Can't believe it, I have been here for a few months sucking knowledge in and have only just seen that an intro area existed. Hopefully better late than never. Sorry.
So, firstly to be nice I would like to say thanks to everyone who has provided tips and feedback on my posts. Late last year I bought through my work an 09 model GLX-R Diesel auto, why, because of Super Select and the rear passenger room. What first caught my eye was the specials being advertised so I decided to check them out, luckily I can buy them on Gov't Contract which means really cheap, not bragging-just lucky. Without those two features I think I probably would not have come close to getting a Triton, maybe a Prado GLX. A week before I was in Cape York and hired a Prado to drive from Cairns up into the Cape and I would have to say that the thing was brilliant, 6spd Diesel, and it motored long a bit too quickly. I won't say what speeds I was cruising on and I mean cruising, not a hint of sweat from it.
Anyway after getting the Triton and having already put 8000k's on it in under 3 months I would have to say that I love it a lot, its got bling, it stands out from the crowd, it handles good and goes good. My last work car was a Territory and that was an awesome thing, b4 that Liberty and Outback, so I am accustomed to All Wheel drive at present. Me in a 2wd car and roundabouts dont mix too well.
I am 42 years young and started 4wding when I was 17, I had a Sierra soft top for a year then got a Sierra JLX 1.3 litre model with canopy, a black one. I was involved back then with the Newcastle Suzuki 4wd club and I think from memory there were not many others around, our arch enemies were the Newcastle Land Rover club, usual thing, Suzuki's are toys and why not get a Real 4wd aka LandCruiser etc. Anyway I had one of the first 3" lifted Sierra's around and myself and my buddies took them anywhere and everywhere, one of my oldest mates is Greg Page one of the organisers for the Tuff Truck challenge each year and he has some great stories of what we use to do back then. I remember at the 1987 4wd Jamboree at Mt Seaview there was a big bog hole contest, well we entered a mens team and womens team in it and blitzed it but I think we got disqualified for some reason, so after they got all of the stuck jeeps and toyotas out of it they went to lunch and we did doughnuts in the bog hole to let off our frustration, I don't remember much more of it because 2 fellas in a Nissan LWB drove up from tassie with all of these strange cartons of beer in it, Boags, anyway they shouted us all weekend and I have drunk the stuff ever since it finally become available up here, God rest there souls
. Our favourite 4wd mag back then was Bushdriver magazine, it was always a challenge amongst us to see who could get there car in the mag, I even dated Ric's (the owner) daughter for a while, that did not help, all I could get was a little filla cartoon with number plates on the truck, na, she was a great girl, a great driver and and a great truck as well . It was my best buddy Tony who got in it, a full page spread of him with his Sierra doing Wirrabra Ridge. I think he was the first fella to take a Sierra there and conquer it, I don't know if the legend of Wirrabra Ridge still exists at all or not, but back then it was labeled the hardest 4wd track in NSW. I have some great video footage of us doing it, the trip which was organised by Fred Black of Out of Town 4wd, we had pajeros, jeeps, LC's, really old Nissans etc on it. It is real vintage 4wd footage from the late 1980's, one day I will put it up on Youtube. Suspension flex back then was a lot less moderate compared to today, my 9 year old son could drive a modded Nissan and LC like what we see today anywhere unlike the old days. (wonder if this stirs anyone up)Well, there is no way I am going to take this new truck bush until I have done some basic mods to it like bar, suspension and tyres, so in the meantime its Stockton Beach and some easy 4wd tracks around Wollombi and Mt Yengo, fortunately my work has me out in the bush in those areas.
My other toys are a worked Honda CRF250X bike, a GT Zaskar MTB hardtail and a GT Marathon Elite MTB Full suspension, I am still working out what the best way is to get the Triton to get all of this around because I am hanging for a camping trailer as well, but I don't have $30K to spend like the goods are worth.
So after about a 10 year layoff from not being near 4wd's, I'm back, older, wiser but a bit slower as well. I think that equates to less damage to vehicles. I am having to relearn everything, the talk and the behind the wheel stuff. So if I get to the point of tagging along on a trip that would be good, I have no idea what access to Barrington is like now, there use to be some great tracks up at Boonabilla and the old LandRover Club Lease property, so I am looking forward to exploring more of NSW and beyond in the Triton.
Oooh, oooh, I have just remembered these 2 fellas who use to drive a L200 ute with us, I think that may have been when they first came out anyway we use to have to tow the thing out of everywhere, I think we ended up nicknaming them Bill and Ben the Flowerpot men, because they were always stuck in dirt/mud
. I now pledge my allegiance that no Suzuki will ever pull me out of a bog, I don't know if I am suppose to add hiluxes to that as we hated(in a nice kind of way:) ) them as well 20 years ago, what is it about them, I just don't get it. God's gift to w....naa it can't be that.I could rave on forever so i will stop there.
Anyway G'day everyone and catch ya's later.
daryn
