I'm looking for a s/h small 4x4 or standard car with very good ground clearance - the speedbumps have cracked my exhaust once too often.
I like the look of either the Daihatsu Terios or the Suzuki Jimny as they are both cutish, high, but small enough not to incur too much ire from those against 4x4s.
I only need a car big enough for 2 with the occassional extra passenger so don't want and can't afford a bigger car. It won't be going off-road much and needs to be under £3k.
Has anyone any experience of either of these two or any other recommendations?
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I'm a great fan of 4x4s, having driven them in one form or another for the past 15 years.
However, if you only need good ground clearance over speed bumps then the huge compromises of 4x4s in terms of cost, economy, lack of internal space, etc, etc are not for you.
A standard Panda has enough ground clearance for your needs. If this car is too small for you then the various van based vehicles such as the Fiat Doblo, and similar products from Citroen, Peugeot etc would be worth thinking about.
Remember, you don't need 4x4, even in the snow, to get over a speed bump!
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Agreed there are plenty of cars/vans with the 200mm ground clearance of the old Terios/Jimny but not so many with the short arrival and departure angles which may be more important for the OP purpose. However, drive slower and choose a car with a less vulnerable exhaust and the compromise with the mini-4x4 failings won't be necessary.
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4x4 Panda? Looks pretty cute to me! Or a s/h Citroen C5, which will make the bumps disappear...
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Thanks very much for the replies. Agreed I don't need a 4x4 but I haven't seen a standard car other than say a Berlingo type vehicle which can match my search criteria. I currently drive a Volvo 940 estate and the exhaust gets caught on bumps both at the mid-point and the end - the same applies going into my driveway, there's a big drop to the gutter and the back of the car drops too deeply into it. That's why I'm looking for a short, high car. The Berlingo type is really a bit too vannish for my eye and I don't need all the load capacity anymore. One of my neighnours has a Panda and it doesn't look as high off the ground as the Jimny or Terios - it also looks a bit more delicate in general. Both the Terios and the Jimny have relatively low insurance groups, 7-9, reasonable petrol consumption compared to the Volvo. Both seem sturdily built and warranty claims are apparently low. Both, but especially the Jimny seem to hold value even when old. Both have 1.3 engines which I hope will be cheaper to tax and less environmentally unfriendly than the volvo. Both can be bought for £2000 ish or less at 8-10 years old and both, when the zombies come, will allow me to make my getaway cross country.
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Of the two, id go for the Terios as it has a bigger boot and is 5dr, but I know from experience that the Terios does have a bouncy ride.
Might seem like a cheeky question, but have you have your suspension checked recently? Could you even just upgrade it to give you a few extra inches ride height?
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I've owned 2 Panda 4x4s and my daughter has a Panda 1.1 Active. These cars are tough, almost bullet-proof.
The market for Panda 4x4s has taken off recently and will be over your budget but think about an ordinary Panda. Note, insurance is very cheap.
I feel that 8-10 year old Jimnys or Terios will be serious money traps and, being Jap motors, spares will cost a fortune.
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>>I feel that 8-10 year old Jimnys or Terios will be serious money traps and, being Jap motors, spares will cost a fortune.<<
Er, no. Being old fashioned jap cars they wont need spare parts unless abused. I know of a 130k '02 Jimny and not only does it go sweet as on just an oil change once a year, but it doesnt even have any rust despite being used off-road. The owner paid £1100 for it.
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My Jimny. W reg 114k no rust sweet as a nut. £1000.00 inc 12 months mot and it's an auto. Love it, but 30MPG only though.
Regards..........MD
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Unfortunately, I think the Volvo is entering its last days even if the suspension could be cranked up. It was a bargain purchase to move house a couple of times and I'm fairly sure it won't pass its MOT in a few months and I don't want to spend out on it when I could put the money to a smaller car. The poor old Volvo is very tired now and it's a struggle to get it much beyond 50mph these days and the jump from 10-30 is pretty hard too!
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Volvo 940 has a huge rear overhang and I guess with age, is prone to sagging rear suspension.... Any modern supermini with a wheel at each corner, should manage speedbumps without too much difficulty (although may have an unbearably uncomfortable ride).
My favorite car for speedbumps has to be my old Citroen Acadiane though, it even put my BX with new spheres to shame!
Edited by Rob81 on 21/10/2009 at 21:35
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I like the old 940 estates. Horrid handling even when new but you sort of got used to that. One of those cars which just took you places rather than you having to drive it much if you know what I mean.
Jimny probably for a vote.
I'd still want to get a costing on getting the old barge fettled if it were me.
