Replace-a-long-a-max (with 4WD)

[UltraWomble]

 

Loan paid up in March - thinking of a replacement - missus still wants 7 seats, I want 4x4 as well for OMGSNOKAOS up at Borwick and Kendal and the back roads in between. Whatever I buy I would like between 8 and 10 years of life out of it. Welderizing not an issue - mechanical apocalypse, however, is.

 

Current thoughts:

 

Ovolv XC90

Hundry Santa-Fe

OLLI Discovery 2 or 3

 

Budget £12K.

 

Anything else I shoudl be looking at - or NUNS & KITTENS death squad with any of the above suggestions?

[Cavcraft]

LandRovers seem massively unreliable to me

XC90 look ace but isn't there a gearbox achille's heel with them?

Santa Dr Dre best bet?

[NorfolkNWeigh]

 

What about a GL?

I've only just discovered how cheap these have got. My plans to put Mrs N in a Cayenne or R Class later this year could be changing.

 

Land Cruiser in either Amazon or Colorodo flavour would be a good 10 year prospect.

[UltraWomble]

Does a new Santa Clause have 7 seats?

 

What kind of lwb G-wagon or TLC 80 series do you get for £12k?

TLC had crossed my mind but they seem to be either KERCHIIING or rotten.

Mind you, same goes for the disco too.

[Alfamale]

I know I'm going to get serious abuse for this but my daily at the minute is an F25 BMW X3 and it's been brilliant. Capable all year round, great in the snow, google the X3 vs Q5 test in low traction conditions video on you tube. Feels seriously well put together even with a galactic mileage showing.

 

2.0 litre Diesel engine feels very torquey but isn't too thirsty, especially if you travel around at 40-50mph.

 

Few early ones now should be in your budget.

[hairnet]

Octavia 4x4

 

Land cruiser

 

X5 but we will come round and pour paint stripper on it

 

All road Audi

 

Ford bronco 68 imported for with change

[taxi paul]

Kia sportage , nissan pathfinder. New x trail has seven seats. Don't buy a captiva. Or go mad like me and buy a toyota regius 2.7 petrol auto with permanent 4wd. Very comfy but eats petrol.

[eddyramrod]

If I wanted 8-10 years out of one car, it would be old and American.

FTFY

[hairnet]

George hw bush

[Honey Badger]

What do I win for this suggestion?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MITSUBISHI-DELICA-3-0-SPACEGEAR-CHAMONIX-8-SEATER-4X4-CAMPER-SUNROOFS-/351930461226?hash=item51f0b0ac2a

 

[UltraWomble]

Ssangyong Turisimo?
There is a 14 plater up for 11K 

Manual

diesel

4x4

7 seats

 

Fugly as fuck

 

[DodgeRover]

RHD yank 4x4 with a cummins diesel or LPG conversion

Holden Suburban with lpg

[UltraWomble]

County Transit minibus.

 

 

Hmmm 

 

[hairnet]

one of them 6x6 or more russian truck bucket monster sees now and again

[PiperCub]

What about MB G-wagon? Or are they very expensive? (Asks the guy with no 4x4 owning experience). 

[UltraWomble]

 

Yeah, Id be appearing on YPLAC if I got something like this :/

[gordonbennet]

Landcruiser, as said either Amazon or LC3/4/5 known as the 120 series circa 03 to 09.

LC's are never cheap to buy, if they are there's something wrong, they need regular oil changes and one thats had poor servicing should be avoided, i'm on me third LC (also had a new Hilux in 2007 with the same 3.0 D4D engine), i trust them and the dealers so far have never taken the piss if i've needed dealer jobs doing.

 

The only real competitor for long durable life (if maintained well) is Nissan Patrol, but its a lumbering beasty better suited to having a RPG launcher poking through the sunroof and kicking up a sandstorm in the desert, and versions we get are underpowered for the weight of the buggers, though arguably a simpler motor than equivalent year LC's have become.

 

Auto box has no dipstick (bloody disappointing that, get back to making motors that can be fixed in the field Toyota), that autobox requires oil made of angel tears, there is a way of checking the oil level electronically but not for the faint hearted.

When looking at one the very first place you stick your head is underneath, rust can be a problem if the vehicle is neglected and these can get abused, a natural shiter's problem is that the simpler models tend to see more industrial work, hence why i ended up with an LC5 which has more electronics i would have wanted, Amazon has hydraulic suspension all round similar to Citroens csost a fortune to fix at the dealer but Pleiades at Sawtry can sort these out for a fraction.

High spec 120's have electronic variable dampers all round and air rear spring damper units, so again if they go wrong (please no) could be bloody dear.

Check round the arse end and rear live axle especially, behind the rear axle can get scabby, also the inner under sills of the 120 are exposed both ends and have been known to rot right through.

The chassis are thiock and strong though so it should be many years before chassis problems occur unless it gets a salt bath every week or has been used for boat launching.

 

I looked at several before buying the current one, and if a good one comes up be bloody quick cos they don't hang about, plenty of shit out there.

 

Amazon Diesel very strong, very little goes wrong, but they fetch stupid money unless over 200k miles.

 

120 series Diesel had issues with copper injector seals in the sensible VED years so up to March 06 (after that date its £500, same as XC90 much my BiL's disgust) so suggest you research this issue if you fancy one and factor in possible preventative work to replace those seals (DiY possible but involved), 120 Diesel 3.0 litre 4 pot one of the easiest cambelts to change ever, first time allow yourself a couple of hours but once you've done one an hour tops, Gates full kit circa £70, belt only drives camshaft nothing else so water pump nothing to do with that job.

