what 4x4

[quarterstaff]

Hi all.
I am need of a new car and have always fancied a 4x4.I have narrowed it down to 3.
1 Land rover dicovery
2 daihatsu four track
3 jeep cherokee

as you can see i am not after a full on "off roader" but the best of both worlds(if this is possable).I've got around 4k to spend,must be diesel and reliable.
What do you guy's think,any and all advice greatlly recieved.
cheers

[bushwacker bob]

forget the diatsu four track. :rolmao: :rolmao:
Disco mk2 is ok and for your money you can get a good deal on used jeeps,they tend to have even larger petrol engines than landies and the spares are not as easy to come by.
My personal choice would be the discovery with a td5 diesel lump to offer some sort of economy.

[slyfox]

I would agree with bushwacker bob,
apart from the Td5 (the british army cant be wrong) stick to a 300Tdi.(wolf)
Mk2 series 1 disco or defender( bullet proof)

[Richie]

I think that you would be pushed to get a good disco for around 4k as they seem to be holding price well.

I used to have a petrol Jeep which was great apart from the 14 miles to the gallon yes £10 for every 50 miles.
I would go for the diesel version for sure. you should be able to get a N, P plate if you look around.

Richie

[bothyman]

How about one of these??

>> http://www.2cv4x4.com/

And yes I do own a 2CV and this one is the ultimate offroader without paying silly money :wave:

[dtalbot]

One more to consider,
Suzuki Grand Vitara TD. Nice and comfy, proper ladder frame chassis so it does off road properly and ours does in the high 40s to the gallon.
Cheers
David

[MartiniDave]

I didn't know anyone other than Land Rover made 4x4's! ):

Seriously though, I've heard of people getting Discoveries at amazing bargain prices, especially the earlier ones. My everyday cay is a Discovery 300TDi,bought with 42,000 miles on the clock that now has 135,000+ on the clock. Reliability has been pretty good, apart from a timing belt failure at 72k miles (just takes out the valve push rods) and a valve adjusting screw in the engine failing at 108k miles. The chassis is as good as the day it left the factory. Last year we had a weeks off roading holiday in southern France, the disco was hammered 900 miles on the motorway to the camp site, the only preparation it got for the off roading was to unload our gear and fill it with fuel. We drove some places I don't think I could even walk! The vehicle is factory standard (so far). I think I'll be keeping it for a few more years yet as I'm not too sure about the TD5 engine in the Mk2 Disco. I get about 30 mpg.

I've no real experience of the other 4x4's, apart from a good mate has a fourtrack, which he is chuffed with but I'm really not keen on, it seems very crude to me, and that's coming from a series 3 driver!

Try looking through the specialist magazines such as Land Rover Owner and Land Rover Enthusiast.

Dave

[maddave]

Get a Mitsubishi Delica !!




With all due respect The MOD have a LOAD of money and resources to throw at landrovers and they're a bit past it now. Disco's are renowned for failing bodywork, defenders for poor comfort and there are very few decent landies available (unless youre loaded). Go look at a few Deli's they're a 4x4 8 seater MPV with aircon , power steering excellent engines and bodywork (ours even came with a fridge and suede seats as standard all for £3200). They are basically a Shogun with an L200 body. Ask Andylaser what they're like!!

But each to their own..... Go check out landies too (I did) and the Jeeps and such. Happy hunting

[bothyman]

>>>>> Get a Mitsubishi Delica !!


The only thing I don't like about them is that they all seem to be automatics??


:?:

[steve a]

I have a MkII Disco TD5 with 34k on the clock, reliabilty has been good, and so it should be with that mileage, I get about 30 mpg. Only problem I've had is the case hardening failed on the rear disks, and a slight coming together with an unmarked police car I won the argument on the road, they won the insurance claim. :cry:
I was not aware of any major problems with the bodywork though.
If you go down the Landrover road try and get one with as much service history as possible and take someone along who knows something about them. There are plenty of Disco's out there so don't rush and take your time selecting. Main dealer service costs can be high but that goes for most makes nowdays.
Tomorrow morning we are off to the Ardeche for two weeks which will be about a 1500 mile round trip, hope to spend time on the river but it may be packed with tourists !! unfortunatley forced to go at this time of year to tie in with the kids school holidays.

[MartiniDave]

MadDave,

Looks like you've got a replacement for you write off. Hope the insurers played fair with you and you keep this one straight. Enjoy!

