Transport - what would you do?

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Ginn

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Current plan is to buy a 4x4 and trade in little car, then borrow trailer for a few months until the right one becomes available second hand. The 4x4 I've had in mind is the Hyundai Terracan as I can get something newish for good £££ (I have about £10K max to spend in total) at supposedly I should be able to get about 32mpg on average when not towing. This is V important as I do about 300miles per week!

I should also point out that their is no storage at home or at yard for a trailer (or lorry/2nd car) so would have to store trailer etc at a friends farm a few miles away - if I exchange current little car for big beasty then that can be parked on drive.

However, have waited to find the right Terracan (budget is about £8k for this as I'm setting aside £2K for trailer) and 4 months on no luck....

So I have 2 other options I could consider but I don't know whether this is desperation!!

I could still trade in little car (petrol, 6 years old, 100K miles on clock, starting to cost money to keep on road (last years servicing came in at £500+!!) and only does approx 36-38mpg) and spend approx £5K on a 2/3 year old eccomomical run-around which is cheap to run, tax and insure and then spend approx £500-1000 on an old Disco or similar which would be kept just for towing (and consequently would have to be stored with trailer). However this does mean starting a new insurance policy and having to tax, MOT, service and maintain 2 cars which will cost much more than just the 1 big beast - however fuel bills would be lower. I anticpate this option would have to save me in excess of £1000/year in fuel to actually be more cost effective....

Other option which has crossed my mind is keeping little car (possibly with a view to changing in a year or so) and spending £6-7K on a lorry. However, again I suspect I'm going to be looking at having to keep around £1K back a year to keep lorry on road, and will again have 2 lots of tax, mot, insurance etc. The other downside to this is unlike a trailer which I can drive on L-plates with mother in passenger seat and then sit my test after gaining some experience a lorry would require me to sit and pass my C1 before driving so would be completely reliant on a driver (with a trailer I have a number of friends who could nanny but none that would want to drive a truck around for me - this would fall to mother until I passed test so would have to set aside £1K for an intensive training course sooner rather than later).

So what would you do?? If budget was double then there would be no question - I'd get a lorry and a new run around. However I am an NQT still living at home with parents as a means of saving money and one day would also quite like a place of my own so must not eat into house deposit funds!!

Confused of Gloucestershire!!

:confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:
 
Does it have to be a Terracan? There are so many other options for a crossover vehicle, my Vauxhall Antara tows my 2 horses and takes me to work everyday fairly economically.
 
I would be much more open minded about a tow-vehicle. There are lots to choose from that are reasonably economical to run, e.g.Nissan X-trail, KIA Sorrento and others. I would also allow slightly more for a trailer and look for a lighter weight such as a Bateson or cheval. Opens up more options.
 
I had this problem a few years back and I went for the lorry and small car option. At the time I was doing a minimum of 400 miles a week and when I worked out the cost of fuel/tyres and servicing on a decent tow car I nearly fainted! I went for the 3.5t option of lorry and spent £6k on a car and £4k on a lorry. We only carry one at a time so 3.5t was an option. I am onld enough to drive a 7.5t on my licence but K isn't so with the small lorry she can drive as well. Just remember that the old right to sit next to a leaner driver if you had pre 1998 licence went in April last year, you now have to have held your HGV for 2 years to be able to do this so unless you mum has passed a test it is unlikely that she can sit with you.
My 3.5t is old but very reliable and cheap to run, I get 28mpg, MOT is about £70 and I spent about £130 on a basic service last year. Tyres are around £60 and I pay £300 a year for insurance and full breakdown. If I compare this to the additional costs of servicing and running a 4x4 plus the additional fuel costs the lorry works out the same if not cheaper over a year and the lorry will not depreciate as fast as a car either!
 
No - doesn't have to be a Terracan but don't want more than 50K on clock, must be able to tow a minimum of 2,400kg and must do in excess of 30mpg. Oh and budget for the car is £8K. Terracan seems to be the only that I've come across that ticks these boxes but then I am a complete dunse when it comes to cars... Just looking at the Vaxhaull Antara now :)

I'm planning on getting a Bateson too ;) and I have seen quite a few come up for around the £2K mark... but they aren't so easy to track down so recognise I may have a few months of borrowing. Don't want to go to a trailer with a stupidly low gross weight though as imo they just aren't as stable.
 
the disco will be the gift that keeps on taking lol I wouldnt advise buying one to store, specially at that price it will keep needing work. I bought mine last month and being rover made bless it things drop off or snap and need fixing. Although I have to say its brilliant and I dont go anywhere near my volvo now as its more fun to drive


If it were me id get a decent 4x4 and a trailer

or a small car and a horse box

have to say though the 4x4 is so useful i can fit a pony in it if the mood took me! LOL
 
Oh poo - Antara only has a max tow weight of 2000kg - sorry but imo thats just not enough :(

From googling Kia Sorento returns a rubbish mpg despite manufacturers quoting much better figures so that is out and the Nissan doesn't have a high enough towing capacity.

