4X4 advice please

[Johnspex]

Hi All,
having moved to North Devon recently and torn holes in 2 tyres at £150 each on my E46 330 Touring I'm going to be looking for a 4X4 next time. Strange gearbox noises suggest it might be sooner rather than later.
What I'm thinking of should match these criteria
Petrol
auto
5 door
air con
heated seats
under £4K.
Apart from that I'm not too fussy but I fancy a "proper" 4X4 rather than a 4WD estate mainly just to make a change from what I've got already and because some of the smaller roads round here are in appalling condition with potholes you could lose a reasonable size dog in. It wouldn't be expected to pull broken down tractors off muddy fields but would give me a bit of peace of mind on the local roads when they're muddy. I keep envisaging pulling in to a gate entrance to allow an oncoming vehicle past and not getting out again.
I suppose I'm thinking of X Trail/CRV kind of thing and then upwards in size from there.
Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
By the way I know this question has been asked before but I can't find it and I think it was quite a long time ago
Thanks johnspex.

[caelite]

Fat tyres and 'piece of mind' for muddy tarmac. Pretty much everything with more than a ~200/60 profile tyre and reasonable suspension travel will more than fill that criteria. If you had said occasional driving into said muddy fields with tractors it would narrow the options down somewhat but for muddy roads even your most footballer-ish BMW X5 will suit the bill provided it has sensible wheels & rubber.

My advice, don't try to justify it to yourself or anyone else for that matter, buy a ladder framed proper 4x4 that drives like a bus and drink fuel and be happy with it! Logic doesn't work unless you live in a genuinely 'rural' area (north of Scotland where half of our roads are gravel and we get 30-40cm of snow for 2 months of the year springs to mind). They can offer a very 'interesting' driving experience nonetheless. Not fast by any means but the driving dynamics can create fun in low speed situations, there is nothing more satisfying than hustling a laden pickup truck along a tight B-road at 60mph & holding on for dear life as the thing lurches from corner to corner!

Also, air con and heated seats vary a lot as they are optional extras in the majority of vehicles in this pricerange. Good 4x4s hold their value a lot more than most cars so you will be looking at an older vehicle most likely. Most proper 4x4s also come in multiple flavours, spartan 'commercial' models with little comforts, Short Wheel Base, Long Wheel Base etc etc.

Personally my recommendation in your price range would be a clean 04-06 Mitsubishi Shogun (Full Fat). You can get these in LWB or SWB flavour, SWB will be slightly bouncier but more efficient and MUCH easier to park around town, LWB has back doors and a bigger boot. The 3.2DI-D is a sweet engine, it was fairly new in the mk3 so is a fresh engine (unlike the old 2.5TD which had been around since the early 80s) be aware parts can be more pricier for them than the simpler 2.5td. The 2.8di-d I've heard can be a bit of a pig, it is an earlier iteration of the 3.2 but was offered in some early mk3s. Be aware the electric super select system, if it hasn't been used often it will have niggles. Most of said niggles are cheap to fix though, the majority of them are caused by a solenoid that can be replaced for £15 off of eBay (or £180 from Mitsubishi )

OR you could have your pick of Discovery 2s within your price (3s at a big stretch, but it will most likely be mutts for <£4k). The TD5 is a lovely engine to drive, not the most reliable thing in the world but makes an absolutely beautiful noise through straight pipes . Every farmer and their dog owns a Disco 1 or 2 when they are too old to drive a Defender every day so bits are cheap for them and in rural area there is a lot of knowledge of their mechanics in the backstreet garages, so as much as they tend to be less reliable than the Japanese competition they are very easy to keep on the road. Be aware of sill rust, they seem to hole through in the rear wheel arches and sills where the aluminium body is mated to the steel chassis, not immensely difficult to repair but will fail you an MOT.

£4k also buys you a mid 00s Cherokee V8, another absolutely beautiful engine, but you will also need to buy a small north sea rig in order to run the thing .

EDIT: Also, if you are keeping the car long term. BFGoodrich A/T KO2's. The single best 4x4 tyre on the market, ~£130 a corner but literally never wear down and take a proper beating. My pal has had a set on his pickup for 70k miles and they are only now nearing their wear markers.

Edited by caelite on Friday 14th April 22:34

[popeyewhite]

I'd go for a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Surprisingly nippy with the V8. About 14/15mpg and 230 miles/tank. Built like a Tonka toy and easy to get major bodywork parts off Ebay cheaply, it's also very easy to lift/fit big off road tyres should that be your thing. For sheer looks, character and sound there's nothing else in your price bracket IMO.

[GreatGranny]

I'll say you don't need a big proper 4x4 &#128516;

For tackling crap roads and the occasional muddy field or track something like a Forester, X3 or Rav 4 would be fine.
You will spend most if the time on OK roads in OK weather so why drive a car which is not suited to that situation?

[ZX10R NIN]

Kia Sorento

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

BMW X5 3.0d SE

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

X3 3.0i SE

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

X5 3.0i SE

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Grand Cherokee 4.7 Limited XS

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Grand Cherokee 2.7d Limited

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

[tr7v8]

popeyewhite said:

I'd go for a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Surprisingly nippy with the V8. About 14/15mpg and 230 miles/tank. Built like a Tonka toy and easy to get major bodywork parts off Ebay cheaply, it's also very easy to lift/fit big off road tyres should that be your thing. For sheer looks, character and sound there's nothing else in your price bracket IMO.

