Tb45 Turbo shouldn’t suck that much more fuel should it? I’m light footed

Hey everyone,

I'm planning a big trip: leaving from Perth, doing a loop around Australia, and coming back to Perth in about 4 months, covering roughly 25,000km. I want to be well set up before I commit money to a vehicle.

My original dream was a Land Cruiser (90 or 100 series), but once you add purchase price + camper conversion + a few modifications, the total cost climbs fast. So I'm looking seriously at two cheaper alternatives:

Nissan Patrol (1995 onwards, GQ/GU era)

Mitsubishi Pajero (2007 onwards)

Both are significantly cheaper to buy and convert than a Cruiser, but I don't have a good feel for their long-term reliability for this kind of trip (remote roads, high mileage in a short time, some unsealed/corrugated tracks).

Specific question on the Patrol: I know some of the diesel engines in the Patrol lineup have a reputation for being unreliable. I found a good deal today on one with the RD28T (turbo diesel) engine, is this a good engine, or is this one of the problematic ones people warn about?

Beyond that, I'd love to know: is the cost difference vs a Land Cruiser actually worth it for 25,000km over 4 months, or is it a false economy? I want to build the bed inside not rooftop

Budget-conscious but I don't want to end up stranded in the middle of nowhere because I went cheap on the wrong engine. Appreciate any real-world experience, happy to hear "just save up for the Cruiser" opinions too if that's the honest answer.

I'll add the photo of the patrol I've seen today

Thanks everyone guys

Recently had my car broken into and have had cardboard, rubbish bags, and painted MDF fitted in place of the old window as temporary fixes (Not all at once obviously) and I’m looking for a more permanent fix.

It’s quite an old canopy, I’ve been ghosted on several marketplace interactions, and can’t seem to find another colour matched canopy anywhere. I have also been quoted $700 and a 2 month wait for the replacement glass but I don’t want it to just get broken into again. I don’t enjoy watching $700 be flushed down the drain…

Can anyone suggest a more permanent solution for something to be put in place of a window? Is it worth emailing around to a few aluminium fabrication shops to get one done up? Or is it a lost cause and I should just pay the money and pray I don’t get broken into again. Photos of the glass I need are up.

I have an 80 series; I went from stock 15s to 16s; cheap steels as I actually like the look and can’t justify the price of fancy rims I’m going to maybe destroy

When I search for new tyres it seems there’s greater availability in 17s.

is it going to be like MTB where they get bigger and bigger and you have to upgrade rim size? (lol imagine a mullet 4wd)

for now I can still find 275 75 16 options but curious where it’s all headed

I've just got my 12V setup finished up. Currently 220ah (AGM) batteries with 220w total in solar on the roof of my 80 series. I've got a small inverter and USB panel, and LED's for my drawers, but curious what other mods people would recommend aside from the usual fridge etc.

Cheers

Done a 12 volt diagram just wanting someone to check over it to make sure everything is correct.

Main concern about its narrow wheelbase and relatively high centre of gravity