5 Seat Muddy Workhorse Ideas - £2500 - £5000

[Brettoll]

Hi all!

Wanting to pick the collective hivemind of PH. I am looking to purchase a different car in the coming 6 months, currently rolling about in a low mileage 2007 Fiesta Zetec S which whilst fun, is too small for my needs.

I don't drive that often, but when I do my needs vary and I am coming up with a load of ideas but no experience of actual long term usage! Ideally thinking:

• Enough seats for 5
• Big enough for bulky items and people, say DH bikes and riders / kit
• Countryside driving, so really want AWD
• Something not afraid of getting rough and dirty (we have a newer Seat Leon for the nice daily)

Been considering Defender 90 and doing it up (costly), Discovery / Freelander, older Volvo XC90 - all sorts! But as an AWD newbie I have no idea where to start!

Any help / advice much appreciated.

Cheers!

[SkodaIan]

Crew-cab Vivaro, Transit Custom etc? You won't really.need 4WD, just decent all season tyres and a bit of ground clearance.

A neighbour uses a Vivaro for just this, and finds it ideal for the job. Bikes fit inside, so no security worries either at motorway services etc.

[S100HP]

An XC70 would do all the above. Mine does.

[Krikkit]

As an alternative to Volvo (which is a good choice), Subaru Outback or Forester - both are good off road, comfy and pretty reliable. You could also pick up a fruity one for entertainment value.

[Roger Irrelevant]

I've got a Subaru Outback 3.0R I bought for £4k that I use for exactly this type of thing and I really like it; it's a very good go-get-st-done car. I can't pretend it's cheap to run (especially over 15k mile p.a.!), but then I doubt anything of the sort of age we'll be talking here that's half-decent off road will be, especially if you want any sort of decent performance too. I guess if you're doing far fewer miles it's less of a concern. I'm not sure how many DH bikes + riders you'd get in one, they are bloody awkward things to carry (the bikes not the riders), but I've lugged all sorts of other big/heavy loads about without issue. Note that post-05 ones attract £500+ tax which is a bit mad if you're not doing many miles.

Edit: I mentioned it being half-decent off road, but I'd echo what another poster said above that you don't need that at all for driving in the sticks. I do find it bloody handy but the majority of my fellow bumpkins get by just fine with 'normal' cars.

Edited by Roger Irrelevant on Monday 23 September 16:33

[RobaBarker]

A Skoda Felicia Fun - Purely because I want to see one on the roads

[Countdown]

If the Freelander is big enough for your needs then I'd put a RAV4 or CR-V on your shopping list.

[anonymous-user]

If you're used to Fiesta running costs then prepare yourself for a shock - any of these could easily cost you half the purchase price straight up to sort out the issues you find on the first drive, and could easily cost you the full purchase price in repairs over a year or two.

If you must buy a cheap old AWD car and don't want to be fixing it a lot you'd do well to look at Japanese models with petrol engines.

[warch]

RobaBarker said:

A Skoda Felicia Fun - Purely because I want to see one on the roads

Is the right answer, I also love a good car based pickup, see also the Subaru pickup and the Hyundai Pony (both now ancient and unobtainable sadly).

[deadtom]

I have no direct experience of any of the following, but when I have been looking for a car to do exactly as you describe I narrowed it down to an AWD estate of some kind , specifically Volvo XC70, Audi all road (A4 or A6) or Skoda Octavia scout (though I think these are still out of budget)

[Pica-Pica]

Krikkit said:

As an alternative to Volvo (which is a good choice), Subaru Outback or Forester - both are good off road, comfy and pretty reliable. You could also pick up a fruity one for entertainment value.

^ This

[RicksAlfas]

Are you wanting to fit five people and five DH bikes in one vehicle?

[Brettoll]

Running costs aren't really an issue - repair costs I would be sensible on. I can walk away if it is a shocker.

[Brettoll]

RicksAlfas said:

Are you wanting to fit five people and five DH bikes in one vehicle?

Nooo not at all, but having a bigger option where 2 people, bikes and kit aren't a squeeze or causing damage.

The fiesta I had 2 jump bikes and 2 people and there were bars in my ears and all sorts

[Roger Irrelevant]

Brettoll said:

Running costs aren't really an issue - repair costs I would be sensible on. I can walk away if it is a shocker.

If you can find an Outback that looks like it's had a new exhaust in the last few years (particularly the dreaded 'Y piece' where it splits to go to the two back boxes), and on which the air con works, then I think one of those would do the job very nicely. These are the two biggest costs I've had in my ownership - apart from a lot of petrol - but then I knew about both when I bought it as they're dead easy to check. In 50k miles (now on just under 140k), I haven't had a hint of trouble from the (very smooth flat 6) engine, gearbox or awd gubbins. I have had to replace a few suspension bits, brake bits and wheel bearings but then I do drive it along rough shooting tracks on a regular basis which hammers all those.

[Krikkit]

Brettoll said:

RicksAlfas said:

Are you wanting to fit five people and five DH bikes in one vehicle?

Nooo not at all, but having a bigger option where 2 people, bikes and kit aren't a squeeze or causing damage.

The fiesta I had 2 jump bikes and 2 people and there were bars in my ears and all sorts

Our 2010 Outback is absolutely enormous inside for its footprint. You can put a de-wheeled bike straight in the boot without putting the seats down, and the back is gigantic as well... I'm 5"10 and have 8" of knee room in the back seats.

[ZX10R NIN]

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[mbwoy84]

Subaru Forester.

Forget any German SUVs. Totally useless for this purpose (and I own an X5 4.6is and LOVE IT).

[Brettoll]

Seems the general consensus leans to:

Volvo XC70
Subaru Outback
Subaru Forester

Whilst the German marques will have the badge attraction, I am not precious about it. This is all about having a chuck everything at it kind of car.

Thanks all!

[vtecyo]

X Trail.

Mind you, friend of mine drive to Morzine with 2 others, their bikes and kit in an Integra DC5...