30mpg reliable milemunching 4x4?

[mat777]

Note - sorry to mods, I accidentally put this in a different forum earlier, I have now removed it so I'm not double posting by putting it here

This is really doing my noodle now! My Series 3 Landy is coming off the road at the end of summer for major surgery, and I plan to keep it off the road for 2 or 3 years and tool around in a more modern 4x4 to save money on fuel, until I have a job where I can afford to run more than one car. And yes, I NEED a 4x4 not a car for various reasons.
I'm after a 5 door 4x4, it must have low range gearbox, decent ground clearance and proper off road ability (so not a soft-roader). It must be diesel and do as near as possible to 30mpg, and be something civilised for decent mileages (so not a Defender). Something lined with cow would be a nice bonus, but I'm not fussy if I have to settle for a cloth interior. For various reasons, it needs to be within 50-60 miles of Nantwich so I can go and view it easily. Oh, and I have a budget of £3000-3500.

- I'm banned from my first choice of a Jeep XJ, after Dad asked his mechanic brother what he thought of an XJ Orvis TD he used to have, and was told in no uncertain terms what a heap of ste the diesel variant apparently was.
- I'm equally banned from a P38 Range Rover because we dont have a bottomless bank account for new electrical parts
- I wouldnt mind a Disco 1, but half the battle is finding one that isnt full of tinworm.
- I wouldnt have minded a Pajero LWB either, but then I saw the prices Mitsubishi charge for spare parts and service items

Thus, my current shortlist is:
- Daihatsu Fourtrak 2.8 - Cheap to buy insure, but a question mark over parts prices and availability
- Discovery 2 - The natural choice as I'm a green oval nut and will know my way round one far more tan the other choices, but probably a grand dearer than a Fourtrak to buy and the oldest ones are beginning to rot badly
- Isuzu Trooper 3.0 - Peanuts to buy but much thirstier than the others and couple of hundred more to insure too. And are they any good off road?

Can anyone recommend any other choices I've missed or add any further insight to my current shortlist?

Thanks,

Matt

[Rob P]

Landcruiser? Tough, good on and off road. Don't know about the mpg though

[Caulkhead]

mat777 said:

Thus, my current shortlist is:
- Daihatsu Fourtrak 2.8 - Cheap to buy insure, but a question mark over parts prices and availability
- Discovery 2 - The natural choice as I'm a green oval nut and will know my way round one far more tan the other choices, but probably a grand dearer than a Fourtrak to buy and the oldest ones are beginning to rot badly
- Isuzu Trooper 3.0 - Peanuts to buy but much thirstier than the others and couple of hundred more to insure too. And are they any good off road?

I can't remember the Fourtrak being 5 door. I've always been told the 3.1 Trooper is better than the 3.0 but I'm a LR type so I'd just pick a nice TD5 Disco with the lowest spec possible so less to go wrong.

[bakerstreet]

Jeep Grand Cherokee 2.7CRD If memory serves, these were fitted with the 5 pot diesel fitted to Ambulances and they will certinly be in your budget and will be lined with the desirable cow

Failing that, you will get a a nice D2 for that and at least you shouldn't have to worry about rot on a D2.

Don't rule out a P38. Find a good buyers guide and the electrical parts should be easy for you to fix. The 2.5DSE 6cyl is also a very good lump.

Let us know how you get on?

What's the major surgery for the Series??

[cptsideways]

£3500 will get you into big landcruiser territory just, driven gently you'll get just on 30mpg out of a manual. You will not loose any money on it regardless of how you keep it.


Saying that a Fourtrak is a very good bet, basic, simple, Japanese & economical too for their size 30mpg is easy enough & a 3.5 Ton tow limit too. Just find a non farmered one, there are plenty about.

[redgriff500]

As mentioned unless you are towing massive loads or wading the obvious answer is LPG

[mat777]

Hi everyone,

Yes, I will be occasionally doing some watersports and have already drowned the petrol Series once
Hence the want for a diseasel this time round - and the fact I can save money by running one on biofuel blends too

I cant seem to find a manual 2.7 Grand Cherokee - does such a thing exist? As for Land Cruisers, I think insurance may be an issue but I'll try running some quotes. I took suspect though that the MPG may be a bit low

barkerstreet - the Series is getting a new bulkhead/new whole top half of bulkhead. Whilst I'm at it, the head will be getting an unleaded conversion (and propbably a port/polish as it would be rude not to whilst its off...). Oh, and I might investigate the suspicious clutch input bearing noise and rebuild the front swivels too. And sort the exceedingly bodged wiring to the reversing lights and front fogs so that they might actually work for the first time since I've had the vehicle.

Edited by mat777 on Monday 6th August 19:35

[scrwright]

mat777 said:

Hi everyone,
I cant seem to find a manual 2.7 Grand Cherokee - does such a thing exist?

nope

[MarkRSi]

If it weren't for the corrosion issues a Discovery 1 (like my 200TDi) would be ideal. 28mpg and very comfortable.

Are Disco 2s suffering the same fate regarding corrosion?

[billywhizzzzzz]

Sorry - I know you said not a Defender - but mine, with a disco transfer box - is relaxed for long journeys (well, reasonably) and will do 30 mpg (300tdi). Would never consider anything else...

