I drive a Mazda 323 1.8sport, and love it.
However I have two horses and would like to be able to tow a trailer as well as carry all the horse kit and feed and dogs etc that i seem to have piled in my mazda these days.
So I think a 4x4 is an option but what to get.....! ( for £6500)
I thought a Freelander TD4 - but seem to have reliability problems
A shogin pinin seems not to have a good towing ability
I do like to drive quite quickly but acceleration is more important than top speed,
I have to admit for a little bit of boy racer.... so like alloys, side steps etc !
mpg is obviouly and issue, but I don't mind fuel type
The mazda has cost me nothing to keep on the road, am I opening myself to big bills with a 4x4?
I'd ideally like less than 60,000 miles on the clock and less than 7 yrs old.
Can anyone make any suggestions ?
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Subaru Legacy Wagon/Outlander/Forester.
They are 4x4, but with pretty good handling and performance. Not only that but they are reliable too and seem fairly popular with our local Pony Club people (my wife and daugher ride, but we don't own a horse....yet!).
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Are you going to be towing in areas where traction could be an issue? If not then would have thought a normal 2wd diesel would suit too. The people who bought my old Mondeo did so specifically to tow a horse box as the TDCi has so much torque.
Failing that you could always look at a 4x4 car, such as the Subarus above, or Volvo and Audi do the 4x4 diesel estates.
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The vehicle you buy must be able to tow at least 2,250 kg:
Trailer = ~900kg, horse 500-600kg each, so 1200 total, plus clobber gets you to 2,250kg fairly easily. Most people I know towing that weight do so with a Disco/Shogun or equiv. The Disco is rated at 3,500 kg.
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Yes, if he's towing two horses at once then will need a big 4x4. Something like a Forester will drag a single horse/pony about. I think 900kg is a bit of an over-estimate for the trailer.
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Regardless of whether the vehicle will be towing off road or not, there are hills in the UK, especially if Deefor wants to do wome of the more interesting point-to-point excursions.
You WILL need a proper 4x4. Whilst some may argue that a RAV-4 sized car is adequate, the strain put on the vehicle will very quickly ruin the drive train.
Therefore: Disco, Defender, Shogun, Amazon. Best of this lot with lots of spares available is the Disco (Mark II).
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Hi, thanks for really quick response everyone.
I feasibly could have two horse to tow, both over 16hh ( ie not small), but in reality 90% of the driving will be lugging stuff around, doing my 9-5pm job as a surveyor, so some mortorway driving, but not much, and a little bit of off road on site where I work.
The car option appeals, but I take the point on towing weight.
I have not heard too much good about discos, but then usually friends have had older ones ( M reg)
If I have to have a 4x4 then I feel I should have a "proper" one, which means ( with no offense intended) I 'm not that interested in the RAV/ Suzkui types. On the other hand an Amazon strikes me as too big and costly.
I hear good things about Nissaan x trail, but not seen them in my budget yet
Thanks for your comments - keep em coming please!
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You could always get a lorry based horse box just for the horses and then you don't have to compromise on the car!
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Been towing horses for 15yrs+ now... serious responsibility.
They are unlike any other load in that they are capable of some serious weight shift themselves... particularly two of that size.
The standard Ifor Williams trailer is just over 900kg and the better one for up to 2x 17hh is 1000kg.
The Freelander towing weight of 2000kg does not leave enough safety margin for the horses.
The Discovery (or similar) with a 3500kg capacity has a great deal more in hand. In adverse conditions your proposed total trailed weight could start to push a Freelander about a bit.
DW
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The towing weight on an X-Trail is no higher than a Forester. If you want a Nissan, you'll need a Patrol on your budget.
Unfortunately the 3 litre diesel Patrol is a surprisingly sluggish vehicle - we have one converted into a ambulance at the local Red Cross, but our Transit ambulance is quicker from a standing start in normal driving than the Patrol is.
I don't think newer Discos are much improved in reliabilty than older ones - I looked into buying one recently, but the litany of faults reported here (see the car-by-car breakdown) and elsewhere put me right off! If you're going to use it as your main transport, I'd look at a Land Cruiser first.
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If you're towing that amount of weight, I think you'll something with a ladder frame chassis which in the UK basically means one of the bigger SUVs such as a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Land Rover Discovery or Toyota Land Cruiser. I'm sure there are suitable Mitsubishis for this task but the Pinin is not one of them, this is a truly awful vehicle. Stick with the proper Shogun.
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... or a Kia Sorento. Worth a look.
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to clarify, point being that it's a reliable and capable lugger (2800kg towing weight should be adequate) that is a lot cheaper than many alternatives.
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The sorrento 4x4 is too new to fall into the OP's budget.
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Mazda Tribute 2.0 GXi - 2002
39 000 miles, at top of budget - Any thoughts ?
Thanks
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The seriously under rated Trooper V6 SWB might fit the requirements. One of the great 24-valve engines [190bhp in later guises] and very long-geared, so not too thirsty [28mpg] on a run. I've had one for towing the car trailers for the last five years and they're both good value and quite good fun.
[Just don't touch ANY diesel ones! They're not that much more economical either.]
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The seriously under rated Trooper V6 SWB might fit the requirements. One of the great 24-valve engines [190bhp in later guises] and very long-geared, so not too thirsty [28mpg] on a run. I've had one for towing the car trailers for the last five years and they're both good value and quite good fun. [Just don't touch ANY diesel ones! They're not that much more economical either.]
I have one and can vouch for their ability. The older diesel 2.8 version was excellent I had one of those , but the newer diesel is not so good and yes it's thirsty the petrol v6 however is great for towing loads of low down grunt. ...Cheers...Keo.
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Mazda Tribute is more a SUV than a 'proper' 4x4, towing weight around 1.5 tonnes again.
Trooper is a solid workhorse (a friend uses a '93 LWB for boatyard work) but they're not the most refined drive if you intend to use it as your only car.
Another possibility is the Ford Maverick/Nissan Terrano - some of these can be got with rather well appointed interiors, the 2.7 diesel shouldn't be too thirsty. they have a ladder chassis can tow almost 3 tonnes. Beware, though, that they're quite narrow for their height to don't drive it like a GTI!
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Deefor, if you do a forum search you will find several threads on vehicles suitable for towing horses. together with safety issues. The suggestion of buying a small box for moving the horses is a good one - leaving the car for your own transport - useful for storing all the kit too. A sound second hand one can be got within your budget, in fact, our local equine web site has several boxes at the moment for between £1,500 and £6,000 several of which do not require HGV.
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I ended up buying a 2003 reg Nissan Terrano, 2.7TDi , three door
Thanks for the advice
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Deefor, thanks for letting everyone know the outcome, so few do. Enjoy your new wheels
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