Vauxhall Frontera - how bad are they?

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

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!

Yes. A cumbersome off-roader is the last thing you want in slippery driving conditions. I see an awful lot of them involuntarily off-roading into trees, ditches, etc. when the snow falls.

 

I'm convinced that some Vauxhall Fronteras are actually OK - they are just a CKD Isuzu with quite strong and simple mechanicals. I wouldn't say no to one with an Isuzu 2.8 TD as some were fitted with.

 

G-wagens, now they're terrible, I'd still have one though.

[Peter C]

Like Mercedes?

Like Shite?

Like 4x4?

The answer is...

All very well sir, but a decent enough G-Wagen to use daily would cost more than I am willing to pay for a vehicle that I plan to abuse for the next 6-9 months and sell for peanuts once the MoT expires.

[trigger]

Just get a Mitsubishi Shogun 2.8 TDi GLS LWB with Manual transmission. Next...

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Get a Subaru Justy 1.2 SII 4WD

[Peter C]

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'!

I will probably post on Retro Rides that I want to swap the Merc for something else, either 4x4 or some form of German saloon.

 

I don't want to SELL because I use the S-Class daily and can't afford to rely upon my W123 simply because I would cry if it got dirty in crap winter weather! If the right car came along a simple swap would keep me mobile without interuptions.

 

Cars of similar value that I wouldn't mind are:

 

Any E36 BMW, 4 or six pot, 2, 4 door or estate, apart from a Compact.

E34 BMW, six pot with manual 'box.

Mercedes 190E / D with a manual 'box.

Mercedes W124 TE / TD with a manual 'box.

Mercedes W210 D with manual 'box.

Citroen CX - any!

Citroen XM - any!

Citroen BX - would have to be a diesel estate.

Mitsi Shogun LWB diesel.

Isuzu Trooper LWB diesel.

Disco diesel.

Nissan Patrol diesel.

 

I am not a snob but I couldn't bring myself to drive a Ford or Vauxhall (hence the reluctance to accept a Frontera in my life). There are so many better things in life than a run of the mill family hack.

[Pete-M]

I am not a snob but I couldn't bring myself to drive a Ford or Vauxhall (hence the reluctance to accept a Frontera in my life). There are so many better things in life than a run of the mill family hack.

Pah, modern Fords are pretty damn good fun to drive. They're the polar opposite of Poxhalls which seem to be getting worse with every new model.

 

Mondeos are ace. Unless they need a new clutch or rear axle bushes.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Do modern Fords still produce that pungent 'mass produced plastics' smell that Fords of the '80s and '90s have?

[Cavcraft]

Do modern Fords still produce crap 'mass produced plastics' that fall to bits if you look at them the wrong way?

They sure do.

[Pete-M]

It's not as pronounced as Eau de Skoda if they do.

 

To be honest, I've not noticed, but we don't have new Fords in work so I don't get to go in many.

[Skizzer]

Merc + 4x4 = how about a nice Unimog?

 

GR9 for towing all the neighbours out of snow drifts

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mercedes-Benz-unimog-/190339317986?pt=UK_Commercial_Trucks#ht_1251wt_1139

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 

I am not a snob but I couldn't bring myself to drive a Ford or Vauxhall (hence the reluctance to accept a Frontera in my life). There are so many better things in life than a run of the mill family hack.

Pah, modern Fords are pretty damn good fun to drive. They're the polar opposite of Poxhalls which seem to be getting worse with every new model.

 

Mondeos are ace. Unless they need a new clutch or rear axle bushes.

Oh, they're not that bad. A mate recently bought a 52 plate 1.4i Ashtray 5 door and it's not at all bad. Not for 700 quid..........

 

What you need is a £600 Pajero/Shotgun with 6 months test. Run it until the test expires and take it to the bridge for a £180 refund.

[Peter C]

What you need is a £600 Pajero/Shotgun with 6 months test. Run it until the test expires and take it to the bridge for a £180 refund.

Agreed, providing it is a diesel and LWB.

 

I've had a pair of SWB diesel Mk1 Shoguns:

 

 

 

 

They were both great but I would need a LWB to comfortably fit 8 month old Charlie, his mum and a push chair. I also found the SWB version a bit too bouncy.

[Peter C]

I checked on EBay.

 

£500 buys a knackered SWB with a short ticket and no tax!

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1990-MITSUBISHI-S ... mobiles_UK

[RedSparrow]

I can only add; awful, awful cars!

[red5]

They have their faults ofc, but a decent one is no better or worse than the equivalent Mit/L-R etc. The one i had off Des's brother just went through it's MOT with a new centre/rear exhaust and a no.plate lamp bulb. They tended to suffer with Suzuki jeep syndrome when launched, as well as random build quality. Fairly decent off-road but on-road ride in a swb is a bit, well, bouncy to say the least. 2.0i carlton engine is pretty unbreakable, safe if the belt goes and piss-easy to maintain. 4wd system is basic but fairly sturdy (no centre diff, so DO NOT use 4wd on tarmac) and easy to replace if it breaks. 95 on swb have coil rear axle which is marginally smoother. I am currently getting about 25mpg on a 14mile commute on a/b roads which is not that bad, and I hardly hold traffic up at all.... except to stop and pick up the trims that have fallen off.

 

Each to their own naturally, but they are really no better or worse than most mid 80's off road offerings, but with the added bonus of being cheap. And cheap.

