I wanna buy a ute!

[red_dog]

Well I'm farkin sick of taking my front wheel off when i transport the DH beast!
Currently I have a VS Commodore Sedan.
So I've decided to look for a ute.
I've pretty much narrowed it down to a TOYOTA HI-LUX 2 WD (at the oldest a 2000 model).
But one thing I have learned from borrowing my old mans ute, is that it needs to be at least an extra-cab.
But should I go one further and get a dual cab?????
Obviously with the extra seating of a dual-cab, you end up loosing tray space. But at least u can carry 4 passengers with more comfort.
Obviously there are pros and cons of each.
At this stage I'm leaning towards the extra-cab.
But I'd love to hear from those who have previous experiances.

So I guess this is my main question
EXTRA - CAB or
DUAL - CAB

Thanks heaps

[danv]

I'm looking at similiar issues at the moment. I want a ute to carry dirtbikes, but also want 4 seats. If your just doing MTB, I think you could get away with dual cab with the tray down. Itd just be a matter of measuring. Unless you want to carry only one bike, you'll probably need to put them in lengthways, ie. facing the cab, not on an angle.

[lotec]

another thing i have seen on a few dual cab utes is make up a rack like you would in a trailer but one end of it is attatched to the back door of the tray and you just leave that down and strap the bikes down, gives you a bit of extra length just cant throw stuff in the tray cause it probably wont be there when you get to the top :D

[kalem]

They are rare but there are some dual cabs without the stock panel trays, they have aftermarket trays that are often longer than the stock ones. Could be an option, i'll be lookin at getting a 4x4 hilux when my situation improves.

[Simo]

with cab utes such as rodeos, hilux, navara etc you an hang bikes off the back of the tailgate. By that I mean the whole bike is in the tray but the fork and front wheel hangs off the back. I have seen this done with up to 6 bikes which are all fully assembled.
For this reason (among passenger room etc) I recommend you go the duel cab option.

[99Coconuts]

heyyyyyy go grab a 2ton 4 door kingswood ute :D hold 5 passengers with long legs (those dual cabs aint much good for someone more than 4 foot tall) and you'd easily get bikes for all of them on the back. perfect car i reckon :cool: sure, the petrol bill will cost you an average mans salary and you cant park in a normal space, but hey, can you put a price on style ;)

[Kingswood]

I got a Navara Dual Cab last year and I love it, I dont think I will buy anything but a dual cab in the future.

For Riding:
You can fit 5 guys and 5 bikes legally, We usually have the bikes upside down, across the tray, on the bars and seat. First bike goes in with bars to the right side, 2nd bike goes in with bars to the left side etc. It's only a 2WD so I dont have the clearance to hang the forks over the tail gate, and also the forks over the tail gate trick sometimes covers your number plate (If you are on public road).
If I am by myself I stand the bike up and strap it down diagonally across the tray.


For Other Stuff:
I always end up using the extra cab space, whether it's carrying people, locking stuff up, fragile stuff, or just things I want to keep out of the rain. The lack of tray space is an easy trade off for me, I have moved house and you can still get a lot of stuff in there, I have moved large items with the tail gate down and it works a treat, but 99% of the time I get away with the small tray and them just load stuff into the back seat.

Hope that helps.

[MrPlow]

Dual cab ute with style side tray is great. bit of carpet and hang the front wheel over the tailgate. Sweet :cool:

[nathan floramo]

I suppose you've really got to think about how you will be using your ute.

I use a crusty ford ute now for for that but it sucks compared to an old Landrover panel van/troop carrier I used to have. It was better doing MTB specific trips. I could throw in a couple of bikes, swags, esky and bbq and the wife or a mate or two, and felt all our gear was secure while I went to the pub. It was kind of like a shed on wheels really.

A friend has a duel cab 4wd Ro-lux with a canopy but he still has to take of his front wheel to get it in the back.
But thats only my 2 cents worth.

[Misplaced]

I'm not going to get into the Hilux/Triton/Navara/Rodeo war.

But I will say, get a dual cab, yes you lose some tray space but all the benefits outweigh that.

Look at the specs of models you are looking at as different utes have different tray lengths, even dual cabs.

I have a Mitsubishi Triton DC 4wd (my second) couldnt be happier.

when I did my research, the Triton was was choice because:
longest tray of dual cabs (2000 models)
longest service intervals (15k not 10k like the others)
good 2nd hand price
bloody frugal engine for size and power
longer leg room than Hilux front and back

for me it was a close run thing between the Triton and Navara.

(hang on, didnt I say I wouldn't get into the 'which is better' argu?)

so anyway, for dirt bikes etc longer than the tray heres what you do for all DC's and a lot of extra cabs.

Get a checker plate insert made up that fits the floor of the tray and over the tailgate when down. Insert/remove checker plate insert as you like and put mounts,stays or stands on it for yer bikes.

BTW,you will find you can only just squeeze 1 moto bike is a single cab anyway, sometimes only at an angle.

so you end up with a very flexible car, its a passenger vehicle and load carrier too.

