vehicle and distance?

Had a fourtrack ( great motor) then a pajero, then a jeep cherokee, the a navara and now a LR freelander 2( I call it a gaylander) the gaylander does all I need , only me and the dog use it, and with the back seats dropped down it holds more than I need and if really required I'll kip in the back,

when the gaylander dies, I'll get a 4x4 transit van( ex forestry or emergency services) I'd love a hilux, but after having the navara, I don't really need a pick up

kjf

Not quite sure where the gaylander snide remark comes from.
I am on my third one now and have had great service from all of them with total reliability.
Very capable off road and averages 35 mpg.
Could not really ask for much more.
 
I have in the past owned

Discovery (rated out of 5) scores a 1
V8 range rover (rated out of 5) scores a 1
90 land rover (rated out of 5) scores a 3
Toyota hilux (rated out of 5) scores a 3.5
Landcruiser HZJ 78 troupie (rated out of 5) scores a 4.5
Suzuki Jimny Jeep (rated out of 5) scores a 4.5

Shamelessly copying this format:

Series III LWB scores 2.5
Hilux Surf [4Runner] scores 3.5
Hilux pickup 2.5d scores 3

I still have the Hilux pickup which I bought new in 2015. My surprise is how much I miss the Surf. It was a great handler, pokey 3.0l engine, superior drive train. The pickup has the loadbed but is so much more agricultural and, shod with dealer supplied rubber, underwhelming offroad. On road it takes a while to gather momentum. When these tryes wear out, I am sure a change of rubber would improve things, but I don't rule out a trade-in rather than re-shoeing.
 
My shooting vehicle is a Ford Ranger 09 Wildtrak. But I also have a Suzuki Jimny modified to be able to tow it from farm to farm with a roof lamp for foxing etc.
 
I had a series 3 109, tons of room, I loved it but not the most practical.

Then had a defender 90, not so much room but brilliant for what I used it for, towed lovely. It had an unfortunate accident so I had to get rid.

Now have a ford focus estate, does the job, I hate the thing though. My main issue is towing trailers, I have to use the van we have but that isn't ideal.

It'll be another land rover for me in the new year, probably a discovery 2. I'd love another defender but too expensive and not practical with a baby
 
Not quite sure where the gaylander snide remark comes from.
I am on my third one now and have had great service from all of them with total reliability.
Very capable off road and averages 35 mpg.
Could not really ask for much more.

sorry if I offended you mate, or any other homosexuals, it was tongue in cheek .ie its wants to be a LR , but looks like a hairdressers chelsea tractor,

I own one now and as yourself im happy with it,

kjf
 
Avoid anything range rover or landrover because in the end you will be burning £50 notes. If money no object then a Landcruiser.

Japaneses have it on reliability. Just cannot fault my Suzuki Vitara, Jimmy just as reliable.

Next door neighbor has an older Disco and he is a very experienced mechanic, needs to be as almost every other week something needs fixing on it.

Have very close friends who run a modern Disco which I think is the best 4x4 i have ever driven but cost a fortune in repairs, if its not air suspension its the myraid of warning lights that continually come on.

If your super keen then rebuild a disco from scratch, suggest you seek advice from Paddy on here who has an on going project.

As they say if you go into the desert take a Land rover, if you want to come back take a Land Cruiser, says it all.

D
 
looks like a hairdressers chelsea tractor

I've always loved the look of them. Well, the Freelander 1 that is. I've never really liked the F2, and I really don't think it's aged well. The vast majority of the F1s, on the other hand, can turn my head every time. I think it's one of LR's greatest triumphs. Trying to work on the bloody things though, is a complete nightmare!
 
There's the usual Land Rover bashing going on, but my experience with them has been pretty good having owned Freelander I, Disco II, Range Rover Sport and now a 2007 Range Rover Vogue. No real trouble with any of them, the Sport did 132,000 miles by the time I got rid of it and only had to shell out £600 for a new air suspension compressor in the 8 years that I ran it. But the Sport is basically a Disco III underneath so a thumbs up for the Disco III as well. Then again I'm a patriot and a great enthusiast of British Made Cars, having had a succession of Rover Eight Hundreds in the eighties and nineties, which remains one of the best vehicles I have ever driven, including Mercs and Beamers.
 
I also have a 2009 2.2 diesel Rav4

Drove it to scotland last w/end 1475m round trip, averaged 52 to the gallon with two shootersm, two dogs, all the kit including a slead and (on the way home) three stags in the roof box


In Scotland I had no problem getting up the very steep tracks and managed the rocky tracks OK.

On the trip up in the 50mph only areas I managed to get her up to 65mpg

I have had in the past:

Jeep Cherokee 2.5 Diesel 25mpg
Jeep Cherokee 4.0 Petrol 17MPG
Jeep Grand Cherokee 2.7 CRD 30mpg
Shogun LWB 3.2 Diesel 25mpg

I wouldn't have taken any of them any further off road than I took the RAV on this trip without a decent set of tyres, a winch, a land anchor and preferably a second viechiel


Not ALL Rav4s are the same, but the 2.2 Diesel 2009 version is a very competent off roader for all but proper mud plugging

And yet its very economical (I average 47mpg and I drive like I stole it), comfortable, spacious and reliable

126000 miles so far. Repairs include a broken tracking rod.

That's it, aside from breaks, disks and 1 new battery
 
Use a 16 year old Vauxhall Brava pick up (aka the white knight aka Bravo 2 zero) which I think is a rebadged Isuzu. Done about 125K, oil and filters every 18 months if I remember to, never misses a beat but it's a bit slow and a bit noisy but it suits me. Insurance is £125 and it does the job.
 
