Buying 2nd hand 4x4

aka_Ciaran

I'm going to buy a 4x4 but I can't make up my mind on what type. Criteria is 2.5 ltr engine max, preferably diesel, manual gearbox, 80 - 90k miles max, and leather seats (although not that important). I'm going to go to the UK as there's much better choice and value there. My budget is about 2500 STG / 3000 EUR, so I'm looking at 98 to 02 roughly in age. In the list so far is a Hilux Surf 2.4, Mitsubishi Pajero 2.5 SWB or LWB, or Land Rover Discovery 2.5 TDS. I've read that approx 20% of Hilux Surf's need to have the head gasket changed, although apart from this or once this is done they're bullet proof. So can anyone advise on the best from those three, or suggest another good 2.5 ltr 4x4?

Thanks v much.....

Ciaran.

aka_Ciaran

Sorry should have added that I don't want to go off road or do any hauling or heavy work. I want it mainly for holding a 9 ft surfboard and heading down the country. Again all opinions appreciated.

peasant

Why not get a van instead?

something like this http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen/Transporter/2.5-Tdi/1201132/ would get you on and off the beach as well

L-M

I'm going to be the usual biased self and go with the Discovery, although for 3000euro i don't think you will get much in a Discovery in 1998 unless you are going commercial?

Barr

How about a Santa Fe , they are dirt cheap in the UK

Zube

aka_Ciaran wrote: »

Sorry should have added that I don't want to go off road or do any hauling or heavy work..

So, you don't need a 4x4, and you want us to tell you which 4x4 you don't need. OK, you don't need a BMW X6. Or any other 4x4, just like 99% of 4x4 buyers. Buy a roof rack.

You're welcome.

Tipsy Mac

Yes if your not going off road or hauling loads a van makes much more sense, cheaper to run and more load space.

L-M

Zube wrote: »

So, you don't need a 4x4, and you want us to tell you which 4x4 you don't need. OK, you don't need a BMW X6. Or any other 4x4, just like 99% of 4x4 buyers. Buy a roof rack.

You're welcome.

Bad day at the office?

Zube

Limerick-man wrote: »

Bad day at the office?

Are you kidding?

The roads are clogged with 4x4s, half of which are front-wheel-drive imitations. The real ones are heavy, slow agricultural yokes which belong in the class of things that shouldn't be allowed on real roads. The fake fashion 4x4s are stupid, ugly and always IN MY WAY.

And all of them cost far more than an intelligent person would spend on a much nicer car of the same size/power/snob value.

I don't think they should be banned, I think they should be mocked mercilessly until the idiots who buy them because they think they are cooler than cars realize that in fact, driving a road-only jeep is a badge of ignorance.

L-M

Zube wrote: »

Are you kidding?

The roads are clogged with 4x4s, half of which are front-wheel-drive imitations. The real ones are heavy, slow agricultural yokes which belong in the class of things that shouldn't be allowed on real roads. The fake fashion 4x4s are stupid, ugly and always IN MY WAY.

And all of them cost far more than an intelligent person would spend on a much nicer car of the same size/power/snob value.

I don't think they should be banned, I think they should be mocked mercilessly until the idiots who buy them because they think they are cooler than cars realize that in fact, driving a road-only jeep is a badge of ignorance.

It's not that people think they are "cooler" than cars. My mother would love a jeep, because of the driving position and being up high. I wouldn't consider the 2 wheel drive versions jeeps. The likes of the Nissan Qashqai or the Hyundai Tuscon 2 wheel drive i wouldn't consider a jeep. It's all down to people's taste's.
Same can be said for all type's of cars and jeeps. People like what they like.
I would buy a jeep, simple as.

Zube

Limerick-man wrote: »

Same can be said for all type's of cars and jeeps. People like what they like.
I would buy a jeep, simple as.

No. A tractor is a poor choice as a commuter vehicle.

A Jeep is excellent for towing horse boxes.

Anyone who thinks either one is a car is an idiot.

