Best 4x4 for general country use.
Discussion
Ive seen a Daihatsu Fourtrak 1998 2.8 diesel Field master. Reading some other forums from a few years ago, people seem to rate them highly. I believe they are based on the same sort of running gear as a shogun.? Their a lot cheaper to buy than a Land rover look a lot more comfortable but not too sure how easily the parts are too source for them.
I know they are ment too be bad for rust, so that's one thing too look for. Has anybody on here had any experience with one or know somebody who has?
sparkythecat said:
Warch is right.
Defenders are best driven wearing an open faced helmet. It makes the noise nearly bearable.
Defenders are best driven wearing an open faced helmet. It makes the noise nearly bearable.
Indeed, I drove to Gloucester and back last year in my old Land Rover (120 mile round trip), it was like going on a bombing raid over Germany.I think pretty much any off roader would suit the OPs needs. Jeep Cherokees are good and unbelievably cheap to buy, Shoguns are popular, Fourtraks are rare now due to rust, but were very popular 20 years ago.
If you are only driving it locally, consider a petrol model, very thirsty, but usually cheaper to buy, often much lower mileage and typically in better nick, commercially owned off roaders are always diesel and usually run into the ground.
warch said:
sparkythecat said:
Warch is right.
Defenders are best driven wearing an open faced helmet. It makes the noise nearly bearable.
Defenders are best driven wearing an open faced helmet. It makes the noise nearly bearable.
Indeed, I drove to Gloucester and back last year in my old Land Rover (120 mile round trip), it was like going on a bombing raid over Germany.I think pretty much any off roader would suit the OPs needs. Jeep Cherokees are good and unbelievably cheap to buy, Shoguns are popular, Fourtraks are rare now due to rust, but were very popular 20 years ago.
If you are only driving it locally, consider a petrol model, very thirsty, but usually cheaper to buy, often much lower mileage and typically in better nick, commercially owned off roaders are always diesel and usually run into the ground.
The Daihatsu are starting to stand out to me now. very tempted.
Timbuktu said:
Jeeps are a good shout. I had a 4 litre XJ for 7 years and it was a great vehicle and very comfy. You'd want one that has 4WD Full Time not just 4WD Part Time so it can be used in 4WD on the road ideally.
Yes the centre diff makes a big difference. I think in the UK all the 4.0 litres have this, it was the 2.5 diesel and 2.5 petrol that didn't. But I might be mistaken.Really miss my XJ. My Dad had one as well, which was just as awesome.
I beat 2 MX-5's and a load of hatchbacks at this event. We were the only "4x4" and the only automatic in the event
warch said:
sparkythecat said:
Warch is right.
Defenders are best driven wearing an open faced helmet. It makes the noise nearly bearable.
Defenders are best driven wearing an open faced helmet. It makes the noise nearly bearable.
Indeed, I drove to Gloucester and back last year in my old Land Rover (120 mile round trip), it was like going on a bombing raid over Germany.A stock Puma engined Defender (well outside the ops budget) is quite refined. I've regularly done 2-2 1/2 trips in them. And they are no more noisy than my 2017 plate Smart ForTwo is. In fact the loudest thing is the factory fit Michelin MTR tyres (they are a noisy tyre though).
TD5's aren't too bad either, a bit louder, espcially if only a hard top with little sound proofing. A County Station Wagon will be better.
Tdi's are a lot less refined though.
Having owned a Terano, couple of Land Rovers a Shogun Sport and a 4Trak over the years, for all round ability the 4Trak was the best.
The current Shogun Sport is fine on road, off road it is adequate, but very tyre dependant. Have towed heavy trailers across muddy fields etc and it struggled. Loads of interior space so load lugging is great.
The 4Trak, whilst slow would tow anything, on or off road,, best described as a Japanese Land Rover, very reliable, but rust got to it. Only draw back was the tiny boot. Pity they stopped making them.
