Off road 4x4

[Baz5392]

Hi , i have been considering buying a 4x4. however there are many to choose from, i like the look of the suzuki sjs but im not too sure on what else is out there to compete with that. my budget is 2k and i want it to be able to go off and on road and to have general fun in all weather condition (snow ) thanks for any advice, baz

[PainTrain]

Im looking to do this in 12 months, have you thought about a discovery?

[Baz5392]

i have done yes but they seem to cost a fair bit to run , as in petrol and diesel. ano that 4x4 arent reknown for being fuel effecient,i would love a defender but they seem very pricey. a friend recommended a daihatsiu fourtrak to me tho today

[crf450]

Depends if you want, or will want to tow with it. I have heard there are new laws regarding towing. This is in terms of the towing car being heavier than the load being towed. I would recommend a diesel Shogun. I have had two and definitely recommend them.

[snowdude2910]

the sj will not do the trick. I had a cheap one with a few friends a couple of years ago it was amongst the best fun i've had in a car at a fraction of the cost of some of the trackdays I've done but when made capable offroad they are nolonger anygood on road, ours would get speed wobble abouve 20mph which could only be fixed by slowing back down until it stopped aswell as having to take speedbumps in the middle of the road when roads were quiet to alow for it veering off either way or when traffic was about slowing right down to stay in your lane. Offroad it was great except for the lack of power, a flat out approach was needed for most things and we still found ourselves coming back down a few big hills backwards if it ran out of beans before the top but worth every penny for the laughs

oh and ours didn't have a starter motor so if you stall it your fked

[GTO Scott]

Baz5392 said:

i have done yes but they seem to cost a fair bit to run , as in petrol and diesel. ano that 4x4 arent reknown for being fuel effecient,i would love a defender but they seem very pricey. a friend recommended a daihatsiu fourtrak to me tho today

Get a 300Tdi Discovery. 30ish to the gallon (got nearly 40 on a motorway run a few weeks ago) but stick to around 60mph if you need to be economical - the difference in fuel consumption between 60 and 70 is huge.

[GravelBen]

snowdude2910 said:

the sj will not do the trick. I had a cheap one with a few friends a couple of years ago it was amongst the best fun i've had in a car at a fraction of the cost of some of the trackdays I've done but when made capable offroad they are nolonger anygood on road, ours would get speed wobble abouve 20mph which could only be fixed by slowing back down until it stopped aswell as having to take speedbumps in the middle of the road when roads were quiet to alow for it veering off either way or when traffic was about slowing right down to stay in your lane. Offroad it was great except for the lack of power, a flat out approach was needed for most things and we still found ourselves coming back down a few big hills backwards if it ran out of beans before the top but worth every penny for the laughs
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/mattblack/Ansleyc3.jpg
oh and ours didn't have a starter motor so if you stall it your fked

Sure they're not the most comfortable thing on the road, but even as standard they'll still go pretty much anywhere! Your experience sounds very different to everybody else who's had one - maybe its down to different perception of 'capable offroad', yours looks more like a trials truck!

OP - worth looking at Jimny's as well, just as good offroad but a little better on road.

Edited by GravelBen on Saturday 11th June 02:03

[snowdude2910]

GravelBen said:

Sure they're not the most comfortable thing on the road, but even as standard they'll still go pretty much anywhere! Your experience sounds very different to everybody else who's had one - maybe its down to different perception of 'capable offroad', yours looks more like a trials truck!

OP - worth looking at Jimny's as well, just as good offroad but a little better on road.

