Two best 2wd drive motors I ever had in snow were a Mk1 Golf Diesel with 135x13" tyres, it would get me up any forest road at all times of year. If a landrover could get there so could the old golf. Next to that was a Saab 95, hideously noisey and desperately slow, but it would go anywhere in snow, again 135x13" tyres, these things just seemed to cut a trackand find traction from somewhere. 2CV van was also good, but I'll not own up to once owning a yellow one, only briefly though.
Best two-wheel drive offroad
- Thread starter Oly
- Start date
bambislayer
Well-Known Member
VW passat estate
Forest roads are normally kept to a pretty high standard nowadays and we do still have legs, if shooting big deer a trailer is a good idea.
FC only started using 4x4 proper 10yrs ago and still not every ranger has one, In the late 80's an old colegue of mine shot and lardered 683 in a year, off of good steep west coast ground using a rope and a mini pickup and small trailer!!!! [he was mad]
Most Rangers achieved high culls using 2 wd vans, anyone ever had the misfortune of the Maestro van?, we stuck 16" wheels on them , awesome!!!!!!!!!!! [only kidding, they were crap]
Forest roads are normally kept to a pretty high standard nowadays and we do still have legs, if shooting big deer a trailer is a good idea.
FC only started using 4x4 proper 10yrs ago and still not every ranger has one, In the late 80's an old colegue of mine shot and lardered 683 in a year, off of good steep west coast ground using a rope and a mini pickup and small trailer!!!! [he was mad]
Most Rangers achieved high culls using 2 wd vans, anyone ever had the misfortune of the Maestro van?, we stuck 16" wheels on them , awesome!!!!!!!!!!! [only kidding, they were crap]
I was given one for my 16th birthday (bought off the local scrap man). It was mega. Never stopped in the snow, ice, sludge.. all round great little car to go off road in. Plus, it has the added advantage that if you roll it onto its side you can just lift it back up.
DC
Thar
Well-Known Member
Best 2 wheel drive I ever had was a Saab 900. I have a SJ410 that I used to leave on the shoot, I would drive there in the car and use the Suzuki for fetching deer out etc. If I got it stuck it was not a problem as I could just walk back to the car to get home. If you need to use your 4X4 to get you home it will always be in the back of your mind their for you won’t really go for it in the muddy stuff.
ATB
Tahr
ATB
Tahr
Hornet 6
Well-Known Member
Err...or you could just break all the laws of the road with a normal car/van/4x4 without tax, insurance or MOT and ruin an innocent person's life on the way home too???
I think you will find he meant you need no tax ins etc. on the quad.
As it will being towed, on a trailer by a fully legal car.
Neil.
Brithunter
Well-Known Member
I have to agree about ice after waiting 8 hours for a winch out of a dyke the other day. The old Jeep just slid on a bend and hit the grass then slide sideways donw the dyke side. When in town this mornign I'll get the tracking checke dout JIC.
Anyway a few years back I had an old Citreon BX Mk1 withe the 1.9L normally asperated engine. These were citroen and did not have the Peugeot dash and gearbox. we went on Holiday to Scotland in it and visited a deer park wehre they are trying to keep the Red Deer pure. The weather had been very bad during the summer and we were told to be careful and turn round and return at the red pole by the Highland cattle. Well we never found the red pole as the cattle had knocked it over and were drove around the entire park and returned tot eh reception and shop. When we told them this they didn't believe it as they said it was impassable by landie so we described everythign we had seen and passed and they argeeed yes we had gone the entire way round. That old Citreon was very good the Mk11 BX wihtt eh 1.7TD engins and peugeot box was awful and got stuck on flat wet grass
.
Another good one going back even further was the old 58 Ford 100E a set of reasonably chunky tread tyres and it went anywhere we wished to go. One chap I was in the scouts with had a yellow one when at Bangor Uni and he was part of the Mountain resuce team and that ole Ford sailed up those mountian roads with M&S tyres on it. Showing my age again
.
Anyway a few years back I had an old Citreon BX Mk1 withe the 1.9L normally asperated engine. These were citroen and did not have the Peugeot dash and gearbox. we went on Holiday to Scotland in it and visited a deer park wehre they are trying to keep the Red Deer pure. The weather had been very bad during the summer and we were told to be careful and turn round and return at the red pole by the Highland cattle. Well we never found the red pole as the cattle had knocked it over and were drove around the entire park and returned tot eh reception and shop. When we told them this they didn't believe it as they said it was impassable by landie so we described everythign we had seen and passed and they argeeed yes we had gone the entire way round. That old Citreon was very good the Mk11 BX wihtt eh 1.7TD engins and peugeot box was awful and got stuck on flat wet grass
.Another good one going back even further was the old 58 Ford 100E a set of reasonably chunky tread tyres and it went anywhere we wished to go. One chap I was in the scouts with had a yellow one when at Bangor Uni and he was part of the Mountain resuce team and that ole Ford sailed up those mountian roads with M&S tyres on it. Showing my age again
.
Oly
Well-Known Member
I think you will find he meant you need no tax ins etc. on the quad.
As it will being towed, on a trailer by a fully legal car.
