what suv?

sniperman

hi folks,think i asked something like this before.cant find it so here goes,going down the suv route for next deer season,dont want a big yolk,a 2lt,around 16 grand,want to be able to hold on to it for a few years,so something reliable,strong for going up hilly roads,ye all know the roads here,so any suggestions,was thinking id get maybe a 2016 for my budget,maybe id stretch it 18 for a really good one,thanks lads

garv123

sniperman wrote: »

hi folks,think i asked something like this before.cant find it so here goes,going down the suv route for next deer season,dont want a big yolk,a 2lt,around 16 grand,want to be able to hold on to it for a few years,so something reliable,strong for going up hilly roads,ye all know the roads here,so any suggestions,was thinking id get maybe a 2016 for my budget,maybe id stretch it 18 for a really good one,thanks lads

Just for the ground clearance alone, the Dacia Duster. I reckon they'll be the next thing that'll replace all of the 2000-2005 Vitaras when they die.

cookimonster

garv123 wrote: »

Just for the ground clearance alone, the Dacia Duster. I reckon they'll be the next thing that'll replace all of the 2000-2005 Vitaras when they die.

That's a vehicle I'll be giving consideration to when my Pathfinder finely dies. I'm not utilizing the full size of the Nissan any more, most of the time I find my myself meeting up with the lads at shoots etc with odd time maybe having one passenger, that's even before social distancing. My reckoning is that when needed I'll just keep the back seats down for the bulky loads associated with stalking and pigeon decoying. Ground clearance and 4x4 capability is the main thing I need.

Plenty of the smaller 4x4's -Jimny, Pajero Junior, Lada Niva etc have fantastic pedigree for true off roaders despite thier diminutive size.

Grizzly 45

If it is just a shooting wagon and not a day-to-day driver.Id look back to the oughties and late 90s for something decent in what you are willing to spend.

Once you pass the "farmerlized" and rustbuckets off.You can still find good reliable,and zero problem giving non-checklight computerized machines that are fixable still by yourself if need be.
Anything Toyota or Mitsubishi in those age groups that isnt eaten with rust is worth considering. Driving a 01 Hilux myself,and wish I had been driving one a lot earlier TBH.
Cheap as chips parts.Easy to work on.BASIC computerizing for the most critical problems,[not stupid sht like your tail boot light isn't working] A bit simplistic and "agricultural" but it works and keeps working. Toyota Hilux Surf is another good machine, it's basically a comfy Hilux.

Mitsubishi Pajero/Shogun with the CHAIN timing belt [2.3 or 2.8 tDI].Go forever, just make sure they haven't been overheated as the heads are aluminum and warp.in that case be prepared to throw another 1500 at a head replacement up in Jap engine imports in Dublin

FWIW,run away from anything with "Rover" in its name! Went thru various models of these over 30 years,My 1st car was a series 2a SWB LR and finished with a 4litre Vouge RR 14 years ago and IMHO ALL of them are utter troublesome POS.:( Go Jap and you won't look back.

meathstevie

A bit bigger but I swear by Mazda B2500/BT50 or Ford Ranger. My 2001 succumbed to rust last year and I have a 2007 now. Look out for chassis rust especially on the inside of the upward rear arches. Don’t worry too much about it if it’s not too bad and caught early. A mechanic who’s handy with a welder can rectify it for you quite easily provided that you catch it early. Keep the chassis clean, inside and out and give it a good treatment and it’ll last for a good while. Even after Brexit quality parts can be gotten cheap from the UK.

tomtucker81

Picked up a 161 Mits Outlander for bang on your budget in April. Its the hybrid model. Excellent so far for commuting and using absolutely sweet fa petrol day to day.
Have had it in fields already where a car wouldnt get in the gate and there was no problem with it. Has 4wd, decent clearance. I'll be taking it to my normal deer hunting area to see how it handles there.
Fwiw, I've had a pajero in the same fields and scraped the ground once or twice, same as the outlander. Had a ford ranger in there and no issues at all. Pajero and ranger are probably outside your budget unless you go older

Vizzy

Be very careful with the Outlander off road.

I had the dubious honour of being the first ( and hopefully only) Outlander owner in Ireland who had to have a complete factory refit of a battery.
Had to come from Japan, during lockdown last year.

The tray/box that houses the batteries is only about 2mm thick, so easily damaged by rocks.

About €12K to replace.

Great car/jeep though and very good in fields.

Rows Grower

sniperman wrote: »

hi folks,think i asked something like this before.cant find it so here goes,going down the suv route for next deer season,dont want a big yolk,a 2lt,around 16 grand,want to be able to hold on to it for a few years,so something reliable,strong for going up hilly roads,ye all know the roads here,so any suggestions,was thinking id get maybe a 2016 for my budget,maybe id stretch it 18 for a really good one,thanks lads

Get yourself a Suzuki Jimny for about a third of your budget.

It will go where most 4x4's cannot and will give you zero hassle.

sniperman

thanks lads for all suggestions,any opinions on lets say 2015/2016/ nissan qashqai,as a shooting and every day driver?

