Good towing 4x4

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Pocketr@cket

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We are looking to upgrade our 4x4 this summer and I'm looking for some feedback on choices.

Budget is 6-9k. Does miles really matter ? but I eeek at over 100'000 when my old reliable but shabby has done 123'000 and is a M plate.

Would love 7 seats as with kids and their friends would be super handy. So thinking Disco 3 or pathfinder.

Husband likes VW Touareg but seats 5.

Needs to be able to tow a 510-( looking to downgrade size to a 506 but will be a few months after car change) and two horses say 1000kg for the both to be on the safe side. I have a b+e.

So let me hear your pros and cons- won't consider a ssangyong and I can't stand that fake wood affect bleggh.
 
I don't know of any Discovery3's for £9k - bloody good luck finding one cos I'll be well jealous if its half decent! You'll probably get the Discovery TD5 for about £9k though with around a hundred thousand miles? Depends how long you want to wait for a rare gem. I waited three months to find my D3.

I sourced mine at £15k - it's a 2007 reg XS model (so mid-range with the usual spec plus a few things) & had 30,000 miles on the clock (so an absolute rarity!). Full service history and it came down from Aberdeen having had one previous owner and never towed so had to get towbar fitted but no hardship.

I'm yet to come across another of the same year (or even newer) with the same spec with that kind of mileage.

Be careful if you do get one - they're prone to suspension arm failure so have it thoroughly checked out by a switched on trustworthy mechanic.

Good luck!
 
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I looked at the Touareg and the Tiguan when I bought my Rexton last year, and the only disadvantage I could find is both have a very small boot space. There really is a lack of choice in a 4x4 estate car market - I had a bigger budget but as I didn't want a crew cab (arghh, parking on the supermarket car park was all I could think!!) it was one of the VWs, a Discovery (and the road tax for one a few years old was £550!) or the Kia Sorento which a lot of people on here rate. I couldn't find a Sorento a few years old, which says a lot really.

ETA What's wrong with a SsangYong? I love mine, although I haven't towed with it yet
 
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The discovery 3's are there but all over 100'000 miles

Need a family car so defender isn't really an option but would love love a new one if budget allowed. They are my dream.

We never towed with our rexton as i darent as it was a year old with 32000 miles and went into the garage 18 times in 16 months , in the ends the dealership had it back when the drive shaft went just before the warranty ended and I was too worried about what else would go wrong with it. It started with bulbs blowing on a weekly basis, automatic gearbox got stuck and wouldn't change its range upwards. Would not risk another one. Appreciate there is always "Friday made" cars. A sorrento is also another one I would consider.
 
Not sure why needing a family car means a Defender 110 is out. We have had Defender 110s for years. Good towing vehicles, great load space, excellent family car. Only downside is that you are very In demand to do pick up/drop off for kids and all their mates.

However, you need to watch the number of seats and what your licence permits and good ones are not cheap. Second hand ones have always sold on condition, and you need a good mechanic who really knows these vehicles to inspect them before purchase.

We're in the fortunate position of a Disco 2 and a 110, both with the Td5 engine. For long journeys (the emergency run to Mum 400 miles north of us), I really rate the Disco. For fuel economy, ease of parking, towing and the grin factor, OH and I squabble for the 110 keys.
 
Pocketr@cket said:
The discovery 3's are there but all over 100'000 miles

Need a family car so defender isn't really an option but would love love a new one if budget allowed. They are my dream.

We never towed with our rexton as i darent as it was a year old with 32000 miles and went into the garage 18 times in 16 months , in the ends the dealership had it back when the drive shaft went just before the warranty ended and I was too worried about what else would go wrong with it. It started with bulbs blowing on a weekly basis, automatic gearbox got stuck and wouldn't change its range upwards. Would not risk another one. Appreciate there is always "Friday made" cars. A sorrento is also another one I would consider.
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Wow that is seriously bad luck. However my Rexton is absolutely fab and fit your bill exactly.
How about a long wheel base Nissan Terrano - I towed 510 easily with it with 2 horses or Jeep Grand Cherokee, super car.
 
As long as you don't do a huge daily mileage a 110 is worth thinking about .
We always have a 90 and they are great towing workhorses .
 
