Vauxhall Frontera - how bad are they?

[Peter C]

I proposed to keep my Merc 300SE until November and sell / swap it for a 4x4. I live in a rural part of Bucks where driving conditions can be tricky at the first sign of snowfall and therefore a 4x4 is almost essential if I am to get to work and little Charlie is to be delivered to nursery.

 

I have been offered a 1993 SWB Frontera 2.0i, which looks like this:

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.c ... st=1133874

 

The car has a long MoT and will be re-taxed. It is worth approx the same as my Merc. I can live with the SWB but can I live with a Frontera? Reviews are bad, but the car is worth beer money and I suspect that most of the bad comments are not applicable to someone who is running a shitter for 6 months during winter?

 

What do you reckon?

[dollywobbler]

Aside from the chap on here who almost got killed by a failed propshaft, they're better than a lot of people say. Cavette likes 'em and having driven a few, I find them quite harmless.

 

However, why not opt for a 4x4 version of a car? Subaru Legacies are cheap and pretty darned good. Mine was superb in the snow. That said, my BX is also brilliant in the slippy stuff.

[CIH]

Everyhing you heard about them is wrong. They're worse.

 

As a side, a Manta buddy would get the old 2.4 LWB estates, chop them up and shove the body out of the way with a forklift truck lol.

[messerschmitt owner]

my wee sis had one for about six years - she liked it - but I'd be tempted with a Disco - great spares availability - even diesels can be picked up for £800 or so with tax and test - and they can do anything anywhere!

[pogweasel]

Cheaper than anything else out there, and not as hopeless as land rover saddos would have you believe. Diesels are sloooow.

2.0 pez 'sport' has the old 8v cavalier engine which a decent unit.

I've caught myself eyeing these up of late, reckon one would make a useful but cheap tool for work.

[Jack_Harpers_Teeth]

Always liked the major fail with these, the Vauxhall script on the radiator grill could only be partially seen between the spotlamps.

 

Look a AUXHA Frontera;

 

[gtd2000]

They were the most unreliable car in the UK at some point in the 1990's from what I remember?

 

It is essentially just an Isuzu Amigo/Rodeo

 

 

 

and was also sold as a Honda Passport too, so I suspect it can't be THAT bad overall

 

 

Friends of mine had a red Isuzu Amigo in Florida that was a decent car (according to their reports) until a spot of drink driving one night brought it all to a swift conclusion....

[Peter C]

  pogweasel said:

2.0 pez 'sport' has the old 8v cavalier engine which a decent unit.

I've caught myself eyeing these up of late, reckon one would make a useful but cheap tool for work.

That's what I thought.

 

Matey is apparently using the Frontera daily for his 20 mile commute to work and back and reckons that it is a good runner.

 

I don't mind the truck like dynamics. I enjoyed my Mk1 Shogun SWB, which had leaf springs at the back and a (decent enough) diesel engine.

 

If something does go wrong I can't imagine it would be difficult or expensive to fix.

[Station]

I've driven the Isuzu Rodeo and it was good enough, it even went off road through a wet August bog.

[Formula Autos]

They're not too far removed from this either:

A pickup we would know over here as the Bedford KB.

 

I know someone who has run one a Frontera (a 2.4 pez) for a few years and, other than the fuel consumption, he's really happy with it. They're sort of halfway between a Defender and Discovery in terms of comfort, and are not too shabby off-road.

 

They're basically as good as any Jap off-roader of the same period. In other words, perfectly adequate, and loads better than the soft roaders that seem to be the norm these days.

 

Early Discoveries seem to rust badly at the back of the chassis from what I've heard (sometimes whilst looking spotless from the roadside), and don't seem to have anywhere near as rust-resistant a chassis as the Frontera.

[flat4alfa]

A pretty average Isuzu, and built at Gunsmoke Luton.

[Dead_E23]

Bear in mind that tyres are probably more important than 4x4 when driving in snow and ice. A colleague of mine uses winter tyres on his Volvo and had no difficulties at all in last year's snow, much to my chagrin as I slithered around the car park on remould MT tyres with my diff lock engaged!

 

The important thing to look for in the tread pattern is 'sipes', thin cuts in the tread blocks. Generally speaking, the more of those you've got the more grip you'll have in icy conditions. If the tyre is made of a fairly soft compound (like winter tyres are), even better.

 

So, even though it might not look like it, these:

 

... or for a car: ...

 

should work much better than this:

 

..or even worse, this (I run these in summer; they're very good until it snows then they're useless) :

[scooters]

I had a Shitetrak and a Mk1 Shogun last winter -

 

would recommend either as shitter cheap 4x4s - shitetraks are cheap and remarkably tough wee trucks - mine was one of the few vehicles to get up the M3 during last years blizzard even with normal tyres

 

my concern with the frontera would be reliability

[Pete-M]

They're unbelievably bad. Ok off road if you don't expect much, about on par with a Shogun SWB.

 

Hideous on-road. Slow, rough, awful ride, bugger all handling, unreliable, badly built, badly thought out, and generally crap.

 

In the realms of autoshite, they're like a 4wd Stanza, so proper shite. As a car, hopeless.

 

If it's just to do short runs in winter, provided it starts it'll probably just about do the job. Any more than that, forget it.

[CortinaDave]

Dire, dire vehicles. When offered one : run away as fast as you can

 

Radio station I used to work for had one fitted out as a broadcast vehicle. It was literally the worst thing I'd ever driven, and it was nearly new. And it was always broken.

 

Personally - I'd rather walk.

[trigger]

I've driven quite a few in the past and i hate them, Badly built and bad to drive, One of the only cars' (Other then a Range Rover with a knacked exhaust) that have made me sick whist driving it.

