second hand 4x4 advice please

inkie100

Hi

I've just moved into a really rural property (1.2 mile of dirt track) & need to buy a 4x4.

My budget is small, about £1500. I need a 5 door descent size jeep, not car as (I have a dog & doing up a house so need a bit boot!). I work from home so daily mileage isn't an issue, but at weekends I can travel up to 500 miles, so think a diesel would be better? I need it to have good MPG & a low insurance group vehicle.

I've trawled through the usual websites & I'm utterly confused. Any help/advice would really be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Inkie

Hammyman

£1500 will buy you a rotting dog or one with shafted gearbox, trans box or diffs...whatever you get will certainly need work.

It isn't a case of whether or not you'd like petrol or diesel with £1500, its whether or not you can find something that isn't fit for the scrapyard.

Good MPG and 4x4 is an oxymoron with the exception of the Fiat Panda 4x4 and Suzuki Jimny which are the exceptions that prove the rule.

You are looking at things like the Frontera or underpowered early Discoveries.

I've never needed a 4x4 to get up farm tracks around here, my Mondeo manages just fine, so are you sure you actually need one?

property.advert

You wouldn't get much of a car for £1500 nevermind a 4x4. Likely is that whatever you find will be shot, at best need some major service work, tax and new brakes and tyres and you are doubling your budget just there.

inkie100

I should add I live in the highlands of Scotland...last year we had 11" of snow, that stayed for 8 weeks! So not sure my Mitshibushi estate would get me home due to the lack of height?

Maybe I should consider buying some skis instead

property.advert

A good stock of soup and other tins would seem to be the order of the day as well as keeping 3 months' or more of oil around at least.

I do appreciate your quandary but unless you can find someone local who will do you a favour and offload an old landy your way I think you are going to have to pick from a very limited stock irrespective of your budget.

From my experience of hunting down a Nissan Murano (starting circa 5 years old at around £5/6k), what you have is a huge thirsty engine which scares people away. Your lack of mileage is ok weekdays but not on 500 mile jaunts. Finding an unloved gas guzzling motor could be your way out.

more_money_for_me

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-15141652

Seems pretty good on mountainous terrain.

Weird_Nev

You CAN get servicable 4X4's for £1500, but not at this time of year, and not in Outer-Northern Scotland!
Older Discoveries can be sound purchases but can also cost a lot to run, and at that price will be utterly ruined. Vauxhall Motereys and Isuzu troopers can be had for that money, but they'll be wrecky too... Especially in rural scotland, 4x4's are workhorses, so they're either being used to take feed to sheep, or else they're broken and rotting in a farmyard somewhere.
Doing fewer miles I'd consider a petrol car. You'll get more car for your money and the poorer Mpg will be offset by lower purchase price. Diesels are in high demand, and in scotland in the winter diesel 4x4's are hot property.
Look at Subaru Foresters for example. A sound 4x4 system with an estate body. It's not an out-and-out off roader, but has higher ground clearance and 4WD for the tracks. IF you're not actually offroading, a true 4x4 is overkill. Legacys can also be cheap, along with non turbo impreza estates. Hunt around on auto trader.
Here's one only 160 miles from Perth for just £1,700!
Do a load of research into what fits the bill. But you've got a tight budget there, so you'll have to really hunt hard or perhaps delay the purcahse until next year so you have more choice.

concerned43

I sold my landy a couple of months a ago for £800 and it needed £600 worth of work done to it - £300 of which was cosmetic - so there are bargins out there!

poppasmurf_bewdley

Have a look at the older Suzuki Vitara. Quite rugged and parts are easily available as they were made in Spain.

forgotmyname

Except the landy probably needs another £2000 spending to cover 500 miles journeys without needing
a tow home each time.

I presume you wont travel 500 miles when its snowing. So a cheap everyday car for normal duties and
an old LR thats tax exempt pre 1973, Which will qualify for cheap insurance £100 fully comp for tugging
stuff and winter journeys.

MPG on a proper sized 4x4 will be 25mpg for petrol and 32mpg for diesel, Thats about the best you can
hope for. Some will be much worse.

sopaz

I've been looking for a cheap 4x4 recently, it does seem to be the wrong time of year!

Have you looked at the old (pre 2003) Kia Sportage? They have low range 4wd and seem well built (mostly Mazda underneath). You would easily find an older one in your budget.