Small 4wd or tough 2wd advice please
Discussion
Slushbox said:
Yes, the Suzuki Fora are awash with tales of Renault-derived diesely diseases. The RAV4 is debatable. They are (mine was) deathly boring to drive, and lack the full-time 4x4 of the post 2008 GVs.
RAV4 is kind of like the Q*shq*i, but less interesting. They only come in beige, no matter what colour you buy. They had less than 7" of ground clearance, last time I looked.
My neighbours here in Hickville all run Subarus. There's a 12 year old Forester parked next to my GV, owned by an ex-cop. Says it hasn't let him down since he bought it, apart from the new clutch, oh, and the time the gearbox jammed in reverse. He does love it, despite the small amounts of paint starting to show through the rust.
Yes, I agree. I would get the GV or Forester as well, as I find Suzukis and Subarus more interesting and endearing than Toyotas. That being said, we currently have a Toyota (not a RAV4) and my wife's family have had Toyotas for years and they are tough, reliable and just don't go wrong despite being a little dull. OP wanted tough, reliable, cheap to run and fit for purpose though, so I have no reason not to recommend one. I didn't know what the AWD setup was on the RAV4 to be honest (I had just heard that Honda's wasn't very good) but it sounds like Suzuki's might be better still for off-road.RAV4 is kind of like the Q*shq*i, but less interesting. They only come in beige, no matter what colour you buy. They had less than 7" of ground clearance, last time I looked.
My neighbours here in Hickville all run Subarus. There's a 12 year old Forester parked next to my GV, owned by an ex-cop. Says it hasn't let him down since he bought it, apart from the new clutch, oh, and the time the gearbox jammed in reverse. He does love it, despite the small amounts of paint starting to show through the rust.
white_goodman said:
Yes, I agree. I would get the GV or Forester as well, as I find Suzukis and Subarus more interesting and endearing than Toyotas. That being said, we currently have a Toyota (not a RAV4) and my wife's family have had Toyotas for years and they are tough, reliable and just don't go wrong despite being a little dull. OP wanted tough, reliable, cheap to run and fit for purpose though, so I have no reason not to recommend one. I didn't know what the AWD setup was on the RAV4 to be honest (I had just heard that Honda's wasn't very good) but it sounds like Suzuki's might be better still for off-road.
Quite. I had a new 2004 D4D(?) RAV4 for a few months, for dragging boats around. Nothing broke on it. I believe they use the rear-diff electro-clutch thingummy which engages when the car thinks you're about to do anything interesting. Mine had a 'lock' button for hoisting the boat up slipways, it disengaged at 25mph or so, and engaged of itself in slippery conditions.I'm not sure the full-time 4x4 of my GV is any better for most of my winter driving than the RAV4 (or similar) on demand systems, or even a 2wd with winter tyres but the GV is a hoot to drive in the 3 cms of snow we get for two days of the year.
It also has a retro aspect which appeals to me, in that the engine is mounted 'properly' with the turny bits facing the rear of the car, as in days of yore. The RAV4's engine is mounted athwartships, I seem to recall.
The RAV4 beardy stuff is here:
http://rav4world.com/pdf/2006/2006_4wdsystem.pdf
Edited by Slushbox on Thursday 26th November 19:22
It is used for limited blacktop driving - 20 odd miles a day - and farm tracks . Most of the tracks are fine in my 2wd car with right tyres but some are much tougher. It is a working vehicle used to transport chainsaws etc and occasionally pulls a small trailer. We are not interested in driver appeal - we want something affordable , fit for purpose and reliable- and not £££lots to fix. We want to keep for as long as possible too.
The Dacia (which I had not considered before but which somebody suggested )looks to tick most boxes
The Dacia (which I had not considered before but which somebody suggested )looks to tick most boxes
Ackshually, I forget my chum who is tree scientist or something, and trundles about in forest tracks, bothering twigs. She carries a lot of surveying gear, shovels, chainsaws.
