Hey all!

Hey Jared. Nice to have you here. :)

So you're after some advice. What do you want to do? Mudding, rock crawling or touring and travelling? How much do you want to invest for the beginning?

Hi Jarod,
My suggestion to you is to buy the a 4wd that is in the best condition you can afford.
If you have friends or family that have a 4wd ask them what it is that they like about it.
As 1MAK said is to think about the type of 4wding you're looking to do.
If youre looking at tourning and beach/general bush driving then any 4wd in good condition will fit the bill.
If youre looking into mudding and rock crawling then you're better off going for a 4wd that has solid axles front and rear as they support bigger lift/tyres and of course flex better than independant suspension.
A 2nd generation pajero (1991-1999/) are a very capable 4wd with the right mods and maybe a locker or 2 the big boys are often hard pressed to out perform them.
I have a 1996 diesel pajero and find its a great tourer that only lacks in the really hard stuff due to the ifs and no lockers (yet)

I'd probably just be mudding and touring I guess. I'm not really sure what to get, I've always wanted a troopy but they're very expensive so my max is about 3000 and I'd hope to get something with some 4x4 gear already on it.

I think for that money you can get a Jackaroo, Pajero or a Suzuki Jimny. Maybe you're better of with the least one. It's easy to maintain, not to heavy (on fuel), a good thing to start with. :)

G'day Jarod... firstly mate, welcome to the forum! As for your first truck, I'd have to agree with the posts above... Think HONESTLY about the sort of 4WDing you intend to do, how much of it you intend to do (as compared to daily road driving) and how much you can honestly spend... Not only on the purchase, but any repairs or mods you'd like to do... Again, I agree the previous posts, in regards to an early Pajero, Jackeroo, or IMO the pick of the bunch, a good Suzuki Sierra... Those Zooks are exceptional "out of the box", cheap, very fuel economical, and with a few basic mods, will easily show up the big boys... Downsides to them are very little room, and not the best highway cars as they are revving their proverbials off doing highway speeds... I had an old Zook ute (1974 model, 3 cyl, 2-stroke as a play truck, and there weren't many places it couldn't go...!)
Keep us updated mate...

you wouldn't get an all around locked live axles rock climbing monster for that money but a half decent off roader should be in it. If you want to do some mudding get a short wheel base (swb) and if you are keen to do some camping on the beach get a four door 4wd. expect a monthly budget for petrol and repairs (200-250 $$$).