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

[Deleted User]

Ranger8 wrote: »

Toyota Hilux

Terrible recommendation;)

They had one on Topgear and it ended up a wreck.


It took them a while but they did manage to wreck it in the end

lincroft1710

waamo wrote: »

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.

About 50 yrs ago a local farmer had a brand new Ferrari 500 Superfast. Tragically he crashed it and was killed.

coffeehound

Another vote for Subaru Forester. But not the fast turbocharged ones as they don’t have the high ratio setting (i don’t know whether that is true of the latest incarnation, but was true for the previous three.)

The ‘cooking’ engine was underpowered at low revs (doubt the turbo engines were a lot better) and easy to stall, so that high ratio option does come in handy in hilly situations such as steep low speed roads in villages and towns. Again, the newer engines may be better in that regard.

Eta: the standard Bridgestone semi-offroad tyres mine came with (again, not those on the turbo) were good enough in all snow encountered.

.

Owain_Moneysaver

force_ten wrote: »

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

1283 hasn't been forgotten or forgiven in some parts :eek:

ceredigion

Seagull27 wrote: »

Hi

I'm moving to rural Wales soon and will be looking to buy a new vehicle. I'm looking for something that:

- Can handle bad weather (mainly snow and ice); especially with regard to hills
- Has good road clearance for when driving poorly maintained country roads (or the odd forestry track etc)
- Can get out of the way of other cars easily (i.e. when having to get onto the side of the road, where again good clearance will help)
- Is still ok for long distances. I have family in Norfolk/Suffolk and so will be making the trip home 3 - 4 times a year.
- Is reasonably economical to run.
- Will cost around the £7-8k mark.

I've already done a bit of reading about, and probably the most important thing I've learnt so far is that a set of winter tyres will serve you much better in poor weather than a 4x4 with normal tyres. But will be interested to hear what anyone thinks about that.

I'll show my hand... I do like the Dacia Duster. Gets pretty good reviews on the whole, and is an amazing price. The clearance seems really good and seems to beat other vehicles of the type. I also like the size.

But now it's over to you guys... What do you think would be a good choice and are there other things I have overlooked.

Cheers

You are moving to rural Wales not Tibet.
Living in rural Wales myself I have a van for work, a Audi s7 for fun, and two feet.

Robisere

I have had an Auto motability car since 1995. I always take care to look ahead as far as I can. Descending the hill that takes me into Burgh on Bain, when driving over the Lincolnshire Wolds to Nottinghamshire (parent's graves) and Derbyshire, (wife's parents' graves, in the High Peak) before ascending the other side.

During the bad winter of 2009/10, I was driving a C-Max 2.0 DCi Turbo along this route. Observing the chaos below, as drivers refused to take note of the conditions, I slowed right down and watched them drive into the ditch or each other. I pulled into a drive way and waited. Eventually the scene cleared enough to get through, so I continued at my stately pace and carried on. The sow and ice was right across the east midlands, including the second highest hill in Notts, which had the churchyard where my parents were resting.


I then descended the other side of that hill, which had bends left and right. More examples of cars in the hedge bottom! I drove on to the High Peak without a problem and returned in the dark, exactly same route in reverse.


There are many more hills and descents on this route.


Drivers do not account for changes in weather and road conditions, is the answer.

waamo

lincroft1710 wrote: »

About 50 yrs ago a local farmer had a brand new Ferrari 500 Superfast. Tragically he crashed it and was killed.

There are 4 farms in my village. One of the other farmers has a Ferrari.

Tunstallstoven

Thanks for all the replies and input – much appreciated!

I’ve posted the same on some other forums and it is interesting to hear such varied responses there too, ranging from those who seem to recommended 4x4 Hilux’s and the like, to those who say a car with decent (and/or winter) tyres will suffice.

As with so many things in life, I find the middle ground is often the place to be. And putting all the responses together I think a 2WD Duster with suitable tyres in winter hits that spot. I also like the no thrills aspect of the Dacia. The simpler and more basic the better for me. I’d still be interested to hear any more views though...

Regarding the Duster, what would also be helpful to know is:

- Petrol vs Diesel. I’d prefer the former due to the environmental (and longevity) concerns of the latter, but I’m still open at this stage.
- mpg. I currently drive an Skoda Fabia Estate 2003, 1.2, petrol). How would a newish Duster compare?
- Are there any particular models, eras, etc to go for or avoid?

Huge thanks

Gloomendoom

ceredigion wrote: »

You are moving to rural Wales not Tibet.

Exactly my own thoughts. When I first came here, most farmers drove A30 vans and seemed to cope well enough.

Nowadays, people still just drive normal cars. Perhaps a pick-up if they have dogs to transport.

AdrianC

There are several factors.

Grip. Winter tyres give grip in all directions (steering, braking and traction), 4wd gives traction.

Ground clearance. How much ground clearance do you really need? How much is a taller body on the same platform actually giving? If the snow is so deep on the ground, why are you even contemplating driving?

Robustness. Is a normal car not robust enough? How much more is a taller body on the same platform actually giving? If the surface is that bad, is it different in different seasons?