Rows Grower

Buy a proper washable boot liner for whatever you get (about 20 euro from aliexpress) and some storage containers for carrying home any meat.

garv123

sniperman wrote: »

thanks lads for all suggestions,any opinions on lets say 2015/2016 vitara,as a shooting and every day driver?

Depends how much space or height you want,

The newer vitaras are more like a car these days.

I went from an xl7 Vitara to a L200 this year. having the dogs/deer separate in the back is much handier and no smell or mess to be worrying about.

Bass Reeves

sniperman wrote: »

thanks lads for all suggestions,any opinions on lets say 2015/2016/ nissan qashqai,as a shooting and every day driver?

Qashqai and IX35 are the pick of the everyday SUV. However both are more road cars than having any off road ability. Pick of the SUV's with some off road capibility are Toyota RAV and Ford Kuga. The RAV is the best of them but you may have to scarfice age of car. I have a 2010 RAV. 2.2L, 4WD button. Fairly decent clearance 38-49 mpg will hit 41-43 on a motorway. As well because of bigger engine it's will not drop mpg when you hit 70 mph. Tax can be 390 or 510 but it's gone up this year. Newer RAV's tax is cheaper.
I be reluctant to use hybrids off road due to batter weight issue. Another option is the Madza CX5 never drove one but they can be got with AWD. You have to get a 2.5L D as the 2.2 engines give trouble. Never drove one but a friend has had a few. Mind you he buys new. I saw a 2017's one for 18k so you should get s 2916 for your budget

customrifle

Definitely stay away from the 2.2 cx5s, give nothing but engine trouble. Missus had a new enough one and it was very comfortable to drive and an absolute rocket but spent more time in the garage than the mechanic.
If you are thinking along the lines of the qashqui, a 2.0l and everyday wagon then the VW Tiguan is worth considering. That's what herself has now and it's a very comfortable and capable wagon. Absolute miser on juice even with a horse box on and couple of sports horses loaded. She has it nearly 2 years now, with everyday driving and towing horses at weekends and it hasn't given any bother.

Bass Reeves

customrifle wrote: »

Definitely stay away from the 2.2 cx5s, give nothing but engine trouble. Missus had a new enough one and it was very comfortable to drive and an absolute rocket but spent more time in the garage than the mechanic.
If you are thinking along the lines of the qashqui, a 2.0l and everyday wagon then the VW Tiguan is worth considering. That's what herself has now and it's a very comfortable and capable wagon. Absolute miser on juice even with a horse box on and couple of sports horses loaded. She has it nearly 2 years now, with everyday driving and towing horses at weekends and it hasn't given any bother.

Tiguans give a lot of trouble as they get older.

corelokttikka

I changed from caddy 1.6tdi to Mitsubishi Outlander and it’s pretty much same on fuel but much bigger engine, super comfortable and higher driving position so you can see over ditches and hedges which is handy. Plenty of storage space in the back. Delighted I changed.

Bass Reeves

Another option is a Honda CRV. You will just have to make sure it's a AWD model. Nearly all the SUV you look at from 2015 on will be AWD as opposed to 4WD on a button. I much prefer the button option. However AWD is well developed by that stage. The Honda is a 1.6 engine generally you have to see h for bigger 2L ones

RAV from 2015 on are AWD as well . The 4WD kicks in when the diff feels slippage.

All Kuga's are AWD from the start when they came on the market. I drove one for a while. Fine little jeep, I did very high milage the ERG system give issue after 200km. As well they wear tyres on the back if they is weight on them. Mine was back in 2012.

Hyundai do the Santa Fe it's a fairly popular work horse by small builders. However road tax is fairly high on them. Hyundai Tucson has never been really tested as an off roader. There is a fair few Kia Sorenta 2.2l D around I think they are similar to Santa Fe. 390 tax never drove them and spec is usually very high. However I think they are out of your price range.

If it was me I pick up a one of the last 2.2L RAV it would be a 2014 car but I be willing to go back to 2012 to pick up a low milage clean example. You have 3-4 k saved out of your budget
Mine has 140k in miles (225km) on it and its going very well knock on wood.

sniperman

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Another option is a Honda CRV. You will just have to make sure it's a AWD model. Nearly all the SUV you look at from 2015 on will be AWD as opposed to 4WD on a button. I much prefer the button option. However AWD is well developed by that stage. The Honda is a 1.6 engine generally you have to see h for bigger 2L ones

RAV from 2015 on are AWD as well . The 4WD kicks in when the diff feels slippage.

All Kuga's are AWD from the start when they came on the market. I drove one for a while. Fine little jeep, I did very high milage the ERG system give issue after 200km. As well they wear tyres on the back if they is weight on them. Mine was back in 2012.

Hyundai do the Santa Fe it's a fairly popular work horse by small builders. However road tax is fairly high on them. Hyundai Tucson has never been really tested as an off roader. There is a fair few Kia Sorenta 2.2l D around I think they are similar to Santa Fe. 390 tax never drove them and spec is usually very high. However I think they are out of your price range.