L-M

Zube wrote: »

No. A tractor is a poor choice as a commuter vehicle.

A Jeep is excellent for towing horse boxes.

Anyone who thinks either one is a car is an idiot.

Who said they think it's a car? I assume your very biased against SUV's, for which reason i don't understand as there are alot worse than them on the market. Also it's late enough for my head to be working to argue my point. Until tomorrow

landydef

everything considered (budget etc.) id go for the hilux surf although you might want to keep it commercial as you'll get hammered for road tax and vrt if you register it private,if you want to buy a 4x4 then buy one and feck the begrudgers

Zube

landydef wrote: »

feck the begrudgers

I'm not a begrudger: I love expensive cars. I will pull into the hard shoulder to let a nice car by, if at all possible.

But I love cars: I don't see why someone who can afford a really nice car would spend the same money on a 4x4 which is, compared to the car, crap.

The car is obviously worse at crossing ploughed fields, but honestly, who cares? What's next, a fashion for BMW combine harvesters? The driving position is really high!

Buy a car, w@nkers!

landydef

in your opinion there crap,personally i like cars but i also love 4x4s and obviously so does the OP,therefore he should buy one and not care what anyone thinks of him!

aka_Ciaran

Zube wrote:

No. A tractor is a poor choice as a commuter vehicle.
A Jeep is excellent for towing horse boxes.
Anyone who thinks either one is a car is an idiot.

Umm, don't think anyone said a jeep or a tractor is a car.

Zube wrote:

But I love cars: I don't see why someone who can afford a really nice car would spend the same money on a 4x4 which is, compared to the car, crap.

So just coz you love cars means everyone has to buy one?

Zube wrote:

The car is obviously worse at crossing ploughed fields, but honestly, who cares? What's next, a fashion for BMW combine harvesters? The driving position is really high!

Buy a car, w@nkers!

I would buy a car but for the reason I said...no car will take a 9 ft surfboard, and I'm not arsed strapping it on/off every time I leave/arrive/leave the beach.

Zube

landydef wrote: »

in your opinion there crap,personally i like cars but i also love 4x4s and obviously so does the OP,therefore he should buy one and not care what anyone thinks of him!

Absolutely! And all the Sherman Tank fans should buy Sherman tanks, unless they listen to the Tiger Tank fans...

but none of them should be in a Motors forum, and none of them should be on our roads. Buy a tractor: drive in your own fields.

Zube

aka_Ciaran wrote: »

no car will take a 9 ft surfboard, and I'm not arsed strapping it on/off every time I leave/arrive/leave the beach.

God forbid you should have to lift your hands above your shoulders!

Like I said, buy a roof rack. 4x4 my arse.

landydef

if thats the angle you look at this then what do you find so appealing about "fast" cars,seriously the fastest you can drive in this country is just 120km/hr,why not buy a standard car,personally i couldnt give a **** if someone wants to buy a faster car fair play to them! who am i to tell anyone what they should or should not buy!

Zube

landydef wrote: »

who am i to tell anyone what they should or should not buy!

So, when the fashion for BMW combine harvesters takes off, you'll be sitting behind one at 5 kph saying "I understand they are excellent with crops..."

My hole: nobody needs them, and nobody woud want them except that some fashion merchant has convinced a bunch of engineering know-nothings that 4x4s are cool.

I don't begrudge them the money these stupid machines cost, and I don't pity the fools for wasting it. I just wish they'd keep their tractors off the road where they belong (although most of them are rubbish off-road, too)

landydef

who said anything about combine harvestors?
in that case who "needs" an BMW M3 why not buy a high spec 316 instead?
seriously you want to get that chip off your shoulder man your blood pressure must be sky high, live and let live!

Notch000

Why not get an estate/touring car ? they will fit the 9 FT board inside easy
Audi A4, BMW 318/320, suburu forester etc

Anan1

aka_Ciaran wrote: »

Sorry should have added that I don't want to go off road or do any hauling or heavy work. I want it mainly for holding a 9 ft surfboard and heading down the country. Again all opinions appreciated.

