2012 Toyota HiLux Pricing and Specs

The very fact that you’re looking at two vehicles that fit into your budget but have travelled such vastly different distances should tell you all you need to know about the Nissan. Frankly, the Navara D22 and D40 don’t age well. In fact, many owners have found out the hard way that a Navara just can’t match the Toyota HiLux of this vintage for longevity and the ability to cop punishment over time.

I’m certainly not saying that the HiLux was perfect, but compared with the Navara’s litany of faults and problems that covered everything from rattling timing chains to coolant leaks and odd design elements such as the bottom of the radiator being lower than the lowest part of the chassis cross-member (not good for off-road work) the Toyota was much better. Granted the Navara you’re considering has very low mileage, so it should be okay for a while…just about till you hand it over to your son to break.

The best engine for economy is the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel. The 4.0-litre V6 is a great engine, but it does consume a fair amount of fuel. In terms of reliability they are much the same. On average they would have done between 100,000 and 150,000 km. Pricewise they would average $28,000-$31,000. The main thing to look for is any sign of hard work or heavy off-road use.

To fully answer that I would need to know more about the car; is it a 4WD, dual-cab, which diesel engine, and its condition and price, but in terms of longevity and reliability the Hilux diesel is generally a good deal. The key to future reliability is regular servicing, so make sure the car you buy has been regularly serviced and hasn’t been neglected in any way.