if not a truck , which 4x4 ?

[tackb]

It’s heartbreaking for owners of discos, and from everything I’ve read before nearly buying one it sounds like whilst there is a little you can do to help prevent it, it is still a lottery if it will go or not. Would have preferred a disco but went for a FL2 instead because of this.

i don't really care it's my sisters car and i told her to avoid JLR products and she knows the trouble i had over the years so it's on her !

my troubles with JLR ended a while ago when i decided enough was enough and now will not entertain them , nice cars but sadly shockingly unreliable supported (or not!) by a shocking dealer network

just typing that has made my teeth itch at the memories !

 

[Malxwal]

I know of someone local who had a major engine failure in a Disco 4. It's now sorted and away, only to be replaced by a RR Sport

 

[etufnail]

Subaru for the win, big enough and comfy on longer distances

 

[Ronin]

Always a thorny subject

Have second or third vehicle (pickup) or a capable SUV that will accept deer or tow a trailer to transport quad / deer

Looked at this many many times over a significant period

SUV options

Toureg - yup nice, till you need a timing chain, oil cooler it starts leaking from the upper sump gasket (it’s a three piece layer cake engine) with later models suffering from cam roller failiure and injectors popping (£800 each)

Look at 3.5 k for a timing chain change

Big bills if you service them properly and on time

Cayenne - same bills with the 3.0 tdi and if you can afford the V8 Tdi you won’t worry about service cost anyway

Both hugely capable cars

Landrover D3/4 - time bomb engine and temperamental electrics and suspension

Range rovers - nice place to sit and wait for breakdown service arriving

Big bills

Land Cruiser - ace but rust while you look at it - I’d have a new version if I could afford one

ML’s - early ones were pants and rusted profusely - vs 2 better and the 4matic drivetrain is ok iffroad the 642 engine is nice and reliable but again not without some issues that will cost to maintain properly

X Trail - capable - the choice of dog men in our area

Vitara - very capable too

Forester - old models were good - petrol thirsty and the first diesels were shite for blowing up at 100 k

Dacia - capable but ,,,

Shogun - sensible choice providing high pressure pump doesn’t blow



Estates

XC70 - old but capable , D5 is good engine - but need spendy maintainence to keep on top of

Allroad, A6 (see comment on 3.0 tdi maintiannece)

2.0 tdi lovely but expensive to buy

Passat Alltrack - very capable
Skoda Octavia Scout - as above same car really

Outback - nice but high maintainence for parts cost and the auto box is pants


What to buy …….

Personal choice

I’ve a doggy L200 with 200 k miles which just does what it needs to do

Plus

Passat Alltrack (had XC70 too) that does everything I need too

Very capable car - load lugger, milage eater and decent off road on Forest tracks and non rutted field - ace in recent snow

 

[olliehopes]

i have a 15 plate one of those in the workshop with a snapped crank.............

Regular oil changes?

If you want rid of it I've got a donor 3.6 TDV8 waiting for mine if it goes bang.

Currently on 235k miles....

 

[Malxwal]

Regular oil changes?

If you want rid of it I've got a donor 3.6 TDV8 waiting for mine if it goes bang.

Currently on 235k miles....

An admirable level of preparedness only a Land Rover disciple need go to

 

[JockStalk]

I’m reminded of the difference between a half shaft and a full shaft.
A Land Rover owner goes to the dealer for a half shaft. A Range Rover owner goes to the dealer for a full shaft,
Still lovely motors though,

 

[mulehunting]

Just got the Mercedes class very happy with it

 

[olliehopes]

An admirable level of preparedness only a Land Rover disciple need go to

It was the engine that land rover SHOULD have put in the disco 3/4. Not the 2.7/3l V6.

 

[ColinBr]

I have used and still have a VW Passat Alltrack, that I used as a do it all for 2 years.

Trying to keep it clean for family duties I soon got tired of as I started to shoot more deer. That and my mileage was around 19k miles a year as a do it all. Don't get me wrong it was fine on forestry tracks and the likes and I never got stuck. 52MPG helps too.

I now also have a 2015 Isuzu D-Max 2.5TT.
Having had a pickup before, I just find it hard to do without 1 now. I can leave it half packed and ready to go which is what I normally do, straight off of a Nightshift, grab the dog and rifle and away I go.

 

[DanielStefan]

I think that the best solution depends on the terrain and budget.
In my case, I need a car that can handle mud, rocks and high hills. The car should be reliable, easy/affordable to upgrade and to maintain.
Other requirements are:

• front, central and rear differential
• decent fuel consumption when off-road
• should accommodate some big tires
• 12000 lbs winch with synthetic rope
• enough space in the trunk for a boar or a stag + my outdoor kit (axe, ropes, chainsaw, fire starters, clothes, a few food cans, alcohol)
• working AC (very warm summer here), working heating system, electrical windows,
• old enough to not care about scratches but still without rust

My first car was a Suzuki Vitara, 1.6L Gasoline, 1996
It was good to start with, she handled incredible tortures from my side but:

• was not cheap to maintain. It required ~ monthly repairs for direction/transmission
• off-road fuel consumption was high. The small fuel tank was a nightmare when I wanted to stay a few days in the field.
• the space was never enough
• it was build with 'biodegradable' materials and it gathered rust like I was washing it with sea water...