 

Both models come with good petrol engines so could consider petrol and LPG conversion, my bombproof 3.4 Collie went like fuck so the 4.0 litre V6 in the 120 should bloody fly.

 

If you don't need or want quite so hardcore then maybe Hyundai Sante Fe or Kia Sorento with 2.2 Diesel might fit the bill, no low range box though so whilst good towers can have short clutch lives if manual, dunno what the autos are like in them.

I'm also unsure of aftermarket parts situation as they age.

[hairnet]

What do I win for this suggestion?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MITSUBISHI-DELICA-3-0-SPACEGEAR-CHAMONIX-8-SEATER-4X4-CAMPER-SUNROOFS-/351930461226?hash=item51f0b0ac2a

 

weldeage and mech doom - fewk dat

[hairnet]

cherokee?

 

mid 90s are no problem but the more modern ones......???

[drum]

Disco 2s aren't that bad for reliability and you could buy three good* ones for 12k.

 

TLCs can suffer chassis and sill rust. I have one in a shed if nobody believes.

 

I don't know if the latest incarnation of the Santa Fe has 7 seats, but those from around 2010-2012 can do. They're proper seats too not like the dicky seats in an outlander. I like mine but preferred the disco.

 

I have no knowledge of a 12k budget or an XC90 (they seem overpriced though), but I would imagine a well serviced land cruiser is probably your best bet.

[Lacquer Peel]

2WD and winter tyres. Buying a 4x4 for occasional snow is idiotic.

[hairnet]

panda cross

[hairnet]

google uaz 4x4 8k new

 

kick dave off throne win autoshite

[Skizzer]

2WD and winter tyres. Buying a 4x4 for occasional snow is idiotic.

Blunt but true.

 

Young lady in my team at work has a 2011 (?) Santa Fe and surprisingly has had all sorts of trouble with it, despite regular servicing. Towing a horse box seems to have killed it from the waist down. She is massively jealous of the reliability of my £700 Disco 1. (But not the fuel consumption.)

[UltraWomble]

2WD and winter tyres. Buying a 4x4 for occasional snow is idiotic.

If running something small I could agree - but the C8 has proved that this does not always work in this combo.

[gordonbennet]

I don't go on Santa Fe/Sorento forums, but the only real trouble i hear other places is due to towing heavy stuff like horse boxes or boats, OK once on the move but asking a 2.2 modern Diesel (with OMG no effin bollocks at stall revs, even modern shit lorries are the same, gutless until the turbo has spooled up) to get between 3 and 4 tons going uphill or dragging a boat up a slip with no low range and the typical too high first gear in modern shit is only going to end one way, fucked clutches and a strained drivetrain, they seem to be fine for normal caravanning with a sympathetic driver though, i'd have one and were it not for finding me latest LC might well have gone for one, apparently a lovely smooth autobox too.

Always a problem with modern drivers and turbos though, 1, too many don't have a clue how to care for a turbo, ie let it warm up and cool down before and after asking it do work hard, and 2, stupid service intervals like 18k+ miles isn't going to see the bloody things last long either.

 

Not sure if they are 7 seaters but i've heard generally good things about older model Sorento 2.5 Diesels, and Hyundai Terracans 2.9 V6 Diesel if i recall correctly, both old school truck like 4x4s but for long term i haven't a clue re parts or rust.

 

If you can stand the looks, and the £500 VED, would Subaru Tribeca be an option (i assume this is a 7 seater), obviously you'd want it LPGing but Scoobies usually pretty tough and durable, oh and on the subject of LPG, beware of used Amazon V8s with LPG, they suffer valve seat recession unless flashlubed (kept topped up?) and there's 24 exhaust valves alone, i haven't listened to one suffering but it might be difficult to suss one with VSR starting on a just a test drive with 6 or 7 more high compression cyls disguising one pot losing comp.

One lad ended up importing all 48 valves from the US i believe to save some money but it was a bloody shocking cost and time to rebuild, and grind in all 48.

[cort16]

Mercedes r class r500 4matic. So unloved you might be able to get 2 for your budget.

[garethj]

google uaz 4x4 8k new

 

kick dave off throne win autoshite

http://autoweek.com/article/wait-theres-more/yes-you-can-still-buy-brand-new-uaz-bukhanka-road-van

 

[vaughant]

I've had a merc ml for nigh on 8 years now and despite the pub gossip it's been a relatively trouble free experience with not the best servicing record either.

Mines Derv but if you go petrol/lpg my guess is your issues engine/box wise will be very low, I have heard suspensions not the best on the newer ones which is where your budget will take you.

Despite the rumors it hasn't rotted away to nothing either and generally does ok mot time, again newer ones should t give you these issues.

 

Mate in work has a manual xc90 in 56 plate FLAVA and hasn't had too many majors with it, says it's well put together and being non wills-o-matic it avoids the £5,000,000 a year VED sneaking in at 224 g/kgm.

 

Looks a lovely thing, he did mention selling it next year for I think 8 grand odd so should be tons and tons in your price range.

 

An old boy I used to work with still drives one on an x plate so I'd assume they're pretty mot friendly as well.

[nacho man]

What are these late shoguns like? 7 seats and 4wd.

 

They seem to have been building the same model for 6 million years, so you would of hoped they ironed out the niggles.

 

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mitsubishi-Shogun-3-2-Automatic-Grey-7-Seater-7-Service-Stamps-/172455309020?hash=item2827232edc:g:BhQAAOSwCGVX9ME-