Stalking vehicles….

[wytonpjs]

I’m currently thinking about a Freelander 2 or a Mitsubishi Outlander, as the fuel economy isn’t too bad on both of them.

Just sold my 10-year old Freelander 2 for a pittance and I'm regretting it. It's an extremely capable off-road vehicle with a large boot space with the seats down which suited my family/deer needs perfectly. Mine was incredibly reliable but I did service it regularly - it went with underbody protection and a 13,500 lb winch "hidden" in the front

Sold: - 2010 Freelander 2 SD4 HSE with Off-Road Mods - £3k (Bristol)

Reluctant sale of my much abused but well-loved FL2 (164,430 miles) with later facelift enhancements and off-roading additions. The MOT has just been done and is valid to 27 Dec 24. It has a full service history and the timing belt and waterpump were changed in 2021 at 122,887 miles. A...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

 

[Bavarianbrit]

just like @Smellydog I’ve had both a Jimny and the duster. I loved both and equally good off road although the Jimny would probably win if the going got extreme. In the real world the duster is easier to live with having more room inside and better road manners. I’ve regularly taken the duster from Ayrshire to Oxford return in one day, wouldn’t even have thought about it with the Jimny. It all depends what you want / need the car to do. My duster was built in India and suffered from rust, the new ones are now built in Romania and the issue has been sorted.

I saw dusters while in India in 2019 and they were badged as Renaults.

 

[Essexsussex]

I saw dusters while in India in 2019 and they were badged as Renaults.

The companies are related. Essentially Dacia (in the uk) is a Romanian built Renault with the Renault running and other gear. Sometimes slightly older Renault tech than the latest. This is why they are cheaper. Intelligently done really.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

The companies are related. Essentially Dacia (in the uk) is a Romanian built Renault with the Renault running and other gear. Sometimes slightly older Renault tech than the latest. This is why they are cheaper. Intelligently done really.

I know, I was designing cars for 50 years.

 

[Essexsussex]

I know, I was designing cars for 50 years.

Very good. Hopefully helpful for others.

 

[viking90]

Jimnys can be amazing to weld up. The worse one I've ever had the misfortune of encountering required the plastic wheel arch extension removing and then cutting an access hole through the body work to get to the chassis behind it. Then graft the piece of bodywork back into the access hole once it was fixed. This is because the body is so close to the chassis you can't get in to do the job or it would be a body off job. 4wd system can have stupid problems but that's usually because of the vac operated hubs which need binning for AVMs or welding up fixed. Swivel balls are welded on so once the chrome pits and starts peeling off destroying the swivel seals it's a replacement axle job instead of a bolt on part like a landy. That said I do love my suzukis and I'd recommend them to anyone, my first car was a 1988 SJ410 and my only regret was I didn't manage to find a Samurai instead with the 1.3 and better axles. Yes jimnys can have rust issues but they also don't call the Dacia Duster the Dacia Ruster for nothing.

 

[viking90]

I know, I was designing cars for 50 years.

You should list the makes and models so we know who to shout at when we come across something like starter motors inside bellhousings or oil filters behind exhaust down pipes etc etc lol

 

[Bavarianbrit]

You should list the makes and models so we know who to shout at when we come across something like starter motors inside bellhousings or oil filters behind exhaust down pipes etc etc lol

I always did body and interiors I did not get my hands dirty.

 

[tim@tcs]

Hilux.

Those Jimnys are utter rot boxes.
The chassis rot through at less than 3 yrs old.

Shame really cause they could be a great motor but they just need fortunes spent to make them robust.

I live by the sea, 3/4 of a mile away and have had jimny’s for 20 years. The only bit I managed to lose to rot was the petrol tank and that was 15 years old!

 

[Rake Aboot]

I live by the sea, 3/4 of a mile away and have had jimny’s for 20 years. The only bit I managed to lose to rot was the petrol tank and that was 15 years old!

Did you look after the chassis or was it factory original ?

 

[tim@tcs]

Did you look after the chassis or was it factory original ?

