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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Credit Union
Check with local Credit Unions..........they may have a vehicle that needs a new owner!!
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El Jefe
Super Nomad
Posts: 1027
Registered: 10-27-2003
Location: South East Cape
Member Is Offline
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Well here's another car to think about. We bought a 2005 Honda Pilot last year for 14K and have been bashing it down our crappy road to great effect
ever since. It is one of the smoothest cars we've ever been in on the dirt. Full time all wheel drive works great, although I wouldn't drive it down
the beach. It's a pretty solid ride. We've hauled eight people in it from the airport. Two were kids. No complaints.
We see a lot of Hondas down here. There is a dealership in town.
Just a thought.
No b-tchin\' in the Baja.
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aguachico
Senior Nomad
Posts: 602
Registered: 3-23-2007
Location: tijuana
Member Is Offline
Mood: logic cannot get thru to the illogical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Diver
Ford truck are great but don't buy an 03 or 04, 6.0L diesel !!! |
Diver is right about the early 6.0 international in the Ford Super Duty truck.
Do a lot a reasearch and you will find disasters with that cooling system.
I have a '04 f250 4x4 XLT. I got it with 70k 6 years ago. It has 185k on it now with only replceing the FICM $900. The starter/batteries/altenator
normal wear. Luckily I had alot of work done oon her under warranty. Injectors,wiring harness, turno tubing, king pings.
If you find this engine cheap, install a cooling bypass and longer head bolts and she will run forever.
I also use AMSoil synthetic every 15k miles instead of the 25k miles.
suerte
Art
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MMc
Super Nomad
Posts: 1679
Registered: 6-29-2011
Member Is Offline
Mood: Current
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Look at 4x4 van They are easy and cheap to pick-up. I know 2 people that have and both love them. The families have 5 and 6 members and large dogs,
they carry all of them comfortably. Both couples picked them up used, cheap. Both wives think they big to drive, but got used to them.
I prefer a extended full sized with a shell, but there are only 2 of us no dog. MMc
"Never teach a pig to sing it frustrates you and annoys the pig" - W.C.Fields
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aguachico
Senior Nomad
Posts: 602
Registered: 3-23-2007
Location: tijuana
Member Is Offline
Mood: logic cannot get thru to the illogical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by soulpatch
Was it only the '03 and '04 diesel with those issues? |
The main issues were the EGR and bolts in the head gasket. The minor major problems throw a dart at the motor and you got it. Reading the forums, it
got better with '05-'06. Not sure when the next gen motors were released.
KNOCK ON WOOD.
My mechanic still cannot believe I have 185k on the same EGR cooler. He believes I may have received a better made EGR in the later '04 models.
I believe it is because I maintain her well and everything is stock. Coolant, belts, AMSOIL and air filters. I also run at 70mph 50% of the time. I
would throw another $5k into her to keep her running in a heart beat because she runs so damn well. My tranny guy says wear in minimum, but she is
not as peppy when I first got her. The tranny fan goes on when I'm loaded and towing thru the El Rosario pass, but it has never gotten hot.
There are a lot of articles out there on the bad and ugly of these international engines.
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Sprocket
Junior Nomad
Posts: 67
Registered: 1-3-2012
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If you are moving to the mainland, I would look into a Nissan crew cab and put a shell on it. They are easy to drive and your wife will really enjoy
it. The price is right and you will be able to locate needed parts in Mexico. You will not find anything for a ford diesel in Baja or Mainland cause
they dont sell them there. The problem with big trucks in Mexico is parking if you drive it every day and it even worse in bigger cities.
As for suv I would look into Ford exploder or a 4 runner (stay away from the 3.0).
good luck.
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comitan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4177
Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow
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You do not want to be driving a large vehicle on the city streets of Mainland Mexico.
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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bigzaggin
Nomad
Posts: 441
Registered: 5-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: way too ites
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| Quote: | Originally posted by soulpatch
Hmm, plenty of those Nissan Titans on Trucktrader for very reasonable and low mileage.
I'll have to do some research. |
I'm guessing there's a good reason for that.
Go Tundra with a shell.
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J.P.
Super Nomad
Posts: 1673
Registered: 7-8-2010
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
Mood: Easy Does It
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bigzaggin
| Quote: | Originally posted by soulpatch
Hmm, plenty of those Nissan Titans on Trucktrader for very reasonable and low mileage.
I'll have to do some research. |
I'm guessing there's a good reason for that
Those titans are realllllllllll Gas Hoggssssssssssss |
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aguachico
Senior Nomad
Posts: 602
Registered: 3-23-2007
Location: tijuana
Member Is Offline
Mood: logic cannot get thru to the illogical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by soulpatch
Sure wish I could get a Toyota SUV with their diesel engine in it.
Maybe I should look in Canada.
Have to check out the Nissan.
Thanks |
Have a friend that stuck a hyundai diesel in a landrover. It gets mad mileage and has has killer power,
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3152
Registered: 3-20-2010
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bigzaggin
| Quote: | Originally posted by soulpatch
Hmm, plenty of those Nissan Titans on Trucktrader for very reasonable and low mileage.
I'll have to do some research. |
I'm guessing there's a good reason for that.
