4x4: five doors, low range, £1500. What?

4x4: five doors, low range, £1500. What?

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downstairs

Original Poster:

3,558 posts

216 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Hello. I want to buy a pocket money 4x4 to fill with my family of four for camping/cycling trips, and to fill with junk as necessary for tip runs, and for very occasional recreational off​ road (pay and plays, laning) fun with my son.

It won't be an everyday commuter car, so it doesn't need to be economical, and can be either petrol or diesel (although I've got one eye on what the budget might do to older diesels).

But it will need to be five door, comfy enough for four for hundreds of miles at a time, able to tow a trailer or small caravan, have a proper low range transfer box, and be no more than £1500.

I've already thought about Suzuki Grand Vitara, Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee, Nissan Terrano as possibles. Discoveries look terrible at my budget. But what am i missing?

cologne2792

2,126 posts

125 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Won't set any speed records but comfy and capable with the possibility of 30 mpg...


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/range-rover-p38-rare-MAN...

Birr97

131 posts

103 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Have you looked at MK2 Shoguns/Pajeros?
They should be within budget.

Marvtec

421 posts

158 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Subaru Forester ticks all the boxes

sparkythecat

7,898 posts

254 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Kia Sorento - caravanners love them

downstairs

Original Poster:

3,558 posts

216 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Birr97 said:
Have you looked at MK2 Shoguns/Pajeros?
They should be within budget.
Briefly, but they all look as shonky as the Discoveries in my budget.
Marvtec said:
Subaru Forester ticks all the boxes
Forgot them! I love Subarus. But will they be any good at any actual off road playing?
sparkythecat said:
Kia Sorento - caravanners love them
Does the Sorrento have low range? They're certainly in budget.

sparkythecat

7,898 posts

254 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
downstairs said:
Does the Sorrento have low range? They're certainly in budget.
An electronically selectable low-ratio box and limited slip differential

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/kia/sorento/15399/kia...


Edited by sparkythecat on Tuesday 25th April 08:22

ExPat2B

2,157 posts

199 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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You don't need low range for UK off road work.

Rock crawling and pulling tractors out of ditches yes, muddy off road work in the UK ? no need.

Marvtec

421 posts

158 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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The Forester is great off road, I guess the comparative low ride height compared to say a disco/RR may become an issue depending on what you want to do with it.

Funnily enough just had a quick browse on autotrader and my old one is for sale on there! Loved driving it in the snow smile

Patrick1964

696 posts

230 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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A Hilux Surf will do everything you want, try to go for the later KZN185 model.

austinsmirk

5,597 posts

122 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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old subaru legacy or outback (for its more off road look) ??

sparkythecat

7,898 posts

254 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Patrick1964 said:
A Hilux Surf will do everything you want, try to go for the later KZN185 model.
Unfortunately, he won't find one worth having for £1500

downstairs

Original Poster:

3,558 posts

216 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
ExPat2B said:
You don't need low range for UK off road work.

Rock crawling and pulling tractors out of ditches yes, muddy off road work in the UK ? no need.
Really? I used to do some off road playing years and years ago, in Jeeps - and always used low range then (still managing to get stuck often!)

I've no real experience of "soft roaders", but can't imagine they'd cope well at my local pay and play without low range.

Does anyone play off road in one? Does it manage alright?

LP670

819 posts

125 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Isuzu Trooper

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Marvtec said:
Subaru Forester ticks all the boxes
Not really. You'd destroy one in short order at any Pay & Play site I've ever seen. And they likely don't have the ground clearance for a lot of green lanes.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
sparkythecat said:
downstairs said:
Does the Sorrento have low range? They're certainly in budget.
An electronically selectable low-ratio box and limited slip differential

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/kia/sorento/15399/kia...


Edited by sparkythecat on Tuesday 25th April 08:22
They'll still be rubbish off road though. Wet grass, snow or sand they are probably ok as they have the means to keep the wheel spinning. But anything that requires suspension travel and articulation will mean they will be lifting wheels off the ground in short order and likely ripping bumpers off and denting sills.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
ExPat2B said:
You don't need low range for UK off road work.

Rock crawling and pulling tractors out of ditches yes, muddy off road work in the UK ? no need.
I assume you're off roading in the UK is somewhat limited in experience then? Plenty of places that really suit or require low range.

Shakermaker

11,317 posts

99 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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You have quite a low budget for something that you don't want to look "shonky" but really, you should just buy a Discovery 300tdi or maybe a 3.9 V8.

Don't just buy the first Discovery you see. I sold mine last year for £1300 with all the off road prep done already. My experience with them and having owned 3, and looked at many more whilst choosing which ones to buy...

Metallic paint ones have worse rust than those with matt paint.

Boot floors and inner arches are the main places to get rust

Otherwise yes, a Trooper or Pajero can be found at your budget. But will still be "shonky"

spookly

4,011 posts

94 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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If you can stretch to £2500 you can have my 04 plate Jeep GC 2.7 diesel.
It has the Quadra Drive 4x4 system too. High/Low ratio. Only ~65000 miles on it.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Marvtec said:
The Forester is great off road, I guess the comparative low ride height compared to say a disco/RR may become an issue depending on what you want to do with it.

Funnily enough just had a quick browse on autotrader and my old one is for sale on there! Loved driving it in the snow smile
I think there must be some different definitions of what off road capable means.

The op said Pay & Play sites. So you might be faced with terrain like this for example. If you try and drive a Forrester down a slope like this, it'll firstly stuff if nose into the ground at the bottom. If you go quickly it'd not only likely crumple the front bumper, but could even cause structural damage or push the radiator backwards.

If you could force the bumper through the dirt, the underside will scrape all of the top of the ridge. Which is likely to mark the sills and could rip the exhaust off.

Lastly if you get it far enough (would need plenty of speed and brutal driving), as the rear wheels descend the slope it would probably try and pull the rear bumper off, possibly dent the underside of the car and again pull the exhaust.




The same would be true if you tried ascending the slope.

There are loads of other off road hazards that would defeat things like a Forrester, deep water, deep ruts, cross axles. Not too mention on a wet muddy site you'll need some proper mud terrain tyres.