I cant imagine going back to normal cars now.

My next will be a new Rodeo they lead the way right, unless someone brings out something better.

good luck


EDIT: Oh, I throw all my bikes over the tailgate, means I can carry 7 DH bikes all up. I have a thick rubber mat to stop the tailgate from getting scratched.

[toodles]

Oh, I throw all my bikes over the tailgate, means I can carry 7 DH bikes all up. I have a thick rubber mat to stop the tailgate from getting scratched.

Plus two people in the tray. Just don't bounce tennis balls in the back of the ute whilst driving up Mt Coramba. :o

[Misplaced]

Plus two people in the tray. Just don't bounce tennis balls in the back of the ute whilst driving up Mt Coramba. :o

yearrrrr, thats a manufacturing flaw with the Navaras, shocking tennis ball retention at 80 clicks off road :D

[Bonnet]

i use a dual cab hilux, never failed me once. 4WD, only mod is an aux. 120L long range tank and main tank of 60L. if you need more room for gear with 7 bikes on the back (usually 5, 4 riders and shuttle bitch) just chuck on a roof rack with a cage, almost doubles your load carrying, just dont put heavy stuff up there! the attached pic isnt the best but shows the set up people are on about. number plate is obscured, but that dosent bother me much, most of the time we're not on public roads anyway.

ASH

[Joly Joe Rider]

I have been borrowing my old mans Hilux dual cab.
As an extra bonus it is a turbo deisel (with a heavy wastegate spring so it gets like 15psi) so it really hooks up the hills best thing I've done runs in.

[hairy]

with the single cab and the extra cab the trays are the same lenght in the hilux's im pretty sure we've had both and im 90% sure they are, and with the extra cab you can have seats in the back them i know the seats are only little but they'd do the job for shuttling. i was going to get a hilux extra cab as well but i ended up with a 02 xr6 ute:)and its farkin awesome.

Edit: we also had a 4x4 dule cab and you can fit bikes in them no worries with the tail gate down and they are very practical;)

[Bodin]

I just bought a '94 Rodeo spacecab this year (my first car! :D ) and the only negative is that I can only take one other person with me. I mostly ride solo enduro stuff, though, so this isn't usually a problem. Aside from that, though, it's been awesome and more than useful for all sorts of stuff, not just MTB-related (my garage has never been so empty)... Dual-fuel gets me from Melbourne to Sydney and back with only one fuel stop. Very handy.

I'm planning on getting the rubber tailgate mat so I can be the shuttle bitch on DH days.

Then I've got my eyes on a decent stereo to increase the doof-doof factor and then I wanna get some nice big chrome mags and then...

and then...

and then...

Damn, I need sooooooooo much more money. The ute is cool as it is, though. :)

[red_dog]

There have been some good comments which i have been contemplating.
So it looks like:
Toyota DUAL-CAB, bikes upside down, TURBO Diesel.

All this has been verry helpful, and muchly appreciated.


Now all I need is da $$$$
I've got $15,000 plus a '95 Commadore to get me something decent.
How do you guys think I'll fare???

[Joly Joe Rider]

Should do alright
The old mans hilux is a 94 model I think and he paid about 15k for it about 3 years ago.

[hairy]

get the trading post champ and get car hunting

[tombre2]

4 seater all the way, and then weld a thing on, i cant explain it but my mate did it and hold 4 bikes and 4 guys with ease

shibby:D

[bighitter184]

I got a dual cab rodeo 1991 model and we just lay the tray down and fit 5-6
bikes max easy.I made a rack up that you slot one bikes stays in the the next forks in and just throw one rope over the top.
another alternative with the dual cabs is put your rigs in upside down with all the forks to the tray end,just have to be careful with brake levers so we loosen em off and turn em round.

[99_FGT]

Red dog,
I have been and done the whole ute thing. I had a Toyota SR5 xtra cab diesel, and I could carry 6-7 bikes in the back of that and some gear, and if push came to shove fit 4 people in it. Good for Big Bend rides. I have done similar in a dual cab, and you would be lucky to fit 3 bikes with wheels on. As for hanging the bikes over the back, not ideal, but MtbMan seems to make it work with a nice pink rug.
Next came the 'coon (99 AU 5 speed) which only took 2 people but did have room behind the seats for gear. Had a ute lid on that and could fit 3-4 bikes under the lid with the front wheels off.
I doubt you would be able to find a turbo hilux for the money you are looking for, because if it is an aftermarket turbo you are looking at a rebuild within 50k of turboing it, so make sure that has been done (or get it done). Hope that helps.
Al..

[thewayitis]

hilux turbo diesels are way to go. even a standard diesel. you can turbo them afterward if you find you dont have enough power, but i reckon there is enough power. you can get a pretty good 2.8 diesel one for that money. the diesels you cant go wrong. theres a dude in a 4x4 mag that got 900,000 km out of his and he said that he will give it a rebuild at a million km. as long as the filters are dobne every 5000km youll be sweet.