what car?

[geth]

Well i never thought that trying to choose a suitable vehicle would be so hard. I genuinely do not know where to start and i feel like for all the choice out there, there is genuinely nothing that fits my requirements. Maybe its just me being particular! So i just thought id ask you lot on here what vehicles you have and find good for you, so i at least have somewhere to start looking.
Currently i have a 2007 hilux with 197k on the clock and a merc sprinter with 400k. I have 3 gundogs, 2 kids, a missus that dosnt want to turn up at family events and freinds houses in what she describes as dirty rough piles of scrap! I will be using the car to go to scotland and will be putting carcasses in the back. I also do a huge amount of fishing over in france and there is a requirement to fit rods, bait, bivvys etc etc in the back aswel as bikes, pushchairs and god knows what else. Obviously its got to be good on fuel. Ill end up keeping my hilux for feeding up round my shoot, so a 4x4 isnt essential but it would be nice. I dont tow anymore so im not that bothered about towing capacity.
hope there is somthing out there! been looking all afternoon!

 

[User00025]

A Hummer

 

[FISH BOY]

Discovery 4 with a warranty

Week drive and survive in France, four up

 

[Cottis]

Audi A6 Avant Quattro Le Mans Derv in Manual with a good service history.

 

[Selous]

I just sold my disco for an Audi A4 avant which may be worth considering (also the A6). There is a good range of models including Quattro , they eat up the motorway miles and are comfy with better mpg and less road tax than my old disco. You would want to have a good carcass tray worked out but that is the same for anything except a pickup.

 

[geth]

cheers, that will give me start for somewhere to look on the internet while im at work tonight. I do like the audi and volvo estate type cars. Disco is nice but thirsty like my hilux and with the price of fuel now its becoming a bit of an issue for me on long journeys. I have seen a ford transit sport type van with seats in the back but they seem a lot of money for what they are.

 

[caorach]

I've had the same problems for a while now - I had an old shape X-Trail that I loved and was perfect as a fishing/stalking truck but they don't make them any more and when I looked around for a replacement a pick-up (I ended up with an L200 but take your pick) was about the only suitable replacement. As you will know a pick-up isn't ideal for everything - they are designed for a job and so are a complete pain if you have to drive in town etc. plus for a lot of off road use they are larger, and have a much bigger turning circle, than you need actually making them something of a pain in many off road situations. Interestingly the X-Trail had a fraction more road clearance than the L200 has plus it would turn in half the space etc. and so in all but some exceptional conditions it was a better off road vehicle despite what many might tell you plus they were common so there was a good choice of second hand ones and dealers.

I did, very briefly, have a Discovery and never again will I have anything made my Land Rover or Range Rover. I simply don't need to spend my time and money fixing their junk as I run an off road vehicle so I can do things I want to do, not as a hobby.

Now I'm thinking about a replacement for the pick-up and, well, like you there is nothing that fits the "hole" left by the X-Trail as it was good on and off road, had huge space in the back, was comfortable and had everything you needed for long trips, was well designed and laid out for stalking and fishing, was acceptable to SWMBO, was at least as reliable as anything else I've ever had, got reasonable miles to the gallon, and so the list goes on.

Some have suggested the Subaru |Forester to me but dealers are few and far between, there is virtually no choice in second hand ones and they are hard on fuel and said to be expensive to keep plus to me they look expensive to buy - I don't know much about their current range as the last Subaru I had was unsuitable for stalking and blew flames out the back when I changed gear However, you might want to take a look at Subaru to see if it might work for you as it is as near as I've got to a useful suggestion.

 

[Spix]

VW Caddy Maxi might suit, seats are easy in easy out, if so Darren at Louth Volksworld would be worth a call.

 

[the scudd]

Octavia scout

 

[Dodder]

I personally would steer well clear of s/h Discoveries. My brother is an Indy Landrover dealer and some of the stories he tells me re repair bills are the stuff of nightmares. If the clutch goes they have to take the body off the chassis - ridiculous.

I have a 2012 V70 D5 SE Lux owned from 30k miles which is now on close to 175k miles. It is plenty fast enough (212bhp) and since bought has averaged 46 measured not computer mpg although I do a lot of Mway and A roads and do drive to maximise economy - pretty good IMO. Other than an failed bearing in the alternator at 90k causing some issues it has only ever needed consumables. It drives like a new car, has loads of room and is uber comfortable. They are reckoned to do around 350k miles with only normal servicing so mine is just about run in - highly recommended!

 

[mealiejimmy]

Avoid anything by LandRover - poor reliability
Buy a Landcruiser - it will do everything anything made by landRover will do, except break down

Cheers

Bruce

 

[User00003]

Avoid anything by LandRover - poor reliability
Buy a Landcruiser - it will do everything anything made by landRover will do, except break down

Cheers

Bruce

Nothing beats a LC but they’re bloody expensive.
shogun?