If it was me I pick up a one of the last 2.2L RAV it would be a 2014 car but I be willing to go back to 2012 to pick up a low milage clean example. You have 3-4 k saved out of your budget
Mine has 140k in miles (225km) on it and its going very well knock on wood.

thanksf or that, very informative

Cerveza

garv123 wrote: »

Just for the ground clearance alone, the Dacia Duster. I reckon they'll be the next thing that'll replace all of the 2000-2005 Vitaras when they die.

The 4wd ones possibly but 99% of them were purchased and still are purchased by the Brian’s and Fiona’s on pcp lowest spec possible just to drive around in a new car.
All fur coat and no knickers.

maestroamado

sniperman wrote: »

hi folks,think i asked something like this before.cant find it so here goes,going down the suv route for next deer season,dont want a big yolk,a 2lt,around 16 grand,want to be able to hold on to it for a few years,so something reliable,strong for going up hilly roads,ye all know the roads here,so any suggestions,was thinking id get maybe a 2016 for my budget,maybe id stretch it 18 for a really good one,thanks lads

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=what+kindof+an+eejit+are+ya

Cerveza

sniperman wrote: »

thanksf or that, very informative

Just on point on bass post you would want to be looking underneath to see if there is a drive shaft going to the back wheels as a lot of suv owners think they have a 4wd unit but it’s 2wd.
4wd and suv in market today aren’t a marriage any more. Kia 2wd, rav is it an extra 5.5k to get 4wd.
People wanting wedding champagne on a orange juice budget will just get the 2wd. Same as Brian and Fiona.

Bass Reeves

Cerveza wrote: »

Just on point on bass post you would want to be looking underneath to see if there is a drive shaft going to the back wheels as a lot of suv owners think they have a 4wd unit but it’s 2wd.
4wd and suv in market today aren’t a marriage any more. Kia 2wd, rav is it an extra 5.5k to get 4wd.
People wanting wedding champagne on a orange juice budget will just get the 2wd. Same as Brian and Fiona.

You just have to make sure they are an AWD model or have a 4WD( diff lock) button on the older ones.

Cerveza

Your anology on diff lock is wrong. They are only open diff 4wd. Potentially 2wd.

Grizzly 45

Rows Grower wrote: »

Get yourself a Suzuki Jimny for about a third of your budget.

It will go where most 4x4's cannot and will give you zero hassle.

So long as you are under 6foot they are grand.Ditto the Dacia,.If you are over 6foot you will be driving it looking like this.:D

[IMG][/img]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0D3-eZa8V4g/hqdefault.jpg /[IMG][/img]

meathstevie

Whatever you do, do not be tempted to buy something like a Duster or CRV or Tucson or whatever that looks like off-road capable but only has 2WD.

They’re pigs of yokes without AWD and do nothing a saloon or estate car can’t do better.

Another one to keep a look out for in my opinion is an Octavia Scout or a Subaru Forrester. Subaru and VW-Audi-Skoda have a tried, tested and proven AWD system put through it’s paces in the rally world and in the case of the VW-Audi one in the military world as well in the Iltis.

Grizzly 45

meathstevie wrote: »

Another one to keep a look out for in my opinion is an Octavia Scout or a Subaru Forrester.

Check the power steering rack on those.Utter wh..e of a design! They are electric servo assisted,they drink water,and are more expensive to replace than what you can pay for the car,and Subaru is expensive for spares .

Note to any car makers out there.Just make us a decent cheap, non-full of electric crap noncomputerized, easily fixable in the middle of nowhere with a rock, a socket set, and a hammer square bodied,easily customizable easily washable ,hard-wearing interior machine, and you have a market.
Or just start importing the export model of the Lada Niva.Proably still the best off roader of the original species out there.

meathstevie

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Check the power steering rack on those.Utter wh..e of a design! They are electric servo assisted,they drink water,and are more expensive to replace than what you can pay for the car,and Subaru is expensive for spares .

Note to any car makers out there.Just make us a decent cheap, non-full of electric crap noncomputerized, easily fixable in the middle of nowhere with a rock, a socket set, and a hammer square bodied,easily customizable easily washable ,hard-wearing interior machine, and you have a market.
Or just start importing the export model of the Lada Niva.Proably still the best off roader of the original species out there.

Imagine they done a Niva with a VW 1.9TDI PD engine in it.

wicklow_hunter

For a sub 5k budget with comfort see below experience:

E53 x5 3.0d is an option
Been running 1 for 4 years
Minor niggles but engine and auto box are bullet proof
Surprisingly good off road handles like a car on road
Parts are fairly cheap

Mercedes ML 03-05 model
Ran 1 for 2 years
Very comfortable but lots of not so easy niggles to fix
Parts expensive avoid

Range Rover Vogue
Pre 1980 chassis on a 90s body
Low tax , insurance
Be prepared to roll up sleeves 🙈