My second car was a Discovery 1, 2.5L, 1995. It was almost perfect.
It had low fuel consumption, was very cheap to maintain, very capable in the field (all 3 diffs, good tires etc)
Comparing with Suzuki, it was a blessing for my budget even if it costed double when I acquired it. Had to sell it because it was more and more difficult to find some parts.

My third car was a Toyota Hilux, 2.4L, 2021.
It was brand new and a big disappointment.
It is capable in the field (even if it very long) but the fuel consumption is insane when on Low (13-15L)
It has enough space but it is too light in the rear.
It is too expensive to not feel sorry when you hear a branch scratching it.
The Euro 6 regulations made it unreliable in the field, especially the DPF! It gets blocked if it starts regenerating and you need to go down a slope for a few hours...

Now I also have a Discovery 2 from 2001, TD5
It checks all my marks so far (but I need to invest more to upgrade it).
I hope to be as resilient as my old Discovery 1 but more comfortable.

 

[tackb]

Regular oil changes? yep , the same as my landcruisers which all did nearly 300k trouble free and one of them was sold locally and is still working no issue

If you want rid of it I've got a donor 3.6 TDV8 waiting for mine if it goes bang. yes i'm going to list it as a spares or repair on FB shortly just haven't got round to it , it's a registered commercial but with seats

Currently on 235k miles.... just run in for a landcruiser.......

 

[olliehopes]

I'll be honest - I was tempted by a cruiser. They're just not quite as comfortable as the D4 though.

Pm me when you want to think about getting rid of that D4 if that's okay?

 

[tackb]

I'll be honest - I was tempted by a cruiser. They're just not quite as comfortable as the D4 though.

Pm me when you want to think about getting rid of that D4 if that's okay?

The 200 series is fine the smaller landcruiser that they sell here is a poor relation sadly

 

[nick.308]

The questions you need to answer yourself are the following:

1) do you want to be riding with the keds for the next few weeks.
2) what will the Mrs let me have.

Then you have your answer.
Hilux a safe bet for hard use but check for corrosion. I wouldn't have anything other than a pick up as I want to keep the cab clean ish and the carnage in the back out of smell.

 

[nick.308]

sorry misread the thread. Get an older land cruiser then that looks decent underneath.

 

[GBR66]

My Irish road tax on my V8 diesel RR from 2012 is 2400 Euros a year on a vehicle worth maybe 10k. Sensible suggestion to remove back seats and fit a flat floor and reclass as commercial for the farm (stalking etc) from the man who looks after it, 300 Euros a year tax, "great idea", ring insurance co and the extra for a "modified vehicle" is more than the tax saving! Would have kept it and got a relatively cheap electric secondhand car for airport/long trips...here comes a Ranger.

 

[doric_prince]

My Irish road tax on my V8 diesel RR from 2012 is 2400 Euros a year on a vehicle worth maybe 10k. Sensible suggestion to remove back seats and fit a flat floor and reclass as commercial for the farm (stalking etc) from the man who looks after it, 300 Euros a year tax, "great idea", ring insurance co and the extra for a "modified vehicle" is more than the tax saving! Would have kept it and got a relatively cheap electric secondhand car for airport/long trips...here comes a Ranger.

I thought the biggest car tax thieves were UKG.

That’s insane for a 2012p. A car I assume was a lot less to tax when new? Seems like a retrospective shafting is applied, well after you can take an informed decision in advance of purchase to avoid said future embuggerance.

Granted a V8 is not saving any glaciers, but still.

 

[Klenchblaize]

I bought a Suzuki jimny 4. It's my fun hunting vehicle.

Wicked!

K

 

[udderlyoffroad]

I would, sort of, concur with a 2 vehicle solution. I was just running a 65-plate L200, as the sole family vehicle for a while. 2 kids under 10 and no real commute to speak of other than the occasional away-mission, we did fine. The modern pickups are lot better for rear passenger room than they used to be. I did recently purchase a second car which has made things easier in terms of family logistics and is lighter on fuel than the L200.

Though I find people tend to get a little too obsessed with fuel economy and completely fail to factor in the additional costs of a second vehicle compared with just running a slightly thirstier car for the occasional long journey. You have to be doing a lot of miles to actually realise any savings.

Personally, I would not want to go back to an LR/Jap 4x4 without a separate cabin and load bed. Tick issues aside (am not yet a stalker), a good way to ruin an interior is to do house/DIY/farm/gamekeeping/logging projects and somehow attempt to use the vehicle as your 'going ta town truck' as they say in the US. Sure you can fit bulkheads or even buy commercial spec models, but you're back-engineering a problem that shouldn't exist (Irish+UK governments please take note).

As an example, yesterday I took the L200 to the office, so dressed reasonably smart. Had to pick up some industrial racking from somewhere in Bristol, so I'd thrown in a change of clothes.
Predictably was loading up the racking in the dark+****ing rain and got it strapped down PDQ, tailgate down to support the shelving, but with the top 'cat flap' closed on the truckbox.. Hi-viz vest strapped to the end and we were on our way home. That would've been far more complicated in my old disco 2 or would've necessitated a trailer.