Best 4x4 on a budget???

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Dizzle

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What 4x4's work well on a budget?

Would love to get myself a towing vehicle (something that can handle snow and ice too!) but would want something fairly cheap to run, reliable and cheap parts etc. I do about 200 or so miles a week...
 
I have a Vauxhall antara as a 'cross-over' I need a vehicle for work that is not too 4x4 looking and is relatively economical. i have been very pleased with it to cover both jobs. It tows both my horses reasonably well.
 
Some sort of jeep ? mabye an old land cruiser which would be pretty reliable but may still be a bit pricey.
There may be other options such as land rover etc that someone may be able to advice you on.
 
Isuzu Troopers (or Vauxhall Monterey which is the British market version that I have) are fab. I bought an S reg diesel with 112k on the clock in March for towing; with a year's insurance and tax it cost in total £2K. Been very useful in this snow too :)
 
Don't buy a Discovery :)

Excellent towing vehicles :), but not economical... I drive about 700 miles a week (including what I do at the weekends) and I fill up about four times, so it's not on the thrifty side :eek:. The parts aren't cheap either :(
 
you could try and get an isuzu on import - we got an isuzu bighorrn which is great in the wno and works as a fine towing vehicle.. again, not good on the fuel though :-\
 
MrsMozart said:
Don't buy a Discovery :)

Excellent towing vehicles :), but not economical... I drive about 700 miles a week (including what I do at the weekends) and I fill up about four times, so it's not on the thrifty side :eek:. The parts aren't cheap either :(
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Grown up with Disco's so I think Dad would veto that on a cost basis!

I'm loving Isuzu Troopers actually...
 
We have a Isuzu Trooper for towing.. bought it for £1000 with 100k on the clock, 3.2 diesel.

Pulls like a train and laughs in the face of snow!
 
i got an x trail earlier in year and love it if you hunt about you can get reasnably priced ones (2.2lt diesel can tow 2tn). madly i got it after my very old knackard fiesta died and it only costs small amount more, in a year insurance was £20 more and fuel is no more than £10 extra a week.
 
Another vote for the Isuzu Trooper/Vaux Monterey. I have an R Reg 3.1 Diesel. As long as you keep it sweet and get it serviced regularly it will look after you for miles and miles. I use mine as my normal car for commuting, shopping etc and use around £45 per week.
 
Look at Nissan Terrano, you can pick up low mileage but older models quite cheaply now. We found an 04 plate, 37000 on the clock for around £5000 and when we were looking (found Autotrader best) there were loads about £2000 and less if you didn't mind high mileage. Great towers and seems quite economical compared to the old Fourtrak, plus, hate to say it but more comfortable too.
 
I have an Isuzu Trooper 3.1 turbo diesel N reg. Had Suzi 6 years now and use her for everything, work, towing, snow, and shes fab. Im on a mission to keep her running til shes 20 years old, if we make it to 25 then she wont be charged road tax!
 
Kia Sorento's are fab for towing, economical to run, and mine (touch wood!!) copes very well with the current snow and ice. I don't know what your budget is but there are some reasonable priced 2nd hand ones on the market....
 
If you want economy then Jeep is a no - mine only does 30mpg and a tank of diesel costs about £90 :(

Other than that it is brilliant!!
 
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. 3.5 tonne towing capacity and amazing in the snow - will literally drive over/through anything! Looks a bit crazy but a lot of fun and pretty cheap to buy
 
The Monterey seems to be so much cheaper than the Isuzu! Have just been to show it to OH who at first decreed it too big and impractical then decided that actually it was quite practical for what I wanted to use it for... men!



He asked how on earth I was going to cope with somethingt like that after my little 206... I pointed out I learned to drive is a Disco!
 
marmalade76 said:
Can't believe no-one's mentioned Fourtraks, excellent vehicles.

Best car I ever had was a Trooper.
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I had a fourtrack - excellent vehicle, never let me down...ran her till she was on her last legs, and she kept going with head gasket seeping!! Now have a Trooper as couldn't find a fourtrack locally - love my trooper though!!:D
 
Sidney said:
Kia Sorento's are fab for towing, economical to run, and mine (touch wood!!) copes very well with the current snow and ice. I don't know what your budget is but there are some reasonable priced 2nd hand ones on the market....
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I LOVE my sorento, and my sister liked it so much she bought one too!

hackinharry said:
I had a fourtrack - excellent vehicle, never let me down...ran her till she was on her last legs, and she kept going with head gasket seeping!! Now have a Trooper as couldn't find a fourtrack locally - love my trooper though!!:D
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We've had 4 fourtracks in our family, would definitely have another if my budget didn't stretch to a sorento.
 
Just got a quote on insurance for an izuzu trooper and its £780 for the year!! I thougt I would get a 4x4 and keep my car too but I can't use my NCD. This snow is not good for a mending broken leg! Thought I'd just get a cheap good 4x4 to tide me over the winter then sell on and keep my lovely sports car but at that cost for insurance be cheaper to pay the full livery costs daily as and when I can't get to the yard!!!

