Faults:

Head gasket, heads, radiator.

General Comments:

My first car, bought it for $3,500 AUD and fixed it up to get it registered and roadworthy. The V6 in it (3VZ-E) goes well, not a race car considering it's only like 105kW, but the power to weight ratio is okay. Gets away in 1st and 2nd gear well, but anything above that is slow. It sucks the fuel too, gets about 16L/100km which is about 14.7 MPG for you Americans. It drives well on road and leg room is good, I'm about 6ft (183cm) and it is still roomy and comfortable in each seat of the car. Is very capable offroad, I have a small lift and 31" tires and it will go anywhere a Landcruiser will and will often show up bigger cars with more power, especially in the sand considering it is so light and the V6 is happy humming along at 3500 RPM.

Head gasket blew from the previous owner, he tried to fix it with Stop-Leak/Gasket Sealer and it corroded the heads and the radiator (which was a cheap aluminium one from eBay that he put in to look cool). $3,372 AUD later and it was back on the road with new heads and head gaskets and a new radiator. Nothing else is wrong though, reasonably reliable when treated right. Although I am now religiously looking at the temp gauge and checking coolant levels.

Faults:

This is the my first 4WD, and so far I am pleased with it. I take it to camping and fishing, and have never had a problem.

The manual gear box is tight and the steering is fine. I've replaced all the oils and idler arm.

General Comments:

Great car. Toyota is not about performance and power, it's all about reliability!! The car is slow at traffic lights, but as soon as it takes off, no problem setting at 110km/h for long distances.

Change your engine oil every 5000km, and the rest of the oil every 10k, and you will have a very reliable Toyota for a long time.

Faults:

Had to replace rear exhaust flange on the first day.

Had Steering alignment first day as wheel shuddered while driving.

Had rear diff seal replaced in a week of owning it.

Had the injectors and injection pump replaced 2 months after purchase (would have done sooner but had to save the $3000 required).

Had to replace CV joints at start of the year ('09). Passenger side snapped, but replaced both.

Replaced rear tail-shaft uni joints.

Rear window control switch (internal) stopped working.

Head reconditioned 5000 K's before I bought it.

General Comments:

This 4x4 has had a few problems, but I expect that with the age, and I have never had the same problem twice.

Very reliable and with some preventative care and regular maintenance, this truck will last over another two decades.

Bought the truck for $4200, but have easily spent a further $10,000 on it with upgrading, for example, heavy duty clutch, extractors and a 2 1/4 inch exhaust system, K&N filters, snorkel, dual battery system, diff breathers etc.

But that $10,000 also include engine oil changes every 5000 K's, other drive-train oils every 20,000, new brake pads, new shockers, radiator flushes and new coolant.

Plus correcting any of the "Whats Wrong" problems as well.

Basically the previous owners didn't look after it, but with a bit of TLC it runs as good as the day she came off the floor.

The body and interior are not in the greatest shape, but I find it to be a tough and capable truck and would recommend it to someone after a 4x4, but not wanting the big size of a 'Cruiser or Patrol, no need for the Ute capability of the hilux (although spacious as a wagon), and want Toyotas reliability.

Only other thing to say is don't expect to win any drag races with it, unless ya up against the same car, the diesel is particularly a bit of a slug up hills, but that aside I find it great to drive, perhaps I just like living at a slower pace and driving a little slower then everyone else though.