We have just bought an old barn for conversion on the Herefordshire border with Wales. It is on a long hill with gradient reaching 1 in 4 so I don't think using my '94 Omega auto saloon as a vehicle for transporting building materials is a good idea.
I would like suggestions for [cheap £1-2k] alternatives. I am currently considering a transit as the most likely, followed by a 4x4 or other tow car + trailer. A 4x4 would help in getting up/ down the steep hill in poor weather but is likely to be more expensive to buy and run than a transit or other car.
All comments or suggestions welcome please!
A rough estimate on trade in value for the Omega would be very nice too! It's a Nov '94 2.0 litre petrol auto, 115k miles, a fist full of service history and all MOT certificates. VGC inside and out.
Many thanks!
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Toyota Hilux? not sure this would meet with your everyday needs though!
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Ah - forgot to mention we have a Peugeot 106 [1.0l] for every day use...
Thank you!
Wouldn't a Hi Lux be rather expensive?
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I think a transit would do the job. I lived for a short while in Yorkshire at the end a a very rough unmade track on the moors and a transit regularly made the journey even when overloaded. No good in snow or mud though.
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Any one one of the 4 wheel drive, 4 seat cab, open bed wagons will be ideal - a Mitsubishi L200 or similar is perfect for this type of use.
Enjoy, RF wife comes from Hereford, - fabulous pubs out that way.
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RF - currently 1 Renault short of a family
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oh the omega is worth bout 500 quid
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RF - currently 1 Renault short of a family
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Cheers guys!
L200s and the like are few and far between in my neck of the woods for under £2k so the transit is looking more likely.
Suggestions on what to look for in a transit?
Should I go for low mileage or a recent year? [doubt I could combine both for less than £2k!]
Many thanks!
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At your money I suspect that overall condition rather than year would be more important.
Having run a high mileage van, I suggest you avoid high miles at all costs. Also be very wary of vans used by anyone in the building trade. Yes, I do home improvements and I know how some vans get treated. You get all sorts of rubbish in them, from old lime plaster to waterlogged dust sheets, so what bodywork hasn't been knocked about by overloading it with rubble may have been rotted out by a lime/water mix.
If this is your only vehicle and you can afford some monthly payment, I would consider the deals that Vauxhall and Renault are doing on the Vivaro or Trafic. They are the same vehicle but with different badges. IIAR they're currently offering 0% finance over 4 years. I'm not sure what deposit's required though.
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"If this is your only vehicle....."
Sorry, I've just noticed the Pug.
Hopefully Vansboy will happen upon this thread soon, so should be able to give very good advice. He's got quite a lot of experience in the commercial vehicle trade.
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plenty discos about at that kind of money,brightwells auction at leominster is a large outlet for 4x4 vehicles and might be worth a look
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if you look here www.brightwellsauctions.co.uk/Vehicles/fpvehicle.h...m you will find catalogue and previous sale prices on all types of vehicles if thats any use to you
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Having regularly needed to travel up a similar hill (rough concrete track, big pot holes, gradient approaching 1 in 3 in places), and chatting to people who live at the top, the following is advised:
Any Toyota pick up truck will do the job nicely. Get 4 wheel drive if possible, you'll need it when the track ices over. You might want to think about keeping your Omega for the time being if it's only worth 500 quid, my Daewoo Leganza automatic has no problem on this hill in the ice, provided you floor it all the way up. Traction control is a necessity though, as I've done the hill several times in ice with the TC light flashing the whole way up.
Like I said, I think the biggest problem you're going to face is with ice if it's a private track.
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Fortunately I don't have to cope with a 1 in 3 or too many potholes!
The Leominster auctions sound great, looks like I shall be there this Tuesday..
Thanks again everyone!
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Why not get a cheap Range Rover, run for a year then sell it for what you paid. Nice big engine, plenty of pulling power (the torque kind), cheap on spares & excellent of road.
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Any old Landie will do, if it gets that bad stick it in Low ratio and lock the Diff,s will just about get up any hill, and it it can't then nothing will. What about a Donkey???
