4wd advice

[davidjpowell]

I've been quiet for the past few weeks, partly because the car I've been driving has been sucking the life out of me. I've put 10k on a rental Mondeo in the last 3 months and can last no more... I want my Mercedes back.

This means I need to replace it as a family car, dog wagon, and preferably something just a tad beefier for towing.

This is the moment that I can justify a 4wd....

I will have between £5 & £6K to spend, and am not too frightened by high (not obscene) mileages. As the other half drives it and is more vain than me, it must apparently look reasonably good at the school gates.

I'm coming down to

X5 - hard to date, but more of a soft roader. Current favourite.
ML - Drove an early one years ago and not impressed. O/h friend has a newer one!
Discovery - High Spec ones look a little 'agricultural'. Can't afford a newer shape so obviously dated. My secret favourite as it's a proper 4wd.
Range Rover - Late entry. early newer shape just in range. concerned about reliability....

So advice would be gratefully received....

 

[flango]

My take for what its worth

X5: Great car best diesel engine of them all by a mile, good all rounder and you are right a soft roader but not bad in the muddy stuff.

ML: POS (pile of ****) even the new ones never been a 4x4 and never will be, pretentious Chelsea tractor only good for the school run and people with deep pockets, mine was a right money pit

Disco: Had 3, absolutely brilliant had a diesel and 2 x V8 just watch for the dreaded tinworm a little agricultural looking but I took both our V8's to Germany with trailer and racecar on and never missed a beat I love them and this would be my choice they just do everything they say on the tin

RR: Good but reliability an issue not as good as the Disco for all round duties bought by people that think the Disco is just for farmers average in the muddy stuff and for some reason with the same engine the RR reyrurns worse mpg than the Disco

My choice a good FSH Disco

 

[joecash]

There used to be a saying when i was younger (a lot) which probably holds good today
Want a car buy a Toyota
Want a 4WD buy an ISUZU

how valid that is today is up for debate as since then Toyota have decent 4WDs - Mitsubishi were also around at that time and weren't a bad vehicle
Land Rovers were "high maintenance"

By the way this is not advice, just my view.
GL

 

[flango]

There used to be a saying when i was younger (a lot) which probably holds good today
Want a car buy a Toyota
Want a 4WD buy an ISUZU

how valid that is today is up for debate as since then Toyota have decent 4WDs - Mitsubishi were also around at that time and weren't a bad vehicle
Land Rovers were "high maintenance"

There's a saying in South Africa and Australia

"If you want to go into the bush take a Land Rover, If you want to come back take a Toyota"

 

[StevenN]

If you are after a off roader then my choice would be the Range Rover. If you want modest capability and good fuel efficiency then a Honda CRV.

 

[StevenN]

The newish Toyotas take some beating.
The Nissan nivarra has issues with axles
My other car is an imported Toyota surf. Getting old now 19yo but still very capable but at 25mpg I can't afford to use it for my daily commute

 

[Ted]

Or a posh Toyota - a Lexus.

Mine had all the toys you could ever want, supremely comfortable, impeccable build quality and got me out where a Mitsubishi 4x4 had to be towed out.

 

[davidjpowell]

If you are after a off roader then my choice would be the Range Rover. If you want modest capability and good fuel efficiency then a Honda CRV.

Needs to a tow a decent size caravan. Don't think a CRV would cut it.

I'm not keen on the Japanese interiors no matter how much sense it may have made

 

[StevenN]

This is why I'm looking at getting a E320 estate with a towing capacity of over 2000kg
I only get to engage 4wd in snow. Just can't part with the old gal though

 

[davidjpowell]

This is why I'm looking at getting a E320 estate with a towing capacity of over 2000kg
I only get to engage 4wd in snow. Just can't part with the old gal though

I'll be keeping our E320 as my work car. Never had a 4wd so it's an itch I'd like to scratch (but not on my work mileage).

 

[LTD]

What about looking at the Koreans ?

Hellish depreciation. Might represent good VFM.

 

[davidjpowell]

What about looking at the Koreans ?

Hellish depreciation. Might represent good VFM.

Just had a quick look. Still a bit ropey at my sort of money.

Now this looks interesting, but brave - 2003 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG 5.0 V10 TDI AUTO - SILVER - BLACK LEATHER - XENONS | eBay

 

[LTD]

That's a cracking motor - my kind of 4x4

 

[StevenN]

I was just about to reply with a Touareg

 

[davidjpowell]

I was just about to reply with a Touareg

The 2.5 looks less ruinous, I say as I'm disappointed with myself. Not sure on reliability?

 

[Stratman]

Grand Cherokee?

From the research I've done, any petrol Range Rover in that price range will either have or is about to have slipped bore liners, meaning a new engine or a full rebuild.

 

[guydewdney]

The newish Toyotas take some beating.
The Nissan nivarra has issues with axles
My other car is an imported Toyota surf. Getting old now 19yo but still very capable but at 25mpg I can't afford to use it for my daily commute

my navara (06 plate from new) was a POS - i was a mod on the navara owners forum, so can tell quite how bad it was. later ones were better. if you do go for one, replace the rear dampers with AVO ones for 100 quid - massive improvement in ride.

mine had:-
twice rear axle bearings fail
diff fail
no 'LSD' to the naked (foot?) eye - had to engage 4wd as one back wheel was on ice, the other back wheel was on dry tarmac, on a flat road.
brakes sieze (constantly)
total brake failure
alternator bearing fail
4wd on/off fail constantly (aparently fixed with bigger solenoid activating cable as the thin bit of wet string was undersized)
sat nav failed (new sat nav pooter)
paint flaking off
tail gate bent from a mild over weight (200kg?)

fast though.

in 30k miles.....

 

[guydewdney]

Just had a quick look. Still a bit ropey at my sort of money.

Now this looks interesting, but brave - 2003 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG 5.0 V10 TDI AUTO - SILVER - BLACK LEATHER - XENONS | eBay

cool spec - pity it looks like a passat.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

The X5 3.0d will be the best of that bunch, although an L322 Range Rover V8 comes a close second.

V10 Touareg sounds good in principle but the fuel economy is horrendous.

 

[flango]

The X5 3.0d will be the best of that bunch, although an L322 Range Rover V8 comes a close second.

V10 Touareg sounds good in principle but the fuel economy is horrendous.

My PA has a Touareg V10 and in her commute across Bradford everyday mpg is in single figures last time I borrowed it the trip average was around 12.8 mpg IIRC