I'd go for an estate. The 4x4s you mentioned are all less capable on-road than cars, why arrive more tired than you have to be?

Guy:Incognito

Zube wrote: »

Are you kidding?

The roads are clogged with 4x4s, half of which are front-wheel-drive imitations. .

How are the roads anymore clogged than if the same people were all driving fanily saloons?

Zube wrote: »

My hole: nobody needs them,

Nobody "needs" a car that can go faster than 120k. Nobody "needs" a car bigger than can take their family and nobody "needs" a car that looks good.

Why doesnt every car company fold up and let the 1.4 Corolla be the only car sold in the world.

Biro

aka_Ciaran wrote: »

I would buy a car but for the reason I said...no car will take a 9 ft surfboard, and I'm not arsed strapping it on/off every time I leave/arrive/leave the beach.

To be fair, a SWB 4x4 like you have on your suggestions list has even less hope of taking a surfboard than even a normal saloon!
Hi-Lux is your best bet for the job you want from a handiness point of view. Completely overkill, but will work. A SWB Pajero is a silly suggestion, and a LWB Pajero or Freelander will only offer the same space as a much cheaper to run and buy estate.
So in conclusion, either a pick up or an estate or a van.

aka_Ciaran

Notch000 wrote: »

Why not get an estate/touring car ? they will fit the 9 FT board inside easy
Audi A4, BMW 318/320, suburu forester etc

Anan1 wrote:

I'd go for an estate. The 4x4s you mentioned are all less capable on-road than cars, why arrive more tired than you have to be?

Biro wrote:

To be fair, a SWB 4x4 like you have on your suggestions list has even less hope of taking a surfboard than even a normal saloon!
Hi-Lux is your best bet for the job you want from a handiness point of view. Completely overkill, but will work. A SWB Pajero is a silly suggestion, and a LWB Pajero or Freelander will only offer the same space as a much cheaper to run and buy estate.
So in conclusion, either a pick up or an estate or a van.

Yes I have been thinking about an estate also, and also posting a thread about the pros and cons of the various ones available In the list would be Merc estate, maybe E200 or 220 diesel, 318/320 touring, Audi A4 etc. So I may possibly start shifting my attention in this direction. Thanks for the suggestions, all much appreciated. Any thoughts on the best diesel | 1.8 or 2 ltr | 98 - 02 estate also appreciated

S.I.R

aka_Ciaran wrote: »

Yes I have been thinking about an estate also, and also posting a thread about the pros and cons of the various ones available In the list would be Merc estate, maybe E200 or 220 diesel, 318/320 touring, Audi A4 etc. So I may possibly start shifting my attention in this direction. Thanks for the suggestions, all much appreciated. Any thoughts on the best diesel | 1.8 or 2 ltr | 98 - 02 estate also appreciated

buy a 2.5 nissan stageaq. based on a skyline these cars will break 400 hp with no worrys at all, piss all over anything on the road and fit brain cowan in the back... ( now thats saying something about the slack jaw'd foo' )

can be found rather cheaply in england with the r33 spec...

They are from experiance... with about 1k spent ( blow off valve, re-map , decent base upgrade of the plugs leads, filter etc maybe a boost controller too ) and absolute bullet... id say if set up correctly, it could tow anything...

racso1975

Nissan Stagea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Stagea

aka_Ciaran

Haven't heard of the Stagea, new to me. Looks good...anyone know about the emissions/road tax/VRT?

Eoin

Would a D-segment estate fit a 9 foot board? I don't know if the 156 estate is any smaller than the A4 estate, but it doesn't look like it has a huge load space:
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Alfa-Romeo/156/2.0-TS/1175611/

peasant

just get a van and be done with it

you can throw the board in, get changed in it and even sleep in it if needs be

There's a van going for 700 on adverts at the moment (not mine)

Anan1

I don't think any estate will fit a 9-foot board inside, TBH. My Forester will take 180cms from the tailgate to the back of the front seats, 9 feet is what, 280cms? Maybe it'd fit into a big estate if you slid it between the front seats, but that'd affect visibility & safety. I'd say roof bars are the the answer.