[CIH]

MY bluey did ok in the mad show falls we had last winter, save for a couple of hairy moments;

 

 

 

Got stuck in work's car park. Did better than the mk5 golf that appeared a few minutes later tho.

[Tayne]

.

[garethj]

A little car with narrow tyres works very well in the snow, my Polo didn’t get stuck in last winter’s snow and there was a few inches. I also set the fastest lap in the Office Car Park 7am Grand Prix. If I’d had tyres with more than 0.5mm of tread it would have been even better!

 

The year before I had a Land Rover and it was mighty impressive. If you’re slithering down the camber of the road there’s ice under your tyres – try to drive on the snow on top. The old Landie wasn’t that heavy considering the size and tread of the tyres so it was never even close to getting stuck.

 

Panda 4x4?

Anything with snow chains – I’m sure you can get a more modern tyre sock thing which won’t smash up the road?

Anything light with winter tyres on? Thinking about 1960s and 70s rally cars in the snow, they never got stuck.

 

The number of newish Mercs, Beemers and Audis I helped push out of the car park last winter was mind-boggling. You definitely don’t want a heavy car with fat tyres.

[Peter C]

 

Tested until March '11 for only £1100ono

 

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C164685/#

No can do.

 

Whilst I am happy to spend £30k on my wife's next new car, the budget for my next shitter is £750 max.

 

I get a kick out of driving 20 year old bangers that cost the original owner £35k!

 

Step up if you have my next dream motor and fancy a slice of S-Class motoring.

[Pete-M]

Last winter I used my A6 quattro. It were brilliant.

 

[AnthonyG]

I wouldn't bother with a W210, they are cheaply made, rust prone and unreliable. Anything valued at under a grand will be an shitbox.

 

They are one of the main reasons why Mercedes no longer have a particularly good image for reliability or durability.

 

Many 'run of the mill' cars are much better - the Vauxhall/Opel Omega, for instance.

 

What about a Volvo estate?

[Pete-M]

I wouldn't say W210s are unreliable. They do rot a bit, but the ones I've known have been totally reliable.

 

They drive one hell of a lot better than W124s too.

[GJR 11L]

Land Rover themselves use Fronteras as training vehicles for their offroad experience in Skipton, down there in deepest North Yorkshire.

My old mate Adrian is employed as one of the ADIs there and he reckons that the Fronteras are often called upon to rescue LR products which stupid people (corporate clients) have managed to break.

 

He freely admitted that their Fronteras are hideously unreliable on their diet of almost exclusively off road work, but reckons that buying old ones, and throwing them away when their ills become terminal, is more cost-effective than letting the suits loose on LR's own products until they've proved themselves at least halfway competent to be driving in mud, over rocks, etc.

[trigger]

What about a Ford Maverick/Nissan Terrano?, I quite like the Mavericks, I'd happily own one, I know a bloke who had a M plate 2.4i SWB and a later shape P plate 2.7 TDi LWB and both were faultless and quite comfy.

 

Something like this is well tasty and I bet you could get it for your budget with some haggling.

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

[Peter C]

I don't want a Volvo.

 

A rusty W210 would be fine. I am not fussed about cosmetics and quite frankly a scabby wheel arch never hurt anyone.

 

I've noticed that early C-Class Mercs go for peanuts nowadays, but I would prefer a 190 as they were far better built.

 

I don't really care about ultimate off-road ability as the furthest I'll go off road is a greasy or snow covered country lane. Ride comfort is an issue as I plan to use the car daily for my 22 mile (return) commute, hence my concern about SWB 4x4s.

 

I like the Maverick / Terrano idea! I forgot about them, well done Trigger for reminding me. It is a 5 door but not massive, should get mid 20s MPG from the 2.4 petrol and they are crap enough to be cheap.

 

I wonder what my W126 300SE will fetch. By the time I plan to sell it will have 7 months MoT and 1 months tax, approx 120k on the clock and will still be in rude health.

[scruff]

My guv'ner bought a 1993 Range Rover Tdi a few months ago for £600 with 10 months T&T, the boot floor is totally shot and its a bit rough around the edges but I've been running it around for a few days while my Landy is borked and it has been very nice indeed.

[Peter C]

My guv'ner bought a 1993 Range Rover Tdi a few months ago for £600 with 10 months T&T, the boot floor is totally shot and its a bit rough around the edges but I've been running it around for a few days while my Landy is borked and it has been very nice indeed.

I'll give him a monkey for it, cash, no receipt.

[wuvvum]

I actually didn't mind my Frontera. It was a bit crude, but I was expecting that really. It didn't let me down though and I do like the look of them.

 

If I were in the market for a 4x4 I'd be looking at a 3.1TD Trooper - I've had a couple and they're great, much more grunt than a diesel Frontera and more economical than a petrol one. They ride well for a 4x4, too, they're pretty well equipped, and they're the only 4x4 I've driven with a decent turning circle. As others have said though, for snow use I wouldn't necessarily be looking at an off-roader. My little 954cc AX with its 145x13 tyres coped surprisingly well in the snow last winter - light weight and narrow tyres go a long way.

[Pete-M]

How's about this lil' stunner?

 

 

Only 700 Europounds.

 

Having said that, I don't understand Frog enough to know what the ad is all about.

[trigger]

Having said that, I don't understand Frog enough to know what the ad is all about.

Roughly translated it says "If you buy this, your local Citroen parts manager will add you to his Christmas card list", Or something like that.