tray than the navara
- styling of the newer models not as masculine as the older models
- smaller back seat than the Navara and hilux
Mazda BT-50
Pros:
- See above (same truck as the ranger - same designers)
- Longer tray than the ranger?
- One website says it can carry 2-tons in it's tray and then tow 1-ton at the same time
- Interchangeable parts with the Ranger
- Also the cheapest pickup even when fully loaded (180K or so for a 4x4, 2.5L, manual, fully loaded A/C, double cab, mp3 stereo, and so on) - possibly the best bang-for-your-buck in an all-rounder performance truck. You get the performance and awesome gearbox of the Ranger, with stiffer suspension - all for a much lower price!
Cons:
- See above under "ranger" (same truck!)
- Need to get the 3.0L to get a tray without the tie-hooks on the side
- SSL has questionable after-sale service, but at least they not as retarded as N&M. Seems like SSL favourite three words are "no" "parts" "available". Solution - buy parts from the Ranger instead.
Isuzu DMAX
Pros:
- powerful engine
- will haul and carry heavy loads like the ranger and bt-50
- aggressive styling, actually looks good when dressed up with 20's and a rollbar to the back
- does everything well (drive, haul, tow, comfort) but not exceptionally well
Cons:
- that engine NOISY!!! I find it sound like a maxi engine
- Nothing special about the truck's features - it doesn't stand out in any category, so it's just "good enough" all around
- low ground clearance, so watch out when off-roading or trying to drive over them dead-dogs on the highway - you'll still end up hitting it with the undercarriage.
WINGLE
Pros:
- it cheap!
- looks decent when dressed up (almost like a DMAX and Ranger had a baby and named it Wingle) - but from the back and sides only. Just don't watch the Wingle from the front, and you'll be ok.
Cons:
- it's chinese >>> it's a knock off (it's like buying a "rollecks" compared to a Rolex)
- it's a frigging chinese piece of crap
- otherwise unknown performance, not many reviews online for it.
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