In the market for a diesel 4*4 5 or 6/7 seater with half decent fuel economy. Max spend approx 5K hopefully less.
Wife loves the Discovery, horror build quality and rust puts me off. But can see the attraction otherwise. The 300TDI would be the one for us, but most examples high miles and corrosion everywhere. Jap imports a possibility. Several specialists bringing back 300TDI's in to the uk with low mileage and rot free bodies etc. Reliability concerns remain however.
Boot space and rear seat space a priority.. and economy!
Short list so far
Discovery 300TDI
Nissan Terrano 2.7TDI (or jap import Minstral equivalent) (not in fashion so cheap and reliable)
Shogun/Pajero LWB (not keen on looks specially the Pajeros)
Izuzu Trooper ( or bighorn jap import equivalent) looks dated to me and huge!
Fuel consumption a concern as we run a Toyota rav 4 LWB mk1 and i hope to go a size up but with diesel power hope to retain similar economy or better. Real world advise on fuel consumption for any of the above or similar would be welcome.
Think a CRV or a Nissan Xtrail could offer a little more space than my rav if the next size up not viable.
Thanks in advance, all other ideas welcome
Mark
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Out of your shortlist I'd go for the Terrano - it should be fairly reliable and decent fuel economy for that size/class of car. Prices are quite favourable compared to the others. In addition ....
Discovery 300TDI - you said it all really in your OP!
Shogun/Pajero LWB - economy is not that great from the "2800 intercooler" engine though overall it is a nice car
Izuzu Trooper - some horror stories about the reliablity of the 3.1(?) engine
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What do you want this 4x4 to do? Tow? Drive on unmade roads? Carry seven passengers on motorways?
Any of the vehicles you mention will be a lot heavier and a lot thirstier than a RAV4. They'll all make a valiant effort at towing 2 1/2 - 3 tons. But none of them will be particularly comfortable on a long drive and you'll be surprised at just how little useful space there is inside most full-size 4x4s.
If an X-Trail, Santa Fe or similar meets your needs, you might do better to redirect your search to the "soft-road" SUV market instead.
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Thanks guidence so far, usage is family workhorse, ie school runs! longer trips, towing a modest size boats at weekends with odd tricky slipway to negotiate. We recently moved to rural Norfolk so want to be prepared for the worst that winter can offer. Having said that ever since we bought the rav 4*4 4 yrs ago we have had no significiant snow anyhow!! The original RAV4 (LWB) is particularly poor on rear seat space which is an issue with 2 young children and car seats etc, whilst boot is not bad but more space would be useful. Love the RAV otherwise and one option is to keep it as a second car. If i avoid the next size up in the hardcore 4*4 class, then a TD4 Freelander, Xtrail petrol, or a petrol Santa Fe (2.4?), CRV petrol etc. All being more modern i believe offer more interior space.
My budget of 5K might just get a early TD4 diesel freelander but only petrol versions of all the others i mention. A mk 2 RAV petrol might just creep in also with high miles maybe. Thanks input so far
Mark W
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>>rural Norfolk so want to be prepared for the worst that winter can offer.
That's not exactly bad! Norfolk is a very gentle climate; East Anglia is the driest part of the country, so any snowfall is (generally, statistically) likely to be light. If you're up near the sea, you won't (virtually) ever get snow.
If you're really worried, buy yourself a set of four winter tyres for use between December and March. They'll cope with the mud too. And put them on your Zafira.
If on the other hand, you want a Discovery to fit in with the country set, well that is your perogative.
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Friend of mine had a diesel Trooper with a big diesel, straight 6 I think, and a van-type body (no rear windows). It went very well and seemed to me a decent no-nonsense jeep thing.
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I agree with Terrano being your best bet.
Watch out for worn front wheel bearings (due to lack of adjustment at service), leaking rear door with wet carpet or underfelt and abnormal front tyre wear due to maladjusted front wheel geometry (not just tracking).
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A chap who lives 3 doors down from me is selling a T plate Discovery TDI for £4995, looks spotless, could forward the details if you are interested.
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"...towing a modest size boats at weekends with odd tricky slipway to negotiate."
What type of boat? And whereabouts in Norfolk do you sail from? TBH, what you need most is a decent lightweight boat trailer with good brakes. A Nissan Terrano struggled to move my 21 foot Splinter a short distance on its original unbraked trailer, whereas I've seen a Ford Galaxy launch a bigger-but-lighter Feeling mounted on a modern boat trailer off a reasonably shallow slipway.
A four-wheel-drive estate, such as a Subaru Legacy or Skoda Octavia Scout (there was an equivalent in the MK1 model, but I forget the model designation) would do the job provided the all-up weight of the trailer and load is comfortably below 85% of the car's weight.
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Nissan Patrol?
For your budget, you'd get a 1998/99 model with 100K on the clock. Nice spec, including leather. Can tow a mountain if needed. I don't know where in the country you are, but there are a couple that I've had my eye on in the Coventry/Midlands area but I'm not in a position to buy just yet.
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