4x4 advice

[devon deer stalker]

Like JAYB i also drive a Jeep, Cherokee,touch wood i have never got stuck and have been in some serious mud.
Works well as it also doubles as a family car (although the occasional ked has been known to crawl on my kids!)
I heard the Navarra had some problems with failing the European safety test recently,but i believe Nissan will be rectifying the problems via a recall.
Whatever you decide on get some decent all terrain or off road tyres fitted,they will pay dividends.
Cheers
Richard

 

[Drew]

I've got a 56 plate L200 Double Cab, new shape.

Good:

Much improved turning circle
Fuel economy much improved
Good leg room for rear passengers
Comfy, even for my knackered back
Quickish
Er....it's green (sorry can't think of anything else)


Not so Good:

Rattles
Really thin tin, dents when you hit a midge
Chassis starting to rust
My local dealership is pants
Kind of radio a 19 year would choose from Halfords for his souped up Nova...not meant for blokes with cold sausage fingers.
Not enough pockets for all the stuff we tend to put in our cars.
Eats tyres (no, it isn't left in 4WD!)
Terrible traction in 2wd but then, that's pretty typical of a pick up.
Heater switches very fragile, keeps breaking.
Looks bloody awful but I needed a truck in a hurry as my old vehicle got crushed by flying mussel boxes in a storm and it was all they had!

Overall: It ain't no Defender, given the choice I'd go back to my '86 110 County with a naturally aspirated 2.5D.

Next time I'll be choosing the Toyota with the 3 litre, or perhaps even going back to a spawn of Solihull!

 

[tika.308]

i have got a 04 double cab hilux and its the dog dangleys,just put it through its 2nd mot tonight no problems with it.it loves veg oil and on a run i get 32 mpg.mine is the 2.5 d4d.dont know what they are fetching at the moment but they are worth it in my eyes.

 

[Gyr]

Another great thing about the landie..they hold their value like little else.
Just look at what sort of money is being asked for old ones.
They are also very good at pulling......

All the best,

Gyr

 

[sp4rkman]

They certainly do hold their vaule. Been looking at them online today as they're definately this lots favourite. Anything really decent was a bit out of my budget.

Looking at a Ranger on Wednesday evening - not my first choice but definately popular.

thanks for you opinions all.

 

[WAYNE DAVIES]

I had a 53 plate Navara king cab for two years averaged 28 mpg, crap off road but went like a train on it, never had to touch it mechanically but sold it when I kept hearing horror stories about them chucking a con rod through the block between 70 and 120 thousand miles
Now got a new L200 warrior doing about 32 mpg with a light right foot, only about 27 mpg at 90 mph on motorway. Much better than the Navara off road very pleased with it so far but its only done 1600 miles so time will tell.
I once had a series 111 land rover to go shooting in , never went shooting just spent my time fixing the BL***Y LANDROVER.
Mr B, I now I've seen it but how the F**k do you get in a landrover cab

Wayne

 

[Offroad Gary]

i had 51 plate hilux d4d, used it everyday for 50 mile motorway trip ragging the ar$e out of it (90mph/25mpg). took it for a trip to centre parks with family and drove at 60 mph where it returned 33mpg. used it for keepering and shoot day truck and was fine. put bridgestone duelers on it which were great on road, useless off. sold it as in now drive 100miles a day minimum, as second car i bought a cherokee 4.0 petrol off ebay for £565, put mud terrains on it, fantastic, but 12mpg general use, 16mpg on trip.
sold it 6 months later for £685 with original tyres back on. was very nice motor. I now have 1989 defender 90 turbo, with all the gear on it! mud terrains, snorkel, sump/diff guards, polybushes, rock sliders, enough lights to land an aircraft, massive roofrack (high seat lives on there), paid £2300 for it. feells like it will go absolutely anywhere and returns 21mpg off road. i'm waiting for it to break!!! the best thing about it is having to scrape the ice from the inside. and it smells like a landy too!

 

[Blodwen Price]

I love my ex MOD 90, it has a 200TDi engine from a Disco, has a fold up forward facing seat in the back for the kid, runs like a dream on biodiesel giving 29mpg AND it turns on a sixpence so it's easy to park in town.

Improving the turning circle on a coil sprung landie is a 10 minute job with a spanner, just wind in the lock stops as far as they go, just remember that lots of driving on full lock will eventually wear out the CV joints, but apart from that it's no problem.

