Which 4 x 4?

[niagra]

Hi all,

I am thinking about entering into the world of owning a 4 x 4 and I need some advice as to which one would be best for my needs.

I need a 4 x 4 for my business, it will be used for towing/lugging stuff and the only off roading it will be doing will be on potentially muddy car show sites. I had considered a large estate but I don't want to be stuck trying to tow a trailer off a muddy field! It also needs to double up as a second family car.

I have a budget of up to £3000 and I've checked out reviews for a few vehicles and there always seems to be a major downside to each one. I've looked at diesel versions of these:
Jeep Grand Cherokee, big enough for my needs but is it reliable enough? My favourite so far but concerned about reliability.
Toyota Rav 4 5 door, not big enough.
Mitsubishi Shogun, is boot big enough, not many have air con and a bit lacking in power I think.

Any advice on these and other vehicles gratefully received.

Thanks,
Dario

[diesel piston]

Get yourself a four door pickup and pay less Road Fund

[GTO Scott]

diesel piston said:

Get yourself a four door pickup and pay less Road Fund

How? With the age of the vehicles that the OP is looking at they will all be in the same tax band (around £190 p/a for cars over 1550cc on the pre-2001 capacity based system).

How about a late-model Discovery 300Tdi or very early TD5?

[diesel piston]

GTO Scott said:

How? With the age of the vehicles that the OP is looking at they will all be in the same tax band (around £190 p/a for cars over 1550cc on the pre-2001 capacity based system).

Yep I wasn`t taking age of the vehicles into it

[Rum Runner]

Grand Vitara , a lot better than you would think. Go for a petrol .

[morebeanz]

If it's just muddy fields you're talking about, consider an A6 quattro...

[niagra]

Thanks for the replies. Going to see a couple of Grand Cherokees tomorrow. I've decided that with the towing I'll be doing in the future a 4x4 will be better than an awd estate.

These are my choices, both 1999 diesels with full history

£2300 Limited 109k miles and broken aircon or
£2600 Larado with 82k miles and working aircon

I'm tempted by the cheaper one if I can get the dealer to fix the aircon at that price (can't live without it!) as I understand that it's pretty expensive to fix.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Dario

[John MacK]

If you're worried about the reliability of a Grand Cherry deiseld, get a petrol one. The 4.0lt straight 6 is (virtually) bombproof and nearly as economical as the diesels, or you could get an LPG converted one.

Air con not working might just need a gas top-up, or could be serious leaks on pipes and parts.....

[richyb]

I had my aircon regassed the other day and the guy who did it told me Grand Cherokees have incredibly expensive to repair/replace aircon systems and to walk away if you ever saw one with a broken one.

[FamilyGuy]

If you're towing then I'd suggest you get an auto. From both personal experience and what caravanners have told me, a torque converter copes with low-speed manoeuvring a trailer a lot better than a clutch does.

[Lefty Guns]

Mk2 Shogun. You'll get a belter for £3k. Will do 30mpg and 95-ish (although not at the same time )

Big boot, easy to work on, cheap parts, very reliable, big comfy cruiser of a thing and capable enough offroad for muddy fields.

I've had a couple (and still own one that I bought for £500 and it's great.)

[richyb]

Lefty Guns said:

Mk2 Shogun. You'll get a belter for £3k. Will do 30mpg and 95-ish (although not at the same time )

Big boot, easy to work on, cheap parts, very reliable, big comfy cruiser of a thing and capable enough offroad for muddy fields.

I've had a couple (and still own one that I bought for £500 and it's great.)

What years are the Mk2?

[Lefty Guns]

I think probably 92-99 maybe?

They were facelifted in 97/98. The 2.8 is a much better engine than the 2.5, more powerful, quieter and more economical.

[Toptrumps2]

My view is a land rover 110, try looking through offroad sites and see what there members have for sale and try get a TDI if you can. One of my sons friends fathers just bought a late 80's 110 and did the conversion in under 48 hours. Worth a look. =]

Try army surplus. Can pick up a bargain.

[Richie23]

I would go for a 2.8D Mitsubisji Delica, as it can double up as a people carrier/van/off roader, so will suit both your work and family needs.
The prices are really low now for the L400 versions, even the LWB ones. I've seen them for 2K to 3K in really good condition.

Same parts as Pajero/Shogun, so very little difficulty keeping it running.

The big drawback is the fuel consumption (25mpg), but they are comfortable on the long trip, have air-con, and you can easily use the back as a sleeper/camper.

Edited by Richie23 on Tuesday 4th August 11:30

[pugwash4x4]

Toyota Landcruiser 80 series

will pull your hosue over- do roughly 28mpg on a long run, big enough for 7, you won't get stuck in a field (so long as you don't have "slicks" on), and they are insanely, inanely reliable. Make Jeeps and Landrovers look like cheese!

[Lefty Guns]

Which one is the 80 series?

[spanna123]

If your not fussed about economy, a Ford Explorer is HUGE, has a tow bar, has air con, fully electric windows and seats. My mum has one lol. She uses it to tow trailers and stuff around muddy fields at our cousins equestrian (horse) centre.
It has a 4.0l V6 engine with about 280bhp, so plenty of poke, downside ofcouse is about 20mpg.

[spanna123]

Try this one
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/FORD...

Edited by spanna123 on Tuesday 18th August 19:38

[Morningside]

My Parjero is my van.

And being the non UK version it has leather, climate control, twin batteries etc.

HUGE boot space and you can tilt the rear seat forward for even more space.