Yank Needs Advice Choosing 4x4

PhotogTom

Hi,
Need a bit of help. There seems to be a lot of choices in 4x4 here in Ireland and I need some advice. We've got a €10-12k budget.
Last winter we got stranded several times with ice/snow as we live at quite a high elevation, pretty remote, etc. We would also do a very small amount of trailering and getting out into fields, etc. No cattle trailers but we keep a few pigs and my wife has a growing number of bee hives.
So, that's what we need the 4x4 for.
In America, we have had Jeep Wranglers (great off road but no good with trailer) and Jeep Grand Cherokees (I'd hate to say what the V8 petrol engine size was on those!).
And that has sort of become an issue. I quite like the Toyota Landcruiser but the 3.0 diesel is going to cost over €100 per month in motor tax! And, my wife, who drove the Wrangler is taken with the idea of a Defender but they all seem to have fairly large engines as well.
My personal preference in motor vehicles is to possibly spend a bit more on quality and have less issues with maintenance down the road (hence the Toyota, not sure where the Defender fits in!).
I suppose I need to be looking at a "lighter weight" vehicle that is powered by a smaller engine - so, any suggestions/advice?

me_right_one

Whats the point in getting a 4x4 with a small engine? If you get stranded in snow again, you'll need power to move your big 4x4 body. Dont half-do the job. I'd recommend a Landcruiser, they never give trouble. For your budget, you'd get a 00 to 03 with a good 10 years life left in them. Get a commercial, ie one with no seats in the back, and the tax is classed as commercial. I forget how much it is exactly, but its only something like 200-300 euro per year.

Max Power1

me_right_one wrote: »

Whats the point in getting a 4x4 with a small engine? If you get stranded in snow again, you'll need power to move your big 4x4 body. Dont half-do the job. I'd recommend a Landcruiser, they never give trouble. For your budget, you'd get a 00 to 03 with a good 10 years life left in them. Get a commercial, ie one with no seats in the back, and the tax is classed as commercial. I forget how much it is exactly, but its only something like 200-300 euro per year.

riiiiiiiiight

Try pulling that one in the tax office these days?

me_right_one

What do you mean? I have a comm. jeep, I know what I'm talking about.

Stacks Mad

OP ,the CoCo are clamping down on vehicles taxed as commercials and being used for private use.
ie, they will not allow you to tax your vehicle unless you can supply a vat num/tax clearness cert.:mad:

I am in the same boat as I want to buy a hilux but I have to tax it as private so therefore it would not be worth my while.:(

101sean

Keep the commercial/private motor tax issues to the appropriate thread please (Phototom, have a read as well, not sure whather you have a farm or are keeping pigs as a hobby!) like http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056002732

If you are restricted to private motor tax, consider something like a Freelander 2 or a Suzuki Grand Vitara, your budget should get you something half decent and there's recent threads on them. If you aren't towing heavy trailers, these will handle pretty much the same conditions the bigger 4x4s will provided you stay out of ploughed fields and deep ruts.

I think a Defender would come as a bit of a culture shock if you're used to bigger Jeeps and is an acquired taste Their engines are 2.4/2.5 depending on age so are £948 private motor tax (mines a 5 seat CSW so have no choice but to pay :mad:)

Builderfromhell

The earlier suggestion of a Toyota Landcruiser is good. You see lots of farmers driving them and I've rarely heard complaints.
I drive a MK3 Hilux myself and it is a great workhorse. It's also more comfortable and practical on long road trips.

Snake_Doctor

An alternative approach - get yourself a Vintage Landrover for the hacking about, 3-4 K would get you something in excellent condition. If its pre 1980 there is no annual Test, and only 48 Euro Road tax for the year, no matter what size of engine. Plenty of money left to buy yourself a good car for the day to day driving!

101sean

Good idea but be aware that there's quite a few around that aren't as vintage as the registration would suggest :rolleyes:

The savings on fuel alone with a car would probably pay for a vintage 4x4 in the sat in the yard for the few times you really need it.

bdr529

landcruiser & pajero are both great vehicles in all conditions and for towing, down side is the road tax.
if age is not an issue you will pick up a '90s 2.5 pajero very cheap, lower tax but the 2.5 doesn't tow heavier loads as well ...
I think Nissan Pathfinders come in a 2.5 range too, don't know how good they are tho.

hiluxman

Builderfromhell wrote: »

The earlier suggestion of a Toyota Landcruiser is good. You see lots of farmers driving them and I've rarely heard complaints.
I drive a MK3 Hilux myself and it is a great workhorse. It's also more comfortable and practical on long road trips.

sorry to go off topic but what: a mk 3 hilux thats comfortable on long road trips? ya must be joking me

ronaldo84

tayto for crisps, toyota for jeeps

peasant

A Subaru Forester (the manual, non turbo with the low range gearbox) should cope with your 80% road / 20% light field duty quite admirably and it's "only2 2 liter.

urtooky

didn't read top properly

ChapOfDRyans

What ever you do dont buy a pathfinder, I have one at the moment and it wudnt pull you out of bed with blowing the clutch out of it. It has also blown the diff and cant keep bushings in it. Now i dont pull much with it and the only fields its in is silage,maiz and corn.

I would give anything to have my 00 nissan patrol SWB. Lighter body with good power for pulling.

BlackWizard

Nissan X-Trail?