Land Rovers need TLC, but I still have a soft spot for them. Boot area in the 110 twin cab and 90 Station wagons is short. Had loads of problems with the 110 TD5, but it hadn't been well looked after. If you are after comfort in a Land Rover then avoid the early leaf sprung series models - great fun, but not ideal for long journeys.
good luck in your search
The current Shogun Sport is fine on road, off road it is adequate, but very tyre dependant. Have towed heavy trailers across muddy fields etc and it struggled. Loads of interior space so load lugging is great.
The 4Trak, whilst slow would tow anything, on or off road,, best described as a Japanese Land Rover, very reliable, but rust got to it. Only draw back was the tiny boot. Pity they stopped making them.
Land Rovers need TLC, but I still have a soft spot for them. Boot area in the 110 twin cab and 90 Station wagons is short. Had loads of problems with the 110 TD5, but it hadn't been well looked after. If you are after comfort in a Land Rover then avoid the early leaf sprung series models - great fun, but not ideal for long journeys.
good luck in your search
warch said:
Indeed, I drove to Gloucester and back last year in my old Land Rover (120 mile round trip), it was like going on a bombing raid over Germany.Fit some seriously aggressive off road tyres. At speeds over 40mph on tarmac it will sound just like an Apache gunship helicopter.
Edited by sparkythecat on Wednesday 6th February 12:02
[quote=Matt]Having owned a Terano, couple of Land Rovers a Shogun Sport and a 4Trak over the years, for all round ability the 4Trak was the best.
The current Shogun Sport is fine on road, off road it is adequate, but very tyre dependant. Have towed heavy trailers across muddy fields etc and it struggled. Loads of interior space so load lugging is great.
The 4Trak, whilst slow would tow anything, on or off road,, best described as a Japanese Land Rover, very reliable, but rust got to it. Only draw back was the tiny boot. Pity they stopped making them.
Land Rovers need TLC, but I still have a soft spot for them. Boot area in the 110 twin cab and 90 Station wagons is short. Had loads of problems with the 110 TD5, but it hadn't been well looked after. If you are after comfort in a Land Rover then avoid the early leaf sprung series models - great fun, but not ideal for long journeys.
good luck in your search
You'd recommend a Fourtrak then mate? They look ideal for chucking the dogs in, but also look fairly comfortable and capable off road. Watching a few videos on youtube of them. They seem pretty unstoppable. How was yours on longer journeys fuel consumption etc..?
Cheers
The current Shogun Sport is fine on road, off road it is adequate, but very tyre dependant. Have towed heavy trailers across muddy fields etc and it struggled. Loads of interior space so load lugging is great.
The 4Trak, whilst slow would tow anything, on or off road,, best described as a Japanese Land Rover, very reliable, but rust got to it. Only draw back was the tiny boot. Pity they stopped making them.
Land Rovers need TLC, but I still have a soft spot for them. Boot area in the 110 twin cab and 90 Station wagons is short. Had loads of problems with the 110 TD5, but it hadn't been well looked after. If you are after comfort in a Land Rover then avoid the early leaf sprung series models - great fun, but not ideal for long journeys.
good luck in your search
You'd recommend a Fourtrak then mate? They look ideal for chucking the dogs in, but also look fairly comfortable and capable off road. Watching a few videos on youtube of them. They seem pretty unstoppable. How was yours on longer journeys fuel consumption etc..?
Cheers
Snowey13,
I think you'd be lucky to find a good 4Trak. Fuel consumption was ok, most 4x4s are juicy. As I mentioned the boot is quite small so that might be an issue depending on the size of your dogs.
No problem with long journeys although there's little point in going above 60mph as consumption increases for little benefit.
The rust is the biggest issue, the sills are straight forward and most would have been done. The major issue is with the cross member above the axle which can break. Spares were reasonable and most available. The newest 4Traks will be about 18 years old by now.
I think you'd be lucky to find a good 4Trak. Fuel consumption was ok, most 4x4s are juicy. As I mentioned the boot is quite small so that might be an issue depending on the size of your dogs.
No problem with long journeys although there's little point in going above 60mph as consumption increases for little benefit.
The rust is the biggest issue, the sills are straight forward and most would have been done. The major issue is with the cross member above the axle which can break. Spares were reasonable and most available. The newest 4Traks will be about 18 years old by now.
