Offroader as a fun 2nd car?

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So I've been intending to get a second car for fun. I've got a hatchback for commuting that's fine but not interesting.

I've recently got to drive a couple of Land Rovers (on the road). I drove my boss's defender 110, which was brand new with less than 2k miles on it (the Puma engine), and I also got to drive a Discovery 3 TDV6 manual (coil springs). Both on long 2 hour journeys. I quite enjoyed them so I thought of getting an offroader as a second car.

I've read a lot of useful threads on here but I'm still not sure what to get. For me the most important thing is reliability. I want to leave it parked most of the week and use it at the weekend without worrying about it breaking down. I know you have to do preventative maintenance but surprise problems would be a big issue. I've got nowhere really to work on a car and so haven't invested in many tools either. As I'd be paying others to fix it I don't want to end up with big bills.

I feel drawn to the most capable vehicles, not because I need capability but because they are most different from a car and so more interesting. I'd probably want to try greenlaning with a group, and drive in snow if we have any. I don't think I'd do any extreme offroading like you get at pay & play places. I know this suggests something less capable but then it won't be agricultural and interesting enough. E.g. a Subaru Forester is too much like a car.

Budget is around £2k to £4k.

I liked defenders but seem too likely to have problems especially in my budget. Same for all Land Rovers I think.

I thought about Suzuki Jimny but the engine is too small for my taste.

Landcruisers seem reliable but hard to find a good one at that budget?

Can anyone help with suggestions? Thanks in advance

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Thanks for the long considered response LandRoverManiac. Some good ideas. When I said I haven't got anywhere to work on a car I meant that my drive is steeply sloped and surfaced with loose gravel. I can't jack a car up on it. Can the running maintenance be performed with the vehicle sitting on all 4 wheels with the handbrake on? Also I seem to find very few free weekends at the moment and it's always dark after work. This makes me think I'm going to struggle if something needs fixing every month.

What are my other options? Would Toyota although expensive need less time putting into maintenance? Or Isuzu as you suggested Zed 44?

Thanks for the help.

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300bhp/ton said:

Anything can and does break.

I think what you're saying is that no vehicle of this age is going to be reliable enough for me and I should wait until I have the time to tinker with it every other weekend?

If not, I like most of your suggestions so which do you think has the lowest potential for things going wrong?

I don't expect to do more than 5000 miles a year, have another car. I'll look at petrols too as you advise. Are they as fun and truck-feeling to drive as the diesels I've tried?

Thanks for the all replies btw, they are all helpful and you don't always get that on forums.

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300bhp/ton said:

One thing, all proper 4x4's will not really exceed much more than 25-27mpg if you go for the frugal and usually underpowered engine option.

If you aren't doing more than 4000 miles a year in this. Then a petrol powered variant will likely cost almost the same to fuel. Or at least close enough not to worry.



Personally, I'd say go for a nice 4 litre Cherokee XJ. Not much longer than a Defender 90, but seating for 5 and a good boot. Facelift ones are galvanised. They are as good as a Defender off road pretty much. And better on it.


You won't need £4k to buy one either. But it means you could buy one, slap a 2" budget boost lift on and some nice 31.10.50 tyres. It'll be super capable on and off road and give all the thrills of a Tonka Toy and off roader to drive.

How does the Grand Cherokee ZJ compare? I'm seeing more of those available on eBay at the moment. Most of the XJs seem to be diesel not the 4.0 petrol.

I'm seeing some Troopers for sale as well. Is the 3.0 prone to problems?

Thanks for all the help, there's a lot of knowledgeable replies.

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I've been looking around for XJs and ZJs and also Troopers and Landcruisers but haven't come across anything yet. Been a bit busy to look properly with the holiday season. I looked into Discoverys but to be honest was put off by rust issues and the D2 seems to have a lot of problems. Have seen some Pajeros/Shoguns for sale but not sure they are reliable, as LandRoverManiac said.

300bhp/ton said:

The two 2.5's use a different transfer box and only have 4x2 and 4x4 + low. So you can't run them in 4wd on the road (unless snowy). This is the same for most Jap trucks however.

That doesn't sound good - if there's snow or sleet around it can go from dry tarmac to snow and back again along the same road. I'd prefer to use 4wd on the road, not be in rwd or having to constantly change between the two. Apart from those you mentioned how would I know which can do that?

300bhp/ton said:

Nothing wrong with a Jimny, engine is plenty for the type of vehicle.

Plenty for moving its own weight, but would it struggle to pull a much heavier vehicle if helping out someone else in a group who's got stuck? They look kind of fun being so small.

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KevinCamaroSS said:

My wife had a late model WJ Overland, this had the 168 BHP 2.7 Merc CRD engine, the earlier models were a 3.1 VM engine rated at 138 BHP, not 115.

Were the 2.7 WJ's any good? How did you find it KevinCamaroSS? Reliable? I've seen this one is for sale http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Are they a bit complicated compared to the older ZJ and XJ, maybe too much to go wrong?