Cosd Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Am wanting to get my first 4x4 and am on the lookout with plans to purchase in the spring. I've been thinking hard looking at all my options with a budget of around £9k In truth my off roading will be less than 5% of my driving, and to be totally honest it isn't real off roading, it's more driving on field verges to a hide spot hopefully. If the ground was that soft I wouldn't drive over it as I wouldn't want to cut the verges up. I do like my comfort as well, so here goes; if I were to choose a 4WD car instead of a 4x4, would say a BMW X5 do the job? I wouldn't mind changing the sports tyres for something more sensible that would still give decent road ride but help a little more off road. I've looked at the SWB Shogun and also the VW Toureg's as well. I know off road these are the real deal but I do like the x5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentKill Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Am wanting to get my first 4x4 and am on the lookout with plans to purchase in the spring. I've been thinking hard looking at all my options with a budget of around £9k In truth my off roading will be less than 5% of my driving, and to be totally honest it isn't real off roading, it's more driving on field verges to a hide spot hopefully. If the ground was that soft I wouldn't drive over it as I wouldn't want to cut the verges up. I do like my comfort as well, so here goes; if I were to choose a 4WD car instead of a 4x4, would say a BMW X5 do the job? I wouldn't mind changing the sports tyres for something more sensible that would still give decent road ride but help a little more off road. I've looked at the SWB Shogun and also the VW Toureg's as well. I know off road these are the real deal but I do like the x5. are they even 4 wheel drive? :unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busdennis Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 anything but the BMW mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I had an X5 sport and it is fragile and very expensive to maintain. I went main dealer to maintain service history and it was beyond punitive in terms of cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 My brother (fleabag on here) had an X5. He tried several different wheel and tyre combinations but they all sucked big time off road. Nice as a pretend SUV on tarmac with its commanding position and looks but forget getting to your destination in wettish fields if there are any half decent gradients there. Now my ikkle Pinin - thats helped his Disco 3 out of a bog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorfolkPoacher Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 For the luxury you crave I would go for the vw. Good on and off road and very classy. For that money you wil either get an abused or petrol BMW and very pricey to maintain. Don't rush into it and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookiemonsterandmerlin. Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Scobby forester is your best bet I think Cheers OTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodp Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Just be a bit careful here. It's been said many times on here, and other sites, that such and such 4 x 4 is as good as a Defender off road "if you change the tyres to something a little more extreme". It's not quite as simple as that, if you take the Porsche Cayenne as an example it runs on "Y" rated tyres (186 mph). These, as far as I know, are not available in mud pattern so if you fit mud tyres you are technically not insured (and probably outside C+U ) I don't know what the RR / RRS tyres are rated at but more than likely higher than a mud tyre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 have a look at a merc ml should do what you want, won't be hardcore off road but will get you up the kerb at sainsburys. We have one that a certain Earl has his chauffeur drive round the shoot at home and its surprisingly capable. Bearing in mind he has a scottish castle he also gets about most of his scottish estate in it as well. The slight plus point is they seem fairly reasonable price wise for the diesel variants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 have a look at a merc ml should do what you want, won't be hardcore off road but will get you up the kerb at sainsburys. We have one that a certain Earl has his chauffeur drive round the shoot at home and its surprisingly capable. Bearing in mind he has a scottish castle he also gets about most of his scottish estate in it as well. The slight plus point is they seem fairly reasonable price wise for the diesel variants You want the post 03/04 one, the early ones are poop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 yup, I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole personally but they are marginally better than X5's only issue is the paying £400 a year road tax and that has to hurt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canthitathing Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 You want the post 03/04 one, the early ones are poop. The build quality was hideous!! Had a 270CDi that rattled itself to bits the first time it did any offroad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Just for the pot = my experience is that, of the 4*4's I've had the best off roader was the range rover. The ML I had was absolute c**p -£1500 every service for new discs etc, mainly because it was never properly designed. It cost me £2,500 to fix it to sell it - dashboard out as all the fans had failed. Off road it was useless and I would never buy another Merc as a consequence - a very unrewarding experience alltogether. The range rover was lovely, except it blew the cylinder head gasket within 6 months of getting it new and dumped the radiator contents on the drive - both thankfully under quarantee. The shogun I had was a real workhorse but sadly, being a LWB rather ungainly on road, good off though and utterly reliable. I now have a north Korean product and although it is not as cultured as land rover, iTs less than half the price. Service costs are almost nowt and its guaranteed for 5 years. Its good enough off road for all my shooting needs and returns 35/40 MPG from a 2 litre diesel. On road its brilliant, comfortable, easy cruising at 'motorway' speeds and never a single problem with it. I returned 60K on a set of road tyres. I sold it very recetly for much less depreciation than the other (merc by far the worst) and bought another. I know most