The more modern Land Rover offerings are certainly not cheap to maintain.
I did have a conversation with my local garage (Landy specialist), who saw so many people who wanted a show-off car but struggle to afford to keep them on the road.
Where as, my old series-one Discovery, just goes on forever and is relativly cheap to run. With the original Discoveries, there is little electronic to go wrong, the mechanics are all replaceable and if you crump them in the field, you can panel beat them in the field with your fist. It is corrosion that usually kills them, and unfortunatly most examples are a long way down that road by now.
But not to efficient. On my 300tdi (2.5ltr derv) I'm looking at around the 26mpg. Though that is better than my 12mpg on the old V8 Range Rover. (I could get it down to 7mpg, when I really tried).

The most maintainable of the LR vehicles around now (for long term use), would probably be the later Defenders, with the TD5.
 
Jeep Cherokee 2.5 Diesel 25mpg
Jeep Cherokee 4.0 Petrol 17MPG
Jeep Grand Cherokee 2.7 CRD 30mpg
Shogun LWB 3.2 Diesel 25mpg

I had the 3.2 Shogun too. I loved it, but as you found too, the economy isn't the greatest. Not too bad considering the size of it though!!!

I've got the 2.8CRD Cherokee, and average around 32mpg. Best I've had was 36, but I had to drive it like I was carrying a bucket of water on my lap :doh:
 
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Interesting thread......I've also had a Fourtrak (great truck), and two Disco's, both series 1, which never let me down, and were very capable off road. Just lucky, I suppose. When it came round to a 'retirement present' I went to see the Land Rover tribe.....speccing a sensible Disco produced an absolutely eye watering price, so it was bye, bye LR. I had had a 4x4 Skoda estate as a company car in eastern Europe for three years in winters down to -25, and where it would go beggared belief. So....along came a Skoda Scout with a DSG box. I've tried very hard to kill it, without much success. It's still around, and with its winter snowies on it takes some stopping. And the best bit....compared to the new Disco, I could have bought 2 Scouts and still had enough change to insure them for a couple of years, plus it regularly returns 50mpg.
 
Mitsubishi pinni 2.0 5 door will go anywhere also a joy to drive and plenty of room with the back seats down shame there still not made.
 
Little daihastu sportrak , goes just about anywhere with a set of decent muds on so great for not having to carry deer, rear windscreen comes out and sat on the spare wheel makes a great solid mobile shooting bench for zeroing, load testing and varminting. Sun roof comes off full width or the whole back section for lamping with shorty or rifles.

wouldnt want it for my day to day vehicle or for long trips but for getting around and as a shooting platform hard to beat!
 
Had a 98 Nissan Patrol with the 2.8 straight six. Best vehicle I ever had and should have held on to it. After that came a 94 Defender which meant feckin around with the thing instead of going shooting. Then a Honda CRV just until I find something, fuel consumption was huge but quite good off-road or snow. Then Nissan Navara 2007, heap of c rap but nice to drive. I was so sick of diesels that I got an old Subaru Forester 2004, drove that for three years without a single thing going wrong, what a car and good off road considering the ground clearance using AT's. Then 07 Range Rover HSE TDV8, lovely to drive have found new friends that are all mechanics... it must go soon. I just don't know what to go for next, sick of cars.
edi
 
I've had a Vauxhall Frontera Sport, very good off road, two Daihatsu Terios, excellent little off roadersbut a tad on the gutless side, at present a twin cab Hilux, chuffed with this one, does everything I want it to.
 
Running a salvage yard in the 90's along side my panel shop I had a fair few motors I wish I had kept….

But the first profit was the best profit, but I used to grizzle to the old man when a nice one went down the road.

He used to laugh when I turned up with the next keeper on the recovery lorry!!

I chopped a diesel Fiesta van for a mint 2.6 lwb Nissan Patrol what needed a head gasket which I did, Oh it drove lovely….A bloke came in the yard an started moaning that the bloke who sold it to me had promised it to him….
He said how much is it…x pounds….moan moan…sold it

Went to work in my MGB to give it a mop and vac….bloke came in…sold it!

Had a SRI 130 Caviller what we shelled….A bloke came in after it as his mate told him how fast it was….lol sold it…

3.0 Capri repaired it….painted it a dark blue metallic two days of moping it…
Sold it after a month as I was going to bend it…lol

Got a Ranger and very happy with it..nice to plod around in.

Tim.243
 
Had a Frontera great off road just a pity it was so gutsy on the petrol, various cars over the years used in shooting, had a Duster found it to be a great off roader as well just a bit basic inside, now use a Skoda Yeti for all my stalking/shooting never missed a beat in the ****tyiest conditions good sized boot space, manage to get about 48-51mpg as a rule :thumb: it will do for me
 
I have in the past owned

Discovery (rated out of 5) scores a 1
V8 range rover (rated out of 5) scores a 1
90 land rover (rated out of 5) scores a 3
Toyota hilux (rated out of 5) scores a 3.5
Landcruiser HZJ 78 troupie (rated out of 5) scores a 4.5
Suzuki Jimny Jeep (rated out of 5) scores a 4.5

In this country most 4x4's are glorified shopping trolleys

Don't know if yours are any better ??

Land Cruiser to Jimney must have been a shock. Still, those Cornish lanes, I'm with you on the Jimney! Good off road? Who needs/wants to go to Plymouth anyway...

i was thinking of having one as my local fishing/shooting vehicle and keep my other car for long road runs back to Cornwall. Anyone tried a Suzuki SX4?
 
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