anyone with a L200 warrior - cost to run, would you recomend? replies today please!!

[Perce]

i pull a IFW510, presently with a discovery which i love but is on it's last legs!
going to see Warrior THIS EVENING and want thoughts. it's about 6 years old i think.

Have heard can be light behind???
heard also expensive to run??

love the look of it and think it will suit my horsey, doggy lifestyle, but we are aiming to spend more than usual so that it last for years so any experiences welcome.

what's it like to tow?
visibility?
hear the turning circle rubbish but epect that for a long vehicle to be honest.

any commentas appreciated.

perce

 

[christi]

the turning circle is terrible , its ok to tow with ,
its not expensive to run .
i bought a new 07 plate only kept it 2 years .

 

[Mildred]

I love mine, easy to tow with but in 2wd can be easy to lose as it is rear wheel drive. Cheap tax and not that thirsty on diesel. I do agree that the turning circle is dire! I like mine.

 

[Piglet]

Expensive to run , I was looking at them and most of them are high mileage and high price, also check on your insurance as they are classed as commercial. I was stung when I got my Ford Ranger pick up, I struggled to get insurance as all the companies would only insure it for business use and not social and domestic use - this added another £300 odd pounds on top of it. Look at other alternatives maybe. Good luck

 

[Mildred]

Try Lifesure for insurance, mine costs £486.03 fully comp. Mine has a truck top and stupid black glass (proper pimp wagon!) and it is impossible to see out of the rear window but you get used to using wingmirrors for everything.

 

[diamondgeezer]

Hi Perce

We have a warrior on a 53 plate. Well its OH but we use for towing etc as my freelander is not suitable for towing. Ours has the solid box on the back with no windows so the blind spot is quite large but to be honest i dont find it a problem even with the trailer on back.

Running costs.. Its cheaper to tax than my freelander as it can only be covered as a comercial vehical. Its quite thursty on small runs but if going a decent distance ie motorway its not alot different to the 2ltr TD4 freelander.

Its is quite light behind if towing a heavy full trailer but if you just have one big horse will be fine.

I love ours, its really nice to drive. But saying that A discovery is able to pull more weight and with it being shorter in length a disco would be easier to turn in a smaller space!!

 

[perfect11s]

The new shape ones are good (post 2006,) nice to drive and not bad on fuel, they have a reasonble turning circle good little truck .. the old ones are hidious, drink fuel and bouncy and can be unreliable I would avoid at all costs, navaras are also not great nor are the hilux's but only because they only legaly tow 2 1/4 tons otherwise ok the later rangers and isuzus are very good and can tow 3 tons..hope that helps

 

[Meandtheboys]

I have the Mits Shogun Sport with is basically he L200 with a different body, fuel consumption not so bad for a 4x4 - I chose shogun sport rather than L200 as the the L200 were priced about £2k over the shogun.

Just check owner club on L200's, they seem to say stay away from ones that have done alot of motorway mileage and common faults are:
Crankshaft pulley ( mine went )
Head Gasket
Back leaf springs

 

[SmartieBean09]

My OH has a 58reg L200 Walkinshaw. Its the worst trck in the world. In comparrison with his older L200 that he used to have, the old one was much more of a working truck and did what is said on the tin (although yes, turning circles were terrible). His new one is just awful! I dont get travel sick, never have done but the suspension in his new L200 makes me sick after being in the truck for 5 mins. Recently took Mum and Dad out in it and they both felt sick. Kids are sick in it unless given travel sickness tablets.

Woud not recommend and we are hoping to get rid very soon!!!!!

 

[suestowford]

A neighbour of mine has one and he tells me it uses a lot of fuel. Not sure how old his is, it certainly isn't new. But it's good at pulling.

 

[Perce]

thanks for rapid replies - quite conflicting and leaving me more confused than ever!!