Eoin

Ah right - sounds like too much work for the OP though:

I'm not arsed strapping it on/off every time I leave/arrive/leave the beach.

aka_Ciaran

peasant wrote: »

just get a van and be done with it

you can throw the board in, get changed in it and even sleep in it if needs be

There's a van going for 700 on adverts at the moment (not mine)

Ya but vans are noisy and rattly...drove one before for a couple years and swore never again. Mind you that was a Ford Courier so I'm sure there's more comfortable ones out there. If I could find a decent one that was comfy and nicely kitted out I might have a look.

Slig

we on estate cars now?
I was enjoying the 4x4 "debate"(:P), hasent been a good one really since the 4x4 forum was set up.
Has anybody done the "well what do you drive so?" question yet?:D
In my opinion (and OT) the argument that they hold everybody up doesnt hold much water, the most sensible car (toyota corolla) is equally at fault


OP, if you intend to take the board to some serious spots then high ground clearance is a bigger consideration than 4 wheel drive. some estate cars have it. The likes of a subaru forrester is worth considering but I'd say out of your budget. Santa fe is alright but the radical styling was kinda put to shame by the newer modle in my opinion.
VW transporters can be picked up cheap and gives you the option of throwing a matress in the back too, some of them were 4x4 aswell, synchro I think. On the same lines there is the mazda Bongo, ford Freda thing.

aka_Ciaran

Anan1 wrote: »

I don't think any estate will fit a 9-foot board inside, TBH. My Forester will take 180cms from the tailgate to the back of the front seats, 9 feet is what, 280cms? Maybe it'd fit into a big estate if you slid it between the front seats, but that'd affect visibility & safety. I'd say roof bars are the the answer.

You could be right a 9 ft board would probably be stuck between the seat...would need to measure any one I was thinking of. So this takes me back to my original plan of a 4x4

Anan1

Anything big enough to take a 9-foot board inside is going to be a bit less than the ultimate drive. My advice is to get a Forester S turbo with roof bars - I take it from the interest in the Nissan Stagea that fuel consumption's not a deal-breaker.

peasant

aka_Ciaran wrote: »

You could be right a 9 ft board would probably be stuck between the seat...would need to measure any one I was thinking of. So this takes me back to my original plan of a 4x4

No it doesn't ...anything that will have a 2.5 - 3.0 m long load area will be a van. 4X4's are just estates with no back seats when it comes to the load area

Biro

aka_Ciaran wrote: »

You could be right a 9 ft board would probably be stuck between the seat...would need to measure any one I was thinking of. So this takes me back to my original plan of a 4x4

Really if you want to fit it inside the vehicle a van is the only option. A LWB 4x4 is only going to be similar size to an estate, apart from a few inches in height. So either you get a pick-up or a van! The pick up will have the board on the outside though!

Vegeta

Anan1 wrote: »

I don't think any estate will fit a 9-foot board inside, TBH. My Forester will take 180cms from the tailgate to the back of the front seats, 9 feet is what, 280cms? Maybe it'd fit into a big estate if you slid it between the front seats, but that'd affect visibility & safety. I'd say roof bars are the the answer.

I cant think of anything off the top of my head bar a van that will take a 9ft surfboard inside.

If you don't get a van it will be going on the roof, if its going on the roof you might as well get a nice efficient, reliable and safe saloon with a roof rack.

Sounds like a van would be the job though.

Eoin

Problem solved:

Vegeta

Biro wrote: »

Really if you want to fit it inside the vehicle a van is the only option. A LWB 4x4 is only going to be similar size to an estate, apart from a few inches in height. So either you get a pick-up or a van! The pick up will have the board on the outside though!

Even a pickup wouldn't have a 9ft flat bed would it?

aka_Ciaran

Anan1 wrote: »

Anything big enough to take a 9-foot board inside is going to be a bit less than the ultimate drive. My advice is to get a Forester S turbo with roof bars - I take it from the interest in the Nissan Stagea that fuel consumption's not a deal-breaker.

