My 2nd 'What new car' thread in 2 months - a 4x4 this time
Discussion
After TC's success in suggesting the GT4, we have another challenge!
The big Mercedes E class was written off last week, so we need another big family holder. It will now be Vicki's car, as her beloved RAV is going back in November. She likes the driving height, the feeling of security travelling around town, and loading ease of a 4x4 (for kids, buggys, and shopping), and wants something a bit bigger than the RAV as it will now be the main family transporter. Actual 4x4 use will be limited to camping/ beach/ some greenlaning, so onroad performance is paramount.
Buying one is somewhat of an unknown for us, so any help on what to look for and what to avoid will be much appreciated! I know some are built on a 4x4 specific chassis, whereas others are built on a Ute/Pickup chassis. What this means for handling/ economy/ driving I need help with.
Alcohol on offer for finding the winning vehicle
The required criteria:
£4000
Aircon
4x4 only (No People carriers!)
Must be reliable as a daily driver, with any required parts easy/ quick/ cheap to find.
Good on-road drive
Bigger than the latest shape RAV4
Decent Spec (ie: landcruiser VX, preferred to GX)
Would like but not essential:
Probably Diesel, because we want about circa 25mpg on a motorway trip
7 seats would be good
Leather interior
The nice bits... Side Steps, Front Bars, Privacy Glass
The candidates we have come up with so far:
Landcruiser Amazon
Landcruiser Colorado (Prado?)
Nissan Patrol (Y61)
Mitsubishi Shogun
Mitsubishi Shogun Sport
Mitsubishi Challenger
The big Mercedes E class was written off last week, so we need another big family holder. It will now be Vicki's car, as her beloved RAV is going back in November. She likes the driving height, the feeling of security travelling around town, and loading ease of a 4x4 (for kids, buggys, and shopping), and wants something a bit bigger than the RAV as it will now be the main family transporter. Actual 4x4 use will be limited to camping/ beach/ some greenlaning, so onroad performance is paramount.
Buying one is somewhat of an unknown for us, so any help on what to look for and what to avoid will be much appreciated! I know some are built on a 4x4 specific chassis, whereas others are built on a Ute/Pickup chassis. What this means for handling/ economy/ driving I need help with.
Alcohol on offer for finding the winning vehicle
The required criteria:
£4000
Aircon
4x4 only (No People carriers!)
Must be reliable as a daily driver, with any required parts easy/ quick/ cheap to find.
Good on-road drive
Bigger than the latest shape RAV4
Decent Spec (ie: landcruiser VX, preferred to GX)
Would like but not essential:
Probably Diesel, because we want about circa 25mpg on a motorway trip
7 seats would be good
Leather interior
The nice bits... Side Steps, Front Bars, Privacy Glass
The candidates we have come up with so far:
Landcruiser Amazon
Landcruiser Colorado (Prado?)
Nissan Patrol (Y61)
Mitsubishi Shogun
Mitsubishi Shogun Sport
Mitsubishi Challenger
nonuts said:
Different, but not too bad with lots of kit. Is it big enough though?? Definitely not abuse worthy.
nonutsplease said:
nonuts said:
Different, but not too bad with lots of kit. Is it big enough though?? Definitely not abuse worthy.
nonutsplease said:
nonuts said:
Different, but not too bad with lots of kit. Is it big enough though?? Definitely not abuse worthy.
May need to discover an oil well in the garden, but this is the daddy of 4x4's and this one looks very tidy!:
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/LAND...
Or, for the more frugal useage of fuel (the TD5 is not bad when on boost but is very slow compared to the petrols...):
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/LAND...
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/LAND...
Or, for the more frugal useage of fuel (the TD5 is not bad when on boost but is very slow compared to the petrols...):
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/LAND...
nonutsplease said:
I always had it in my mind that the old disco's and RR were expensive to fix and not high in the reliability stakes?? I'm going to check acceleration of the petrol 4.5 vs 2.5 TD5...
There's a good indy near Pangbourne - great service and a fraction of the cost compared to LR dealers...And if it's from a dealer, get them to throw in a 12 month warranty?