[cptsideways]

billywhizzzzzz said:

Sorry - I know you said not a Defender - but mine, with a disco transfer box - is relaxed for long journeys (well, reasonably) and will do 30 mpg (300tdi). Would never consider anything else...

Say's a man with short arms or numb elbows

[Dangermouse58]

I would have a look at a Nissan navara, or an L200.

[Farmerlad]

We used to have a 3.0 trooper which was used for towing quite a bit. Great machine, had had it's engine replaced before we got it. Pulled like a train, but no one could get it to do over 26mpg.

[RP1]

3.0TD Hilux Surf, £3k will get a nice 3rd gen example. They are brill off road and on. Toyota reliability and driven very carefully even the autos (which most are) will see 30mpg.

Had 3 and loved them all.

[mister.t]

I love my Discovery 2, but it has been hopelessly unreliable. In 5k it's had;

• New Viscous Fan (should really have switched to Kenlowe electric, but oh well)
• Left front wheel bearing & sensor (although more wear than anything, it wasn't cheap to replace)
• SRS light intermittent
• Air Con Pump exploded which damaged the brand new fan and back of the radiator
• Steering Joints & Track Rods
• Auto box leaks oil
• Injector loom has thrown oil into the ECU. Running full throttle sometimes gives hesitation, lazy throttle response, or absolutely fine, although this could be an issue elsewhere.

I'm sure there is more, but now a suspect noise has appeared which I believe to be the ACE, and I think the crankshaft pulley rubber is beginning perish.

I purchased a GS rather than XS/ES to avoid problems with electrics, but I wonder why I bothered now! Also watch for air suspension issues on 7 seaters (mine had it but thankfully removed in the past), and chassis corrosion can be a real issue on older ones now.

Writing that out I wonder why I like mine so much, would have made so much more sense to have bought a Shogun or something else, but I love it!

30mpg is possible on a long run at 60-65, a 900 mile round trip to Le Mans (included sitting at 85-90 most of the way there and back) including town stuff with AC on, 4 up fully loaded returned 21mpg. Off road, I've had the new General Grabber's fitted, and for such a standard car, I am sometimes simply staggered where it goes, although I'd love to get the centre difflock re-instated for even greater ability!

ETA - Extra info.

Edited by mister.t on Monday 6th August 22:05

[mat777]

Thanks for all the info guys. Having had a good classifieds browse of all suggestions, and run insurance quotes, looked at MPG costs, reliability and fuel economy, I've also had a long chat with dad - who will be going halves with me as he wants to occasionally use whatever I get when I'm away at uni.
The conclusion was that, as I'm already a Land Rover fanatic, know most stuff about buying a used Land Rover, and know a large network LR-related of tech experts and mechanics, then a D2 would be the obvious choice - I just needed to find a nice one in budget without any alarming chassis rust or electrical problems!

I did duly find a gorgeous fully-loaded 2001 ES model just up the road in Wigan, in a nice colour and what appeared to be mint condition, with only 112k miles. This was last night. This morning, I looked at the advert again to check something, and it has been pulled from their website (so has presumably been bought). There is only one other truck of the right spec, in budget and close enough to home, and not only is it £500 more but it also looks a lot scruffier inside!

[RJP001]

MarkRSi said:

If it weren't for the corrosion issues a Discovery 1 (like my 200TDi) would be ideal. 28mpg and very comfortable.

But I'm sure one could be found to last the three years or whatever the period is wanted before needing extensive welding, surely?

MarkRSi said:

Are Disco 2s suffering the same fate regarding corrosion?

Bodies aren't too bad. The very early ones (like first year production) appear to suffer more in the body. But there are a lot of reports of the chassis rotting out instead, not that they had much in the way of protection from factory to begin with! It's also now possible to buy a brand new D2 chassis from the company that does them for Defenders and Series, so make of that what you will...

[Graebob]

mat777 said:

This morning, I looked at the advert again to check something, and it has been pulled from their website (so has presumably been bought). There is only one other truck of the right spec, in budget and close enough to home, and not only is it £500 more but it also looks a lot scruffier inside!

Call the dealer and check?

[Prof Prolapse]

I heard Diahatsu fourtraks were hard as nails.

Better MPG than most as well.

[mat777]

Well thanks for all the replies everyone. I went to look at a D2 yesterday in Northwich. A nice, straight, 2000 (X-reg) top-spec ES model with full cow, aircon, electric everything, and 112K miles. Had a good poke around, chatted to the salesman (who has also owned several Land Rovers). I told Dad, he went to look at it on the way home from work, and liked it too. I went back today, had a test drive and I'm now a 2-car man!

Most of the test drive I was on tenterhooks, what with the considerable size and performance increase over my Series - being used to being cocooned in a small, noisy leafer with very deliberate, heavy, mechanical controls, everything in the Disco felt so light and wafty! And then I had to adjust my senses to threading what turns out to be a fking massive vehicle through traffic on a busy roundabout by the showroom. I think I'll call it HMS Discovery as it genuinely felt like helming a battleship! 4-wheel discs are also a lot sharper than 11-inch drums

I cant wait to bring it home now. Its going to have a new windscreen, full service, MOT and valet next week, by which time i think I'll have exploded with anticipation