To go for an FJ or not?

[Jasonsne]

Guys,

currently have a 2003 liberty sport, with manual gerbox. I have had it for about 6 months now and had it on the sand a few times which it handles well. However I also have a commute from Abu Dhabi to Dubai everyday, which I can say it doesnt deal with so well.

I am thinking of chopping it in for an FJ, has anyone got any experience on the sand with this and how do you think it will handle the commute??

[Andy]

Good car, will do both perfectly only downside I have heard of is poor visibility and very dark in the back seats and has caused passengers in the back to become a little car sick.
Other good options are Xterra, Prado SWB and even a JK wrangler just dont mod them up too much to keep them driveable on the road.....

[Jasonsne]

Thanks Andy,

Not to fussed about passengers as it is mainly only me that uses the car.

I have also heard of problems of visibility.

I am really looking for something i dont need to spend money on to have fun in the sand so from what I have read on the forum JK might not be the best option.

P.S. you were right about the clutch on the Liberty, I ended up having to have the whole thing replaced as cylinder was also on the way out.

[Viking]

I agree with Andy about the FJ. It is a very good car in the sand and can do quite good also stock. Check with the guys that did the normal "stage 1" mods such as liftkit and tyres to see what impact it has on the daily driving.

I would say that Prado (SWB and LWB), Patrol, Landcruisers and Pajero are also quite OK.

[Xof]

There is also a Budget issue. Define it please.

Good point : you're alone in the car.
Bad point : you need a daily long commuting.

JK : great for sand. No need mod. Not as much costy than others for maintenance. Cheaper to buy than japanese!!! but too slow on the highway.
FJ : good everywhere. Overpriced! You'll need a lift kit as you drive in higher grades. Visibility issues. A little too bulky. very greedy on highway!
Prado : go for SWB, a lift kit, and you have the best car for both. But pricey
Patrol : great everywhere, but expensive to buy and to maintain. You never know who had it before... and Nissan workshop is horrible.


What i would do : if you want a FJ, it will cost you around 90/100k... So, I would buy a week end toy for the sand (TJ modified) for 40/50 and a exquisite road car for 40/50 also... you can have great deals at this price (Jaguar type X, Mercedes C200, 207RC, 407, Laguna Turbo, BM320...). At least, you don't mind to hurt your toy, you can still go to work the following week!

but it's your choice at the end.

[wasifahmed]

There is also a Budget issue. Define it please.

Good point : you're alone in the car.
Bad point : you need a daily long commuting.

JK : great for sand. No need mod. Not as much costy than others for maintenance. Cheaper to buy than japanese!!! but too slow on the highway.
FJ : good everywhere. Overpriced! You'll need a lift kit as you drive in higher grades. Visibility issues. A little too bulky. very greedy on highway! Prado : go for SWB, a lift kit, and you have the best car for both. But pricey
Patrol : great everywhere, but expensive to buy and to maintain. You never know who had it before... and Nissan workshop is horrible.


What i would do : if you want a FJ, it will cost you around 90/100k... So, I would buy a week end toy for the sand (TJ modified) for 40/50 and a exquisite road car for 40/50 also... you can have great deals at this price (Jaguar type X, Mercedes C200, 207RC, 407, Laguna Turbo, BM320...). At least, you don't mind to hurt your toy, you can still go to work the following week!

but it's your choice at the end.

Is that really you Xof. Hope you are feeling Ok didn't hurt your head in the Rotana Swimming Pool by any chance.

Jason.

If you are looking for an FJ its now possible to get a good say one year old car for around 60,000 to 70,000 if you choose to go that route I could help. Its a capable car and you get used to teh visibility which has not been an issue for me.

If you wanna spend some more look at the Patrol

[braveheart]

Very helpful information, all is true, as an FJ owner for the past 2 years, I got used to the visibility issue, nothing major
very confi as well, but I would recommend you check the mods and technical section before you start any upgrade to your stock FJ, if not planning for advanced trips, keep it vers.... you'll enjoy it

[Nabs]

Jason.

If you are looking for an FJ its now possible to get a good say one year old car for around 60,000 to 70,000 if you choose to go that route I could help. Its a capable car and you get used to teh visibility which has not been an issue for me.

If you wanna spend some more look at the Patrol

Hey Wasif!

60k to 70k for a one year old FJ? where?

Ive been looking for one for sometime now and all I found was 2008s selling for 90ish mark, good deals where at high 80s...

I would be interested in an FJ at the price you are quoting if low millage! Im mainly interested in cars produced after August 2008!

Cheers

Nabil

[mike0967]

Best is always to have two cars, and finally most people will end up with this solution. Stefan just bought Andy's YJ for the play time and a used Cayenne S for the daily commuting. I have my JK for the weekends and a LWB Prado for commuting, my neighbor has a TJ and a Mercedes C200 Kompressor for commuting, bottom line, this is the way to go.

Mike

[wasifahmed]

Hey Nabil

That was what a friend got for his March 08 car this last week. I am sure if you look around in Dubai you will get a low mileage car for around that amount. Will let you know if I come across any.

Wasif

[Jasonsne]

thanks for all of the info,

I was planning on going for a new car, as buying a used car here is not the same in the UK, you really dont know what you are going to be getting.

The FJ currently comes in at 133k dhs fully loaded.

Unfortunatley we only have space for two cars and we already have an Armada that my wife uses to go in to Abu Dhabi. 3 cars is going to be a little excsessive and no where to put it.

With the fuel costs here Im not worried about fuel consumption.

I tried a standard FJ and 4 door JK on the sand around Big Red, and the FJ seemed more confident, the pull from the engine was definitley much better.

Anyway im still not decided, but my gut is pointing towards the FJ

[Nasser]

I tried a standard FJ and 4 door JK on the sand around Big Red,

Anyway im still not decided, but my gut is pointing towards the FJ

FJ = Fake Jeep
JK = Jeep 1,000 times over

[wasifahmed]

Suggest going with your gut.....always works for me....I see you getting intimate with Fatima Jabeen shortly

[Nasser]

Suggest going with your gut.....always works for me....I see you getting intimate with Fatima Jabeen shortly

Seriously though, the one good thing about the FJ is that it carries Toyota's reliability

[Jasonsne]

very funny guys, im guessing you'r from the Jeep lobby

but nasser you think JK is better than FJ in standard form??