 

[Beowulf]

I quote Wayne D:- "Mr B, I now I've seen it but how the F**k do you get in a landrover cab"
Its like the Tardis Wayne! Although I found that your nice new Jap 4x4 was rather tight. So my question to you is:- "Wayne, how the f--k do you get in that Jap tarts car"?

 

[Beowulf]

Hi Owenontour,
A fellow ex mod Land Rover driver! Well done that man. You must be mad as well! Welcome to the best stalking site by far.

 

[stone]

Although I found that your nice new Jap 4x4 was rather tight. So my question to you is:- "Wayne, how the f--k do you get in that Jap tarts car"?

i found the easiest way was with muddy boots , as you could just slide in and out

 

[Andy L]

Funny thing about landies. They are like marmite. You either love them or you hate them. I had a 110 hi-cap 200 tdi for about 4 years for delivering fish. Fantastic off road and could pull a house down. Ate gearboxes and I had to have the window open to put my elbow out when I drove it. I hated it!!!!
My manager loved it!! Bought it at auction, put 80,000 miles on it and sold it at the end for only£500 less than I had bought it for.
Funny, I am not sure whether to recommend one or steer you away from one!

 

[swampy]

4 x 4

I have just bought a jeep cherokee 2.5 deisel,
I think it's ace. when i shot that red the other week...(did i mention that). i was able to drive really close in to recover it. I run it a combination of deisel (30%) and clean veg oil (78p per litre from aldi). it seems fine. it is also comfortable enough for mrs swampy to drive. In fact i can't get her out of it.

I used to run a puegot 306 deisel but it is getting where i need to collect carcasses from near to where i have shot them.

steve

 

[geoshot]

I've been into a few tight spots as part of my job, collecting field samples for mining companies and such. Most field geology outfits, mining support, NGO's use Land Cruisers, Patrols and the like. Comfortable, reliable and go just about anywhere but can be wicked hard on the juice.
just back from Angola and the place is crawling with them, Hilux and L200 pickups as well. Lanny's are getting thin on the ground in the wilder bits of the world, new ones aren't up to much in really hard going, old ones too much bother to keep running.
One of my buddies uses a forester, not the best 4x4, but for a bit of stalking and lifting the occasional beast out of anything short of outright wilderness or a bog, it'll do the job.
Cheers
Geoshot

 

[Gyr]

and another thing....
these other things that are'nt landies.They just don't look the part in a field do they? Tesco car park yes,in a field no.Whereas my landie...

All the best,
Gyr

 

[Fester]

I drive a a Defender 90 XS Td5, the mutts nutts it is too in my opinion. Ive allways had Defenders as my everyday vehicle, used to run an Ex Camel Trophy 110 that was a support vehicle from the Mundo Maya event & it was battered to heck but it was fantastic, Then a 200 & 300 tdi engined defender. The only other 4x4 vehicles i had were a IBEX & a WW2 ford GPW jeep (willys)
The Td5 defenders are great & dont be scared of the electrics that run them, there really are no problems with them. The trouble is they aint cheap to buy especially when you get towards the high spec models but they hold there value like no other 4x4 on the market. A 2004 XS model will still set you back 17k for a full spec full service low mileage model. its alot of money i know but well worth it.
They will return 25-28 mpg in standard form & around 28-32 mpg if you chip them, It makes the vehicle drive completely different & a lot smoother
Down side tho They wont run veg oil. Try it and your buying a new engine

 

[mudman]

I have got a Subaru Forrester, obviously not a 'real' 4x4 but it does everything I ask of it. When considering what car to buy I could not justify getting a fully off road capable big 4x4 for the amount of rough terrain driving I do. Saying that I do much more off road than 98% of 4x4 owners

 

[WAYNE DAVIES]

Mr B,
I was sat in the front with lots of room, suppose I could have moved my seat foward an inch for you

Stone,
You should see the mud'n'blood in it now. I had my mates from Yorkshire down last week muddiest boots I've ever seen them boys I'll have to get the missus to clean it When are you boys coming down again to ride in my jap tarts car. Just in the process of sorting a nice big block of unstalked Munty ground, bit of luck it might be sorted by the time you visit again.

Wayne

 

[Offroad Gary]

Mr B, I now I've seen it but how the F**k do you get in a landrover cab

Wayne

i once knew a girl called "two seats", because thats how much room she took up on the school bus.

don't landrovers have two seats?

sorry mr T, had to say that one!

 

[Grantoliver]

hi