Thoughts on the Daihatsu Rocky to Replace an NL Pajero

[brw0513]

I currently have an NL SWB Pajero manual with the 6G74 SOHC engine.

It was purchased as a cheap-ish way into sand 4wd driving and towing my tinnie reasonable distances on bitumen for weekends away. It is also used for the daily commute now the oldest daughter has my previous car.

I've only owned it since earlier this year and have a love-hate-love affair with it. There is lots of good about it. The engine has great manners and reasonable power and makes the car a little bit nice to drive The driveline design is a thing of beauty. It looks pretty good to my eye and I seem to fit in the cabin well.

It needs more money spent on it really. The A/C is cool but not cold. The clutch shudders and the gearbox is snatchy. These things are acceptable given I'm not a rich man so don't have the money to keep throwing at the car.

The one thing that really spoils ownership for me is the fuel consumption. I get between 15-16L/100km. Although those numbers are probably reasonable for a car of some 1800kg, I just hate the frequent visits to the servo.

Soooooo..... I'm thinking of waiting to find a neat Daihatsu Rocky. There are reports of 10-11L/100km regardless of how they are driven. The driveline is very similar to the Pajero. They tow very well apparently and I quite like the way they drive. I'm sure they would be capable enough on sand for me.

I would miss the rush of the 3.5L petrol engine, but I think the less frequent stops for fuel would make up for it.

Any tips, advice, suggestions etc?

[MSF]

My mate Esky Pete used to have one, it was ALL white and looked like an Esky - hence his nickname that still sticks today - about 20 years later..

From what I remember - it was notoriously slow and I was forever pulling him out of the sand as it would always get bogged... We swapped cars one Stockton Beach trip because after the 5th ot 6th snatch out - I got the $hits and told him to drive mine and I would drive his so we would eventually get to where we were going... Nope, - It was just next to useless in the soft sand...

I also remember the many MANY trips away where we would all set off from Sydney and we would always end up waiting for him at the top of hills to catch up.... (I had my NJ GLS Manual 3.0L V6 at the time)
When leaving camp, we would always let him go first and we would leave 20-25 mins late and still catch him and end up being held up..

Ohh, not sure if I mentioned - They are slow :P LOL

[El_Freddo]

Good luck finding a good one at a decent price. I think these are becoming hard to find in good condition, and I’ll speculate by saying that they’re becoming a classic collector’s item...

Cheers

Bennie

[nj swb]

I do like the Rocky, at one stage (many years ago now) I even contemplated buying one.

In theory, a competent off-roader due to light weight and good wheel travel, but they were never really popular here, so the range of aftermarket accessories / modifications is limited.

I'll defer to MSF's experience with real-world performance - I would've liked to think they're better than that, but I have zero experience with them on which to base an argument.

You'll lose money selling your NL, and end up with a vehicle that will be inferior in every way other than fuel consumption. I don't see this as a sensible option.

If you want a real off-road capable small 4wd that won't burn through too much fuel, have a serious look at the Suzuki Vitara. Much more common than the Rocky, surprisingly capable off-road (about as underrated as the Pajero, IMO), but aftermarket accessories / modifications still comparatively limited.

[brw0513]

I've been looking for a good Rocky for around a year now. I've seen three (in photos) I would have been happy to buy but they sold before I could inspect them. The good ones sell very quickly - I suspect Dealers are scouring the internet waiting to pounce on the best examples.

And I've seen quite a few sad cases that wouldn't be worth the trouble of ownership.

Slow doesn't really bother me. But I am surprised to hear of poor performance in the sand. I wasn't expecting that given the drive line and suspension arrangement of the F78 variant (latest incarnation sold here from 1993 to 1999) is very, very similar to a Pajero.

The turbo diesel 2006/2007 R and X model SWB Pajeros might be my perfect car if only they came with a manual transmission and were in my price range. I'd like to have money one day

[HeavyPizzaz]

Thoughts on the Daihatsu Rocky to Replace an NL Pajero

I've been looking for a good Rocky for around a year now. I've seen three (in photos) I would have been happy to buy but they sold before I could inspect them. The good ones sell very quickly - I suspect Dealers are scouring the internet waiting to pounce on the best examples.

And I've seen quite a few sad cases that wouldn't be worth the trouble of ownership.

Slow doesn't really bother me. But I am surprised to hear of poor performance in the sand. I wasn't expecting that given the drive line and suspension arrangement of the F78 variant (latest incarnation sold here from 1993 to 1999) is very, very similar to a Pajero.

The turbo diesel 2006/2007 R and X model SWB Pajeros might be my perfect car if only they came with a manual transmission and were in my price range. I'd like to have money one day

I tend to agree with nj swb re: the Vitara.

What about this? Not far north of Brissy..

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/1998-Suzuki-Vitara-JLX-Auto-4x4/SSE-AD-465478

1 owner, only 140,000km

Can’t be that much smaller than a Rocky surely? Has high and low range so it’s still a proper 4by.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[brw0513]

The Vitara is a possibility. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Nab]

Are the Rocky’s leaf spring front suspension? If so the ride won’t be as comfortable as the Paj....

[brw0513]

Are the Rocky’s leaf spring front suspension? If so the ride won’t be as comfortable as the Paj....

The F78 model had torsion bars at the front. The arrangement is slightly different, but very similar to my NL!

[Patagonia]

Had a Feroza before my NL (removable top Rocky) and the NL is by far a more confortable ride. Less noise, softer ride, better materials, better feel on the levers, far more responsive engine, more (thought also little) cargo space, etc, etc. At 120 kmh the Feroza felt it was going to blow hehehe.

Having said that the Feroza is a very reliable 4wd and I would have one if didint had the money to buy a Pajero. Dont remember using it on sand but I think it should do well with its weight, maybe it just need a change to the stock tyres...

Regards

[MSF]

Pete's Rocky was a Petrol, Not Turbo Diesel - sorry, should have made that clear...