4x4 wanted on a limited budget...

Stooby2

There are some low mileage Discovery TD5's in your price range and for what you want to tow, they pretty much fit the bill. They are rated to tow 3.5 tonnes on overrun brakes. Have a good look around the wheel arches and sills for rust. Water pumps can pack up as well.

xmillyx

Thank you for everybody, for towing it would be need to be used for relatively flat fields and would not really need to go off road apart from that.

Is there a way I can pay a mechanic to come out with me to look at cars? Me and my OH are pretty clueless about buying cars and don't know any mechanics. Do some people offer this service?

marlot

xmillyx wrote: »

Is there a way I can pay a mechanic to come out with me to look at cars? Me and my OH are pretty clueless about buying cars and don't know any mechanics. Do some people offer this service?

Most mobile mechanics will look a car over for you for a fee, or the AA/RAC offer an inspection service

forgotmyname

What is the gross laden weight of your horsebox?

AdrianC

Five grand really isn't THAT tiny a budget, folks...

A quick look at AutoTrader shows a wide choice of Discos, Shoguns, X5s, MLs, etc etc - all within the roughly 8-10yo range for about £4500-5500.

A quick google suggests the Sorento might not be hefty enough - 2.5t towing weight. I suspect that'll be a common factor with a lot of the other road-biased 3/4-size softroaders, whilst 3.5t will be more common with the big stuff and "proper" off-roaders. 2.5t's going to be a bit shy of the MAM of a two-big-horse trailer. Many seem to be just shy of a ton empty. Add in a ton of horse, and you're going to be making something with a 2.5t capacity sweat a bit.

gilbert_and_sullivan

Something in this budget capable of what you ask isn't going to be economical.

Disco's fine if you have a pet mechanic, you'll need one, he will be forever mending the thing, fortunately there is a fantastic aftermarket parts industry, which is just as well for the same reason.

Sorento is a full weight proper 4x4, good motor too.

Consider also Hyundai Terracan, its not a Sorento in a different frock, its totally different, and very good.

I know people who have run both for extended periods, Terracan 9 years from new with only regular servicing, no faults at all.

Sorento, bought at 1 year old, company car purchase run hard with regular full weight towing for over 5 years, other than regular servicing it needed an air con condensor replacing.

Agree with Marlot, Landcruiser 90 (AKA Colorado), but lots of the really good ones have already been exported, it will be quite old and high mileage to be in budget.

edit, just looked up Sorento on the caravan towing sites and it comes in at 2.8t towing limit according to them, according to Honestjohn its 3.0t....nope must be a misprint, states 2800kgs on the vehicle write up.

snowcat75

Reliability wise and work horse wise, pardon the pun, I'd go for a terrano, I have a farm and a welding fabrication business, mine tows everyday, and is used off road all the time, towing caps are around 2.8t depending on the model. A friend of mine who runs a construction firm has 8 for his workers, they are bomb proof.

Now the bad points, with me and tools, fuel economy on the 2.7l is about 30mpg. Trailer half laden 22mpg and upto capacity teens.

They drive like a truck, mrs has a Subaru and that is like driving a rr In comparison.

Clutches go at about 80k if there worked, not too bad if you can put one in yourself, but around 9hrs at a garage.

There hard on front tyres.

Personally I'd have a car and a budget 4x4. No actually I'd forget the horse and use £20 notes on the fire, it will be a slower way of losing money.

goonarmy

Buy an old tdi engine landrover and run it on veggie.

Stooby2

Nope and nope again. The TDI 300 is a reliable engine but lacks grunt. I have a 1.4 tonne caravan and my Disco 1 struggles up hills with it. I've had a few Discos and they are all the same. Pulling over 2 tonnes of horses would reduce it to a crawl even on moderate hills.

It's a common problem with older turboo diesels. Newer ones are a lot better.

Hintza

We only have ponies currently and I decided a 2 tonne limit was cutting it too fine. An Ifor Williams unladen weight (current models) are 920-1,000kg.