4x4 help please

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SarahRicoh

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Hi all.

Looking to get a 4x4 in the near future. Im only 19 so looking for something cheap! Cheap to buy/insure/run. I was considering my dads jeep cherokee but the mpg is awful! I know no 4x4 will be great but still...
Main uses are general town/motorway driving. Hauling hay,feed etc. Big enough for a large dog and good to tow with. The towing isnt essential as atm.i have no trailer but i aim to get one in near future so it seems silly to change 4x4s just to tow.

Please help :)
 
Usually cheap to buy means old car, and old car usually have low mpg. For your insurance if purchase as main driver, might looking at least £1000 ( rare deal, also depends on where u live)
I know Toyota do 4x4 smaller size (engine n car actual size) might worth to look at.
Don't think about land rover or jeep if you are not prepare to pay massive car insurance.
 
What dog are you having? Normally, hatchback car,eg. Ford fista, vw beetle, etc. could fit a size of golden retiver. To keep your insurance at min. Don't go for large engine( not more than 1.6 I reckon for your case)
 
Well, sorry I can't help but if you can find a cheap to buy, run and insure 4x4 that can also tow then plz let me know. Sorry to disheartenen you but I dont think there is such a thing!
Kate
 
SarahRicoh said:
Hi all.

Looking to get a 4x4 in the near future. Im only 19 so looking for something cheap! Cheap to buy/insure/run. I was considering my dads jeep cherokee but the mpg is awful! I know no 4x4 will be great but still...
Main uses are general town/motorway driving. Hauling hay,feed etc. Big enough for a large dog and good to tow with. The towing isnt essential as atm.i have no trailer but i aim to get one in near future so it seems silly to change 4x4s just to tow.

Please help :)
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If dad will put you on his insurance I would as others said get a little hatchback clio fiesta ect , and only use the jeep when you need its towing and hauling capacity...all 4x4s will do about the same on fuel TBH....
 
I have an old landrover 90 with a newer Discovery engine in it and it runs on a mix of diesel and biodiesel (which is made from recycled vegetable oil from restuarants locally, £1.10 a litre) It costs about £60 ish to fill up with normal diesel and will go around 400 miles on that. If I fill with biodiesl it costs £40 and does almost the same mileage. I just find that a 50/50 mix works best.

It tows great and will go anywhere, but not too comfy on very long journeys, over an hour starts to feel like a bit of a chore. Drives brilliantly is very manouverable (sp?). I would not be without it!

Not sure what insurance would be like for you, as I'm old (!!), but it might be worth looking into.
 
Don't forget though if you get put on someone else's insurance you won't earn your own no claims meaning when you do come to insure your own vehicle it will still be hideously expensive.

As others have said you are better off getting something small, I had a polo for years and you'd be amazed at the amount of bales of bedding you can get in the back of those! You will still need to pass your trailer test I'm assuming so why not just get your dad to tow you for now? Xx
 
As the other no such thing as a cheap 4x4

However you could consider a truck - L200 or similar, as sometimes these work out cheaper to insure as are treated as work vehicles rather than luxury 4x4's

Also think about what you want to tow - if you are looking at a big Ifor (1ton) and 2 horses, you really need something that tows 2.8t minimum

MPG for most are horrible, but can be improved with a light right foot....
 
I used to have a Nissan Terrano II (SWB) 2.7 TDi - insurance was cheap, only needed fixing once in several years and as long as I drove it properly ;) its mpg was pretty good :) It also towed like a train and fitted dog plus tack in the boot.
 
Have a look at the Pick ups you can get - they are classed as commercial vehicles generally and therefore the insurance premiums can be a lot less. However, you are not going to get any really cheap insurance deal due to your age and the type of vehicle you are looking for - if you go for smaller engine size then you're likely to have no real towing capacity.

The Kia Sorrento may not be a bad choice as cheap to buy and decent enough tow (so i believe). No idea on insurance costs though. I loved my Suzuki Vitara (new shape), now they are decent enough for road driving and not too bad mpg wise. I think you're looking at about £230 is (if not more) tax per year. With the 5 doors you can tow but only really one horse in a lightish trailer. They are fab in the snow etc though if you went for the DDis version with high and low ratio gearbox.

The other option as someone mentioned is to be a named driver on your dad's policy and get yourself a real cheapie yourself. Although, thinking about it, the way insurance companies are treating young drivers now, even a cheap runaround could cost you a hefty insurance figure. God, there are some days I am glad I am old!!! Lol
 
I did consider getting insured on my dads 4x4 but he wants to sell it. Atm i do have a little peugeot 106 but i aim to do my trailer test asap which is the main reason.for the 4x4 plus my horses are on a private yard/field so a 4x4 would comr in handy for driving over fields etc. I know no 4x4s are cheap but it seems land rovers/jeeps are very expensive? In terms of insurance its about £2000 on dads jeep as main driver which will sound awful to you lot but is pretty good for a 4x4... i love the suzuki grand vitaras/isuzu troopers! Does anyone know what theyre like for towing/in general?

Ps. Dog will be a rottweiler and dads jeep runs on lpg(gas) not petrol or diesel so cheaper. And my dad womt tow
 
I have a 1.6 grand vitara and if I had to tow with it I'd probably only get away with a single trailer and my 14hh cob in it as it hasn't got that much towing capacity, maybe the 2l ones are better, it's very expensive to run petrol wise also
 
Have a look on this site

http://www.towinghorsetrailers.co.uk/towing_vehicles.htm

- I think it's quite useful as shows the towing capacities of most vehicles. Looks like the most the Grand Vitara would tow is 1850kgs so I would say that was enough to tow a trailer (I think, i don't tow trailers so don't know what weight they average at) and one horse or two ponies. I have seen someone towing with a grand vitara - you'd be looking at the newer shape I think (although not definitely) so not that cheap to buy. I did love mine though as was fantastic in the snow!!!
 
