7shades

Oh and as a side note.... I can FULLY understand now why people up here buy 2-3 year old Prados and Cruiser wagons and spend 10-15k getting the arse chopped off and a trayback put on. RWV conversion they're called. Practicality of a ute, comfort and quality of a properly built Toyota 4WD.

Just stuffing around cos its bucketing down and I can't do bugger all else today, and I've noticed the Whereis.com satellite imagery is much more frequently updated than the Google ones... so I chucked my address in and there's my KE70 with black GT stripes sitting in the driveway! How cool is that shit!? I dunno about the rest of the country, but I can work out when my photos were taken based on how many and which cars are in my backyard... :) in my case, september last year which is MUCH more recent than Googles which are several years old. Mind you, google get their older images for free from the public domain, Whereis has to pay for them by loading their site with advertising... So yeah... if you're bored, see if you can find your 'rolla from space, chuck a piccy up :(

Yeah but they weren't always this bad... previous gen SR5 was comparatively plush inside, felt solid... better plastics, fit and finish... drove better too. Slightly less power, but just FELT better. I can understand the tradie spec being a bit rough and ready but I reckon If you're spending Prado money on the upspec dual cab you should get something a bit better. I was seriously going to consider a TRD Hilux, (subject to test drive of course) as an upgrade from my Surf in a couple of years, but after spending a fair bit of time behind the wheel of my old man's 'lux lately, a Prado is looking better and better... new ones have the same engines as the Hilux, and the quality is infinitely better.

The one in the second pic is upside down miss jane...

Old man's SR5 TD has 40k on it now with no mechanical problems, but that being said it still feels cheap and nasty and the interior quality and materials are only moderately better than a Hyundai Accent

ok I'll show my age... Many moons ago we used to have a Daihatsu Mira as our 'backup car' in the share house I was living in.... We used to see who could run it closest to empty so we could try and fit 20 bucks worth in the tank :) I think juice was about 55-60cpl then

It'd get bogged, and the radiator would shit itself. Nice pics Des.

Hopefully he fades into obscurity in LESS than 48 goddamn pages....

Its the thought that counts. At least gets people thinking... but yeah there are better ways to put the fear of god (and falling profits) into OPEC.

Likewise. Refer to my rants in other threads about the lacklustre local product. Sure, they all do the job just fine, but so does a Lada Niva. I found the 380 to be adequate, but unremarkable. I like to DRIVE. I want more than adequate if I'm going to shell out the big bucks for a new car. Good riddance 380. May you rest in anonymity.

I don't fuel up. Well, not in the Surf at least. This bitch makes his own juice ;)

I wouldn't be PAID to own a Mitsubishi. Job loss is unfortunate, but hey, we are facing a labour crisis at the moment to the tune of about 50000 workers per year and the unemployment rate is still at record lows, even adjusted for Mr. Howard's legacy of statistical spin doctoring. Shouldn't be too difficult to walk out of that factory and into something even better. A blessing in disguise for the Australian motor industry. What have we learned? Make a substandard product, feel the mighty wrath of economic rationalism!

I had that made up when I had an industrial shed. Everyone else in the complex had one above their door, so I figured I'd better get one as well. Got some interesting looks from the neighbours ;)

Yea verily, there shall be pictures. Many, many pictures. ;)

The unfortunate reality of a globalised economy. Profit knows no borders and cares not for loyalty....

Well, I've decided to put the big bitch on the road. I have no idea why, but I am. Swapped the nosecone for one which doesn't have towbar prints in it. Swapped the 4 speed for a 5... was a rather, um, messy exercise... Also picked up a couple of new bits for it... only needed tierods and balljoints for RWC. THIS little bastard piece of nylon, however, was the most expensive part to procure.... how can a bloody shifter bush be worth $30? Aaah. Thats right, its a Mazda. Should be on the road next week, whitewalls and moonies are on the way.... just gotta work out what diameter the springs are so I can find some ultralows for it. Pimpin.

I've driven a Tundra. Lotsa power, but imo a bit soft really. Build quality is so-so... very plastic inside (I suppose most toyotas feel that way to me these days) but JESUS the engine is good. In the metal, FJ cruiser looks like something an 10 year old 'designed' in the back of his maths textbook. Horrible disgusting mismatch of styling [sic] and proportion and its just generally wrong wrong wrong. eeuuch. Not to mention that a sizeable portion of the external bodywork is plastic (echoes of Hummer H2) including those oh-so-tough-looking bumpers, grille and bash plate... As much as I whine about Toyota not bringing enough models to AU, they can keep the FJ, and the Tundra too. I like the engine, but I'd buy it in a Landcruiser rather than that bloated penismobile. Hmm. Off topic much? Um, TRD Hilux? Yep. I'd own one. I'll wait a few years for my Surf to explode and used TRD Hilux values to come down a bit and maybe pick one up.

He DID pay for it entirely by pole dancing at hens nights after all. Didn't cost a cent and he got a few phone numbers as a bonus.... ;)

or when you spend an entire saturday rebuilding a head on a shitbox suzuki sierra paddock basher because you can't bear to junk it cos everything other than the motor is in perfect nick, then you get towards final re-assembly and your arse gets just that little bit too tight and you decide NOT to buy new head bolts so the last one you torque up SNAPS OFF in the block. But you say f@$k it, and put the rocker cover on anyway and cross your fingers... Seems to be fine, but we'll see for how long.

Don't forget old mate nazi skinhead Russell steals a ke36 wagon in Romper Stomper... after he's done with it he torches the "jap piece of shit" :jamie: EDIT: Found a pic

Geeez I love that logo on your shirt Lesley.... :jamie: Well done :hmm: That red 20v is SEX. I want!

10 points for the Taswiegan!

I've long held this phenomenon as a theory for alleviating the drought problem down there... Everyone start polishing!

Heh... I am actually going to Tokyo Disney, at the GF's insistence :hmm: But thats not it... Hint: Daikoku Futo :jamie:

I'll also be going here on a saturday night... 10 points to whoever can guess where it is, and why its going to be soooo f@$king cool :jamie: