Ideas needed, sub £2k 4x4

[michael1703]

A friends pajero died Friday, the balance shaft belt snapped which derailed the cam belt resulting in mangled valves and snapped rockers, uneconomical to fix so he bridged it.

 

The brief I've got is 4x4 up to £2000, possibly up to £2500

 

He is 81 so not looking for anything too sporty

 

My idea is 97 disco and that's about all I can think of, Hilux's are generally trouble, he doesn't want a Shogun

 

Any ideas?

[cort16]

Nissan Terrano?

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/nissan-terrano-2/1001747138

[Doctormop]

Isuzu Trooper, Ford Maverick?

Dollywobbler of this parish maybe the best person to speak to re the second option.

[Lacquer Peel]

Rayton Fissore Magnum.

[dollywobbler]

A definite vote for the Maverick/Terrano. They're superb and ridiculously cheap. I reckon you could get an early turbo diesel for less than a grand - certainly less than £1500.

 

I'd avoid later ones though as they did away with things like the free-wheeling hubs and essential grease points on the prop while stuffing in a lot more electronic complication.

 

Vauxhall Frontera also a worthy contender.

 

Discovery - to be honest, at sub-£2000, you're looking at ropey examples, though a V8 on LPG is a possibility. They rot like anything though.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I've never heard anyone say Hilux's are trouble before, I thought they were the world's most abuse-tolerant vehicle

[dollywobbler]

I've never heard anyone say Hilux's are trouble before, I thought they were the world's most abuse-tolerant vehicle

 

The reputation has been badly dented by imported Hilux Surfs. The 2.4 especially is rather prone to K-Series disease.

[wuvvum]

If he doesn't want anything too sporty, how about a diesel Fourtrak? You could get a decent late one for about £1500 - ride will be less bouncy than the early ones, but they're still a simple and pretty reliable old lump.

 

Troopers aren't bad, but I'd go for an older one with the 3.1 diesel - I've not heard good things about the later 3.0s. They ride nicely, and have about the best turning circle of any 4x4 I've owned, apart from the Rayton Fissore Magnum. But Raytons rot like buggery and are also glacially slow with the standard engines.

[Lacquer Peel]

IATO Fuoristrada.

[John F]

You can get a tidy Discovery 300 TDi for less than £2000, but they do have their faults...

 

Boot floor, rear inner wheelarches, sills, front inner arches all rot for fun.

Head gasket can fail near the no. 4 cylinder (back of the engine)

Remote fobs break (£50 replacement, plus a refundable £25 for the programmer)

R380 gearbox: worn synchromesh causes crunching when going into 2nd gear (occasionally 4th too)

Front seat frames can get very wobbly on 3-door versions

[Cavcraft]

We've got new (well, 2007) Hiluxs at work and aside from appalling bad interior plastics they seem great. The 2.4 in the Surf was toss though as mentioned earlier.

 

Jensen FF.

[michael1703]

Location dictates a disco it seems, 4x4's in a 60 mile radius doesnt bring up much,seen terranos but most are 3 door, looking for something 5 door, had a hilux surf so thats why i steered clear of that.

 

Santa fe's pop up but know nothing of them,

 

don't want another pajero or shogun,vitara too small,

 

Honda crv?

 

Rav4?

 

Freelander? juicy for their size,head gasket woes

 

possibles

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4X4-LAND-ROVE ... 19d596afc4

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1996-N-Land-R ... 257670aed6

[trigger]

What's wrong with another Shogun?.

[michael1703]

What's wrong with another Shogun?.

 

Nothing,just had bad luck with his

 

His shock absorbers snapped, the exhaust rotted fairly quickly,the calipers seized on,electrics were dodgy,sunroof leaked etc

[Mike D]

I never had a problem with my 2.4TD Hilux Surf, it had 200 odd thousand km on it and still pulled like a trooper, I think the problems stem from people using incorrect coolant in them and causing corrosion. It was a really nice drive too, the 3.0TD ones are supposed to be excellent

[trigger]

Get a English one instead of a imported one?

[dollywobbler]

Freelanders have all manner of issues. Honda CR-V isn't a bad shout though.

[ruffgeezer]

Delicas can be had in decent order for sub £2k, vitaras aren't bad on the rough stuff with the right tyres, and not one of those ridiculous "fat boy" ones.

[trigger]

What about a Kia Sportage?

[idiotboy]

Lada Niva?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1996-Lada-Niva-1-7-Hussar-4WD-/251169864803?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3a7ae3fc63#ht_1077wt_1330

[idiotboy]

Or even an UMM

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UMM-Transcat- ... 345wt_1330

 

Think about it, you get asked in a scoial situation what you drive and you say UMM and people will think you are giving the answer some serious thought! FTW!

[crapcarcollector]

As I Mk 2 CRV pilot myself, I can heartily recommend one, so long as you don't need Discovery off road performance(Realtime 4WD,which isn't the same as 'proper 4X4 with high and low ranges and diff locks'. You can get a Mk2 for the cash you've got, although the mk1 is just as good, if not a bit smaller.

 

So a CRV is dead reliable good all rounder, there are better 4X4's, but in my opinion not ones that are better on road.

[Pete-M]

Range Rover Classic. All the others are shit in comparison.

 

I've had 10 or so Range Rover Classics. A tidy V8 with LPG is the way to do it, preferably a Vogue SE. I have only ever had one that 'failed to proceed' and that was down to a dodgy Lucas alternator flattening the battery when it was parked.

 

For true misery spec Rangieness, I know a chap with a seemingly immaculate Classic which has been ruined with a Mazda four pot diesel lump. It's agricultural, slow and noisy but will pull your house down. He'll take £1600 for it, which seems like a good price as it is a very tidy thing. I'd have bought it a long time ago if it hadn't had that diesel engine fitted. With the proper 3.5 V8 it'd fetch double that, but he likes diesels.

[pompei]

Frontera for bonus shite points. Just got rid of mine

 

Panda 4 x 4 for the diminutive afficianado.

[garethj]

Is the Hilux Surf available with a reliable engine? I thought only one engine version ate head gaskets?

[dollywobbler]

Is the Hilux Surf available with a reliable engine? I thought only one engine version ate head gaskets?

 

The six-pot 3-litre is more robust and sounds pretty meaty. Not exactly fuel efficient though.

[warren t claim]

Tata Safari or original Dacia Duster?

[idiotboy]

This could be the one...

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MINI-PICK-UP-BIG-FOOT-SUZUKI-WINTER-PROJECT-EARNER-/271081260641?_trksid=p2047675.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D555001%26algo%3DPW.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D29%26meid%3D2898210332251841045%26pid%3D100009%26prg%3D1013%26rk%3D4%26sd%3D110966165042%26

[Lacquer Peel]

Is the Hilux Surf available with a reliable engine? I thought only one engine version ate head gaskets?

 

The six-pot 3-litre is more robust and sounds pretty meaty. Not exactly fuel efficient though.

 

It's a 4 pot too, the same engine fitted to my friend's grey import Hiace Regius which suffered from a porous head (manufacturing defect).

 

A Land Rover Freelander 2.0Di with the Rover L-series engine would be alright, they are pretty reliable/basic. My friend's dad has a BMW TD4 version and it's done nearly 200k without any major issues apart from sundry stuff like window regulators, it's also good on fuel.

 

1903 Spyker 4x4.

[Spiny Norman]

Aren't Isuzu Troopers meant to be quite painless to own? I'd stay away from sub £2k Discos and Freelanders of any persuasion but an original Rangie might do the job. Another one that springs to mind is a Jeep Cherokee. Decent ones of them can be picked up for not much brass, and if he's not a high mileage driver he could bag a bargain un-LPG'd 4 litre for a song.