IVECO DAILY

G'day Doug it's been awhile. Cheers

Dunc

Doug, stick with your Troopy, it will still be going at 1,834,000 kms, but the Iveco will be unrepairable due to excessive and constant costs at 300,000 kms.

This bloke has owned one for a while, and runs a very informative blog on the constant Iveco 4x4 problems.

Going Bush

The problem is the Iveco 4x4 is built by the appropriately named Italian aftermarket supplier, SCAM Srl.
SCAM take the standard 2WD Iveco Daily and convert to 4x4 and RHD (if needed) by installing the SCAM-built transfer case, along with a multitude of other modifications.

The problems are - the SCAM transfer case is unreliable, the extra weight imposes loads on the Iveco drivetrain that cause other problems - Iveco and SCAM parts availability is poor - and I can tell you this from personal experience, if you want to see parts pricing rorts, try buying some Iveco parts.

I once had the experience (1997) of buying an alloy thermostat housing for a 6 cyl, 200HP industrial Iveco engine.
The purchase price of that alloy thermostat housing in 1997 was $1,000!!

I have little doubt that Iveco prices haven't changed much - their reliability is still borderline - and the parts backup is still abysmal.
The local Iveco dealers are very good with their support, but they are backing a product with numerous design faults, that neither SCAM nor Iveco will fix.

Toyota are far from perfect, the V8 Landcruiser is not ideal, with its few design faults - but with Toyota, you have backup and parts everywhere - their reliability is highly satisfactory, and their resale value is tops.

The Iveco hasn't made much of an impact on the off-road 4x4 scene, you have to be a real Europhile to buy them and defend them.

Cheers, Ron.

The other thing is that the reviewer is a person who has rubbished just about every 4wd there is. He owns/drives/reviews them for a little time then complains about all the things that in his opinion are unsatisfactory. On some matters if he did some research he would find that there have been may solutions found, but he just complains. complains. complains. I too have heard some stories about problems with the Iveco, but if you look at some on line 4wd mags (Unsealed) recently, there is a person who has done the hard yards and found the solutions to the Iveco shortcomings. The good thing about an Iveco is the ground clearance, the vast range of gearing available, the payload and towing capabilities, which leave all common 4wd's well behind. Yes just like a lot of new vehicles, support is not there in the bush, and that is also the case with the newer toyotas. I saw quite a few models waiting for parts on the Canning last year. Unbreakable not. I suggest if you contemplate an Iveco, do your research and find what the problems are and fix them before you head out. It is annoying that they are not there from the get go but solutions (and some are expensive) are available.

A vehicle review done by a guy who did a East - West Simpson Desert crossing and couldn’t understand the fuss about trying to drive up Big Red, because he drove up the Eastern side only....I think i’ll ignore his opinions on things myself...lol. I will add that Big Red is not that big a deal with correct tyre pressures, but the way he carried in his Simpson video whilst having no idea it’s more challenging coming from the opposite direction, was pretty laughable to me....and don’t get me started on his whinging about the flies...lol...though they did appear to be fairly thick in numbers whilst he was there.

I wrote an article about Ivecos a while back. I met the owners on the CSR.

Half interesting to watch, but not really a "comparison"

Haaa good to see all the knockers are still lurking... and Hallo Ron, Duncan , etc etc, yeh been a long time, No guys I am not buying one but what I will say is this, IVECO of all sizes are a top class vehicle, so is my old Troopy, but it would have been the scrap metal long ago if I'd driven it like I see some blokes how they treat the pride and joy , so I feel very confident if I did have a IVECO 4X4 and treated it same as old Troopy it'd do a million .. they're like a good woman , treat them with respect and they'll love ya forever....and I guess we could reverse the sexes to keep the ladies happy .....lol

This article was an absolute eye opener from what I thought was a user with a balanced view.
http://unsealed4x4.com.au/u4x4/issue057/#35
Very good vehicle but appears to need some serious modifications as a minimum (brakes) and with much less support than Toyota

When will people realise that there is no such thing as a 'perfect' 4X4 for sale anywhere from any manufacturer that does 'all' things and 'ticks' all the boxes ? A Range Rover is 'perfect' from the factory for the h/way but useless as a rock climber , A Unimog is perfect for rock climbing but crap on the h/way ...time to compare apples with apples and comparing a vehicle based on a light truck [Iveco ]to a vehicle designed purely for comfort [ 200 series ] is ridiculous....

Doug,
I found out a bit of basic info on the Daily 4wd from our traveller friends. The vehicle has done Africa and the South Americas.

Main things were the transfer case would overheat and Iveco dodged the problem completely.

With 37" tyres the brake were not very good at all.

They had electronics problems but didn't go into it.

It kicked like a mule with a flank rope and the seats weren't very flash.

Otherwise it did well with just small problems.

The unit is a few years old so the latest model should have some big improvements over that one, with more problems being ironed out.

One of the biggest problems if going away form the coast is the distance between service centers but that can be negated by club road organisation cover.

Hope you make the right decision for what you require. I think the Troopy would be at the end of her reliable life. I punted an old W925 around for a few years but in the end it just required to much work to keep it on the road.