First one was original and lasted fine, my Isuzu rodeo was almost as tough but in the end the electrics let it down!

 

[Rake Aboot]

So you’ve never had a Jimmy chassis rust through.?

 

[tim@tcs]

So you’ve never had a Jimmy chassis rust through.?

Nope not one, I must be lucky

 

[Cottis]

Be careful. A 10 + year old off read vehicle which hasn’t been maintained perfectly is a money grave on end. Better spend your money on something more recent.

I have a 2004 SWB Suzuki Grand Vitara. Last 3yrs I have put a front caliper on it, replaced front discs and pads and had an exhaust clip replaced. While my daily driver was in for a service, I used it to go to the golf club and some moron managed to hit a ball through the reverse light in the car park but that cannot be blamed on the vehicle. I change the oil on the road myself as you can get under it easily. Comfortably the most reliable car I have had. Way better than the German crap I tend to drive apart form the late 80's/early90's B3 platform Audi stuff. I miss those cars.

Rear seats are permanently folded flat in the Suzuki and the rifle(s) go in and not diagonally. I get a plasterers bath in there for deer as well as sticks, shooting mats and other hunting kit. It needs a bloody good clean but nothing more.

To the OP, are you wanting a vehicle that will be a daily driver as well? If so, avoid things like the Jimny and Grand Vitaras and stuff like that. They are poor on fuel and not great on faster roads. You might get overtaken by glaciers and will need to be related to someone called "Sheikh" but they are decent vehicles that will go anywhere. My GV has a proper ladder chassis, manual lo range box and due to its weight or lack, you just need aggressive AT's on it rather than proper muds and it will go anywhere.

If you are looking for more of a daily that can also do some gentle off roading, 4wd Yeti or Subaru Foresters are not bad vehicles for the best of both worlds. The reality is that you really want a proper car for tarmac driving and a 4wd that will fulfil your hunting needs. It is a bit like people looking for the perfect crossover hunting and target scope. They just don't really exist.

Pay attention to tax bands as well. The road tax for my GV is frightening for what it is but i do about 6000 miles a year in it and it helps protect my daily driver from some the abuse I used to put it through. I doubt I would go back to single vehicle ownership now. It is genuinely useful (but costly) having 2 vehicles.

 

[gixer1]

Be careful. A 10 + year old off read vehicle which hasn’t been maintained perfectly is a money grave on end. Better spend your money on something more recent.

Not in my experience - I did the brand new pick up thing and it cost me an absolute fortune for the abysmal 18 months ownership….i ended up buying a “fill in” jeep Cherokee for £1400 and kept it for 3 years and 41k miles and all it had were service items and fuel….i also wasn’t worried about scratching it or throwing dirty gear in the back - normal people will worry about that on a new vehicle.

I tend to buy used now and run them until 100k miles and hen look to change, I changed to a pick up to separate ticks and keds from me!

New vehicles are not all they are cracked up to be…

 

[Rake Aboot]

Nope not one, I must be lucky

Related to Jesus by any chance ?

Hard to believe or fathom actually given how every single one rusts like crazy.
No way that’s with just the factory coating .

 

[Foxyboy43]

Nope not one, I must be lucky

Nor has my 19years old one and I live beside the sea. A simple annual waxoyl or spray with old oil is no big deal!
Worth noting MOTs are done in govt test centres not by your local garage so standards must be pretty high.

 

[tozzybum]

My m8 Matt spent £900 having his Jimny welded ( rebuilt) and the 3 people I know with them all have similar tales of such expenses.
Yes they go everywhere but the paint must be rust based water unless your very lucky.

 

[Rake Aboot]

Nor has my 19years old one and I live beside the sea. A simple annual waxoyl or spray with old oil is no big deal!
Worth noting MOTs are done in govt test centres not by your local garage so standards must be pretty high.

Of only the other 99% of them had an annual wax oil as well.

 

[tim@tcs]

Of only the other 99% of them had an annual wax oil as well.

Mine didn’t, I didn’t clean it between mot’s either, maybe mud is as good as wax oil?