Go Tundra with a shell. |
The older Titans are full of black circles (BAD) on the Consumer Report ratings, I'd avoid them.
There most certainly is but one side to every story: the TRUTH. Variations of it are nothing but lies.
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bigzaggin
Nomad
Posts: 441
Registered: 5-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: way too ites
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You're thinking right. Had mine for 10 years and nary a single complaint. If you've got any leftover scratch, get a Caravan Camper shell. They are
hands down the toughest, most functional camper shells on earth (and I have tried them ALL). They're not cheap and you've gotta go pick 'em up (in
Reno) but they are SOOOOO worth it.
Throw one of those on your Tundra and you've got a bonafide Baja machine.
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Bajamatic
Senior Nomad
Posts: 571
Registered: 8-31-2006
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bigzaggin
They are hands down the toughest, most functional camper shells on earth |
Can't help but comment on this hyperbolic post.
1) i bet you haven't tried them all. Just a hunch.
2) the handle on those shells has caused more than enough problems in mex, including a military checkpoint at which the back was unable to opened -
potential disaster, to warrant looking for another brand.
3) seriously. There are maybe 5 massive exaggerations in your post. It's fun to claim your bran loyalty but really? "hands down the toughest... on
earth?"
Puh-leez
yuletide
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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One problem
One problem with those heavy camper shells is that they are tough to get off/on the truck if you need the truck bed to haul stuff.
'Patch, if you ever make it to Ensenada, stop by and I'll show you my two rigs. You and your wife can drive 'em and see how they work out.
[Edited on 2-17-2012 by bajaguy]
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bigzaggin
Nomad
Posts: 441
Registered: 5-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: way too ites
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajamatic
| Quote: | Originally posted by bigzaggin
They are hands down the toughest, most functional camper shells on earth |
Can't help but comment on this hyperbolic post.
1) i bet you haven't tried them all. Just a hunch.
2) the handle on those shells has caused more than enough problems in mex, including a military checkpoint at which the back was unable to opened -
potential disaster, to warrant looking for another brand.
3) seriously. There are maybe 5 massive exaggerations in your post. It's fun to claim your bran loyalty but really? "hands down the toughest... on
earth?"
Puh-leez
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1.) You are correct BM, I have not tried every single make/model of available camper on the international market. However, over 3 trucks in the last
20 years, I have tried Snugtop, A.R.E. & Leer, all three of which were plastic garbage by contrast to Caravan. Cheap, tinny parts, floppy doors
and a sense that at any off-road moment, they might crumble. Caravan is like having an ambulance on your truck...unbreakable.
2.) Guilty as charged! After almost ten years on my truck, the rear handle has stiffened up. I'm gonna get at with some of the more specialized tools
in my shed, aka "lubricant" and an "Allen wrench." 
3.) Do not question my bran loyalty. I've been eating Kellog's All-Bran for decades. And I am regular.
Soulpatch - They are not cheap and yes, their website could use a revamping (but when you meet Dale - who handmakes shells with his son - you'll
quickly realize internet savvy might not be their game). Call for an estimate...but I'll say it again (and I have nothing whatsoever to do with the
company), no camper shell is as tough. And with bright-as-hell rear external and interior lights, built into shelves, and a roof capacity of
2,000lbs, they were MADE for Baja.
Here's my little mule...
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bigzaggin
Nomad
Posts: 441
Registered: 5-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: way too ites
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I can't help you there...but I bet a few Nomads can.
There does seem to be quite a bit of love for Alaskans.
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3152
Registered: 3-20-2010
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by soulpatch
Thinking Tundra with the 5.7 |
Consumer Reports gives that excellent reviews, save for the '07 model, which has issues with the drive system.
But they do list the 5.7 as a "new" engine, so if you're looking for older models, they won't have it.
There most certainly is but one side to every story: the TRUTH. Variations of it are nothing but lies.
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Bajamatic
Senior Nomad
Posts: 571
Registered: 8-31-2006
Member Is Offline
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Re: the caravan door handles. Actually im talking handle design, not maintenance. If you pack the shell full, you better hope your load doesn't shift
to the back (and good luck with that) or the handle becomes physically jammed. As a matter of fact, its jammed on me every time I've taken one to
baja; that's an ugly stat. And since the shells are well made, good luck breaking in with your allen wrench and lube. Especially when theyre packed
in the back.
[Edited on 2-18-2012 by Bajamatic]
yuletide
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3152
Registered: 3-20-2010
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajamatic
And since the shells are well made, good luck breaking in with your allen wrench and lube. Especially when theyre packed in the back.
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So, would you say that they're burglar-proof once jammed?
Just trying to find a bright side here.
There most certainly is but one side to every story: the TRUTH. Variations of it are nothing but lies.
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bigzaggin
Nomad
Posts: 441
Registered: 5-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: way too ites
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajamatic
As a matter of fact, its jammed on me every time I've taken one to baja; |
Sounds like a case of archer, not the arrows.
And Bajatripper - they're not crime proof, but they're tough nuts. I'd way rather have some goon try to crack the double-reinforced locking rear
doors than just jimmy open my Leer with a cactus spine!
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