Dave - also possibly a bit mad!

[Lurch]

Get a Mitsubishi Delica !!

They're a bit (how to put this!) continental?

[ANDYLASER]

Big thumbs up for the Mitzi Delica. There are manual versions about, but not loads. Very comfy and easy to drive. Plus you get to look down on Range Rovers

[maddave]

They're a bit (how to put this!) continental?

): :rolmao:

You mean they look like a scooby doo bus !! lol :biggthump

[bushwacker bob]

Maddave improved his first one.
checkout this thread
http://www.bushcraftuk.net/community...ead.php?t=2433

[Lurch]

Duff link Bob.

[bushwacker bob]

Sorted. should work now. :wink:

[quarterstaff]

Thanks for the reply's.
So far i am leaning to wards the jeep,looks good for the price,but i cant seem to stop looking at disco's.
I'm off on me hol's next week so the search starts proper when i get back.
Again thanks for the help.
cheers

[Lurch]

Bizarrely (sp?) I saw my first ever Delica today!
Much better to look at in the metal.

[Quill]

Steve; does your Disco have a diesel engine? The 30mpg. sounds good. My Grand Cherokee falls way short at 18mpg. Not that it isn't a good 4x4 and I have had several different kinds over the years. I wish there were more diesels available here.

[bushwacker bob]

Quill,MPG is a very big consideration this side of the pond as fuel costs about £4 a gallon here($8)

[ESpy]

(although our gallons are larger )

[Quill]

Fuel cost are a consideration here also. Although it is less than you folks pay, I don't think it will long and it will be right up there. I travel long distances to see family. Just made a 3600 mi. round trip to see my mother and work around her place.

[steve a]

Quill, yes it's a 2.5 litre turbo diesel , just done a 1900 mile round trip and worked out the MPG as 34 mpg !!!! (wonder if i lost a fuel reciept), most of the miles were done on French Motorways which are a joy to drive on compared to the uk. Stick it in 5th at 70 mph all the way or very nearly

[SleepyWeasel]

Excuse the butting in here, If you have the time and enjoy tinkering and aren't going to be using the vehicle for everyday transport then a 90/110 LandRover could be for you, I've had a 110 n/a 2.5ltr Diesel since Jan and it's done everything I've asked it to so far, it goes anywhere, it's reasonably comfortable, noisy, thirsty, leaks, needed money throwing at it(still does) and gives me great pleasure whenever I drive it. I paid £1300 for it and have spent nearly a grand on it so far. The loadspace in the back means that you can have all the little luxuries with you when you decide to spend a couple of days out and you can sleep in it as well, but only if you're 5'10" or under.
Parts are cheap and it's easy enough to work on, even for someone like me(bit hamfisted where spanners are involved) Another thing is wherever you go in it someone will eventualy turn up and talk to you about it, oh and other LandRover drivers waver at you and more often than not stop and offer assistance at roadside emergencies.
You'll also find lots of friends want to borrow you for moving stuff around as well, being able to stick a ton of stuff into the rear comes in handy.
If you want car like comfort and driving go for one of the smaller 4X4 out there, if you want an experience, try a Landy!

[Rob]

:biggthump :biggthump :biggthump :biggthump :biggthump :biggthump

[EdS]

If you want Jeep fuel economy get an LR 101 (£3 - 5K).

Go anywhere, loads of room,excellent camper conservions and an experience - practicality mostly zero but what a vehicle. If only I had the spare cash.

If you want a cheap, easy to fix 4x4 to "play" in consider a Suzuki SJ ...(£500-1000 tops). Aaaarrgh cann't belive I just said that - thats it'll I'll disowned if it get out.

I've also got a mate with a very good condition Lada Cossak going for £550. Slower and heavier but will go most places and go on for ever.

[joe.ford]

How about an Isuzu Trooper I got an old H reg 2.8 td handles as well as a car on the road (with a bit of a lean on corners) and I've heard they can be as good as landys off road

check out this site for a video of a trooper in action

http://www.muddy4x4.com/videos.htm :super:

[Lurch]

I tell ee what, forget all that other rubbish - get yerself a Hagglund :biggthump

[Tyr]

Land Rover, the best 4x4xfar, I love them and whilst I still have a choice that will be it (well maybe a Range Rover if I win the lottery). Jeeps, I think they are bit naff and I have never really liked them the mpg, suspension and steering being problems for me.