Edited by GravelBen on Saturday 11th June 02:03

how do you mean trials truck?? forgive me I'm not very knowledgable about offroading just heard rave reviews before buying it and may have been a bit ambitious offroad but when i say it struggled up big hills I mean it was limited by it's engine it had big nobbley tyres which would grip just fine but I found in alot of cases it just lacked the power to climb some big hills, alternatively spinning the wheels didn't work either (worked in the ford maverick we borrowed before buying the sj) as we then didn't get enough traction to climb hills but it could have been our inexperience in this field. As for the onroad thing I think the SPOA conversion is where it went wrong which gave it the unstable handling without this it may have been fine a standard one in the local woods seemed to handle fine on the road but didn't have the clearance or grip offorad that ours had

[GravelBen]

snowdude2910 said:

how do you mean trials truck?? forgive me I'm not very knowledgable about offroading just heard rave reviews before buying it and may have been a bit ambitious offroad but when i say it struggled up big hills I mean it was limited by it's engine it had big nobbley tyres which would grip just fine but I found in alot of cases it just lacked the power to climb some big hills, alternatively spinning the wheels didn't work either (worked in the ford maverick we borrowed before buying the sj) as we then didn't get enough traction to climb hills but it could have been our inexperience in this field. As for the onroad thing I think the SPOA conversion is where it went wrong which gave it the unstable handling without this it may have been fine a standard one in the local woods seemed to handle fine on the road but didn't have the clearance or grip offorad that ours had

I meant it looks built for competitive offroad trials - external cage, no bumpers etc.

Surprised you had problems with hills, generally in low range they can crawl up most things. If you were disappointed by its off-road ability then you would probably be disappointed by anything else standard too tbh.

[MigX]

here you have
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1992-NISSAN-PATROL-HT-DIESEL...
will take you everywhere and its comfortable on road. will get to 80 miles quite fast (for what it is).
i had one and the built quality is a lot better than land rovers.
with proper tires and good suspension it take a lot for it to get stuck anywhere.

[Sooty]

It's difficult to get something that is good on road and good off-road.

The SJ is briiliant fun off-road and ok on the road if you don't want to go more than 50mph or commute more than a handful of miles. Any further and it is unbearable.

My last 4x4 was a SWB Frontera with a 2.8TD Isuzu engine. On the road it would cruise at 80mph and return over 30mpg at 70mph. Off-road it was very capable, but there is always something more that you want to do. Nobbly tyres, suspension lift, etc all improve the off-road experience, but hinder the driveability on the road.

It's all about how much you want to compromise, because it is a compromise.

[cruise control]

I have a 1974 Range Rover with a 3.2 Mercedes sprinter turbo diesel in it, track edge tyres heavyy duty military diffs reinforced chassis for towing and recovery.

mainly used for towing heavy boats and a 3 tonne burger van to events. once towed a stuck double decker off a boggy field to the amazement of onlookers.

not hugely fast but will do 80 all day, if you stay below 75 38mpg is easily possible. with just me in it i have had 40mpg on a run from the midlands to southampton. not bad as it weighs almost 3 tonnes with all the mods.

the best of it is it only cost £1200 to buy and modify

[300bhp/ton]

Baz5392 said:

Hi , i have been considering buying a 4x4. however there are many to choose from, i like the look of the suzuki sjs but im not too sure on what else is out there to compete with that. my budget is 2k and i want it to be able to go off and on road and to have general fun in all weather condition (snow ) thanks for any advice, baz

Lots of answers and advice so far. But you need to be a little proactive and tell people what you want it for.


ie

Do you want to tow or haul?

Will you drive long distances?

Any idea of terrain type?

What do you plan to do with it, are you going to green lane, compete in trails events or pay and play sites?


Most 4x4's will suck mpg wise. Even the small petrol ones. Expect mid 20's out of most things or worse if its a big engine.

In short you won't go far wrong with anything Land Rover or Jeep. Both highly capable vehicles straight out of the box and loads and loads of upgrades.

SJ's are cool and capable, but rust to buggery and aren't great on the road, especially when modded.

The newer Jimny (replaced the SJ) is a better 4x4 as it uses coil suspension. Well worth opting for one if you can find one in budget.

Vitara's can perform ok, but IFS limits their off road ability somewhat.

Lada Niva is a left field rugged 4x4.

Lots of other good Jap vehicles of varying levels. But look ahead to what you think you'll use it for.


Undoubtedly the Land Rover community is the largest in the UK, so a Series III 88 would be good bet too.