 

They are painfully slow in 2.0i and even the 2.4i aren't much better and very juicy, Awful gearboxes as well.

 

My Sister in laws ex boyfriend had one once and it covered the driveway in oil from about 6 different places and was forever broken down, I think he scrapped it in the end, It wasn't even that old at the time.

 

I'd spend my money on something else if i was you.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I like the look of them, pretty smart looking I reckon, but I can well imagine that they are a lashed-together crock of shit.

 

Incidentally, what is a 'crock'? Useful word but I dont actually know what it means.

[Peter C]

So, judging by recent advice, going from a smashing to drive and a pleasure to own Mercedes S-Class to a crock of shit awful to drive and own Vauxhall Frontera does not sound like a good idea....

 

Anyone fancy swapping a decent 4x4 for my old Merc?

[Dead_E23]

A crock, I believe, is a pot. 'Pot of shit'. Doesn't sound as good.

 

Peter, if you are attached to your S class why not get some steel rims off Ebay and a set of winter tyres? That seems to work for the Germans - you don't see anything like the number of 4x4s there and they get tons of snow compared to us.

[dollywobbler]

  Dead_E23 said:

A crock, I believe, is a pot. 'Pot of shit'. Doesn't sound as good.

 

Peter, if you are attached to your S class why not get some steel rims off Ebay and a set of winter tyres? That seems to work for the Germans - you don't see anything like the number of 4x4s there and they get tons of snow compared to us.

That's a good call. You do note in the snowy parts of the world, that it's not like everyone drives a 4x4. I mean, Volvos don't seem to struggle in their home nation!

 

Just imagine how satisfying it would be to swan past all the stuck soft-roaders in your lovely ol' Merc when we get a few flakes of the white stuff!

[Dead_E23]

I've had several 4x4s (and still run one), but I don't reckon 4x4 is all it's cracked up to be in the snow.

Sure it'll get you moving, but when it comes to stopping (and to some extent cornering) you're in the same boat as everyone else. They're also heavy - which matters when you start sliding down the camber of the road at a standstill. During the last cold snap I decided the best kind of transport would be something along the lines of a Fiat Panda on Blizzaks. You'd be unstoppable in that!

[Peter C]

Last winter I used my W123 230E for my commute:

 

 

Aside from needing something more capable for the winter, I will soon fancy a change. Whilst the S-Class is absolutely fine, I would prefer to swap it for something different. There is a certain Citroen CX up for sale that is tempting me or perhaps a nice Merc 190D, or a BMW E36, or a W124 estate.....

[AnthonyG]

There's nothing wrong with the idea of a cheap old 4wd for winter, but I wouldn't swop a nice Mercedes for a Frontera.

 

There are better cheap old 4wds out there, Daihatsus, Nissans, Shoguns, even a Discovery would be better.

 

I know Discos are unreliable and generally fairly crappy, but they are cheap, plentiful, fairly simple, there are loads of parts around, and you can generally move them on with little bother if priced OK.

 

I would happily swop a 1999 Mondeo 1.8 LX for your 300SE but it probably doesn't fit with your idea of a 'decent 4wd' or 'something different'!

[dollywobbler]

Oooh yes, get a CX! Great idea!

[Cavcraft]

*Dons tin hat*

 

They're not actually that bad. Good laugh and pretty capable off-road, usual 8V 'bullet-proofness' engine/mechanial bits and seem easy/cheap to work on. Take the rear/side windows and roof off and go greenlaning/off roading in one, it's an absolute blast!

Leading edge of bonnet goes, seats can look pretty horrible in a short time and there's a silly plastic fuel sender which likes to part company with fuel lines.

Fuel economy seems random too: one I had would late twenties-thirty-ish no bother, the other would struggle to reach 25-ish.

Chassis seem very solid, the bodywork takes a fair amount of abuse and I've never, ever seen one anywhere near as rusty as most similar aged Disco's.

*Oh aye they only have two rear seat belts so if you have three kids or loads of birds on the go you'll struggle to get them all in one go.

 

Not especially fantastic to drive everyday, a bit unrefined really (like I'd imagine an old Land Rover would be) but they have a certain sort of really strange shite appeal, well to me they do anyway.

 

For everyday/reasonable distance stuff I loved the Pajero 2.8TD I once had. Bit juicey (hence getting rid) but a really nice and far more refined place to be.

[Guest Tony Hayers]

I had one, and as DW pointed out it attempted to kill me and ended up killing itself in the process.

 

I wanted one ever since they came out in '91. Had one and it changed all that (that is before the prop went).

[pogweasel]

Like Mercedes?

Like Shite?

Like 4x4?

The answer is...

[scruff]

^^ Yes. I'd have one of those. There was a diesel one in CCW last week for not a lorra cash.

[gearoil]

 

GR8 4 RUSTY TAILGATES

 

Just had a thought, would a Merc Sprinter lump go in one of those...?

 

My Dad had an early 2.3TD LWB Frontera, had the turning circle of a 3 masted barque in a gale and quite gutless. Later models a lot better...?

 

You could always ask here:

 

http://www.fronteraowners.co.uk/forums/index.php

[Pete-M]

My tame Czech mechanic drives a monumentally shagged old Sierra 2.0 4x4 Estate, poverty spec windy window job but with the winter pack, so heated washers, windscreen and seats!.

 

This one;

 

 

On winter tyres, the thing is bloody impressive. He lives about 9 miles from the nearest town in a village (17 houses randomly spread over a few miles) and other than when they have a "snow catastrophe" it never fails to get him to work and back.

 

A snow catastrophe is about 2 metres of snow overnight. When that happens he uses his Tatra 805.