We've a 2004 plate Isuzu Trooper which is a 7 seater & we purchased it after our old discovery died. It's fantastic for towing & hardly uses any diesel it was effortless going through a muddy field at a show a couple of years ago where lots of other 4x4s got stuck. l occasionally tow with my my Range Rover but my oh refused to use her due to being a gas gusling V8 but that's just as much fun driving & towing. However l have to agree that the trooper is a beautiful towing & all round reliable car but neither of them have let us down.

Just ensure that you get a vehicle that has some (even better if you get all) service history as l feel 4x4s need regular servicing & maintenance like any car but more so if they have been or will be used for towing. There is alot of choice out there but from our experience if it's not a land rover we will tow with a japanese 4x4 as they kept going & not given us any trouble. Good luck with whatever you get.
 
I'm currently in this position I am desperate for Disco 3 and while there are tons in my price range they are all over 100K mileage and I'm only really looking at 2005's due to the tax. while I don't do a lot of miles maybe 5-7k a year max but I'm just concerned at the cost of getting things fixed with the high mileage more likely to go wrong (My current 1999 Honda CRV has 130k on it but 2 weeks after buying it needed a new clutch, then MOT time I was told it was a death trap and needed £2k worth if work to it luckily we git a second opinion and it was cheaper than that but still don't want to be in the same position)

I have recently been looking at shoguns and L200's but I'm not sure if they are gonna do the job plus Ive set my heart on a disco for month and finding it hard to like anything else hahaha
 
We've got a Landcruiser - absolutely fabulous, tows like the trailer wasn't there and we regularly do massive distances in comfort. However, you won't get the mileage for your budget. However, they are legendary for being indestructible and going on forever - I saw one for sale the other day with 461.000 on the clock.

As amother poster said, it's more important that it has a full service history and preferably hasn't come from a towing home - the mileage is less relevant.
 
Kia sorento :) the newer ones all have 7 seats and mine tows a 510 and two horses easily. The tow limit is 2500kgs so 1500kg payload on a 510 :)
 
ThePiebaldMoomin said:
I'm currently in this position I am desperate for Disco 3 and while there are tons in my price range they are all over 100K mileage and I'm only really looking at 2005's due to the tax. while I don't do a lot of miles maybe 5-7k a year max but I'm just concerned at the cost of getting things fixed with the high mileage more likely to go wrong (My current 1999 Honda CRV has 130k on it but 2 weeks after buying it needed a new clutch, then MOT time I was told it was a death trap and needed £2k worth if work to it luckily we git a second opinion and it was cheaper than that but still don't want to be in the same position)

I have recently been looking at shoguns and L200's but I'm not sure if they are gonna do the job plus Ive set my heart on a disco for month and finding it hard to like anything else hahaha
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On a disco that age most of the big jobs will have been done . Just make sure the timing belts been changed at the correct time.Im slightly surprised you expect to pick up an 11yo disco with under 100k on the clock they are good for 3 times that ,at least at 100K the belt should have been changed if below it may not and thats an instant £600 job waiting.
 
Maybe be a bit more flexible if you want a discovery. I can find a fair few discoverys up here for your budget with less than 80,000 miles but they are below 2005 not by much though one was 2004. These are in Scotland but you could probably find similar down south if that's where you are.
 
We got an 03 TD5 for five grand earlier this year 66,000 miles on the clock and with leather seats etc. I was very fortunate as I happened to ask our mechanic if he knew of anything at that price range (was expecting something MUCH older!) and dropped lucky, he has serviced the car for a few years. We have had to have the injector seals replaced (about 200 quid), other wise in rather good shape :) Always worth using contacts if you can, we also bought our wagon from our mechanic and he is connected with the horse community here :)
 
YorksG said:
We got an 03 TD5 for five grand earlier this year 66,000 miles on the clock and with leather seats etc. I was very fortunate as I happened to ask our mechanic if he knew of anything at that price range (was expecting something MUCH older!) and dropped lucky, he has serviced the car for a few years. We have had to have the injector seals replaced (about 200 quid), other wise in rather good shape :) Always worth using contacts if you can, we also bought our wagon from our mechanic and he is connected with the horse community here :)
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You just showing off now ��

I'm the same wih the cost of the discos put me off and really have my heart on a pathfinder. Husband is all up for traveling to Scotland where cars seem to be cheaper but I'd hate to travel that far and something be wrong with the vehicle would be just my dam luck.

