Ask an expert

Am looking to buy a Pajero. Family needs a seven seater and we occassionally tow double horse floats, so want a good tow vehicle. I understand the diesel would be the best option, but these are hard to come by in our price range. I was wondering if there was any difference between the NZ new petrols and the imports? Also are the 3.8ltr petrols any good? They seem to be a lot cheaper for the age and k's.

As far as we're aware the 3.8 petrol Pajero has a good reputation for reliability. However, avoid the earlier 3.5 petrol with the GDi engine, as these suffered running problems that could be very costly to rectify.
There is no real difference between the NZ new and Japanese market model - apart from spec and trim options.
The low purchase price of large petrol SUVs is due to the fact that they are very thirsty, hence hard to sell because buyers prefer the diesel. If you will be using the vehicle as a daily driver, the fuel bill is likely to be on the steep side and depreciation will be quite high as well.

We are looking to replace our Commodore with the Pajero, have a wee Toyota Carona as a run about. The diesels seem to be about $4000 dearer for similar age/k's. We're trying to work out if the extra expense would be worth it?

Generally speaking, with a large SUV the diesel is the better option in the long run. If the budget runs to it, you'll find the fuel consumption and depreciation will be far greater with a petrol.

Thanks for that.