Thread: Cheap 4WD opinions

Originally Posted by luckey

I have a 2009 ML Triton (short deck), bought sight unseen nearly 10 years ago from a Northland dealer and shipped to Dunedin. On arrival it had substantial underbody rust and a couple underbody dings and sand in the wheel guard linings, obviously been driven extensively on wet rocky beaches and/or deep onto boat ramps. Dealer said this was common for Northland vehicles and gave me $1000 towards remediation. Got it rust treated / undersealed and all fixed up for about the $1000. Rust treatment has mostly been successful with only minor spot re-treatment needed, no problems with WOF. It’s a mighty truck, last of the 3.2TD’s and with Super Select like the Pajeros. No regrets.

Thanks, good to know! I haven't found a tidy 3.2 with under 300,000k yet, so I'm looking at the 2.5 diesel. There's a few closer to 200k but I'm stretching the budget a bit (really don't want to borrow anything toward it)
Good to know about the rust. I think I'll keep it coated in lanolin or fish oil. I don't drive on beaches except a rare occasion