After ten years of loyal service, the old GU Patrol has officially left the driveway. That car took us everywhere and never skipped a beat.
The reason is that we’ve had our eyes on a Hybrid caravan for a while now. A few months back, I actually saw the “perfect” hybrid on Marketplace. It ticked every box, but I hesitated. I knew the GU would struggle to pull it with any sort of dignity. Even with the ECU remap, towing even the soft floor camper up a hill was a struggle. That hybrid sold whilst I considered options, and it was a sign that I needed to say farewell to the GU. I needed to be prepared.
The Search for Family Towing Car
Buying a Y62 Patrol was always at the front of my mind. With a family of five, we needed the room, and it’s certainly not short of power. I did look at Landcruisers but the “Toyota Tax” is a hard pill to swallow. As thirsty as the Y62s are, there’s a lot of full tanks of fuel in the price difference between the Nissan and the Toyota. Even so, I was still a bit shocked at the price of semi-recent Y62s. They aren’t exactly “budget” vehicles, and seem to have increased exponentially in the last few years.
During my research, I realised that even a beefy Y62 needs a GVM upgrade if you’re carrying five people and towing close to 3 tonnes. In my initial searches, I came across fully set-up one early on (GVM upgrade, lithium, the lot), but I was still in “price shock” and didn’t realise how good a deal it was. It sold in a heartbeat.
With no other models coming up that matched that deal, I briefly flirted with the idea of a dual-cab ute, thinking it might be easier for weights. However, I soon discovered that a modern dual cab isn’t exactly cheap anyway. And I’d be giving up a lot of room and comfort in the back for the kids. I soon found my way back to searching for Y62’s. Series 5 onwards in particular (mainly because I think they look so much nicer!)
A Nice Surprise
I wasn’t in a rush, just waiting for the right setup to land. Whilst I knew I’d need a GVM upgrade, it seemed they were few and far between. I posted in a Facebook group asking about GVM upgrade costs for second-hand rigs. I was doing some sums on buying without – and upgrading myself. Out of the blue, a bloke messaged me saying he might be selling his GVM upgrade equipped Y62 soon.
He sent through the specs and photos. It was a seriously good-looking and well set up 4wd. I told him straight: “Mate, that car is awesome, but it’s definitely going to be outside my budget.”
It was. But then, a few hours later, he messaged back and dropped $10k off the price “ono.”
That “ono” (or nearest offer) caught my attention. It was still more than I’d ever envisioned spending on a vehicle, but this car had everything and more. I started haggling. I threw numbers at him, got rejected, and then the “ono” seemingly went out the window too. He was aware he’d already offered me an unbeatable price. I spent several nights waking up at 3:00 AM stressing over a couple of thousand dollars. Finally, Sian made the comment “If this is the perfect car, just do it”
It was a total moment of clarity. Why was I stressing over a 2% difference on my dream rig? I messaged him: Deal.
Then, agonisingly, he didn’t reply for two days. I’d jumped the mental hurdle to come to a decision to buy it, and he’d disappeared on me. Thankfully, he did reply a couple of days later and the deal was still on. After a very frustrating battle with banks trying to confirm a large transfer without a “security delay,” I was finally driving home in our new adventure machine.
The Setup: More Than I Hoped For
Now that it’s in the driveway, I laugh at how silly I was being with the haggling. It’s a dream setup that loads of money and care has been put into.
- GVM Upgrade: 4.2t GVM, so no more stressing about weights.
- My “Must-Haves”: Flat roof rack, Dash bar on the front, and built-in ARB air compressors.
- 12 Volt: I was going to transfer my lithium from the GU, but I don’t need to. This has a full Victron setup with a 200Ah battery, inverter, and 300W of solar on the roof. The works. I was able to sell the old gear to offset the price a bit.
- Bonuses: Fold-down side steps, STEDI spotties and light bar, and a winch! I’ve never actually needed a winch in all my years of driving, but it’s reassuring to have it there just in case. Though I once got severely bogged at Coffin Bay that perhaps a winch would have saved me on.
What’s Next?
It was apparent that because of the rear door opening upwards, transferring the 270 awning from the GU to the Y62 probably wouldn’t work. So, I went on a hunt for a 180 degree awning, which is another story. Now, the search for the right hybrid continues. I’ve gone through so many iterations of what is ‘right’ over the years, but essentially we’re looking for something as small as possible that can still squeeze the five of us in for sleep. We live our life outdoors when we’re camping, so we don’t need massive internal space. Just a bed and a solid roof. Given the countries trend towards ‘self sufficient’ camping, I may even have to accept an ensuite.
I’ll also start saving up to fill up the tank 😀