of the 'true' 4*4 people wont like it but check your pockets ! I'd have a discovery tomorrow if I wanted to throw money away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilR Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I've had a fair few BMWs and my first thought when I decided I wanted a 4x4 again about a year ago was to consider the X5, as I'd been happy with the comfort, reliability and performance of my previous cars. I had a Range Rover Classic back through the 90's and that broke my wallet and the will to live sometimes. I posed the question on BMW forums about changing to offroad tyres/wheel size etc and the X5 owners in general said forget it for what I wanted to do and buy a proper 4x4. I've had a Disco TD5 since October and it has done everything I've asked it to do. I'd have hated to have bought an X5, XC90 etc and it been unable to get where I wanted to go and have needed to get assistance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twitchynik Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 yup, I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole personally but they are marginally better than X5's only issue is the paying £400 a year road tax and that has to hurt I've been umming and arring about a 4x4 to get me to shoots and across fields. First thought was an all rounder but slanted towards road. Second thought was a cheap but dedicated 4x4 and run two vehicles. Then I realised that although, for example, as you say an ML at £400 a year tax on its own sounds bad, it would be the same as running two cars (an older Fourtrak or Fronty = £215 a year road fund) and likely cheaper than the combined running/maintenace costs of two. You can see why Disco 3's (and to some extent a later Disco 2) are popular in that respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 its part the reason why I went for one classed light commercial but they also suit me with keeping dogs and foxes out of the bit you have to sit in Personally for the budget a D3 is out I would guess as you'd be liable to only get the highest of high mileage ones for the budget. If I wanted a car to meet that spec, I would try the ML and then the Xtrail and possibly a shogun and pathfinder The latter two being more off road capable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J@mes Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) My mate's missus couldn't get their X5 off the driveway in the snow this year (slight gradient) but he managed to get his impreza off with no issues. I'm not sure what kind of tyres are available for them either, as the wheels are so wide and big I'm not sure if you can get a reasonable tyre for them - most of them are "sports SUV" tyres. I'd go with a Pathfinder as alex has said - I nearly bought one instead of my D3. Not too keen on the driving position, but that is a personal thing - it ticked all the boxes in every other thing I wanted from a 4x4. £9K should get you an SVE with 100K on it - and that wouldn't stop me. Edited January 25, 2011 by J@mes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) http://www.mod-sales.com/direct/vehicle/,22,/33772/Nissan.htm there you go... just noted the one in the pictures has half a tank of fuel....bargain!!! Shaun Edited January 25, 2011 by shaun4860 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Just for the pot = my experience is that, of the 4*4's I've had the best off roader was the range rover. The ML I had was absolute c**p -£1500 every service for new discs etc, mainly because it was never properly designed. It cost me £2,500 to fix it to sell it - dashboard out as all the fans had failed. Off road it was useless and I would never buy another Merc as a consequence - a very unrewarding experience alltogether. The range rover was lovely, except it blew the cylinder head gasket within 6 months of getting it new and dumped the radiator contents on the drive - both thankfully under quarantee. The shogun I had was a real workhorse but sadly, being a LWB rather ungainly on road, good off though and utterly reliable. I now have a north Korean product and although it is not as cultured as land rover, iTs less than half the price. Service costs are almost nowt and its guaranteed for 5 years. Its good enough off road for all my shooting needs and returns 35/40 MPG from a 2 litre diesel. On road its brilliant, comfortable, easy cruising at 'motorway' speeds and never a single problem with it. I returned 60K on a set of road tyres. I sold it very recetly for much less depreciation than the other (merc by far the worst) and bought another. I know most of the 'true' 4*4 people wont like it but check your pockets ! I'd have a discovery tomorrow if I wanted to throw money away. Just wondering mate, what is your North Korean product, if I may ask? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProteuS Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I really think x5's are a waste of time unless you want a bmw 5 series that is less comfortable but you want to sit a little higher up. As said anything but. The newer ML mercs are reasonable (I think the early ones were built in america and the quality was shocking), as are the rav 4, x-trail etc, the vw toureg is a cracking machine and I'd have one all day over an x5.if you only want the extra grip the subarus are very well regarded, and the quattro audis are pretty very respectable too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy. Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Whatever you do, don't buy an X5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cushies Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 How about a Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0L CRD, i'm on my 3rd and they went most places i put them,they have been very reliable apart from the heating on the last one and are well kitted out for the money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) A second hand cheap diesel Grand Cherokee for the right money wouldn't be a bad idea. Cheap as chips second hand bargain hunters. Edited January 25, 2011 by Mungler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 haven't we got a Jeep mechanic on here with a really bad opinion of them I believe he drives a mitsubishi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artschool Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 i have a pathfinder. buy before march 06 for lower road tax. for 9k you should be able to get one on about 50k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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