Used 4x4… hypothetically!
Discussion
Hypothetically, if you had £5k and you wanted a used diesel 4x4/pickup ( LS200, Hilux, Shogun, FL2 etc etc ) and of course presuming you could buy one with good history, mot and good chassis etc
Which one would trust to wake up in the morning and say to the 3 other adults in the family and 3 dogs.."Hey people..lets drive down to cornwall !".. and it would start, drive and get you back without hassle
Hypothetically of course !
Which one would trust to wake up in the morning and say to the 3 other adults in the family and 3 dogs.."Hey people..lets drive down to cornwall !".. and it would start, drive and get you back without hassle
Hypothetically of course !
Bobupndown said:
The Freelander 2 is a fantastic car, love mine. 5+ years owned now and only needed 2 intercooler hoses and 2 boot release switches in that time over and above routine maintenance. More reliable than Landrovers other recent products.
Another FL2 fan here. I’ve had mine 2years without any problem. It replaced a Mk3 Shogun I owned for 6 yearThe Freelander is a very capable off roader and is much more economical than the Shogun was. It just hasn’t the same ground clearance and towing capacity, which may or may not be a consideration.
The main question is what you need it for? Just to occasionally drive on snowy roads, grass and the odd track or more heavy duty/regular use? Heavy towing?
The FL2 is about the only Land Rover product that seems to be at all dependable and is actually fairly capable. It shares it's underpinnings with the Mondeo/Volvo V70 so there are limits though!
Lexus RX450h is definitely worth a look as an alternative, only mildly capable off road and for towing but will go on and on. Probably the most reliable option by far at this sort of money.
Things get more difficult if you need proper heavy duty 4x4 ability or will do a lot of heavy towing. 5k will likely only buy a basket case Land Cruiser or Hilux unless you're very lucky. Likewise with Land Rover with the added disadvantage that most of them were basketcases even from new.
Other pickups, shoguns etc are all worth a look but be careful, lots will be ruined and/or very rusty at this sort of money.
RX450 definitely my favourite unless you can up the budget.
The FL2 is about the only Land Rover product that seems to be at all dependable and is actually fairly capable. It shares it's underpinnings with the Mondeo/Volvo V70 so there are limits though!
Lexus RX450h is definitely worth a look as an alternative, only mildly capable off road and for towing but will go on and on. Probably the most reliable option by far at this sort of money.
Things get more difficult if you need proper heavy duty 4x4 ability or will do a lot of heavy towing. 5k will likely only buy a basket case Land Cruiser or Hilux unless you're very lucky. Likewise with Land Rover with the added disadvantage that most of them were basketcases even from new.
Other pickups, shoguns etc are all worth a look but be careful, lots will be ruined and/or very rusty at this sort of money.
RX450 definitely my favourite unless you can up the budget.
I think, as S&R says, most hilux/landcruisers etc at that price are not going to be in great condition. So the FL2 would be my choice. Or rather the FL2 was my choice! Mine was under half your budget so is not without it's problems but is still in better condition for its age/miles (16 years and 160k+) than my previous E91 and mazda6 which were both newer/less miles when I got shot of them. Plenty appear to go to well over 200k miles so I think the "most reliable landrover ever" tag is not without merit.
It is comfortable and surprising nice to drive on road. Old school lots of glass and a low waist line makes it a nice airy place to sit. Of road it has really surprised me, the terrain control system is very impressive and agueably better than a traditional, open diff, 4wd system like a lot of "proper" landrovers
Personally I went for an automatic. It makes for a nice comfortable cruiser and the auto does a lot to make up for the lack of a low ratio off road. Not the most economical of beasts though I think the later cars are a lot better.
Apart from the mpg, my only criticism is that it is a surprisingly wide car (although perhaps not by modern standards) and the boot is not as big as you might think (although still big enough for a family going away).
It is comfortable and surprising nice to drive on road. Old school lots of glass and a low waist line makes it a nice airy place to sit. Of road it has really surprised me, the terrain control system is very impressive and agueably better than a traditional, open diff, 4wd system like a lot of "proper" landrovers
Personally I went for an automatic. It makes for a nice comfortable cruiser and the auto does a lot to make up for the lack of a low ratio off road. Not the most economical of beasts though I think the later cars are a lot better.
Apart from the mpg, my only criticism is that it is a surprisingly wide car (although perhaps not by modern standards) and the boot is not as big as you might think (although still big enough for a family going away).
The cheapest RX450H on AutoTrader is £7K, so out of budget.
You could get an earlier RX400H for £5k, but depending on where you live I would be a bit wary of catalyst theft.
If proper 4WD capability is required then an RX isn't a good choice, but if not then strong contender for most reliable choice.
You could get an earlier RX400H for £5k, but depending on where you live I would be a bit wary of catalyst theft.
If proper 4WD capability is required then an RX isn't a good choice, but if not then strong contender for most reliable choice.
brman said:
I think, as S&R says, most hilux/landcruisers etc at that price are not going to be in great condition. So the FL2 would be my choice. Or rather the FL2 was my choice! Mine was under half your budget so is not without it's problems but is still in better condition for its age/miles (16 years and 160k+) than my previous E91 and mazda6 which were both newer/less miles when I got shot of them. Plenty appear to go to well over 200k miles so I think the "most reliable landrover ever" tag is not without merit.
It is comfortable and surprising nice to drive on road. Old school lots of glass and a low waist line makes it a nice airy place to sit. Of road it has really surprised me, the terrain control system is very impressive and agueably better than a traditional, open diff, 4wd system like a lot of "proper" landrovers
Personally I went for an automatic. It makes for a nice comfortable cruiser and the auto does a lot to make up for the lack of a low ratio off road. Not the most economical of beasts though I think the later cars are a lot better.
Apart from the mpg, my only criticism is that it is a surprisingly wide car (although perhaps not by modern standards) and the boot is not as big as you might think (although still big enough for a family going away).
The later ones, mine is a 2014 Sd4, so only available as auto in the 190hp version does around 33 mpg average. It's a really nice car to drive and much quicker than you'd expect a 2 ton 4x4 to be when you put your foot down. I have a twin axle caravan which it tows with ease, the automatic making it effortless. Boot is a little smaller than ideal by 4x4 standards but by hatchback standards its huge as a practical do it all family car it's hard to fault, a bit dated now maybe but that doesn't bother me. There's nothing much out there that I think I'd like to replace it with, except maybe a Skoda Superb Tdi estate 4x4. It is comfortable and surprising nice to drive on road. Old school lots of glass and a low waist line makes it a nice airy place to sit. Of road it has really surprised me, the terrain control system is very impressive and agueably better than a traditional, open diff, 4wd system like a lot of "proper" landrovers
Personally I went for an automatic. It makes for a nice comfortable cruiser and the auto does a lot to make up for the lack of a low ratio off road. Not the most economical of beasts though I think the later cars are a lot better.
Apart from the mpg, my only criticism is that it is a surprisingly wide car (although perhaps not by modern standards) and the boot is not as big as you might think (although still big enough for a family going away).
Either the Freelander2 or the Jeep Grand Cherokee would get my money:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307260...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307159...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307260...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307159...
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