Cheapest 4x4 to buy & run ??

sconieroany

I am looking to buy a 4x4 that I can use in thye worst of the Scottish winters after last years debacle. I am looking for advice on the best 4x4 I should consider, I will consider anything even older classic types, as the main expence is liable to be the road tax, as insurance should not be too bad at my age.

I have seen pretty cheap Jeep Cherokees, Landrover defenders some ex-MOD, Rav4's and CRV's are more pricey but also good.

Any ideas folk's ?.

Scooby_Doo.

Lots of good useable P38 Ranger Rovers to be had. Luxury motoring for about 3k. If you can find onw with LPG they are just about affordable to run.

KillerWatt

Isuzu Bighorn 3.1D (jap version of the Trooper).

We've had ours 3 years and basic servicing aside (which I do myself), the only money we've had to spend in that time is on 2 tyres (£140 each).

You'll find plenty on the bay and they do hold their money well because they simply go on forever, but go for one with a manual box if you can find one (quite rare).

Hintza

Has to be the Panda 4x4 at least go and have a look it is vry good fun and will do what it says on the tin.

If you want a Jep don't get the Cherokee (very fuel hungry) the Grand Cherokee with the Mercedes 3.0 CRD engine is much much much better.

But you haven't really said what size it has to be and you should perhaps look at a set of winter tyres as an alternative solution. Obviously though you do get the ground clearance with a 4x4.

LandyAndy

Scooby_Doo. wrote: »

Lots of good useable P38 Ranger Rovers to be had. Luxury motoring for about 3k. If you can find onw with LPG they are just about affordable to run.

Please don't get a P38A Range Rover.

Notoriously unreliable and hideously expensive to fix.

LandyAndy

sconieroany wrote: »

I am looking to buy a 4x4 that I can use in thye worst of the Scottish winters after last years debacle. I am looking for advice on the best 4x4 I should consider, I will consider anything even older classic types, as the main expence is liable to be the road tax, as insurance should not be too bad at my age.

I have seen pretty cheap Jeep Cherokees, Landrover defenders some ex-MOD, Rav4's and CRV's are more pricey but also good.

Any ideas folk's ?.

Would certainly be depreciation proof if looked after. But...the heater is utterly ineffective so you will have to wrap up like an eskimo in winter.

Hammyman

Don't expect more than mid 20's out of a diesel and high teens out of a petrol.

KillerWatt

Hammyman wrote: »

Don't expect more than mid 20's out of a diesel and high teens out of a petrol.

28mpg out of the Bighorn, the auto's (which are very common) only manage 22mpg.

sconieroany

Thanks guys, I appreciate I am asking for the near impossible, a 4x4 that does not break the bank, I did have a Trooper before, but I'm sure there was some kind of common failure with the diesel engines that were expensive to repair, but they are built like tanks. Don't want a small car like the panda though, if I'm having one I want it fit to take the family through the worst of the snow.

The Grand Cherokee seems to have a good build quality, and can be picked up quite cheap, the ones with the lpg conversion seem like a good bet, although road tax even for six months is never going to be cheap.

Hintza

Ones to certainly have on a short list would be a Subaru Forrester and the Mitsibishi Outlander the latter especially the older model was not very popular (I see the police are using the newer model around us) and could potential be a bargain.

When the old model was introduced in 2002 (?) we did the off road test driving (ie taking the press out and making sure they didn't break it) and it asn't a bad car (wasn't brilliant either) but they came with factory fitted lpg conversions which has to be a bonus.

KillerWatt

sconieroany wrote: »

Thanks guys, I appreciate I am asking for the near impossible, a 4x4 that does not break the bank, I did have a Trooper before, but I'm sure there was some kind of common failure with the diesel engines that were expensive to repair,

I do believe that was the 2.8 lump, the 3.1 is nigh on bulletproof if you service it on time.