Planning to purchase ex gov Pajero

[Wazza999]

Hi folks,

We are planning to replace our 93 Ford Maverick (GQ Patrol) TB42S dual fuel vehicle with an ex gov Pajero. It will be sad to let go of the old beast, it's been a tough and reliable workhorse but the ever decreasing availability of gas and the desire to do some remote travel towing a small wind-up caravan (Goldstream Crown) means it has had its day.

Here in the ACT and surrounding NSW ex gov, I presume police Pajeros are priced around $33K in dealer's yards for an MY16 GLX5. These vehicles seen to have a little over 90K km and come with ARB winch and bull bar, tow bar and Light Force lights, about $2K less without the winch and tow bar. The advantage I see in such a vehicle is the accessories and full service history. As far as I have been able to glean from reading various forums Pajeros seem to have a reliable drive train and no major engine issues in the NX model and 90K km shouldn't be an issue for a diesel.

Yep I know the stories and caveats about gov vehicles - drive it like you stole it etc ... but a mate purchased an ex Vic police Pajero several years ago and has had nothing but good reports. Unfortunately the Vic vehicles only seem to go to auction now, as his was better fitted out with cargo barrier and second battery.

I figure I will have an additional $1K to 1.5K to spend fitting a cargo barrier (~$400) and brake controller (Redarc Towpro Elite~$250), wire up the controller and fit a VSR and Anderson plug to the rear (6B&S cabling).

I have hired a number of Pajeros over the years for work but these were only for gravel/access road travel as I worked in wetlands and it was Shank's pony or quad bike for the rough and boggy stuff.

A few questions:
- is there sufficient under bonnet space for a second battery;
- do you usually take the wiring for the rear Anderson plug through the sills or under-body;
- is there access to get the wiring in/out of the rear cargo space without drilling?

I checked out the service schedule and am aware that the 90K service is one of the bigger ones, also the issue of MA plating instead of MC on some vehicles.
Sorry if this has been a bit of a ramble, just trying to get my head around issues and extra costs of a vehicle changeover.

Regards
Wazza

[Seighcret]

It really depends on the type and location of the vehicle. I used to be in Nswp and had a few pajeros. I'm no revhead but I did do lots of Ks on desert roads during the night. I lost count of how many tyres I did or how many Roos I hit.

If it's white and you see a little nick ground out of the top of the front door so that the roof bar wiring loom didn't foul on the door that means it was most probrably a general duties vehicle. Those things get driven pretty hard. They have a steel prisoner cage in the back and steel bars with winches and a few other things which adds up to a lot of additional weight. They are driven at speed and with standard suspension. When a urgent job comes in the engines are started and immediately driven at speed. There is no time for warm up on a cold winters night when heading to an urgent job.

If it's got a sub tank installed it's prob from country nsw. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on where it was from. Mine were used in the outback and copped a serious amount of punishment. Pry back a few covers etc and you can see if it's got brown dust marks.

If you can get your hands on a different coloured one or one that was not a g.ds vehicle they are generally driven a lot more sedately and looked after. Examples are crime scene or detectives vehicles. A good country example of one of those would definitely be a good buy compared to the gds vehicle. The country ones and very well decked out.

Nsw police do fleet servicing which is on a different schedule to the standard servicing. They still get their services but the service list is different (and is stingier compared to standard servicing).

To be honest - if it was me id take the money I'd pay and put it into a slightly older non Nswp Pajero. Sorry if that's not the answer you are looking for. I currently own an nt and an nw Pajero and really like them - I just wouldn't buy an ex gds one - I know where they've been.

Last thing - not sure about mm warranty but if you buy from a dealer note that some extended warranties may not cover ex emergency service vehicles. Ask.


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[Wazza999]

Thanks Seighcret, very useful info. All the vehicles I have seen on offer are white with no aux tank. I will check out the front door for a notch. I believe sometimes the history is available, I will ask. The dealer specifies an extended 3yr warranty, so detail will be important.

[aussieintas]

Hey bud

Yes there is room for dual battery under bonnet and a few companies do a specific tray to fit against firewall on passenger side. Couple of pics below.

Theres a large through the firewall grommet right where the dual battery tray sits to run most cables.

[Wazza999]

Picking up NT RX MY11 on Tuesday

So, I have found a low (80K) km NT Pajero in absolutely immaculate condition, already fitted out with second battery, brake controller, winch compatible bull bar and a tow bar for a bit less than $30K. Fully setup vehicles are surprisingly hard to locate and the Mum's taxis sell for a premium without any fruit. Pick it up on Tuesday and look forward to travelling to Willandra Lakes, Kinchega, Hattah-Kulkyne National Parks in a few weeks without having to be concerned with fuel availability. The features available in a vehicle several generations on will be a bonus!

[Seighcret]

Nice. I used to work at Menindee and did lots of driving around Kinchega!


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[Wazza999]

It will be interesting to have a look around the area. I moved from working in coastal swamps up and down the east coast to the SA Riverland and Lower Lakes where I spent nearly ten years poking my nose both figuratively and literally into some of the stinkiest places you can imagine but never did any work at all in Western NSW. Lots of work colleagues spent time digging holes in western NSW but not me, looking forward to looking around the country towns, villages and national parks. I've done some travel in the SA desert areas and absolutely love the big landscape vistas you get in the west.