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Just a thought MA, i wonder if someone's done a cheapy on your 740 estate.
Some came with self levelling rear shocks which were very expensive to replace, i seem to recall the non self levellers being fitted with heavier springs instead and normal shocks, if your car is too low at the back it's possible someone's fitted the cheaper normal dampers and left the standard springs.
We never had a problem with grounding out on our (self levelling) 940 estate.
Edited by gordonbennet on 21/10/2009 at 21:51
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"My favorite car for speedbumps"
I seem to recall a motoring programme (not sure if was TG) where cars were fitted with an accelerometer and driven over a speed bump. A scruffy old BX won the day, leaving various luxury 4x4's looking rather silly. I used to drive my old GS across the fields (local short cut) raising the suspension as required. Never got stuck.
Nothing wrong with a Jimny, though. They're popular round here, where the council can't keep up with road maintenance, and I've yet to see a tatty one, despite their relatively long production run. I remember Steve Berry hooning round an assault course in one on TG years ago and even he seemed impressed.
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I couldn't bear to have the 940 looked at as I will then feel obliged to get the work done for peace of mind which will only use up the money for the smaller car - hand in the sand but there we have it. I've seen lots of Jimnys about and they've all seemed in good nick even old ones - I guess they rarely go off-road. The Terios I've only seen a couple of, hence the question - it certainly looks more 'roadish' but perhaps not as rugged.
I had a fiat Panda 20 years or so ago and the old ones are nice but the new ones just don't appeal I'm afraid and probably are too expensive.
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For the same price as these bumpy horrible cars you can have a lovely Subaru Forester with balloon tyres, fantastic ride, a little more room than you need, but far far better overall, espcially over bumps.
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A car for two people, maybe a third - thats what was asked for, not a family wagon.
OP - have you thought about just finding a small car with short overhangs? Does the exhaust catch at the back or in the centre? Either way, a car with a shorter wheelbase and short overhangs would potentially avoid the car grounding - theres plenty of choice - infact, how about a Suzuki Ignis?? Im sure they are a bit higher than normal - someone here owns one, I forget who.
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I saw a Suzuki Ignis today too! Looks like a really good compromise having both height and a chunky appearance but not 4x4. Also seems to be cheaper secondhand - thanks for the suggestion - might well go for that. Does anyone know if the 2003 + model is very much better that the 2001? Trying to save the cash still!
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I shouldnt think there is that much in it - have you checked the car-by-car section - HJ is usually quite good with info on revisions. Maybe you should just have a look at an example of both and draw your own conclusions.
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"car-by-car section"
HJ isn't terribly polite about the Jimny, but when you get to the Terios, he says that the Jimny is more fun to drive! Small 4x4's do tend to be a bit bouncy - it used to be said of the original Suzuki jeep (which had cart springs) that it gave you 'joggers nipple'...
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The only experience of the Jimny ive had was on the M6 in the driving rain at 80 - and it was remarkably composed! Having driven a 5dr Ignis id much rather have one of those - I drove the 5dr 4x4 model and its really a nice little car.
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Being the owner of a short wheelbase suzuki grand vitara I would point out that any small 4x4 will be hard work on the motorway. As mine is the soft top, its quite noisy and does get affected by crosswinds. Throw night-time driving, rain, and overtaking into the trip, and theres plentygoing on to keep you interested...
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I make it a rule to avoid cars with strange names, however good they are...
Edited by Bilboman on 24/10/2009 at 23:57
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Had a Jimny, with 36k trouble free miles of ownership. Was a Godsend in the snow a number of years ago when my missus and me made it home through a goodly number of miles of really deep snow - arch deep on the Jimny, so you get the idea. It's light, cheap, reliable and does what it says on the tin. Get a Jimny, you can't loose. Terios is I believe full time 4x4 so you can roll the Jimny in 2x and save a little. Watch out for tyre wear, but otherwise, mine was fab. You mileage may vary, but as long as you don't need to carry huge amounts, use all the seats all the time, I would be surprised if you didn't enjoy it. There was a report in the motor press a couple of years ago where they put it up against the big Porsche 4x4 and it beat it - in the mud that is. On the road it is pretty hopeless, like a lot of older style 4x4s which roll along stilt high.
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Both Jimny & Terios are good cars but
* Jimny's on road performance is not good [especially at 60+ mph]
* Terios has 4+1 doors
* Terios comes with 5-yr warranty
* As a general purpose car, Terios is more suitable than Jimny
* Both are probably equally capable off road
PS: Just noticed you wanted it under £3k. Old Terioses are terrible!! So Jimny is better choice.
Edited by movilogo on 25/10/2009 at 20:50
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