Had a quick look on autotrader for Stagea's...couldn't find any 2.5 diesel looks like they're all petrol. In this case the fuel consumption and road tax would be a deal breaker.

I find it hard to believe a LWB 4x4 wouldn't take a 9ft board. My mum's Honda jazz can take a 7 ft 9 board with the seats down (although it does come out over the passenger seat a fair bit)

Biro

Vegeta wrote: »

Even a pickup wouldn't have a 9ft flat bed would it?

Nope, but he seems insistant on a 4x4!

Biro

aka_Ciaran wrote: »

Had a quick look on autotrader for Stagea's...couldn't find any 2.5 diesel looks like they're all petrol. In this case the fuel consumption and road tax would be a deal breaker.

I find it hard to believe a LWB 4x4 wouldn't take a 9ft board. My mum's Honda jazz can take a 7 ft 9 board with the seats down (although it does come out over the passenger seat a fair bit)

Tax on a 2.5 is the same regardless of fuel or anything else seeing as you're not getting a 2008 one!

Vegeta

aka_Ciaran wrote: »

I find it hard to believe a LWB 4x4 wouldn't take a 9ft board. My mum's Honda jazz can take a 7 ft 9 board with the seats down (although it does come out over the passenger seat a fair bit)

Sure it might fit inside, from dash to the rear door but then forget giving friends a lift.

Also how will it be secured, I don't fancy being in any vehicle with an unsecured 9ft object moving about under breaking.

I think the newer Pajero has an internal length of approx 8 feet, after a google search.

you need one of these, 12 yards long and 2 lanes wide, 65 tonnes of American pride, Canyonero

cormac_byrne

Vegeta wrote: »

Sure it might fit inside, from dash to the rear door but then forget giving friends a lift.

Also how will it be secured, I don't fancy being in any vehicle with an unsecured 9ft object moving about under breaking.

I've got a LWB Series Land Rover, That would take a 9ft board, but it would as Vegeta says be 'from dash to the rear door'.

The passenger seat back would need to be tilted forward or removed.

Obviously the board would need to be strapped down to prevent it exiting via the front windscreen on braking.

In the back on the drivers side you could have a sideways bench seat (for 3 small or 2 normal people) and 1 forward facing seat, or 2 forward facing seats.

There's also a center seat in the front but it's very small.

The same info is as valid for a Defender as it is for Series Land Rover

cabrwab

We have a LWB (commercial) landcruiser in work and this will take an 8ft screen in it, but only when you put it on the centre armrest.

Op unfortunately the easiest thing to do it get a car get a roof rack, if you get an estate also will serve as a nice place to sleep.

Vans would be your best option, most newer vans are closer to car feeling then you might think but these would need to be newer ones, can still be rattly sometimes. After driving a VW transporter for work i would not recommend it (unless its a very new version). Use my work van sometimes to go canoing perfect, place to change/sit afterwards before you hit the road!

A mits pajero swb has no room in it at all i recently get an 8ft surf board inside the Mazda3 not impairing my vision. the passanger was not happy though. I tried the same with the pajero and it was useless. Nice jeep but nope useless.

L-M

Slig wrote: »

Has anybody done the "well what do you drive so?" question yet?:D

Lol i was so very tempted, but i refrained from doing so.

Guy:Incognito

Vegeta wrote: »

Sure it might fit inside, from dash to the rear door but then forget giving friends a lift.

It'll fit in an estate from dash to bootlid too. Passenger can sit behind the driver. With a commercial 4x4 or van he's only going to have 2 seats anyway.

aka_Ciaran

Stekelly wrote: »

It'll fit in an estate from dash to bootlid too. Passenger can sit behind the driver. With a commercial 4x4 or van he's only going to have 2 seats anyway.

True enough. Am looking at estates as we speak...BMW 3/5 series touring is making the early running...:)