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You'd get a very decent LWB Landy SIII for that kind of money. All the practicality you could wish for plus admiring glances from all the ladies (this last bit may not be entirely true)
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as youve already said get yourself a transit ideally with a tipper body get the best you can afford it will not lose any money if you dont abuse it and if the weather gets rough leave a pallet of bricks in the back and you will be unlikely to get stuck,dont forget to get a diesel ,normally aspirated, ie one you can fix with a hammer.
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The way prices have moved of late, it looks like you might just about get an early roadworthy Land Rover Defender TDI in that price bracket - Also make sure you have a good toolkit and appropriate workshop manual. Land Rover tinkering is the perfect way to relax after a hard day's barn converting!
Cheers, Sofa Spud
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How about an old Bedford RL?, you can pick one up for about the price you are considering,lots of carrying room (careful where you carry though as the law is a little grey on what you can and cannot carry,certainly nothing for reward as your insurance would be void and you would need plating),four wheel drive, pre 1960 then no MOT, cheap insurance (mine is £45 a year), and free tax (historic vehicle) and oodles of respect when you meet Mr commuter on narrow lanes.
Errm,not that I am bias or anything.
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Cheers for all the input guys!
Looking more like a transit [although the Bedford RL sounds fun] as the 4x4 route would have to involve a trailer and extra expense.
Does anyone know a good website showing the history of the transit, engines types/ sizes available each year etc please?
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If you are going down the Transit route,why not look out for a Transit County ?, they were used by electric boards etc and were four wheel drive, have not seen one for years though.
I believe Volkswagen made a four wheel drive van as well.
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the best source for a transit always has been is the autotrader.
make sure you check all chassis numbers as they are often stolen and cloned,buy it from an established garage or from the owners address so the v5 details match,would also be a good idea to give it the old hpi for outstanding finance,police interest etc........................good luck,you are making a sensible choice
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Turned out that the local car auction has lots more 4x4s than vans so got a Ssangyong Korando 2.9 diesel today.
With it's Merc engine it should pull anything and last forever too!
Thanks for all the help!
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would'nt trust a car named by a man with a stutter.
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Nonsense. My Ffocus has been the paragon of reliability.
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It's not much help to you now, but if you put mud tyres on a Transit they never get stuck. So I am told.
As for what you bought, HJ is pretty complimentary:
What's Good
Short wheelbase two door 4x4 estate, combining the looks of the Jeep CJ5 and the old Toyota Land Cruiser. 14' 3" long by 6' 1" wide, weighs 1,810kg and pulls 2,800kg. MB design 5 cylinder 2,874cc diesel developing 96bhp or 2,293cc 138bhp four cylinder petrol. 5-speed manual or option of 4 speed autobox on 2.3 petrol, high anf low ranges on both. Production ended March 1999. Then Daewoo took over, building the 138bhp 2.3 petrol and dropping the non turbo in favour of the 118bhp 2.9 turbodiesel from the Musso. Still listed in June 2002.
From April 2004 parts support provided by SYUK Cars Ltd, official importer of SsangYong vehicles for Great Britain which can be contacted on 01252 775428.
What's Bad
The model hardly got of the ground in the UK before rumours spread about the collapse of Ssangyong. So, as with the Musso, this meant bargain prices to get the stocks shifted. Nothign special at all to drive, but a usefully high towing weight for hard work.
What to Watch Out For
If it's been towing, check what it's been towing. Before buying, make sure you can find someone local to service it.
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a friend has a ssyongi musco they are ok,i"d still have gone for a transit though.Hope it does your job ok
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When the Ssangyong first came out i crawled under one at The Royal Show and the only thing that bothered me was how low the fuel tank was.
Maybe they changed that later,but it maybe worth keeping an eye on.
Happy Ssangyonging.
ps was does Ssangyong mean
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Ssangyong means 2 dragons.
Musso means Rhinoceros.
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Whoops, wrong model.
Korando is short for Korea can do.
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>Befordrl:and the only thing that bothered me was how low the fuel tank was.
Doesn't HJ point that out: "What's Bad: The model hardly got off the ground."
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>Befordrl:and the only thing that bothered me was how low the fuel tank was. Doesn't HJ point that out: "What's Bad: The model hardly got off the ground."
'LMFAO'
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