Matt...
I think your right about finding a good one. I've seen a field master one which has done 130k for £2500, the bloke says its in reasonable condition for its age, with no signs of rust. By reading up on them I think i'd be very lucky too find one with no signs of rust for 2.5k lol.
I'd probably take the seats out of the back and use it more of a van than people carrier, so im hoping boot space shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for you information greatly appreciated.
I think your right about finding a good one. I've seen a field master one which has done 130k for £2500, the bloke says its in reasonable condition for its age, with no signs of rust. By reading up on them I think i'd be very lucky too find one with no signs of rust for 2.5k lol.
I'd probably take the seats out of the back and use it more of a van than people carrier, so im hoping boot space shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for you information greatly appreciated.
300bhp/ton said:
Shame you didn’t like it. They may not be road focused, but I have to say I rather enjoy hooning them about on the road. They actually handle quite well, not necessarily grip the best. But you can really chuck a 90 about.
Funnily enough I actually agree with this. I've not actually driven a 90, but have spent a fair bit behind the wheel of a 110 crew cab.I think it is something to do with the large amount of unsprung mass quite low down that causes it but they almost feel chuckable. You throw them into a corner, the bottom end takes the strain and you can almost count a delay before the mass of the sprung weight catches up. It takes a hell of a lot of terrified cornering to get used to it, but once you get used to the feeling of a solid axle 4x4 they can actually be quite rewarding.
In that regard, I have a Jimny. It takes that wierd chuckability of the Defender, and bumps it up a few magnitudes.
The agricultural feeling is fairly marmite. I love it. The 110 I use to drive, was a 200tdi, straight piped with the fuel pump turned up to the max. The clunky feeling of everything was intoxicating as was the mighty roar of the motor and accompanying smoke when accelerating hard with a
Edited by caelite on Wednesday 6th February 17:35
If you must have a land rover the 200tdi/300tdi are much more reliable than the td5 and parts are much cheaper (you will be needing a lot of these if you buy anything wearing the green oval). But, spending £7k on a landrover is madness IMO. My 4.2td toyota gets better mpg than a 300tdi or a td5, and even the new td4. never compared to a 200tdi but cant imagine it being any different. This is where id put my money for £7k: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
141k is nothing for one of these (mines on 440k, have driven one with 650k), whereas 141k on a landrover is near the end of it's life, if indeed its still on its original engine/chassis/gearbox.
141k is nothing for one of these (mines on 440k, have driven one with 650k), whereas 141k on a landrover is near the end of it's life, if indeed its still on its original engine/chassis/gearbox.
Hdj80 01 said:
If you must have a land rover the 200tdi/300tdi are much more reliable than the td5 and parts are much cheaper (you will be needing a lot of these if you buy anything wearing the green oval). But, spending £7k on a landrover is madness IMO. My 4.2td toyota gets better mpg than a 300tdi or a td5, and even the new td4. never compared to a 200tdi but cant imagine it being any different. This is where id put my money for £7k: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
141k is nothing for one of these (mines on 440k, have driven one with 650k), whereas 141k on a landrover is near the end of it's life, if indeed its still on its original engine/chassis/gearbox.
Hi, I have been looking at the SWB Land Crusiser, look at comfy motor. Theres a few on Ebay around the 2k mark. With 200k on the clock which doesnt seem to bad concidering what you’ve said. Look in to them a bit more now thankyou. 141k is nothing for one of these (mines on 440k, have driven one with 650k), whereas 141k on a landrover is near the end of it's life, if indeed its still on its original engine/chassis/gearbox.
300bhp/ton said:
Brads67 said:
Wouldn't touch a Jeep, or a Defender. Awful cars.
Based on anything??? Or should I just 
300bhp/ton said:
Based on anything??? Or should I just
God yes, based on 30 yrs driving all sorts.Defenders are truly awful cars. They are a commercial truck. Jeep are so badly made and horrendous on fuel as well as rubbish in really tough offroad. Oh and Jeep parts ! ffs.
Vitara, is the comfy option, Jimny is the offroad tool option. Both make a half decent car as well.
L200 is the proper job.
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