I do appreciate that we all have different views and have no doubt that if i asked same question re discovery it would have pros and cons but...my discovery pulls fabulously so have i been spoilt?budget can't run to a newer Disco though.


diamond geezer - surely having a back end that is light on a vehicle towing a horse trailer is pretty much a No No??? have seen advie that people weight them down over rear axle to counteract them?? thoughts? they are pretty much a pick up i suppose so built to be loaded. my dog is rather tubby (steroids poor boy!!!) but can i train him to sit ovwer hte rear axle i wonder?

i have a 2 horse box and need to be able to tow 2 decent size horses at times!


Christi - why only kept it 2 years?

i'm not too bothered about turning circle to be honest (within reason obviously!!!)

what about when they break down? what goes wrong and is it expensive to fix?

re towing weight.

as i said i have a IFW510 that carries 2 horses (i usually carry one but don't want to restrivt myself to doing only that).

must check out weight of trailer. anyone know off hand???

 

[martlin]

IW510 is about 950 kg empty I think, not sure on the MAM.

 

[Perce]

thanks martlin.
so if trailer about a tonne, and horses about a tonne or maybe 1200kg i only need to be able to tow 2 1/4 tonne don;t i??
not sure how the weight thing works?

I will fill rear of truck with other horsey stuff and fat dog!! so is the weight of the stuff in the truck included as part of the weight that you are towing? surely not!?
It will be laden weight of truck won;t it? does truck have differnt towing weight when laden or unladen?

 

[Boxers]

I had a late 2005 L200 Animal (new shape) and loved it. Again turning circle is poor. However, towing is absolutely fabulous - it was very good. I have an Ifor 505 and regularly towed 2 horses in it and you could hardly feel they were behind you.

I had a solid cover on the back and so rear viewing was poor as there were 3 panes of glass to try to see through usually smeared with doggy spit! You get used to driving on your wing mirrors.

I loved that the dogs were in the back and separate from us in the cab, particularly as one was always car sick!

Only got rid of it just before Xmas and that was only because it was out of warranty and had done 70k miles. Don't like to keep vehicles for too long!

Try NFU for insurance. It will go on a commercial vehicle policy and depending on your age and NCB the premium was very good (IMO) about £390 fully comp.

Would add though that it is crap for parking at the supemarket! Spaces are tight and you will never get round the corners in a multi-storey!

And if you tow a twin axle caravan with it for your holidays, families will run screaming at the nice site because they will think you are travellers!

 

[DragonSlayer]

I have the 02 version.

Any truck at the moment costs a bomb to run with current fuel prices, so whilst I'm between scooters, i'm busing it to work!

Good to tow with, and really handy with the pick-up bit at the back...

 

[Perce]

"Would add though that it is crap for parking at the supemarket! Spaces are tight and you will never get round the corners in a multi-storey!"

Wow! in my book that's good enough reason to buy any car!!! i hate shopping with a vengeance so have no worries with this.

people seem to love it or loath it!


i too like the idea that dog can be left in back while i ride/shop etc (when cool enough obviously) although he will have to travel up front when i drive - i knda like having him there!

so the light at the back issue is because it's a pick-up and can be solved by weighting the back when towing a lot?

sorry - i;m a bit niave = whats a 58reg?

 

[martlin]

sorry - i;m a bit niave = whats a 58reg?

late 2008/early 2009

 

[china]

my OH has the L200 animal. its fairly good on fuel! its pooh easy to drive, i havnt towed with it yet. we dont have a cab on the back and its great just chucking stuff in the pick up. the only thing i didnt like is looking out the rear view mirror you cant see the pick up at the back itself so i am always parranoid that there is a car behind it that i am about to reverse into! haha! i love it but i do prefer my 306!
we test drove a warrior and it drove like a tin, was awfull. L200 are renound for engine problems.. if you looks at reviews online youl find some good info.

 

[Perce]

late 2008/early 2009

way too new for me then!

I am getting confused by all the differnt types!
I shall get the OH to check these out when he gets in.

It's 2005 mitsubichi L200 Warrior.

 

[Perce]

really want to know what the late 2005 like.

 

[perfect11s]

way too new for me then!

