What 4x4 shall i get ???

[simon15]

Well im looking at getting a off roader again cuz its so addictive.

Looking at tdi Disco's but also just been looking at some 4-Runner's !!!

im using it on a daily basis so definatly gotta be diesel and need it to be more than capable off-road too.

Play days, green laning etc etc etc...


Any ideas guys and gals :)

i currently have a rover coupe turbo if anybody know anyone wanting one, ;)  its in the for sale section :)

[smo]

Depends on your budget really.

If you fancy a very very nice 90 TD5 then i know of one for sale ;)

[simon15]

Really only got my car which is easily worth £1500 :)

[smo]

Really only got my car which is easily worth £1500 :)

Add another 0 and you might be in luck!

Perhaps a Disco 1 if you want somthing from the LR stable, or anything jap (pajero, landcruiser?) if thats your bag but i dont know enough to advise there.

[simon15]

Thanks anyway.

Yeah landys seem quite capable and a good all rounder.

[Onan The Barbarian]

Get a Pajero, Simon... capable of anything... and comfortable too!  

But I would say that, wouldn't I?  :lol:

[simon15]

What are they like off road?

and how easy are they to moddify for off rosding?

[missroadrage]

What are they like off road?

and how easy are they to moddify for off rosding?

Off road the Pajero is very capable & comfortable.

As for modifying I don't know mine is a standard SWB.

[simon15]

what about the LWB pajero?

are they not as good due to the size?

I suppose there is no difference between the pajero and the shogun apart from its an import?

what would be my best bet between a modded disco! a toyota 4 runner and a LWB shogun?

needs to be comfy, still good road performance, off road capable and relatively easy modifying parts to get a hold of.

[lostdreamer]

Vitara? Cheap, comfy, light & nimble. Fuel consumption ain't great, but it is considerably better than a V8. They even come in a roofless model for added grin factor. When stock they do suffer (not too much, but notably) from ground clearance problems in landrover ruts tho. And they don't have too much room inside.
As a plaything, I would recommend it (or an SJ) strongly.

[laser_jock99]

Hilux Surf/4Runner is a fair bet for onroad comfort/offroad use (but I would say that too wouldn't I!)

Avoid the 2.4TD unless the head has already been replaced.

More info here:

www.hiluxsurf.co.uk

[Drift]

<<<<<<<<<<<<one of these nice 2.8 TDI  :D
Ste

[simon15]

I'm stuck in a big hole now. :)

quite fancy a swb paj/shogun gotta be diesel though and manual. but are mods easy to buy and relatively cheap.

vitara is a bit small really allround.

4 runner would be an ideal but still quite pricey from what I have seen.

Frontera possibly but not really a fan of them.


still coming back to the good old disco though. relatively cheap well known. easy to get mods for etc etc.

[simon15]

Had a look round and got info on most things and think its going to have to be a disco.

Easy to mod and relatively cheap too :( quite reliable and easy to repair and get parts...


So keeping my eye out for a decent disco 200tdi now      

[bezzabsa]

could I sway you with this??
http://forums.mud-club.com/viewtopic.php?t=35159

[simon15]

I have looked at it :) but looking into mods they seem pretty expensive...

[bezzabsa]

can be lifted 2" for next to nothing - engine can be swapped to 2.8 isuzu if needed, cheap to insure, still has a ladder chassis so nice and strong...can be run on 100% biodiesel (as SWMBO's does) .also quite capable off road..

[Smiffy]

I'd say a 4 runner/surf. I had a fourtrack before and wanted something a little bigger and more comfortable. So i opted for a surf. They can be raised 4" for £200 then if you want shocks(pro comp's) they're about £140 for 4. I've used mine a off road a few times and am more than happy with it and it sits comfortably on the road as well(even with big tyres).

It's all down to personal choice,the surf had everything i was lookin for at the time and can't complain.
 A nice 4.2td Landcruiser would be my next choice although perhaps a tad on the large side.

[simon15]

Just read a few things on them and people say there is a reasonable difference from a disco.

So think im going to stick with a good old trusty disco..

Anybody got one :)

[redneck]

I'm stuck in a big hole now. :)

quite fancy a swb paj/shogun gotta be diesel though and manual. but are mods easy to buy and relatively cheap.

vitara is a bit small really allround.

4 runner would be an ideal but still quite pricey from what I have seen.

Frontera possibly but not really a fan of them.


still coming back to the good old disco though. relatively cheap well known. easy to get mods for etc etc.

SWB Pajero doesn't really need modifications  :D
Same as a 90 doesn't really need mods unless you go extreme like challenges, you could get a MK1 swb pajero 2.5 Diesel for £700-£800 add decent mud tyres and still have plenty of change from your £1500.
Nearly forgot standard spec usually includes air con, leccy windows, mine has sprung seat for off road (not sure that's on all MK1's  :? )
Lots for your money  

[simon15]

Really fancy something a bit bigger though, i would go for a lwb but then will need mods....

[redneck]

Really fancy something a bit bigger though, i would go for a lwb but then will need mods....

LWB Pajero still very capable vehicle it only loses out on ramp over angle, it's about the same length as a Disco.
From what i've read on forums etc a 2"lift is reasonably easy to do on the Pajero but higher than that gets more invloved, going higher than 2" lift on the Disco i believe is easier. Both in standard form will easily cope with green lanes  

[simon15]

I want to go a bit more braver than just green lanes, Pay and play days etc etc......

[chris.hunt22]

my 10p's worth....Discovery, put £500 to and get a 300tdi, on my second now after having a Saab in between for 4 years, they are comfy, reliable (in my experience anyway), cheaply modifiable, s#*t hot off road and pull like a steam train, I have always wanted a defender but the comfort and useability means it will be a disco every time!! 8)  8)

[simon15]

What extra does the 300 have??

