This looks nice, I'm very tempted to trade the old girl in against it
Not far from home for me...and on LPG as well !
tinyurl.com/ygdjprf
Ted
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The Suzuki Grand Vitara seems to get good marks for its off-road abilities, and the two people i know who own 7-year-old examples of them are v pleased ... but according to the review on the 4Car website it did very badly in the JD Power survey of owner satisfaction. I'd suggest checking that out before buying.
If I was in the OP's shoes, I'd be looking strongly at a Jap import. A modest mileage 3-door Mistubishi Pajero (aka Shogun) can be imported and placed on the road here for less than £4K. Having imported a campervan from Japan (through Algy's Autos), I'm very pleased with the deal I got and with the excellent condition of the vehicle: the Japanese don't use salt on their road and maintain their vehicles very well.
See www.algysautos.com/Pajero__SWB_28.html
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NowWheels...was your motorhome rustproofed upon arrival in the UK?
Japanese home market cars are not very well protected from the salty elements at all, and need rustproofing quickly.
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Nissan terano lwb 2.7 diesel these engines run very well and are cheap enough for your budget, besides if it gets too cold sleep inside with the seats down!
Or a good old landrover 110 station wagon again a good engine and reliable not fast but it's a landy.
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The OP stated 'very significant motorway journeys' thus ruling out the Defender...for 6 months I ran a 90 and even the short journey from Lancaster to Penrith was awful. It got the bug out of my system though.
Two of my friends run Grand Vitaras, and although proving reliable, are not somewhere that neither they, nor I, would wish to spend several hours on the motorway.
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>>Two of my friends run Grand Vitaras, and although proving reliable, are not somewhere that neither they, nor I, would wish to spend several hours on the motorway.<<
That is the nature of the 4x4s which have proper off-raod ability in this price range. A Range Rover is the best of both worlds, but then they cost a fortune to run, especially a well used example within the budget.
Ive thought about this a bit more though - how about a RAV 4? They have better road manners than most, but then it depends how far off road the OP wants to go - if it is proper off the beaten track, then a certain level of sacrifice to on road comfort has to be made.
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I would maintain that the Forester fits the bill. The RAV4 is at the very softest end of soft-roaders; some aren't even 4WD, IIRC? I drove a 980-mile round-trip in a Forester the other week and it was fine under all circumstances, while retaining proper off-road capability. It also has the facility to lay the seats flat for sleeping. (How am I selling it? Missed my calling . . .)
Edited by dimdip on 12/11/2009 at 17:01
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Only thing that stopped me recommending the Forester was firstly the requirement for good off-road ability - its not a proper off-roader, its a muddly lane car and secondly, its quite thirsty unless driven like a vicar.
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However, muddy lane / unsurfaced roads ability is exactly what the OP requires. It does have low ratio, plus proper offroad tyres. OP also states that economy is not a primary consideration since it is deductable.
[Still available btw, immaculate, 45k mi fsh etc ;) ]
Edited by dimdip on 12/11/2009 at 17:45
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Had exactly your problem through the 90`s early 20`s lugging TV cameras/men around various stately home parks for equestrian events.
I used a Ford Sierra 2.0 DOHC 4x4 Estate, which was brilliant across country (the LSD system made a monkey out of Range Rovers). However you have to be realistic about ruts.
Bought a Subaru Legacy in 2000 to replace it - very similar spec, but I didn`t like it as much as the Ford, not so good on motorways (less grunt, too short-geared for comfy 90 mph cruise) - so kept Ford until 2007/250,000 miles. If you could find a good one your problems are over. If!
Being realistic, I think your best bet would be a Legacy/Outback around 5 years old; I`ve still got mine, the wife tows her horses around with it. They ARE astonishingly reliable, even if the MWay noise is too high for me - but a lot better than e.g my current Ford Focus (or - a VW Golf?). I`m now beginning to quite like the Legacy!
Remember the Forester is basically a jumped up Impreza - on the same chassis, think Ford Escort - Subaru are not as good as Ford at conforming cars for max space. My daughter just bought a Legacy to replace a Forester when her second child arrived.
Be interested to know how you get on. I`m on a similar quest, but worries about the huge potential costs of modern hi-tech diesels puts me off anything like that from VW, Skoda, Audi and just about any other estate derived 4x4 car from recent years.
Don`t know anything about breeze-blocks or mini breeze blocks; none seem to add up on cost/utilty grounds (but Suzuki????)
I`ll probably go for a Subaru Outback with lo-ratio and LPG conversion; IF I can find one!
Good luck,
AS
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>>Being realistic, I think your best bet would be a Legacy/Outback>>
They are surprisingly long, though ? I wouldn't relish the prospect of having to parallel park one in London, where the OP is based.
>>Remember the Forester is basically a jumped up Impreza - on the same chassis >>
... and nothing wrong with that. If the OP is currently using a Golf, I'm sure a Forester would be big enough.
[Climate control, CD player, adjustable headlamps . . . ]
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If fuel cost isnt a consideration, id go for an early 90's V8 Range Rover - for that budget you could get a very sorted example, plus you get a totally comfortable long distance crusier aswell.
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I think the OP wrote something like "it can't break down *ever*"
[£3650 ovno. Can deliver.]
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how about a Kia Sportage, I have seen a 05 model for £5500, I do not know what the off road capabilities are but they seem OK, my cousin has one on their farm, but they use it as a road car
Another one is the Hyundi Santafe, a 54 reg one is about £4000, nice car, OK on muddy fields although not to muddy. Had one on hire in Iceland, was fine on snow
How about a Rav 4, 52 plate for about £5000
Edited by skittles on 12/11/2009 at 20:37
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