Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Hello Forum members.

Some research lately shows the prices of used Patrols (any 4x4 for that matter) dropping drastically if compared with 1 or 2 years ago.

We have the fuel price to thank for that. However, it is important to make a broad comparison before engaging in the drastic decision to sell your troll at this time. On the other hand, if you are buying the time is right to be very aggressive w.r.t. the offer price.

The lower cost of GU's now, will have a serious effect on the costs of GQ's as well.

A complete cost comparison is required:
- Fuel cost
- Runnig costs other than fuel:
Servicing
Insurance
Tyres

Take all these factors (including the capital outlay and interest of such) for your transition into account and you will find the recovery period is sometimes up to 4 years. Obviously a function of how much you use the Patrol.

Fully comprehensive insurance on my '94 GQ rammelkas is R114 p.m., vs a Hilux DC of >R800 p.m. in my particular situation.

The availability of some specific part at Nissan and the waiting times for these, is also a benefit, for you are at least protected a few weeks of the year from burning costly fuel :)

Limiting the use of the Patrol due to the fuel costs, bring along another false economy in the sense that a lot of usefull capital is parked in your garage for very little use through the year.

Good record keeping of expenses and some thorough thought is required for this calculation, but it is not as simple as fuel consumption vehicle 1 vs fuel consumption vehicle 2. If you do travel lots of miles annually (30 000km and upwards) the maths becomes hard to ignore. Then you need to apply whooly logic (same as fuzzy logic, just not as precise!) and bring the "passion" and "Patrol-satisfaction" variables into account.

All I'm trying to say: Make a comprehensive calculation of all factors prior to making the decision.

Lastly, does anybody have an idea what was the effect from the rise in fuel cost on other brands, as one would asume there is more stock that went to market?

Regards

You are 100% correct. As I use The Patrolie on a daily basis for work (about 24 000 km per year) and keep accurate records for tax purposes I know exactly what the costs are.

1. My business partner drives a common double cab with IFS on the same bad roads and farms and what she spends on steering and suspension parts alone makes our fuel and maintenance costs about equal. Just wait until the first turbo goes and she will be crying.

2. My investment is about R 300 k less which equates to about R 15 000 per year @ 5% per annum. If financed you can double the figure.

3. My insurance is less than half.

4. My services are less than her turbo diesel's and should be less frequent but I rather do mine every 10 000 as well. (This included under the costs in point 1).

When her 2010 vehicle is ready for the scrapyard the Patrol should probably be run in.

If you are using the Patrol for what it was built for it is a no brainer but even when used for normal everyday use the maths should still be in the Patrol's favour due to purchase price, insurance and longevity.

If you already have a paid for Patrol and want to buy another vehicle just work out the cost of the money for the purchase price, be it financed at 10% or cash that you could be getting 5% on - Pays for a lot of fuel.

Very valid points.....

Stem saam!!!

I operate with a fleet of patrols of different vintage and type and I have not gone bankrupt (yet).
There are two possible reasons. I overcharge my clients or the patrols make economic sense.

Another money versus vehicle choice example:
On the recent river trip , myself , Dirk and Oellie proved that no amount of money or brand "superiority could get you close to the ability of the patrols .
There were a mix of very expensive cars that did not even come close to the three Patrols. We came out of the trip relatively unscathed and some very expensive cars had some serious eina.

My wife an I had to do the maths at the beginning of the year. We looked at a small car and using the Patrol as a daily commute vehicle. At the end we decided it is cheaper to use the Patrol than to buy a new/second hand car. I have to drive a hell of a lot with the Patrol before it will be cheaper to buy a small car. Our calculations was for not selling the Patrol and getting a 3rd car. It might be a bit different if you sell your Patrol, but who wants to do that? I have an app on my phone that keeps track on all the expenses of my car. I will post the results after a year or so. I had to change my clutch, so the cost is a bit out of context at this stage. I also do most of my driving in town, Bloemfontein- 60km/h, so the fuel average will change after a long trip or so. 4.5km/l to 6.5km/l. This is a very interesting topic and will keep my eye on this one.

Marino4x4 wrote:I have an app on my phone

Name of app?

marakasmalan wrote:

Marino4x4 wrote:I have an app on my phone

Name of app?

ABSA Bank App

Hi Marnus

Ek het n Nokia Windows foon so nie seker of dit op Iphone of Android sal wees nie, maar die app se naam is My Car. Dit neem maintenance, versekering, was/clean, Equipment purchase, Tires, Repair, tax, Inspection en other cost in ag. Dit is nou bo en behalwe die branstof. Jy kry dan alle statistieke wat jy moontlik wil gebruik. Sal goed wees as jy of iemand kan kyk of dit beskikbaar is vir die ander telefone.

Link:
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store ... 325530e591

Groete

The loss anyone takes smousing a 4.8 and buying another car will eclipse any saving.

I looked at a 4.8 and then the equivalent cost of a Land Cruiser 4.2Td cruiser with twice the km on it, same age, and you could buy 13,770l of petrol with the difference. That is about 140,000km to break even (assuming the Land cruiser used 1/2 fuel as patrol)(excluding services). And then the Land Cruiser would be on 400,000km and in need of an engine rebuild. Patrol would just be broken in.

So buy a patrol and drive for 6 years for free.