Neil.
My mistake, thank you Neil!
ecoman
Well-Known Member
Just sidestepping away from 'traditional' 4X4s - I have driven, and have been assured that the little petrol engined Suzuki Jimny will beat a Freelander hands-down on an uphill mud track. I have ridden in one around overgrown forestry tracks and they are amazing little things, turn on forestry trail-ends with no problem and minimal room.
One man - one dog and a deer tray in the back. My wife will not countenance one because of lack of shopping room on our two-month-spaced jaunts across to the East Coast, so, because it has to be one vehicle these days - the BERLINGO it is.
I'm not sorry about that in the least - but a Jimny would be nice for firewood and seaweed-collecting jobs - - - .
One man - one dog and a deer tray in the back. My wife will not countenance one because of lack of shopping room on our two-month-spaced jaunts across to the East Coast, so, because it has to be one vehicle these days - the BERLINGO it is.
I'm not sorry about that in the least - but a Jimny would be nice for firewood and seaweed-collecting jobs - - - .
Oly
Well-Known Member
It's true, in Iceland I have seen, and been in Jimny's and Terios' wading up to the windscreen whilst tradional 4x4 floundered. I actually circumnavigated Iceland in a tiny Daewoo Matrix...often stopping to help broken down 4x4's! Likewise I have been in this country in the little old Subaru Justy's wading to windscreen depth whilst the Land Rover following struggled - like I say, put the right tyres on a normal car, and the right experience behind the wheel and it's amazing where you can get to offroad without the need for "all the gear and little idea"!
Maestro's, pah, brings back some memories, but the Montego van was where it was at - could get them buggers anywhere
csl
Administrator
A friend of mine goes everywhere in his old Peugeot hatchback FWD - fields, woods the lot! The only time he has got seriously stuck was when the front wheels went through a cattle grid. I must admit that I found the sound of rocks smashing the bottom of the car rather disturbing, and it did require some structural work to get it through the last MOT but still.... impressive for what it is! 
now now now, Andy (Tika.308) swears by his slippers for the hill!
Back to Reality
now now now, Andy (Tika.308) swears by his slippers for the hill!
Back to Reality
Put the right driver in the right 4x4 & you won't get anywhere near him or her in your van.
When I lived and worked on an estate in Scotland, the car I had at the time broke and I needed a new one fast. I ended up picking up a purple Ford Fiesta MkII for £175 with a years tax and MOT and I took the thing everywhere, and I mean everywhere. The fencers used to pi** themselves when I'd rock up to see them on the side of a hill in it, not least because it was purple!
I think it did so well as I just didn't care about bashing or breaking it seeing as it cost me peanuts, i'd try going anywhere in it. I remember driving through a huge puddle in the middle of a farmyard once and the water was gushing in under the doors, but the little beast kept going! I had that for 6 months before selling it to a mate for £50.......and I still miss that car!
I think it did so well as I just didn't care about bashing or breaking it seeing as it cost me peanuts, i'd try going anywhere in it. I remember driving through a huge puddle in the middle of a farmyard once and the water was gushing in under the doors, but the little beast kept going! I had that for 6 months before selling it to a mate for £50.......and I still miss that car!
Oly
Well-Known Member
I had that for 6 months before selling it to a mate for £50.......and I still miss that car!
As already mentioned with regard to company cars and hire cars - cars your don't really care about are the best ones...I have the same fond memories of an old corolla I was once given, it would go everywhere my jeep would until the ruts were so big the toyota would ground, but that said the ruts were so bad that really neither car should have been in them...
Your right, 98% of the time the van driver will be way down the road coining in all the saved fuel bills and the other 2% of the time the van driver would be quietly stalking past the 4x4 driver as they attempt to rip another large chunk out of the frustrated farmers land
I'm aware that 4x4's have their place, the family have/had many and still do...it's just amazing what 2 wheel drive can do, and it begs the question whether 4x4's are a necessity...and I think that for my circumstances it may be easier in a 4x4, but probably not worth it...
As previously mentioned, we (incluing many professional rangers/stalkers) lived without them for years, and did very well...
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Stalkers with 4x4's are not really due the tag of ripping chunks out of farmers land, (more like maybe a green laner?), but the fuel saving your van possibly gave you, would have probably been outgoing again on a replacement exhaust or suspension part!
dollman
Well-Known Member
i think what steve[finnbear] is saying is right,but then again i am not doing the daker rally my self, the best for me would be the old scooby pick up 4x4,farmers used to love them , not top heavy like 4x4 trucks and awd go any wear, as far as land rovers go the best off road ,when they are going that is, better now with the ford engine, would be even better with a jap engine ,atb steve
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Dawnraider
Well-Known Member
Got to admit that out of all the two wheel drive cars i've had Fiestas of which i've had three showed the best capability when the going got sticky the worst i had was Capri,had couple of Granadas that i used to trail a fishing boat with and they didn't do to bad at all launching from sandy beaches backing them right into the briny didn't do the brakes much good though.
If I had to give up the Hi -Cap, truck cab, Land rover, I would hold out for a Subaru Forester!
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