 

[hammo]

I have had my Subaru Forester for a few months now. Diesel 2010 model. Had it remapped and it gives 46mpg short runs with some field work, 50+ mpg long runs. About as good as it gets for a 4WD. Very nice drive, pulls hard and genuinely capable off road. Looks tidy as well.
Would not entertain a petrol one though, mpg is low 30's apparently.
You might want a trailer to fit all that kit in though....

 

[FISH BOY]

Avoid anything by LandRover - poor reliability
Buy a Landcruiser - it will do everything anything made by landRover will do, except break down

Cheers

Bruce

I agree that they maybe semi indestructible it's just a shame that they drive quite agriculturally like a Tractor.

V70 a good shout if you like boats.

Don’t even look at a XC90 unless it’s got a tarmac top.

Driven them all and if I had my time again it would be a Ford Ranger.

 

[topscots1]

volvo xc 90, very capable cars and massive

 

[slider]

Well i never thought that trying to choose a suitable vehicle would be so hard. I genuinely do not know where to start and i feel like for all the choice out there, there is genuinely nothing that fits my requirements. Maybe its just me being particular! So i just thought id ask you lot on here what vehicles you have and find good for you, so i at least have somewhere to start looking.
Currently i have a 2007 hilux with 197k on the clock and a merc sprinter with 400k. I have 3 gundogs, 2 kids, a missus that dosnt want to turn up at family events and freinds houses in what she describes as dirty rough piles of scrap! I will be using the car to go to scotland and will be putting carcasses in the back. I also do a huge amount of fishing over in france and there is a requirement to fit rods, bait, bivvys etc etc in the back aswel as bikes, pushchairs and god knows what else. Obviously its got to be good on fuel. Ill end up keeping my hilux for feeding up round my shoot, so a 4x4 isnt essential but it would be nice. I dont tow anymore so im not that bothered about towing capacity.
hope there is somthing out there! been looking all afternoon!

Skoda Kodiak

 

[kes]

If its reasonably priced you are after, have you considered a Hyundai Santa Fe? Very reliable cars - will tow if needed and reasonably priced new or secondhand. You get 5 year guarantee and reasonable consumption. Loadspace is good, takes a roof caddy. The seats are very comfortable for longer journeys - might be worth a quick test drive.

I have had Hyundai's for close to 15 years, old Tucson, 2 IX 35's and now a Tucson SE premium. The designs are better and they dont go wrong, unless you try to drive them through nearly 3 feet of water, as I did with the last but one.

 

[David T]

Volvo S90 estate or an oldie but definitely a goldie........850T5 R

 

[Overlay]

Nissan patrol is what I’ve got, use a little trailer on the back - perfect but it does just slightly to agricultural driving

i love it

 

[Feugh]

Octavia scout

I've just been through the same pain as the OP. I have an Octavia Scout and I've enjoyed 116K miles of almost completely trouble free motoring with it, including some rather hairy rides up to and down from the Scottish ski resorts (4x4 with winter tyres, it proved several times that it could handle almost anything). I decided that I'd look for a change after 100K miles, and then decided I'd keep it for another winter season, and then.... I just couldn't find a decent replacement. Second hand Scouts are quite rare and Skoda have discontinued the model, so when I tried to buy one in September the dealer (who was worse than useless) eventually told me that I couldn't have one.
So, what next? Golf Alltrak has also been discontinued, and I think that the Passat Alltrak has as well. Volvo estate 4X4/AWD are pretty expensive in comparison, and despite the good things that a lot of people say about Subaru Foresters on here, the reviews are not great and the fuel consumption isn't either. My mind was made up by two things - I picked up a place in a syndicate which has both red and roe, and whilst I could fit a roe in my Scout easily, a red would be more of a struggle and a big stag would probably end up badly. The second thing was an advert on facebook offering enhanced discounts for SACS members for new Hilux's before Christmas (22% off). That was enough for me to justify my mid-life crisis pick-up truck hankering and I bought one. I'll pick it up next week, time will tell if it was a stupid purchase.
It seems that most SUVs nowadays are not really designed to do what I think that they should do - most are 2WD and pretty useless off-road. They are also generally expensive for what they are. I would never take on a Land Rover for the same reasons as Caorach. Skoda Kodaiq? Maybe, but the Aberdeen skoda dealer was so bad I won't go back there. Also, the more powerful engines (which are needed in a big beast like that) are all automatic and I wanted to stick to a manual.
Good luck with your search. In the meantime, if anyone wants a Skoda Scout, 2011, with 116K miles on the clock I will have one for sale next week!