Wanted 4x4

Cut+Squirt

Well-Known Member
I'm looking to buy a 4x4 as a second car guys. . Looking to spend a few grand.
Thinking along the lines of a Jimny, maybe a jeep. . I'm open to suggestions, whats for sale out there?
 
There is an l200 for sale I think not to far from you in class fields I'm not connected to him in any way just remember it being for sale.
 
Go for a Subaru Forester, plenty about and they are the bees knees. Make sure it has had regular cam belt changes. Otherwise, they are panzers in disguise.
 
You'll always be able to find an old Disco cheap but don't be tempted unless you want a headache and dirty hands. I have just bought a Landcruiser Colorado for a couple of grand that I am over the moon with spent a bit on new boots all round but it's like a tank, might be a bit big for you if your thinking Jimny size.
A friend has a Rav 4 he uses for all his lamping etc as it has a big roof that lifts off. Goes anywhere with good tyres , Toyota reliability littrally one old lady owner and cheap as chips. If you can get over the hairdresser associations. +1 for the Forester also.
 
Cheers guys, I've been offered a spotless Jeep Cherokee 2.8CRD. . Anyone own one or can comment on their reliability and off road ability?
 
Cheers guys, I've been offered a spotless Jeep Cherokee 2.8CRD. . Anyone own one or can comment on their reliability and off road ability?

Can only speak of their performance in African conditions, where they are notably poorer than the Japanese 4x4s.

On a par with land rover for reliability, worse than Mitsubishi pajero for off road.

Probably ok for medium duty UK use, but certainly not my first choice.

Get a Hilux or a land cruiser if you can.
 
I have a Jimny "O2" the soft-top version.
The back seats are removed and a light Birch ply floor slid in.
It takes about 15 minutes to refit the back seats.
It can go anywhere, ever places a SWB Landrover can't get.
Great little 4x4, but a bit heavy on Petrol.
 
Be very careful if buying used Toyota, regardless of the hype they do have known faults (air suspension, calipers, discs etc) and can cost a fortune to fix.
I tried a Surf, 30 TD, and towing a trailer over Heads of the valleys killed it. That was down to a known design fault, but I didn't know of the fault until too late.
 
My works truck is a Toyota Hilux HL2 59 plate never had a problem with it although serviced every 10,000 miles done a lot of work on off road and plenty of heavy towing now done 140,000 miles had it from new you wont go far wrong in my eyes with a well maintained Hilux
New one coming end of month.

ATB
Paul D
 
Wouldn't touch a jeep even if it was free!!
make land rovers look advanced!

do you need a big brute of a thing with a payload or a smaller mode of transport?
 
If size isn't an issue then the Jimny is superb. I've got one and have had 3 years faultless motoring ('53 plate, 50k miles) after a LR that was a home mechanics dream. The only downside of the Jimny is its small size and reduced towing capacity. If you remove the rear seats then you'll have quite a big boot. Check out BigJimny Home Page and look on the forum to see how good they are and also in the classifieds for some great ideas and buys.
 
iam selling a 3lt ranger wildtrack 58 reg with fsh 240v power inverter fitted with hard cover plus air deck has 92,000 mls for 8k ? but the jimmys are a good little motor
 
I know a guy with an X Trail that might be selling soon... Good clean vehicle, only stuck once and this is because the driver was a $%&* LOL
 
I know a guy with an X Trail that might be selling soon...

I've been running an X-Trail now for over 5 years and have been very impressed indeed with it. The truth is that I can't see anything to replace it with and that's why I'm keeping it as the competition all seems much less able in some way or another - unreliable, thirsty, not as big boot, not as civilised on road, not good off road etc. It has gone everywhere I've needed it to go but, clearly, is never going to be up to the really tough stuff as that simply isn't in the design brief. The other side to this is that I suspect very, very few people ever actually take their 4X4s into very tough stuff and when alone in a forest miles from the public road you usually simply can't risk it unless you go to all the bother of fitting a winch and adding all sorts of recovery gear or getting a quad/argo. Given this I'd argue that an X-Trail, or other "soft roader" will get you everywhere you are going to go no matter what the vehicle.

One thing to watch with the X-Trails is that some wheel sizes are very hard to get all terrain tyres for. Mine has 17 inch wheels and it is only more recently that there has been a relatively reliable supply of AT tyres for it and even then the choice is very limited.

I looked at the new shape X-Trail and it didn't look anywhere near as suitable for my stalking/fishing activities as the older one.

That's a big fish box in the boot, in the pic below, that holds a sika stag no bother plus the drawers under the boot floor are a wonderful thing - they look like a gimmick at first until you start using them and then you couldn't live without them and they are about 4 feet long so plenty of space. Once you fold the seats there is enough room to sleep in there plus a flat load area etc.









 
100% mate. I am the driver in question. ;) my wheels are 16 inch but I still use 'regular' tyres, (they are snow and mud, bit otherwise an all weather tyre) and they are brilliant. I love my x trail, it's just that I need something with more boot space.
 
There is a ranger at lochthorn motors in dunfries the now been sitting for quite a while, green with a space cab (not double cab, so silly wee seats in back but i think them backwards opening doors) but got a canopy, looked quite tidy and not bad money, should get it cheaper now as i first seen it months ago.

Ur far better of buying an old van u dinae care about and just abuse it, far cheaper to run and will get up most forest tracks just the same. Pick them up for peanuts cheaper to mantain too
Even when i had a 4x4 the ammount of times u had it in 4wd or put it a place i can't put my wee van is tiny and u save a fortune.

Only problem with a van is ur dogs/saws/tools are in the same space so ur van often stinks! Well mine does :D Althou i actually washed and polished it on fri, i hardly recognise it now
 
USED TO HAVE A GRAND CHEROKEE ! but shall we say it was not the cheapest of vehicle to get spares for and the mechanics hated it! apparently everything was awkward to get to ! but by far the most comfortable , i then had a forester N/A as you know, and it was the best 4x4 for general use ive ever had, just got the defender now and a van for knocking around in " on another personal note IVE NOT FORGOT !(i said i dont forget, and i meant it! but in all fairness your honor in my defense i did say i was not the quickest ) they are on the kitchen side much closer than before !"
 
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