Car required: 4wd, ....

[ge0rge]

Hi,

My friends after a car for her au pair, needs to be 4wd,auto, have pacos (disablement of passenger airbag), cheap to run and cheap to insure. Reliable. Budget 5-8k. Small sized hatch if poss nothing tank like.

Suggestions on a postcard:

Edited by ge0rge on Saturday 6th August 13:49

[Arthur Daley]

Panda 4x4

[minghis]

Fiat Sedici
Suzuki SX4
Fiat Panda
Subaru Justy
Suzuki Ignis 4Grip

[Baffled Spoon]

Audi A3 Quattro
Golf/ Bora 4Motion
Subaru Impreza

[CampDavid]

Cat D 996 Carrera 4.

[300bhp/ton]

ge0rge said:

Hi,

My friends after a car for her au pair, needs to be 4wd, have pacos (disablement of passenger airbag), cheap to run and cheap to insure. Reliable. Budget 5-8k. Small sized hatch if poss nothing tank like.

Suggestions on a postcard:

What's a reliable car?

Can you give me examples of unreliable ones?

[badlands1]

I am selling a Freelander from tomorrow
04 plate HSE 1.8 petrol in black with dvd and professionally fitted screens in headrests.

£6k

[jbi]

4wd... Check
have pacos (disablement of passenger airbag)... No passenger airbag, check
cheap to run... Check
cheap to insure... Check
Reliable... Avoid TDCI... Check
Budget 5-8k... Check
Small... Check

[ge0rge]

She already had a landy and found it too agricultural, even though she lives on a farm :P

[jbi]

Woman... TSK

even if it was red?

My only other suggestion would be a 3 door Toyota RAV4

[300bhp/ton]

jbi said:

4wd... Check
have pacos (disablement of passenger airbag)... No passenger airbag, check
cheap to run... Check
cheap to insure... Check
Reliable... Avoid TDCI... Check
Budget 5-8k... Check
Small... Check

And according to the DfT the safest car on UK roads too.

[badlands1]

That's why I have one as well. (110)

[Tsippy]

Suzuki Jimny? Jeep Patriot?

[badlands1]

jbi

How much did your bonnet cost you?

[jbi]

not my bonnet... however the genuine "puma" bonnets are expensive so I would recommend a fibreglass replica such as these

http://www.paddockspares.com/puma-style-bonnet.htm...

http://www.flatdoguk.com/defender-puma-bonnet~304

http://www.boltonbits.net/defender-bonnet-p-78.htm...

http://www.boltonbits.net/reinforced-defender-bonn...

Edited by jbi on Saturday 6th August 13:20

[badlands1]

Cheers for that.

[CampDavid]

300bhp/ton said:

And according to the DfT the safest car on UK roads too.

In terms of insurance accident claims and ocupant injury. I'm guessing a lot of people hit things at low speed in defenders. It doesn't make them safe. A renault Modus is a safer thing to be in in a 40mph head on with a tree than the Landy

[ge0rge]

Edited to add, auto.. :P

[jbi]

CampDavid said:

In terms of insurance accident claims and ocupant injury. I'm guessing a lot of people hit things at low speed in defenders. It doesn't make them safe. A renault Modus is a safer thing to be in in a 40mph head on with a tree than the Landy

Impacts against "soft" targets such as cars will likely result in you being better off... however as you stated an impact with something solid like a tree or bridge will results in crash forces being transferred directly to your body through the stiff chassis and lack of any crumple zones.

Defender also do very poorly in roll-overs as the roof really is as strong as paper.

[badlands1]

Well I have rolled over in a Defender 12 times and the roof was always fine.

Plus I have seen them roll down a bank when the driver just got it wrong, and the roofs were fine then as well.