The Mitsubishi Sport looks great and will do everything we want, but the downside is that it is built on the L200 pickup chassis and supposedly drive like one too. They also feel a bit 'commercial vehicle' inside, especially compared to the likes of a Range Rover or Landcruiser. The upside is lower mileage, and only a 5 year old however.
I'm going to spend a bit of time lookinginto the Range Rovers...
I'm going to spend a bit of time lookinginto the Range Rovers...
How about a Shogun like this one?
That particular one is identical in every way to mine, although it's a year younger and, assuming the mileage shown is correct, it has far, far lower mileage than mine.
It's never going to drive like a car on B roads, but it's exceptionally comfortable as a long distance motorway cruiser, and even the 3 litre petrol gives me around 20-23mpg on long drives, so I'm not convinced the 2.8 diesel would be worth it for the relatively small fuel economy gains. Both the comfort and the fuel economy are also impacted to an extent by the fact that I've got all terrain tyres on it rather than road tyres. Making that change would, at a guess, give 25-28mpg on motorways and less squeal when going round roundabouts.
In terms of reliability, the only things that have broken on mine in the 18+ months I've had it have been directly related to the application of copious amounts of mud whilst off-roading it. Morebeanz can tell you all about the joys of seeing water run up over the sunroof if you ask him!
Parts from Mitsubishi can be expensive, but many of them are available far cheaper as aftermarket parts, plus if you're not planning on soaking it regularly in mud, I doubt much will break in the first place.
The GLS spec with Diamond pack is the highest level spec they do, I believe. Ours is a complete tip inside, as I took the decision not to even try and keep it clean and tidy with 3 kids under 7 and me sticking muddy mountain bikes in it once or twice a week, but if you want to have a look over one and we can find a convenient place to meet up, you're welcome to do so.
That particular one is identical in every way to mine, although it's a year younger and, assuming the mileage shown is correct, it has far, far lower mileage than mine.
It's never going to drive like a car on B roads, but it's exceptionally comfortable as a long distance motorway cruiser, and even the 3 litre petrol gives me around 20-23mpg on long drives, so I'm not convinced the 2.8 diesel would be worth it for the relatively small fuel economy gains. Both the comfort and the fuel economy are also impacted to an extent by the fact that I've got all terrain tyres on it rather than road tyres. Making that change would, at a guess, give 25-28mpg on motorways and less squeal when going round roundabouts.
In terms of reliability, the only things that have broken on mine in the 18+ months I've had it have been directly related to the application of copious amounts of mud whilst off-roading it. Morebeanz can tell you all about the joys of seeing water run up over the sunroof if you ask him!
Parts from Mitsubishi can be expensive, but many of them are available far cheaper as aftermarket parts, plus if you're not planning on soaking it regularly in mud, I doubt much will break in the first place.The GLS spec with Diamond pack is the highest level spec they do, I believe. Ours is a complete tip inside, as I took the decision not to even try and keep it clean and tidy with 3 kids under 7 and me sticking muddy mountain bikes in it once or twice a week, but if you want to have a look over one and we can find a convenient place to meet up, you're welcome to do so.
No offence to anyone but a Land Rover of any description is likely to be less reliable at the age and mileage you are looking at than anything Japanese.
Don't touch a P38 with a bargepole, and whilst the Disco is nice it'll cost you more to run long term (if you're starting at just £4k).
The Shoguns are plentiful but that means there are tons of dogs out there and a few good ones as well, so be careful with buying one. The auto boxes can be fragile if not looked after so a good service history is a must, other than that they are fairly bombproof (if somewhat plastic fantastic).
Personally, based on your criteria, i'd be trying to find a Landcruiser (of any description).
Here's an example (the first one i came across which roughly fit the bill, but you'll get the idea):
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1042096.htm
Don't touch a P38 with a bargepole, and whilst the Disco is nice it'll cost you more to run long term (if you're starting at just £4k).
The Shoguns are plentiful but that means there are tons of dogs out there and a few good ones as well, so be careful with buying one. The auto boxes can be fragile if not looked after so a good service history is a must, other than that they are fairly bombproof (if somewhat plastic fantastic).
Personally, based on your criteria, i'd be trying to find a Landcruiser (of any description).
Here's an example (the first one i came across which roughly fit the bill, but you'll get the idea):
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1042096.htm
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