And yes definatly a disco now from what i have heard, i was very impressed with my range rover and the disco is more or less the same.

And they look  amazing jacked up with huge tyres.  :lol:

[lenrover]

I would reccomend a dicovery series1 as bits are cheap and for £1500 you should be able to find a tidy example they're very easy and cheap to modify abd there's plenty of them about-testement to how well suited they are to a number of applications
take a look at LAND ROVER WORLD feb o7 (the lateset one) there's a very good buying and modifing guide in there
Failing that Haynes(the workshop manual people) now do a book;- discovery buy,modify and maintain .I think its called :?

Hope this helps :lol:

[laser_jock99]

Honestjohn's Motoring Website DISCOVERY vs HILUX SURF

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/index.php?url=/carbycar/index.htm

DISCOVERY
What's Good
High driving position good for sightseeing. Outstandingly competent and comfortable off-road. Diesels are surprisingly economical with 30 mpg on the cards. Autobox goes well with the four-cylinder diesel. Seven-seat versatility (though the two back jump seats are not suitable for long journeys). 14' 8" long by 5' 11" wide and weighing from 2,000kg, which is more than the 'Classic' shape Range Rover. TDi had 111bhp to July 1995, then 120bhp; 3.9 V8 had 180bhp. 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic, both with low range. Extremely Low 1 out of 9 point death rate from accidents in this model. Spare parts situation improved enormously by Summer 2003.

Owners bulletin board: www.landrover.org/wwwboard/wwwboard.html

 
What's Bad

Build problems went from bad to worse in the transition from 200 to 300 model.
Very ponderous on the road due to high centre of gravity.
Dangerous to carry anything on the roof.
Generally poor build quality. Post-1993 '300 Series' manual gearbox has better change but suffers severe input shaft wear (can be alleviated by high-tech gearbox lubricants). 300 TDi engines also prone to timing belt failure after 40,000 miles. Kits are available to extend timing belt life, but fitting them is a long job. V8s guzzle fuel and can develop porous bore liners/blocks. Useful site for information about V8 and for replacements: www.v8engine.com Water leaks onto fusebox, knocking out electrics. Avoid the underpowered 2.0 litre 16v 'MPi' model. Lack of crumple zones mean it can be expensively damaged by hard impacts at speeds as low as 5 mph. Suggested oil to help prevent problems with the notorious 300 manual gearbox is ATF fluid with Morris LODEXOL MTF APIGL4 fully synthetic transmission fluid in the transfer box. Up to 1,500 Discoverys put off the road in 2002 because an immobiliser part 'Spider Unit', Land Rover part No ARM 4889 become virtually impossible to obtain. Then there was a non availability of remote keyfobs for early 1990s Discoverys, but happily you can now get them from www.alarmremotes.co.uk at a tenth of the Land Rover Price. LandRover had joint highest average cost in warranty claims for cars up to 10 years old in 2002 Warranty Direct index.
Land Rovers had third highest warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 167.53 v/s lowest 31.93). 95-97 models poor for breakdowns and problems, average for faults in 2003 Which survey. Land Rover 4th bottom of Reliability Index for 2004 combining average cost of repair of £367.03 with highest 46.23 failures per 100 Warranty Direct policies. Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk

What to Watch Out For

Signs of severe usage. Tow hooks (what's it been towing? It's rated to 3.4 tons). Underbody 'off-roading' damage. Leaks from axles, transmission, transfer case. Worn suspension and steering bushes. Worn and noisy gearboxes (especially post-1993 '300 Series'). Rust where steel chassis touches alloy body panels. 5-door models worth much more than 3-doors. If it's a TDi 300, has the timing belt modification been carried out? Check the trim carefully as dashboards of post-'94 models can warp. 6th from Bottom of 100 models for reliability in Auto Express 2002 survey.
Recalls
1995 (VIN LJ163104 to LJ172980 and LJ501920 to LJ504252): check seatbelts. 1997 (April '95-July '96: 22,723 vehicles): possibility of failure of RHS front door latch. 1998: (build Jan '94-Mar '97): airbag may go off involuntarily. 1998 TSB dated 25/3/98 warned dealers of timing belt failure due to misalignment of belt and pulleys on 300TDi's up to VIN WA748935 and gave procedures for repair under warranty if warranty conditions apply. TWO RECALLS 3/4/2001: Build 1/1/1998 to 31/12/2000, VINs XA410482 to 1A452817 and XA220000 to 1A299999: Recall 1 (automatics only): Water may migrate up gearbox breather pipe and corrode park lock mechanism leading it to fail to lock properly. Gearbox breather pipe to be re-routed and affected gearboxes to be repaired. Recall 2: High pressure hose of Active Cornering Enhancement system not fitted with anti vibration attenuator may fracture. Where attenuator not fitted, hiogh pressure hoses to be replaced.

HILUX SURF
What's Good
Good looking non UK market 4-door utility SUV 4 independently imported in quite big numbers. 3 litre turbo diesel or 3 litre V6 petrol. 3.0 litre from about 1995 on seems to be best engine. All versions manual or auto. All imported Hilux Surfs equipped with aircon as standard.
Very reliable as long as serviced properly with particular attention to cooling system. Hilux Surfs have massive UK fanbase, and one of the best forums to ask further questions is www.yotasurf.co.uk/forums

What's Bad
2.4 engine prone to cylinder head problems. High prices asked for 10 - 12 year old vehicles.
What to Watch Out For
Usual import caveats.

...ermmmm I think I'll take the Yota thanks!

And if you thought the Disco was bad- take a look at the FREELANDER'S extensive listing!