Unfortunately with 2 horses complete with all their kit there is no way we could legally use a 3.5T so that is out. And yes, as I said in my OP mum would have to drive the lorry until I've passed my C1 (unlike a trailer which I could drive on L plates).
 
Purplepickle - I'd heard that about the Discos too but garage man swears by them if you get a good one... if I went down this route then I'd let him find me one ;)

I should also point out that we'd be planning on going out with horses atleast once a week, sometimes more so something unreliable or not up to weekly towing stints is a no go... which takes me back to the Terracan in terms of being a newer car (age and mechanically) and having had hyundai's in the past I have found them always to be very reliable.
 
I have a sorento - got a 54 plate with 50k miles for just over £6k - Bargin! It is however very thirsty - from a full tank I only get about 300 - 330 miles so not good if you do lots of driving and it only suites me because I only do about 150 miles a week max.

Xtrail was a bit better but it struggled to tow 1 horse and the clutch went after a year.

My friend has a Santa Fe which is much more economical but can only tow 2 tonne unfortunately.

Personally, if I could, I'd go back to a small car and would buy a small lorry.
 
ohh yeah id not have anything else its brilliant, but it does tend to eat the pennies

try to get one without the sun roofs they are a pain for leaks, rust is the other thing, and niggles like sticking windscreen wipers - rover trait if you did go down that route.

but they are brilliant to drive, in this snow ive been all over the place but they dont like ice have had to learn to cope with a heavy vehicle sliding not that we get much of that.

just thinking if you could get something newer i would, I wasnt in the position to but if i could id have gone for a new one, it will tow a house after all LOL
 
Have looked at the Santa Fe's - the new ones (06 onwards) will tow 2,200-2,400kg depending on model so if I could get one within budget then I'd deffo consider one of those - however I think one would completely blow my budget leaving no pennies left for a trailer. I think if I saw one for about 9-9.5K I'd very seriously consider it though as it would be the best of both worlds.... however the chances of that happening without me having to travel the length and breadth of the country are slim-none!!

purplepickle - problem with getting a newer Disco is that they guzzle fuel!! My friend as one of the latest models and to be fair she averages about 36mpg BUT she paid around £30K for it!
 
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yeah its about that for the older ones, could you go for something around 99 reg youd get one for about 2k maybe a bit more, your still looking at 27mpg upwards though on the old deisels as well although the tanks are big should get 630 miles out of a tank on a proper journey so im told, im putting in £20 deisel a week and doing about 60 miles urban as i have to drive through a town . Or you could go down the gas conversion route i regularly see those advertised.
 
I just can't justify the fuel on a Disco :( Not unless its a second car. My current car is currently costing me £50/week just in fuel.

Looking at the maths (based on current fuel prices) my fuel bill for my current car is approx £2275/year, in a Terracan it would work out at £2850/year. If I got a newer little car working on an assumption of 50mpg fuel would work out at £1704/year so would save me about £1000 compared to the Terracan but then would I loose this on maintaining a second car??? In which case is it easier just to have the one with higher fuel bills??

Oh how nice it would be just to win the lottery!! Lol!!
 
Try using whattowcar.com and doing a tow car search. Make sure you input tow weight as max. A similar search for a tow weight of 2500kg returned only the larger 4x4s which will be fuel thirsty for your needs. You can also review vehicles on this site.
 
Hi Ginn - I haven't read all the posts so apologies if I'm restating something someone has already said / suggested.

Have you thought about a Nissan Terrano? you can get the SWB or a LWB. I have M Reg SWB, 2.7 deisel and its max tow capacity is 2.8tons (same for the LWB). I tow a IW 505 with my horse in it which weighs 500kgs, I've also towed it with the 2 horses both about 500kgs and the Terrano tows it like a dream.

Mine is old with 137k on the clock but its got a great diesel engine in it and just keeps going. It has been 100% reliable in the year and half I've had it, its probably only worth about 1K so I'm sure you can find a better newer one with less mileage for more money and still not spend your 8k entirely on a 4x4.

My friend also has the Ford Maverick (Nissan Terrano with a Ford badge) She tows a IW 510 with a horse about 550kgs and also has towed with my & her horse in it - again no problems.

I love mine and driven sensibly I've had 30+MPG out of it, not only that its been worth its weight in gold in the recent snow & ice!

Have fun with whatever you decide to do :o)
 
Another one who feels you shoudl consider a Terrano. Pretty good on diesel, and decent condition, reasonable miles, 03/03 plates would easily be in budget. Tow 2.5-2.8 tonne, depending on engine- you ideally want the 2.7 TD.
 
Yes - have looked at them and they seem very similar to the Terracans!! However, the Terracan does return a slightly better fuel ecconomy and I can get a LWB without the 7 seats - which push my insurance up!! Unfortunately the Terrano also falls into a higher tax bracket :(

With any luck my next job will be closer to home which will make a huge difference if I go for the "one big beasty" option!
 
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