My lad is looking for a cheapish 4x4 but he does have some preferences:
He wants one with a partial soft top or removable hard top (e.g. Freelander or Vitara)
He's not overly impressed with the interior (or size of the Vitara) or the K series head gasket potential issues, but he does like the appearance
of the Freelander.
The SWB Frontera is also "too ugly" unless it has the colour coded soft A bar on the front.
I've already told him that most 4x4's will be ugly, unreliable or both but he still wants one.
He has up to £2k. Any suggestions gratefully received
Leave him to it
defender 90 200tdi
suzuki jimney
suzuki sj
landrover discovery
Disco!!!!!!
seems to be a lot of people looking for 4x4's at the minute. why?
but yeah, i'd be looking at defenders, discoverys or range rovers myself 
[Edited on 10/1/10 by blakep82]
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Quinn
I've already told him that most 4x4's will be ugly, unreliable or both but he still wants one.
I don't think it is a weather related whim as he's fancied one for a while and he also wants a soft top or at least a big removable piece of
roof (rules out Disco's etc unless I get the angry grinder out).
If he could find a reasonable SJ he'd buy it today but they've either been butchered so far that they could never be road legal again or
stupidly expensive. The Vitara just doesn't seem to have as much going for it.
Obviously, as far as the K series goes you read all the horror stories as no one starts a website based on a lack of problems. How bad was the 1.8 K
series? Is the head gasket an inevitable event?
What about a densil freelander?
what does he want to use it for? That has a large influence on his choice.
Everyday transport really
make sure he knows the difference between part time and full time 4wd, because IMHO part time isnt ideal for mainly road use - on a dry highway its a rwd with crap handling. People assume that 4x4s all offer safety in poor conditions which isnt the case.
Yep, he's aware of that as I've had a few "ugly cars" in the past
There's quite a few Sjs on Piston heads if he looks in "Suzuki other vehicles", some look OK but may have sold in the last week
Guy in local garage who will service anything does not like the land rover vehicles of any form even though he has thenm in every week
If he is mostly driving it himself the Jimny isn't so daft- never going tobe a familycaror massive load lugger but cheap to run and relatively
modern creature comforts.
My student daughter has one we did 1200 miles in France last summer in a week and she has almost enjoyed driving in the snow this last few weeks, it
has certainly got her to places safely that she wouldn't have attempted in her old escort. The low ratio box " tractor mode" as she
calls it is very good if it gets sticky,
It is the right time of year to buy the soft top version as no one in the right mind would be considering it £2k should buy one in reasonable nick
with plenty of life left in it.
atb
Mike
quote:
Originally posted by trextr7monkey
There's quite a few Sjs on Piston heads if he looks in "Suzuki other vehicles", some look OK but may have sold in the last week
Guy in local garage who will service anything does not like the land rover vehicles of any form even though he has thenm in every week
If he is mostly driving it himself the Jimny isn't so daft- never going tobe a familycaror massive load lugger but cheap to run and relatively modern creature comforts.
My student daughter has one we did 1200 miles in France last summer in a week and she has almost enjoyed driving in the snow this last few weeks, it has certainly got her to places safely that she wouldn't have attempted in her old escort. The low ratio box " tractor mode" as she calls it is very good if it gets sticky,
It is the right time of year to buy the soft top version as no one in the right mind would be considering it
atb
Mike
been driving my dads jimney last week in the snow....
no worrys and its cheap to run being a 1.3.....
I have a Sj for sale, soft top with roll bar in good nick.
some off road mods done.....
Near Gatwick though