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Thanks Cade, no plans on going off-road unless absolutely necessary. Must say the review is not good, but alternately I have found some good reviews on line as well. It's all a bit confusing! The vehicle in question is a diesel auto import,150k and reasonable fuel consumption (compared with the Mitsi Diamante SW 3.5 that I currently drive). Just thought it might be a good option as towing will be a small percentage of its use. Cheers

Yes for every vehicle there are good and bad experiences. The thing to consider is, you want to make sure the transmission can handle what you want it to do. So I recommend speaking to a transmission specialist about any vehicle and see how strong the trans is, as it can often cost moonbeams to repair. If the vehicle is in good condition with a regular service history, then it may have a head start.

Thanks yet again Cade, just one more question - whatever vehicle I find I intend to get an AA inspection, would I need the transmission specialist advice in addition to that? Cheers

Yes, call a transmission specialist and talk about this type of vehicle first, because if it known to be troublesome and expensive to repair then you may not want to pursue further.

Hi there, I'm back again with another question! I have an option to buy a Great Wall 2011 4wd petrol manual ute, towing spec of 2250kg for braked trailer. I have now weighed my horse float which is close enough to 1000kg so with the two horses all up total of no more than 2000kg. As mentioned in previous posts I wouldn't be towing the horses very often - last gap between transporting them was over 4 years but of course still need us all to be safe for that one trip! In between, more likely to be carting hay and maybe some furniture.
The ute has done less than 50k and has been used for towing a caravan (which I now own).
What is your opinion re the GW ute and whether 250kg would be enough safety margin weight wise?

Hi there,
I haven't heard too much on the GW utes, basically the general consensus is that it is a cheap ute that does a basic no frills job at being a ute. Reviews say they have a bit of turbo lag, thin paint and poor build quality.
Towing 2 ton is at the upper scale of the limit, however it is still inside the manufacturers recommendations, so shouldn't cause serious issues.