Moving to rural Wales and need a new vehicle...

System

Personally if it were me and you already have a car I would just take that to Wales, chuck some decent all season tyres on such as Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-2 or Continental AllSeasonContact, or for something cheaper the Nexen N Blue 4Season, and see how you get on.

Just get a normal car. A family friend of ours lived in rural Wales down the end of a dirt track and my Mondeo and my mother's Astra never had a problem navigating it. My niece lives and works on a country estate along with a couple of dozen other estate workers. Other than the Lord and Lady, everyone drives around in normal everyday cars. I live in a rural county, drive down a lot of single track roads and never had a problem getting out of the way in my MX5 let alone my Mondeo.

In short the only people who think you need to have anything other than a normal car if you live in the country are people who live in cities. It most certainly isn't the people who live in the country.

As for the poor weather, I'm assuming you are referring to winter? If so then the tyres you use are more important than the vehicle you're driving. A 4x4 with summer tyres will get stuck where a normal car with winter tyres wouldn't.

4WD vs Winter Tyres.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atayHQYqA3g

force_ten

AdrianC wrote: »

Same round here, for farm wagons.

But most of the farmers' wives drive diesel Golfs and the like...

a few years ago it was Audi A4 diesels but the VW golf seems to be taking over now

force_ten

Tarambor wrote: »

In short the only people who think you need to have anything other than a normal car if you live in the country are people who live in cities. It most certainly isn't the people who live in the country.

I have a normal ford Mondeo with Dunlop winter tyres and it will get most places on the road but there are many places around here that my car would never go and i would never think about trying to take it there

I wouldn't take my car up any dirt tracks/farm tracks, forestry roads or other unmade roads, I hate parking on grass when you go to an event with temporary parking, my car is just not made for that type of thing so it stays on tarmac, as for driving on a soft verge on a narrow lane to let somebody pass i dont even like doing that as some of the verges around here are very soft and i have seen many people get stuck in the past and i have done it in the van

My normal car stays on the tarmac

System

I hate parking on grass when you go to an event with temporary parking, my car is just not made for that type of thing

Isn't it? Do you not notice that the vast majority of the car park is also filled with regular non off road vehicles?

force_ten

Tarambor wrote: »

Isn't it? Do you not notice that the vast majority of the car park is also filled with regular non off road vehicles?

no it isn't made for use off road, also when it was new new it cost quite a lot of money and i still like to look after it and keep it well serviced and keep it clean/detailed and filling the arches with mud whilst spinning to get off the grass is not for me

AdrianC

Don't hammer it on the grass. If you don't get wheelspin, it'll move much more easily than if you do.

And you clearly haven't seen what a properly rural car gets like when used regularly on narrow lanes in winter if you're worrying about a bit of grass...

waamo

One of the local farmers by me has a 16 plate Aston Martin. The op might need to up his budget to drive what farmers drive.

force_ten

AdrianC wrote: »

Don't hammer it on the grass. If you don't get wheelspin, it'll move much more easily than if you do.

And you clearly haven't seen what a properly rural car gets like when used regularly on narrow lanes in winter if you're worrying about a bit of grass...

I know all the tricks like using as high a gear as possible and low revs, but i also know that my car even with winter tyres is not made for going off road and if the ground is soft and you loose traction the car will get stuck and you will need to be pulled out

I know my car is not designed for off road so it is best to avoid it

as for dirty cars I certainly know what a car gets like in the country but i regularly snow foam and jet wash my car and have seen me doing it after every trip, my personal car is a weekends and holidays car so it is not used daily and when it gets dirty it is soon cleaned off

Ranger8

Toyota Hilux

force_ten

Ranger8 wrote: »

Toyota Hilux

He wants to move to wales not go to war :rotfl: