New to the forum

[5thGeer]

Hi guys. I'm Mitchell Geer and I'm new to the forum and the club.
I've been offroading with my dad (FIRSTGEER) and family since as far back as I can remember. Toyota has been the only 4x4 he'd drive with the exception of the Suzuki SJ 410 that he rebuilt many years ago.

I have been a co-driver for many years, but have never driven or owned my own 4x4 until recently when I purchased my 2009 3.0 D4D Fortuner and all I can do is ask myself why I never did it sooner.
I'm ecstatic to be a part of the Hilux 4x4 community and I look forward to meeting some of you when I'm able to join in on some future outings.

Thanks for allowing me to be a part of the community.

[Bear]

Hello 5thGeer

Welcome to the forum. It’s good that the community is growing.

It would have been great if you had a HILUX, and even greater if you had an SFA! LOL

The Suzuki is a good vehicle as well, which is underrated. Well not a hard-core 4x4 but often surprises people with its capability’s.

[Mud Dog]

Welcome Mitch!

You're not exactly "new to the forum" ......

Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:44 pm

.... but might be considered a "newbie" from the point of view of not having been active over the past 10 yrs.
Welcome all the same.

@ Ricky. Mitch is no stranger to the Hilux SFA .... his dad ("FIRSTGEER" on the forum) had one for many years and one of his older brothers ("4thGeer" on the forum) still has one that he won't part with.

P.S. The Suzuki SJ 410 was also SFA and IMO while not being as reliable, was just as hard core as the Hilux SFA .... in fact more capable due to the better approach, break-over and departure angles by comparison. It's biggest draw back was the poor roll-over angle due to it's narrow wheel base which got significantly worse when fitting bigger tyres or raising suspension.

[Bear]

P.S. The Suzuki SJ 410 was also SFA and IMO while not being as reliable, was just as hard core as the Hilux SFA .... in fact more capable due to the better approach, break-over and departure angles by comparison. It's biggest draw back was the poor roll-over angle due to it's narrow wheel base which got significantly worse when fitting bigger tyres or raising suspension.

When you say “while not being as reliable” could you be more specific as to what the common faults are if you know. I was considering getting one as a daily driver. I always liked them, it like a toy. I think maintenance on it is cheap, not so sure on the fuel consumption.

[5thGeer]

Hello 5thGeer

Welcome to the forum. It’s good that the community is growing.

It would have been great if you had a HILUX, and even greater if you had an SFA! LOL

The Suzuki is a good vehicle as well, which is underrated. Well not a hard-core 4x4 but often surprises people with its capability’s.

Thanks Bear

A Hilux would have been awesome, but I went with the Fortuner because the price was right and it was already kitted with a lot of extras. I also travel a lot with friends and after owning sedans for most of my life I felt that The Fortuner (as my only vehicle) gives me the best of both worlds; a capable and reliable 4x4 where I am able to join friends and family on outings whilst maintaining a decent level of comfort (not to say that the Hilux isn't comfortable). I'm extremely happy with her so far.

[5thGeer]

Welcome Mitch!

You're not exactly "new to the forum" ......

Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:44 pm

.... but might be considered a "newbie" from the point of view of not having been active over the past 10 yrs.
Welcome all the same.

@ Ricky. Mitch is no stranger to the Hilux SFA .... his dad ("FIRSTGEER" on the forum) had one for many years and one of his older brothers ("4thGeer" on the forum) still has one that he won't part with.

P.S. The Suzuki SJ 410 was also SFA and IMO while not being as reliable, was just as hard core as the Hilux SFA .... in fact more capable due to the better approach, break-over and departure angles by comparison. It's biggest draw back was the poor roll-over angle due to it's narrow wheel base which got significantly worse when fitting bigger tyres or raising suspension.

Thanks Mud Dog

I joined the forum over 10 years ago in search of information to assist a friend with a repair and did not realize that there was such a large Hilux community.
After hearing my dad and brothers speak about the forum and the people that they have met through it, I decided to get involved, only to realize that I was already a member

[Mud Dog]

@ Ricky. By comparison to general run of the mill off roaders out there, both in it's time and those of today, the Zook's reliability ranked amongst the best of them. I'm not saying it's unreliable, just not as reliable as the over engineered Hilux SFA.

IRO maintenance costs for a well aged vehicle now when spares are becoming more scarce, I have to wonder if those cost will be low. But you might get lucky and find one that has been well cared for and doesn't need much in the way of part replacement. (One of the biggest problems was rust).

They weren't that fuel economic either with figures that were only marginally better than the old SFA. So as a toy, why not, but as a daily runner I wouldn't consider it.

[Bear]

Thanks Bear

(not to say that the Hilux isn't comfortable)

Well depends which Hilux you speak of.
Don't be afraid to say it, the truth that is. LOL

The SFA is not a comfortable vehicle, we all know that. It was not built for road, not just the suspension but even the gear ratios. Toyota was the leader in off-road at that time especially with its D/Cab. The competitors had to come up with something so called “better” and that’s were IFS came along. Everyone liked the comfort and supported the opposition not realising it was more for road rather that off-road. Toyota was forced to manufacture an IFS as well in order not to lose sales.

The same thing happened with the Subaru. People who had them complained of the roughness of the vehicle and the loud exhaust sound. The Subaru was an off-road rally vehicle sold for road purposes for those who wanted a true race car with excellent handling. Due to so many complains from their customers they developed the newer ones for the “wannabees”.

Trucks (Bakkies) nowadays are quite often purchased as a status symbol rather than for its purpose. Many never even sees dirt tracks.

[Haboob]

Hi Mitch,
Welcome back.
You have a great vehicle which is not easily beaten on reliability.
What is the current mileage?

[5thGeer]

Hi Mitch,
Welcome back.
You have a great vehicle which is not easily beaten on reliability.
What is the current mileage?

Hi uncle Edge. It currently has 214000km on the clock.

Sent from my VKY-L29 using Tapatalk

[Haboob]

Still a bit stiff I presume, but nearly run in...