Budget 4x4?

Splott

So you want to change the people carrier because you didn't feel safe in the few days of snow we have in this country for a 4x4 which will be more dangerous than the people carrier the whole year round?

4x4s do not corner that well, cannot handle rapid direction changes that well and take longer to stop. Also a 4x4 is not a guarantee you'll be any safer in the snow as that relies on both the tyre and the ability of the driver as the Range Rover which shoved a car through a wall on the BBC News the other day amply demonstrates. In fact last year I helped a woman out of her Land Rover when she flipped it going down an icy country lane and it ended up on its roof.

Cknocker

The OP wants to KEEP his people carrier! This is an additional car. I get the impression he's had some off road experience (He's driven a non road legal 4x4). Maybe a bit of green laning or pay and play sites when its not snowing?

muddyl

Thanks for the replies, I'll try to respond to some of the replies here.

I know something for under a grand will probably be pretty rough, but with a couple of mechanics in the family most things can be sorted fairly easily even if i can't do it myself.

I could park at the top of the culdisac, which would of course make it easier to get out of my street. It would not help me with the next hill (i could go another way but that still has a smaller hill festooned with speed bumps which loads of people get caught on in the snow) or the bad roads near work though.

I know having a 4x4 does not make you unstoppable, but used wisely can make a big difference. As someone mentioned before i do have a little off road experience and as a friend has a defender and his friend owns an off-road site ill be getting plenty more. That also shows it will be getting used more than a couple of times a year.

I do like the older Disco 2's, just the side facing 6th & 7th seats im not keen on and probably cant stretch to a TD5 wich has forward facing ones.
Shogun is an option though.

I'll have a look around at the options. Thanks for all the input people.

Cknocker

The Disco will be easier for parts mind.

jumperjohn

This is easy to solve, WINTER TYRES.

I own a 4x4, previously I owned a rear wheel drive Lexus, the Lexus drove better, stopped better and was safer on snow, ice and water than my 4x4, how, winter tyres.

Winter tyres are seriously misunderstood like the 4x4 theory.

scheming_gypsy

I think even with the Shogun they're side facing seats. A 4WD with front facing seats and under a grand would be something like an Estima / Previa although you wouldn't want to go off roading in one!
or even possibly a Mitsubishi Delica, they might have side facing seats though but i think it's an MPV on a Shogun chassis

Paperbird

jumperjohn wrote: »

This is easy to solve, WINTER TYRES.

I own a 4x4, previously I owned a rear wheel drive Lexus, the Lexus drove better, stopped better and was safer on snow, ice and water than my 4x4, how, winter tyres.

Winter tyres are seriously misunderstood like the 4x4 theory.

But what tyres do you have on the 4x4 ?
The standard tyre on a lot of the popular sporty 4x4's these days seem to be a nice wide low profile summer tyre.

Cknocker

If you're only using the 4x4 for off roading when not in the snow, you're going to want a decent mud tyre.