Off road car needed for friend - recommendations?

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Mon 26 Oct 2015 21:26
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - Happy Blue!

Female friend (mid 40s - capable woman) getting divorced and has moved to a cottage on an isolated farmstead accessed via a shale surfaced track with some very steep bits. One mile to the tarmac surfaced road. Her Fiat 500 (1.2 engine and stupidly low profile tyres) is not coping with the rough surface and if she stops part way up, there is not enough power to start again without going to the bottom again. With winter coming, she could be stuck at the top or bottom and neither is any good. So she needs more ground clearance, grip and/or power.

So short of moving somewhere more sensible, what canyou suggest? Assume spending up to £12,000 and she needs reliability. Nothing too big mind.....

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Mon 26 Oct 2015 21:34
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - RobJP

Depends really on her annual mileage, but a Suzuki Jimny will go almost anywhere. Put off road tyres on it, and you need a cliff face to stop one.

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Mon 26 Oct 2015 22:03
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - Sofa Spud

It might be worthwhile for this capable woman to seek the advice of a capable man with connections in the motor trade. It does require some degree of capability to enable one to discern a capable car salesman from an incapable one sometimes, though.

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Tue 27 Oct 2015 21:28
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - groaver

I'll second this recommendation (Jimny) if she can live with it on tarmac!

Edited by groaver on 27/10/2015 at 21:29

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Tue 27 Oct 2015 22:57
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - focussed

If the track is as bad as described with steep parts, the Jimny will cope with that as it has low range available and has good ground clearance.

Amazing little car, will tow just about anything in low range.

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Mon 26 Oct 2015 23:19
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - SteveLee

Just take the 500 back to the dealer and swap it for a Panda 4x4 - incredibly capable when the going gets tough - rides nicely and is cheap to run.

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Tue 27 Oct 2015 05:59
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - Happy Blue!

Great idea! Forgot about the Panda. Thanks

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Tue 27 Oct 2015 09:25
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - Falkirk Bairn

Suzuki Swift make a 4x4 version

Then of course Subaru - Impreza 1.5/1.6 - a friend of my son had one for some 8 years 160K & it was bullet proof - commute from Scottish Borders to Edinburgh in winter is not the easiest of tasks - it even survived a being sideswiped by a Polish Lorry on the motorway - he wasn't far from home having drivrn 2,000+ miles on holiday on the continent only to be hit 25 miles from home.

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Tue 27 Oct 2015 09:47
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - Bianconeri
Panda 4x4 or even the Trekking ( which is 2wd but will handle everything most folks think 4wd is essential for ) or the Suzuki Swift 4x4.

All have really impressed me in recent months and should be cheap to run. The TwinAir Panda 4x4 is quite addictive......
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Tue 27 Oct 2015 16:29
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - gordonbennet

If she considers a Panda make sure its got a proper engine, not that 1.2 gutless wonder or smaller or she'll still be in the same boat re starting off.

Forester would be my suggestion.

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Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:37
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - Bianconeri

If she considers a Panda make sure its got a proper engine, not that 1.2 gutless wonder or smaller or she'll still be in the same boat re starting off.

Forester would be my suggestion.

It's a fine car but pretty big. The Panda 4x4 does not have the 1.2 engine. The best variant, in my opinion, is the TwinAir. It just works. It's far more capable than it has a right to be. Brilliant little car.
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Tue 27 Oct 2015 19:51
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - Smileyman

my first thought was to suggest the Toyotas like our friends (or not!) in the middle east tend to favour, but then I saw the words 'nothing too big' and most likely these would be classed as being too big,

well the Nissan Juke comes with a 4x4 option, it might be suitable, can't comment on prices though! (you did not say brand new)

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Tue 27 Oct 2015 23:04
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - Avant

If she tries a Panda 4x4 she should make sure the test drive includes a trip home up her drive! It can probably cope but she needs to be sure.

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Wed 28 Oct 2015 08:55
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - daveyjp
The Subaru XV may fit the bill.
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Wed 28 Oct 2015 17:36
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - groaver

For someone, somewhere, surely? ;)

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Wed 28 Oct 2015 17:50
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - SteveLee

If she tries a Panda 4x4 she should make sure the test drive includes a trip home up her drive! It can probably cope but she needs to be sure.

The Panda 4x4 can go places most lifestyle wannabee SUVs can only dream of - it's superb in the rough stuff, plenty of ground clearence, tiny overhangs and a crawler 1st gear.

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Wed 28 Oct 2015 18:04
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - Wackyracer

The Panda 4x4 can go places most lifestyle wannabee SUVs can only dream of - it's superb in the rough stuff, plenty of ground clearence, tiny overhangs and a crawler 1st gear.

Having looked at the video on the Fiat website, they certainly look like a capable vehicle indeed.

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Wed 28 Oct 2015 22:22
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - Happy Blue!

Oh I wish it was so easy! She doesn't like the rear of the Panda!!! b***** women#$!&!**@!. It's the perfect car. I have suggested a Terios as well. Older but a nicer shape apparently [ sigh ].

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Wed 28 Oct 2015 22:56
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - gordonbennet

Can't say as i blame her HB, the Panda might be ok on the road but looks well a bit quirky, and proper little (almost hardcore) off roaders such as Jimny/Terios arn't exactly a bundle of laughs on the road.

Forester, you know it makes sense, will do everything she asks and can be thrown about with gay abandon in almost any on road conditions.

You know she's going to buy something that has you pulling tufts of the old barnet out don't you, and you'll be in the frame when it all goes pear shaped .:-)

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Thu 29 Oct 2015 06:17
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - Happy Blue!

Yes it will all be my fault.......keeping out of it now. Much to my wife's relief.

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Thu 29 Oct 2015 07:48
Off road car needed for friend - recommendations? - corax

b***** women#$!&!**@!.

Capable though.

Rav 4 or something would have been ideal I think.

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