I am getting confused by all the differnt types!
I shall get the OH to check these out when he gets in.

It's 2005 mitsubichi L200 Warrior.

go and have a look but I would avoid I had a L200 that type and it wasnt the best shall i say and plenty of other people had the same issues... oh and they are all L200s.. the warrior, 4life etc is just the trim level, wheels and bits same engine in them all .....

 

[Perce]

Need to found out more about these, and drive one I think before any decisions made!
going to see one in the dark tonight and deciding straightaway not a good idea! decide in haste, regret at leisure.

thanks for help peops. REALLY appreciate your prompt replies.

Also considering hi lux (around 2005 - old shape) and landcruiser collarado. so more questions may be forthcoming!

 

[christi]

Perce ...... i only kept my L200 Warrior until it was 2 years old, then i traded it in for my new Range Rover . no real reason other than the turning circle was terrible as i said and i wanted a Ranger Rover.

 

[Sanolly]

If you're thinking pick up trucks then see if you can find one of these. I have the 2.8td double cab (4 door) and I think it's fab, cheap to run, insurance for me is £70 a month (I'm 24 with a recent accident) and diesel wise : I filled up in Bournemouth last thursday, drove to gatwick and have been doing short runs since then - I have only used just over 1/2 a tank.

 

[Mildred]

go and have a look but I would avoid I had a L200 that type and it wasnt the best shall i say and plenty of other people had the same issues... oh and they are all L200s.. the warrior, 4life etc is just the trim level, wheels and bits same engine in them all .....

Mine's a 54 and Ive had it just over a year and it has been fab so far - I hope it doesnt all go downhill from now on! Mind you we were lucky with mine, it was mistakenly advertised with no VAT payable when in fact it was eligible for VAT, so we got it cheap, so that makes up for at least £1k worth of potential repairs in the future

 

[burtie]

I have a 53 reg L200 and it's great for towing, and tows a 510 with 2 very large horses in easily. I do add more weight over the back wheel when towing though(full fuel tank and all our stuff in the back!) and have never had any stability problems. As other said it's turning circle is pants, but as long as you have plenty of room reversing a trailer is very easy due to the long wheel base of the L200. I solved the supermarket parking problem by always taking my toddler along and parking in the mother baby spots but that obviously isn't a long term solution!! I also have the high truckman top on the back so have to be a bit careful in car parks with height bars and most multi-stories are a no-no.

I've had mine 7 years from new and love it.

 

[crunchie1]

We have a 2004 plate which is extremely juicy, very light behind and the turbo blew (very common apparently), turning circle is rubbish .. I'd get another disco out of choice, if yours is dying !

 

[Bozzy]

We have a 2006 plate L200 Warrior and absolutely love it. Fantastic on fuel (on par with my Vauxhall corsa!) cheap tax, insurance and tows brilliantly. We umm'd and arr'd between that, a hilux or a navara and having read massively mixed reviews for all, just went with the Warrior. Only downside is when the back's empty it is a bit slippy behind but not much of a problem.

 

[pixie]

probably a bit late, but my inlaw's have a L200 Animal (about 3 years old maybe) and its great. I've just started driving it, and its been easy peasy going from my tiny automatic petrol city-car to the hulking manual diesel beastie Lovely to be high off the ground and it has great mirrors.
Not sure about towing horse trailers, but we've used it for towing trailers with motorbikes and household white goods and its super. A good farm vehicle too.

 

[juliette]

i have not read all the responses, so apologies if this is repeated.

First we had an X reg which was brilliant, the 04 plate did not last very well as it had a problem with the engine that was apparently well known and it meant that at 3 years old it was a case of spending more on it than it was worth or selling it for scrap!!!! We sold it to a local garage for £500!!!

My husband now has an 08 plate which has not had any issues yet.......

So i would say it depends on what plate it is as to whether it is worth buying. My husband does do very high mileage, but that is what a diesel engine is supposed to be good for!!!

Would also say the newer ones are much more like driving a car than a truck.

Turning circle is crap on all of them!!