Just sold my 4L & it was a real wrench after 6+ years. 4 Litre takes LPG better. This would be my choice

[NDA]

Johnspex said:

Hi All,
having moved to North Devon recently

I was brunged up down there - whereabouts in North Devon are you?

[Johnspex]

NDA said:

I was brunged up down there - whereabouts in North Devon are you?

Parkham. I've seen it mentioned on here twice recently. Once was in the 'you know you're living in the country' thread. We've just retired down here and we love it. My parents lived in Torrington and I still have 2 sisters there. If only the pub hadn't burned down life would be perfect. Where are you from.

[jamiebae]

CRV or Forrester. I've had both (albeit in late 90s guise) and they both fit the bill perfectly, they're reliable, easy to find, and decent enough to drive. I actually got quite attached to the Subaru and once drove it from Oxford to Toulouse overnight, the Honda I wasn't quite so fond of but it had more space inside.

Obviously neither is an amazing steer down a twisty road, but really nor are any SUVs - I now drive an Evoque with the 240bhp petrol engine and even that isn't that much fun compared to a lot of normal cars.

[NDA]

Johnspex said:

NDA said:

I was brunged up down there - whereabouts in North Devon are you?

Parkham. I've seen it mentioned on here twice recently. Once was in the 'you know you're living in the country' thread. We've just retired down here and we love it. My parents lived in Torrington and I still have 2 sisters there. If only the pub hadn't burned down life would be perfect. Where are you from.

From Bideford..... The Bell has burned down? I know that pub very well - what a shame.

[ZX10R NIN]

Forgot about these:

Ford Maverick

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Kia Sorento 3.5

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

[Johnspex]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
We really fancy something that looks the part andTonka Toyish so it will probably be a Grand Cherokee. Loads of room in the boot for the dog too. It would have to be diesel for cost reasons. Any reason I shouldn't do that?

[popeyewhite]

Johnspex said:

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
We really fancy something that looks the part andTonka Toyish so it will probably be a Grand Cherokee. Loads of room in the boot for the dog too. It would have to be diesel for cost reasons. Any reason I shouldn't do that?

Great choice. Having a gander at http://jeep-club.co.uk/ might help. Some high mileage diesels suffered from injector problems, but none of the Jeep owners I knew had experienced this.

[tr7v8]

popeyewhite said:

Johnspex said:

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
We really fancy something that looks the part andTonka Toyish so it will probably be a Grand Cherokee. Loads of room in the boot for the dog too. It would have to be diesel for cost reasons. Any reason I shouldn't do that?

Great choice. Having a gander at http://jeep-club.co.uk/ might help. Some high mileage diesels suffered from injector problems, but none of the Jeep owners I knew had experienced this.

Worth joining WJ Jeep forum on Facebook.
A few have injector problems on the diesels, but it is normally the seals which are peanuts. But they do need changing by someone who has done them before. The engine is a Merc diesel so plenty of experience around. Your budget should get you a good fairly late one.

[Johnspex]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
We really fancy something that looks the part andTonka Toyish so it will probably be a Grand Cherokee. Loads of room in the boot for the dog too. It would have to be diesel for cost reasons. Any reason I shouldn't do that?

[Johnspex]

A couple of you guys sound like Jeep experts. Can you tell me this- which is the top of the rrange spec? I've seen Limited and Overland described as such.
I guess the 215bhp engines is the one to go for. Any reason not to?

[tr7v8]

Johnspex said:

A couple of you guys sound like Jeep experts. Can you tell me this- which is the top of the rrange spec? I've seen Limited and Overland described as such.
I guess the 215bhp engines is the one to go for. Any reason not to?

In the period you're looking at it goes Limited - Overland, Overland is mainly trim AFAIK. These are very well equipped as standard pretty much the only options are sunroof & CD changer. Some had a different 4x4 system but I think this follows engines choice rather than spec choice.
Yup 215BHP 3 L diesel will be pretty much your only option in the WK. The WJ had a 2.7L Mercedes diesel.

[popeyewhite]

Johnspex said:

Can you tell me this- which is the top of the rrange spec?

The Overland. Better leather seats, better stereo, wood steering wheel and the very good Quadra-drive as standard. Some also have small suspension lifts as standard. However the Limited or Limited XS is virtually exactly the same but no suede seats, wooden wheel and a couple of other little bits. My second Jeep was an XS, chosen because some of the Overlands are a bit long in the tooth now. My XS Limited was an 05 model, the last of the WJs, and came with updated steering and suspension, and quite low mileage.Had no problems with it at all, but it was the V8. That's the one I'd go for if I had the choice, but I'm sure the stinky diesel will be almost as good.

[fivepointnine]

That price? I would look no further than an 04-06 BMW X3 3.0i petrol. We get around 24mpg combined, its reliable, quick, looks good and handles great on and off road. You are a current BMW owner, so it will feel familiar.

Edited by fivepointnine on Wednesday 19th April 10:49

[wiliferus]

Sounds like you're set on a jeep. But surprised no ones suggested a Toyota Landcruiser Colorado.
Proper 4x4 with lockable diffs and other wizardry which i don't understand...
plus when the world implodes the only thing left will be them, cockroaches and K11 Micras.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...