The old generation diesel pajero's had turbo failure but this problem also plagued lancruisers but due to their fewer number it was less reported, this was mainly due to poor quality diesel in kenya, and to some extent the imported pajero's from dubai (at some point the major source of pajero's in kenya) had their mileages rewound after working in extreme conditions.

If you check the ex-showroom price of both the prado and pajero they are similar. The reason why the prado tends to be expensive in Japan is due to the higher demand of prado's and the fact that Japanese exporters have realized consumers love for Toyota (Check the japanese auction price difference between the prado and pajero, its is not that big)

As for reliability the Pajero is as good as the Prado. The pajero is also way more stable than the prado. I currently have 3 pajero's (1988, 2003 and 2007) and 1 prado (2005). The Pajero beats the Prado hands down according to me. The only place where the prado wins is that it has a more comfortable city ride due to its linked suspension. As for the spare parts the price difference between prado and pajero is negligible, and the prado is not the ordinary toyota that can be fixed anywhere with anything.

I would advise you to get the pajero, but do avoid the GDI version as we do not have qualified mechanics to handle that system.

@ 2012 by Landcruiser do you mean the VX or the Prado TX ?

If you have a choice and money to boot go for the VX, its the mother of Fourwheels.

@ Obi

I would suggest that you look at the japanese car auction sites, this is where the car exporter source their vehicles from, you will find a price difference of about $2000-$3000.

The prado is more comfortable to drive in town in the sense that the linked suspension is more quiet and you feel less bumps when passing bumps and small pot holes. This difference is only noticeable to keen drivers.

The pajero has an independent suspension that is designed for maximum stability and off road driving. But as it is independent the force of bumps on wheels is distributed at slightly different times hence a slightly greater bump.

I prefer the pajero for the following reasons (I will use the 2003 pajero and 2005 prado as my reference points, as you are likely to buy similar models):

1. Pajero is way more stable due to its independent suspension and mono-coque chasis. High speed driving and cornering is bliss.

2. Pajero has a rack and pinion steering wheel which is amazing, the steering feels lighter than a vitz. Also provides quick maneuvering with minimized risk of over steering

3. The petrol pajero i have has better acceleration than the prado. Pajero has a bigger engine by 300cc though.

4. The pajero interior is more spacious than the prado. Also the boot seats fold into the floor of the pajero, in the prado they hang on the sides, thus take up space.

5. The tiptronic gear response of the pajero is far superior to the prado

6. Pajero is equally reliable as toyota, have a friend who has clocked 260,000 km on a 2002 model without any major problems, only timing belt change and regular service.

7. Pajero is cheaper, and provides more value for money.

It costs me around 20,000 shs for a service, but the service interval is very high. Spark plugs which cost around 2000 each but are replaced after every 40000 km. I use synthetic oil and the oil change interval is 10,000 km. Oil and air filter are priced in the range of other normal cars.

Let me know if you need to know anything else.

Thanks VJ and Mpobiz

This is th ekind of experience I was looking to tap into, people who have tried both cars and can give real life attest.

I am thinking of buying a 4X4 and I needed to reconcile the price variances btn the Pajero and Prado. The info you guyz gave me is really helpful and I can now consider both cars as equals.

Would any of you know anything about the Jeep Grand Cherokee, I know it has the best fuel efficiency and is the fastest in its class of 4x4's, however it also happens to be among the cheapest (off UK), does it have any problems or is it also just suffering from the Pajero syndrome

ermm......jes curious if u would still buy a pajero if u knew what it meant and why it isnt called "pajero" in spanish speaking countries... :)

http://hem.com.np/2008/0.../badly-chosen-car-names/