Sorry for highjacking post but are there any other 4x4's that will be cheaper to insure or are there insurance companies that are cheaper and insure both the cars under the one policy?:confused:


:D
 
Izzwizz said:
I have an Isuzu Trooper 3.1 turbo diesel N reg. Had Suzi 6 years now and use her for everything, work, towing, snow, and shes fab. Im on a mission to keep her running til shes 20 years old, if we make it to 25 then she wont be charged road tax!
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Sadly it's not vehicles over 25 years old that are exempt from road tax. There was a cut-off date of 1st January 1973. Anything manufactured after that date will always be liable for road tax.
 
An Isuzu trooper (the older 3.1 l desiel engine is the best), or a fourtrack. Both fab vehicles, cheaper than most yet as hard as nails and will go forever! The trooper has a 3.5 tonne legal towing limit so has bags of pull in it too - if you want a 4x4 to tow don't assume that just because it is a 4x4 it has enough weight to pull safely - do check first. The number of 4x4s that wouldn't be safe pulling a standard trailer and two horses is incredible!!
 
CarmaandFlin said:
Just got a quote on insurance for an izuzu trooper and its £780 for the year!! I thougt I would get a 4x4 and keep my car too but I can't use my NCD. This snow is not good for a mending broken leg! Thought I'd just get a cheap good 4x4 to tide me over the winter then sell on and keep my lovely sports car but at that cost for insurance be cheaper to pay the full livery costs daily as and when I can't get to the yard!!!

Sorry for highjacking post but are there any other 4x4's that will be cheaper to insure or are there insurance companies that are cheaper and insure both the cars under the one policy?:confused:


:D
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Im insured with Sureterm who are specialist 4x4 insurers. It costs me under £400/year on an S reg Monterey and they include trailer liability insurance in their standard rate.
http://www.sureterm.com/
 
Dizzle said:
The Monterey seems to be so much cheaper than the Isuzu! Have just been to show it to OH who at first decreed it too big and impractical then decided that actually it was quite practical for what I wanted to use it for... men!QUOTE]


It may be cheaper due to being made specifically for the British market, not sure, but it is the same vehicle. Maybe it's because people don't look out for them as much as they aren't as well known as the Trooper? I love mine and have convinced someone else on the yard of their fabness after he saw mine - he now has a Trooper but the colour isn't as lush as my Monterey's metallic cherry red :D
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JoG said:
If you want economy then Jeep is a no - mine only does 30mpg and a tank of diesel costs about £90 :(

Other than that it is brilliant!!
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Crikey yours costs more than mine does and my jeep is petrol!

Just a thought - a friend was looking at buying a Jeep and was looking at a LPG conversion. Now it would have been a 3.7 petrol, fully specced and with a towing MMTB of 3.3 tonnes. Same car as mine which has been brilliant and coped with the awful snow last year with no problems. While I am not exactly in the scottish highlands or deepest somerset, I still have my horse up on the downs so normal cars will not get up there!

We looked at an LPG conversion and it has gone down a LOT now, as in she was quoted £900. I am deeply tempted as it is a massive difference in petrol, no congestion charge if you need to drive into London (well I do sometimes for family) and of course, tax is reduced..

When looking at a cheaper 4 x 4, think you need to work backwards - what does this need to tow and do because thats where some of the smaller 4 x 4 will fall down, then look at budget and get an idea of costs from here. Autotrader is brilliant for giving you a guide as to what you can expect to get from your money.

Jeep are expensive to service via Jeep themselves, which is why mine now goes to the local garage for about 1/3 of the cost!
 
CarmaandFlin said:
Just got a quote on insurance for an izuzu trooper and its £780 for the year!! I thougt I would get a 4x4 and keep my car too but I can't use my NCD. This snow is not good for a mending broken leg! Thought I'd just get a cheap good 4x4 to tide me over the winter then sell on and keep my lovely sports car but at that cost for insurance be cheaper to pay the full livery costs daily as and when I can't get to the yard!!!

Sorry for highjacking post but are there any other 4x4's that will be cheaper to insure or are there insurance companies that are cheaper and insure both the cars under the one policy?:confused:


:D
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Not sure what your sports car is, or how bad the roads are, but it might be worth saving the money on the 4x4, and buying a spare set of wheels (narrow ones are better in the snow - you probably have wide ones as standard) with winter tyres (and maybe even a set of snow chains). That would probably be enough to get you to the yard most of the time, and it would still be cheaper to pay for full livery if you really can't make it.

I'd buy a large container of grit for personal use too, and if you have rear wheel drive and a front engine (like my old sports car) put the grit in the boot to put extra weight over your drive wheels. Keep a shovel in the car too as your other enemy will be low clearance in deep snow.

You'll probably find it will perform better than most normal cars set up like this!

Swot up on driving in the snow techniques too.

We find that DH's polo (on standard economy tyres) out performs some 4x4s in both muddy fields and on snowy roads. A lot of it is down to careful driving, and knowing your vehicle. Last winter we took it up the snake pass in heavy snow, and the only other vehicle that made it as far as us was an ancient Toyota people carrier, all the 4x4s were abandoned much further down.
 
If you are on a budget buy an Isuzu Trooper. They tow 3500kg. However ONLY buy the 3.1 Mk version. Do not buy the last model, the 3.0 TD. It had a lot of problems with the engines destroying themselves.

There is not a lot wrong with the Petrol 3.2, other than its fuel thirst.
 
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