Shogun is another contender as we have Mr Bushy as it's known in our house and whilst there isn't anything wrong it's old and struggles with hills and doesn't have enough power for two.
 
Land cruiser or Shogun! If you have your heart set on a discovery I would go for the TD5. I bought a lovely disco 3, much to the discust of my mechanic, it was 3 years old at the time with under 20k on the clock.
When it was going nicely it was lovely but it cost us a fortune in repairs, having spoken to others that have had the Disco 3 they have had much the same! Limp mode is no fun on the motorway with 2 horses in the trailer, happened more than once!.
I traded it in for a new L200, not a 5 seater unfortunately but does the towing job perfectly!
 
popsdosh said:
On a disco that age most of the big jobs will have been done . Just make sure the timing belts been changed at the correct time.Im slightly surprised you expect to pick up an 11yo disco with under 100k on the clock they are good for 3 times that ,at least at 100K the belt should have been changed if below it may not and thats an instant £600 job waiting.
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Honestly I thought it having over 100k wasn't a big deal/pretty standard and as long as the big jobs has been done it would be fine but as soon as I started talking to a few people I work with (I work for a giant vehicle solutions company who deal with fleets of company and commercial vehicles) that know there stuff and have told me stay far away from anything that's over 100k. I'm not good with this side of cars so having to take advice from pretty much anyone willing to listen to be talk about disco's haha
 
ThePiebaldMoomin said:
Honestly I thought it having over 100k wasn't a big deal/pretty standard and as long as the big jobs has been done it would be fine but as soon as I started talking to a few people I work with (I work for a giant vehicle solutions company who deal with fleets of company and commercial vehicles) that know there stuff and have told me stay far away from anything that's over 100k. I'm not good with this side of cars so having to take advice from pretty much anyone willing to listen to be talk about disco's haha
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In an ideal world it would be nice if a 20k miles motor was in your budget but its not ! Disco 3 s are OK if you know what your buying. We used to have 3 of them running at the Same time towing however we now run Navaras and they are certainly less bother.
 
I have just bought an antara 4x4 only the 5 seat model but I believe they chevrolet version certainly come in 7 seat so probably the vauxhalls do aswell.
I love mine, pulls the two horses and trailer no bother, the steering lock and mpg aren't the best in the world but I'm getting on average 32mpg towing and going to and fro work. You'll definitely get a good deal on one, mine was 2 years old when bought 12k miles and that was 11k.
 
Lintel said:
I have just bought an antara 4x4 only the 5 seat model but I believe they chevrolet version certainly come in 7 seat so probably the vauxhalls do aswell.
I love mine, pulls the two horses and trailer no bother, the steering lock and mpg aren't the best in the world but I'm getting on average 32mpg towing and going to and fro work. You'll definitely get a good deal on one, mine was 2 years old when bought 12k miles and that was 11k.
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It's as if you read my mind, noticed one on the way home from the yard today and have been doing a bit of research . Only thing I'm unsure of is do these suv types hold up as well as a "4x4" in the event sharp breaking/up hill/ side winds.
 
I've had my Antara a week tomorrow I only have the 2WD model (2011 2.4 petrol) though. I love it so far but I have noticed its very light and you feel every dip/curve in the road, going up the track to the yard is feels like an offroading experience but its only got a towing capacity of 2000kg so would only pull 1 big one :/
 
AppyLover said:
I've had my Antara a week tomorrow I only have the 2WD model (2011 2.4 petrol) though. I love it so far but I have noticed its very light and you feel every dip/curve in the road, going up the track to the yard is feels like an offroading experience but its only got a towing capacity of 2000kg so would only pull 1 big one :/
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From research it wil not tow enough sadly. Neither will a sorento.
 
Cheiro1 said:
How much weight are you putting in your 510?!

A 510 is about a tonne unladen, that's a 1500kg payload. That's like 2 heavy 17.2hh horses!!
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Trailer and two horses, hay, water I think 2000kg would be a fair weight , would rather buy something that won't struggle with 2000kg than being on the nail for weight.

The Antara limit is 2000kg as is the newer sorento. The older sorento was about 2200/2500 but at present I'm struggling to find one with under 100'000 miles on the clock.
 
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