She just bought a Ford (Mazda) Ranger pickup 4x4 with a Truckman Top for £2000. it's always full of logs, earwigs, chainsaw oil and so forth. The ride quality is awful, but she also claims that this matters not.
She just bought a Ford (Mazda) Ranger pickup 4x4 with a Truckman Top for £2000. it's always full of logs, earwigs, chainsaw oil and so forth. The ride quality is awful, but she also claims that this matters not.
I would buy an older (simpler) vehicle - the 2.8 or 3.2 SWB Shogun / Pajero would be my choice or a 3.1 Trooper.
If it must be newer a Jimny is nice and simple but still seem to rust badly.
Or as a previous poster said a 4x4 pick up with a removable load cover can be invaluable and is far better than a trailer in most instances - the BT50 / Ranger or Rodeo.
If it must be newer a Jimny is nice and simple but still seem to rust badly.
Or as a previous poster said a 4x4 pick up with a removable load cover can be invaluable and is far better than a trailer in most instances - the BT50 / Ranger or Rodeo.
wormus said:
Well the Land Rover sank in mud and got stuck where the Panda drove past so Panda wins in my book.
It never occurred to you that they might have deliberately driven the LR into a softer patch and kept the Panda on a firmer area to achieved the desired outcome? Note the tracks where its clearly been driven through several times before that shot was filmed. Light vehicles do tend to stay on top of mud and sand where heavier ones sink though, its the main advantage they do have off road.If they'd chosen to take a break from mostly splashing through puddles on formed tracks and driven across something rougher the Panda wouldn't have stood a chance, anyone with offroad experience could see that. For example if there was a 180mm high lump between rutted wheel tracks? Panda gets bellied out, Defender (or Jimny or Forester for that matter) won't even notice it.
Don't get me wrong, I've done enough off-road driving in Subarus to know that a 4wd car is more capable than many people realise. But you have to know their limitations, and that 'test' was clearly designed to not exceed the limitations of the Panda.
Edited by GravelBen on Sunday 29th November 03:33
this.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/n...
infinitely reliable, solid and capable. bulletproof and shouldn't depreciate much.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/n...
infinitely reliable, solid and capable. bulletproof and shouldn't depreciate much.
Jimny is great off road, just about acceptable on the road. They are small inside so if you are lugging a lot of gear you would may need to take out the back seats, the boot is tiny!
As someone else said they can rust a bit but it tends to be bodywork rather than chassis so not the end of the world and easy to repair. Set of AT or preferably MT tyres though and you would not get stuck. Very easy to work on if thats your thing and lots of mods available if you want to make it more off road orientated. Avoid the soft top though for your needs as the boot is faff to get in and out of.
But to be honest from what it sounds like you do, any 4WD would do the job. Dacia would be an interesting option. Surprised nobody has said discovery yet but that might be a bit too big!
As someone else said they can rust a bit but it tends to be bodywork rather than chassis so not the end of the world and easy to repair. Set of AT or preferably MT tyres though and you would not get stuck. Very easy to work on if thats your thing and lots of mods available if you want to make it more off road orientated. Avoid the soft top though for your needs as the boot is faff to get in and out of.
But to be honest from what it sounds like you do, any 4WD would do the job. Dacia would be an interesting option. Surprised nobody has said discovery yet but that might be a bit too big!
Just get a NA forester fit decent tyres will be ideal for your needs off road and on.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/s...
something like this but check cambelt has been done and factor in a clutch if not already done.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/s...
something like this but check cambelt has been done and factor in a clutch if not already done.
GravelBen said:
coppice said:
Nissan sounds good but I really would struggle to justify buying a near 90k miles vehicle for next 5 or 6 years use and a 3 litre is going to be thirsty.
A Patrol is also approximately the opposite of small. 
Edited by GravelBen on Sunday 29th November 09:27
the patrol wil last 60 years not just 6. these cars will do 300k no issues.
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