Suzuki vitaras are useless, The 1.6 petrols would be completely unsuitable to tow a trailer alone let alone a horse aswell. Insurance will be your biggest hurdle. I have a a landrover discovery. It is high on everything! I am 20 and it costs me just short of £1200 to insure it. To make it cheaper i add my mum and her partner on as named drivers which brings it down by about £500. If i used my no claims on the landrover it would nearly half it but i already use my NCD on my peugeot 207. You are better of saving up some extra money and getting something like a santa fe that is abit more econimical for a 4x4. But you wont be able to tow 2 with it. To be able to tow two = a big engine= high to insure, tax and run.
As for doing your trailer test, some companys provide the vehicle and trailer. I didnt use my own when i did mine.
 
A 1.6L petrol Suzuki Vitara wouldn't be suitable for towing but I have a 1.9L Diesel for 3 1/2 years and I tow 1 horse in an IW 505 and I've had no problems at all. It is very economical to run.
 
My dad and mum would be on as named drivers dont worry :) i get that all insurance is high for 4x4s and theyre not economical. I mostly put that as i didnt want people suggesting a very expensive 4x4. Being 20 i think £1200 is quite good price.

So ignoring the cheap to run/insure bit.
What 4x4 would be cheap to buy that could tow what i want to tow and be good offroad/snow and fit a rottweiler in comfortably (i know most cars will but just thought id add it in!)

thanks so far everyone :)
 
My choices would be the Kia Sorrento, Hyundai Santa Fe or the Grand Vitara (if you get the right model - looks like the Auto tows more but probably isn't as economical). The plus with the Sorrento and the Santa Fe is you get 5 years warranty (or maybe even 7 with the Kia) so you could potentially pick up a 2nd hand one with some warranty still left on it. I don't know much about the Discovery - I always think of them being much more expensive to buy to start with and have no idea how economical they are. They would certainly be big enough for a rottie though I'm sure!
 
My dad bought me a 4X4 and trailer this Jan - I was a very lucky girl!

He is a retired mechanic and did alot of research before he decided on two models. I've always wanted a Ford Ranger (this was before he said he'd buy me a 4x4) but I left to him to pick what he thought was right.

He looked into ability to tow v economy as he wanted to make sure I could afford to run it. He is NOT horsey, so his choices were dispassionate;)

His two choices were Kia Sorrento or Nissan Xtrail.

I love the look of the Sorrento but in the end we found an Xtrail that fit the budget (and it was a pretty colour...)

It is unbelievably economical, about £90 a month in diesel. I fill her up when I get paid and then about £20 at the end of the month, until payday again.

I got a single IW401 to ensure she wasn't over faced with towing, but I could barely feel anything behind me, even with my draft horse inside.

I have to say that when Dad said Xtrail, my heart sank as I'd heard via horsey forums that they were useless for towing. But I am a huge fan now.
 
isuzu trooper all the way. i have a swb one does 30-35mpg, towes 3-3.5 tons (have new Ifor 506 and 16.3 plus gear and it doesnt know it is on the back. ) better turning circle than car, reliable and takes a big dog and hay, feed etc. for a 4x4 i love it.
 
I have a Terrano that's not too bad on fuel and reliable too, might also be worth looking at Fourtracks - I think they are the cheapest of the bigger 4X4's to insure.
 
I have a Terrano that's not too bad on fuel and reliable too, might also be worth looking at Fourtracks - I think they are the cheapest of the bigger 4X4's to insure.
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I agree with the Fourtrack advice group 8 insurance from what i can remember and mine did 30 to the gallon.:)
 
My dad used to have a T reg modeo estate. It had quite a a large engine but i looked into towing with it and max weights ect i am sure that with a lightweight trailer (Bateson) and 2 horses was fine however i would recommed you checking and re-checking this.

When my dad sold this car i contacted a 4track dealer and he was very honest and advised me that they are very often 'clocked' so unless you can buy with FSH then not to bother.
 
A word of warning - think about things slightly in reverse as if your trailer is plated for a Gross weight of 2500kg (purely an example) then your car needs to be able to LEGALLY tow that. Doesn't matter if you only ever intend to put one horse in it and keep the weight below the gross weight. This is catching more and more people out. I have a friend who is a traffic cop and she sees some disastrous combinations on the road. Grand vitaras and Nissan X trails have a limit. If your looking for an older 4x4 that is a little cheaper in all respects I'd recommend a Nissan Terrano or a Daihatsu Fourtrack if you can find one. Commercial (van) versions of either will keep cost down a little more too.
 
I'd second the suggestion of something small to get some no claims and borrow dad's 4x4 to tow.

We're only just now getting a 4x4 because we want to tow and are starting to find our polo a bit small.

Day to day though there is bags of space in the polo it is a tardis. Can get five bales of shavings in and it coped fine. Goes over muddy fields better than some small 4x4s and better than any van. It is nippy and cheap to run.

Will be gutted to see it go but OH needs something bigger for business. So we're retiring it after burghley. PM me if you are interested in buying it will be very cheap so you could save some money towards a 4x4 in a few years.
 
Definitely agree with getting a truck! I have an Isuzu pick up, it costs peanuts to run - my insurance is £75 a month, I am technically still a young driver and ha an accident a couple of years ago. I get about 35mpg as it is a 2wd and 4wd, tax for a year was about £200 but that is normal for cars over 1.4(1.6?)l.
Oh and is brilliant for horsey stuff!
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