Goodbye to an old friend

[chataigner]

I have (sadly) parted company with my 29 year old 4x4. I bought it 3 yrs old in 1999 and we have since travelled over 300k km together. It still runs beautifully but my need for a 4x4 has steadily reduced and last year I did just 1500km in it, preferring the comfort of my modern car for most trips. To pass the Controle Technique it would have needed work on the brakes, new tyres and a new exhaust plus insurance of course. I just could not justify the outlay for another year of 1500km or possibly even less. It's a Nissan Terrano long wheelbase with the 2.5l turbo diesel. It actually says Ford Maverick on the outside, but those in the know will tell you that Ford never made them, they just bought Nissan Terranos and badged them.

Sold it for next to nothing to the garage that has maintained it for years, but I know he will restore it and sell it to an enthusiast. Sentimental or what...?
I miss it already.

 

[Malc2098]

Back in the late 90s I demonstrated them for a (where I lived then) local Ford garage at the National AWD show at West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

I used to get round the course with no trouble at all, yet the Land Rover in front of me struggled, especially on the steep bomb crater. Whether that says more about the driver or the vehicle, is not for me to say. But the the punters enjoyed their ride with me.

 

[Mike]

On one of my trips to central Australia, one of guys on my team was asking about the best 4WD to use for a camping vacation. One of the locals said something like if you want to go into the bush, take a Land Rover. If you want to go in and come back out, take a Toyota Land Cruiser.

 

[Mike G]

On one of my trips to central Australia, one of guys on my team was asking about the best 4WD to use for a camping vacation. One of the locals said something like if you want to go into the bush, take a Land Rover. If you want to go in and come back out, take a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Yep. I drove the length of Africa in '84/ '95, and I was in a Land Cruiser. It was magnificent. The only mechanical I had was the radiator cap failed. The Land Rover which my brother drove need an engine re-build , a gearbox re-build, replacement half-shafts, a replacement steering box, a new door (the other one fell off), and every single component of the suspension was replaced on the road. It drank almost as much oil as petrol, and had a top speed of 45mph (due to oil temperatures and consumption). Oh, and it was a few years YOUNGER than my Cruiser.

The other car I would have chosen to go in would have been a Nissan Patrol (diesel), which was similarly built like a tank. I'm sure the Terrano followed suit.

 

[Woodbloke]

One of the locals said something like if you want to go into the bush, take a Land Rover. If you want to go in and come back out, take a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Very old, but gold - Rob