The story of how I fell in love with my 4WD again
This motoring journalism gig is a bit of a weird one sometimes. You see, I rarely spend time in my own vehicles, and not because they don’t work (I’ll get that joke out of the way for you) but because I’m often driving a new press vehicle for the purpose of reviews or vehicle comparisons. So much so that my neighbour asked me if I worked as a new car salesperson as I seem to be in a different vehicle each week … I also assured him I’m not a drug dealer.
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Living out of a stock 4WD teaches many things, firstly that you don’t need every accessory under the sun to get out there and have a fun time. We prove this time-and-time again as we find ourselves in remote locations living with not much more than a swag, an esky and a tarp for shelter. But it also teaches there’s a reason you own the vehicle you do, and have set it up for the tasks you ask of it.
Recently, we took the new 2019 Suzuki Jimny out for a trip to see how it drove both on private property and on the myriad of 4WD tracks we are blessed with locally in the NSW Blue Mountains. As a self confessed Suzuki nut (last count I’ve owned eight Zooks) this is the new vehicle launch of the year for me. I was so excited to take the Jimny for a spin, and it was an absolute hoot!
However, I couldn’t help but keep looking at my own HiLux that the camera crew had borrowed to lug their gear around in. It’s got a lovely new suspension kit, mud tyres, barwork, lighting, a strong 12V system and a camper on the back for a quick and easy setup to sleep in. It’s got nearly 300,000ks on the clock, needs a bit of love, but it’s nearly perfect in my eyes. I just needed to see someone else drive it for me to appreciate the fact and make me wish I was driving it.
The irony here folks, is I’ve been thinking about selling it and trading it in on a new Jimny. You know, something with a warranty, capped priced servicing, modern technology with 6 airbags for some safety blah blah blah. And no disrespect to the Jimny, Suzuki have done a good job creating something modern yet with a solid nod to the history of Suzuki 4WDs.
But my HiLux is better suited to my needs. And to be honest, I’m so happy I’ve had the chance to make this realisation, as I’m certain it would be the one that got away if I was to sell it. So this begs the question, have you decided to sell your vehicle only to fall in love with it again? Or was it too late for you?
