Mud-club
Chat & Social => The Bar - General Chat => Topic started by: roscoe on February 07, 2006, 13:34:27
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Looking for a wee bit of help. Currently have the Jimny and the wife's A class and have decided that I need something bigger for lugging the 3 mountain bikes, the wife, child and dog around in.
My car is mainly used for leisure, ie carrying the bikes and gets used for trailering all sorts of diy stuff around. I do also enjoy the odd greenlane
My budget is £5000.
I have recently been to see a few Discos but have been put off by the bodywork. I would dearly love a Disco as I think they are tremendous vehicles. My problem is that I am not too mechanically minded and would need the local garage to sort any probs.
I have also thought about a diesel cherokee but know nothing about them.
I saw a 2.2Dti Frontera at the weekend which was in excellent nick.
As you can tell, I am in a quandry?
Can anyone give me some advice as to what may suit my needs??
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Jesus, for 5 grand you would get a lovely disco!
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Mmmm, I have so far looked at 3 around that price....all had mileage in excess of 100k and all 3 had rust holes in the rear panel, just where the mudflaps sit..........looking at the frontera at the weekend, it was unmarked and only had 60k on it..........any cherokees I see at this price seem to be younger and have lower mileages.......
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I bought my disco for £2300 and have just found some rust in the rear floor (grrrr) but even so everything else is in really good nic. It is the es model too which has the leather seats, air con etc etc and its a 300tdi on an m plate. For 5k you must be able to find a fab disco. You just need to look until you find the right one.
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Lots of support for the Disco then! Any opinions on the Cherokee or Frontera or anything else that may fit the bill?
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the fronteras I have seen off road have got stuck on the first bit of slightly moist grass so if you want to do green laning I would avoid the frontera!
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As a normal drive the frontera in my opinoin beats the Disco hands down
I have had a Frontera 2.4 Old shape then moved onto a 3.2V6 LTD Newer shape, I ve also had a 300TDI DIsco ES Auto
I towed a 1.5Ton Caravan with all 3 the best was the 3.6V6 frontera by far
But the green ovals are much better of road and cheaper to repair if not using main dealers
After spending 4k in four weeks on the 3.2V6 Frontera (with only 15K on the clock) I got shot of it
Darren
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£4k in 4 weeks, what happened?
Anyone got any opinions on the Cherokee?
At the risk of being shot down in flames here, is the Disco more liable to break down when compared to the Frontera or Cherokee? I need something that is going to be reliable and am not the most mechanically minded person in the world.....
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Hi, just got a disco for a pal, 1996N 300tdi in mint condition 76k, one owner from new, full service history ect ect,
Send a pm to JAS278 he got this one for my pal only £4500.
John.
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the reason you will find more disco's with higher mileage is cos they are used more cos they are better!! they only break down if you dont look after them right! they will only break down as often as any other vehicle. the disco's are cheaper on parts and have much better seating position and comfort!
cherokee is like the frontera and the jap motors, they are expensive to repair, parts are never cheap (unless you own a suzuki sj in which they are crap and being broken all the time!!! i shall get me coat! lol)
So the disco is the best option!
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I am no expert, but I suspect if you want real reliability, you may have to go Japanese. But I do get the impression that when something does break the parts are generally expensive. I'm sure someone will 'expand' in my comments!
But there is something to be said for Land Rover. The parts are cheap and easily available. And if you find a local tame independant specialist, the labour costs won't be huge either.
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Avoid pre 97 facelift diesel Cherrys the VM diesel engine has a bad reputation...post face lifts are better, engine was redsigned?
If you can afford the fuel bills go for a 4 litre 93/94 decent ones can be picked up for £1200! but for @£5k you should get a decent one If fuel consumption (probably 20-22mpg) would be an issue think about LPG conversion with an underfloor tank to save loosing space in the back - If you take this route though budget for say a 2" lift to make up for the sagging at the back caused by the weight of the lpg install
Have a mooch on ebay for Jeep Cherokees to get an idea of real world prices
They're pretty reliable and parts availability isn't as bad as you'd think
Starter motor replacement is a nightmare in a diesel and check any for sagging rear springs (Another excuse for a lift kit :wink: :D)
Hope the information is of use
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£4k in 4 weeks, what happened?quote]
ECUs Engine, ABS ECU, Fuel Pump, New Head
Never again!!!!
All after a LPG conversion took place, Vauxhall blamed the converter the converter blamed Vauxhall.
Darren
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Thanks for the help guys, so I should be looking for post 97 Cherokee or keep searching, take my time and find that Disco. I must be honest and say I'm still interested in the Forntera as well. Suppose it will all fall into place for me at some point.
One thing I do need to consider is that I hate buying/selling privately, so I will be looking to trade the Jimny in. I suppose this makes the search a bit harder?
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you will get alot better deal money wise going private. I would never go through a garage myself.
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Avoid pre 97 facelift diesel Cherrys the VM diesel engine has a bad reputation...post face lifts are better, engine was redsigned?
All Crysler engines from 94 -97 are a bid dodge (no pun intended), particularly their diesels and the 2.0 SOHC/DOHC engines that went into the Neon, Stratus and eventually PT Cruiser. They blow seals like nothing else and there are documented manufacturing defects on many of them (more petrol engines). Performance wise they were fairly bad too, but that may have been lower octaine American fuel more than the engines. 2.0 DOHC Neon used to get routinely hammered by a 1.0 Accord. I would say Frontera or later Cherokee (As said they did get their act together) but out of the three I'd go Disco.
As a side note, take a Suzuki out, they may be small and a lil bit crap but I'm finding mine is just so much damm fun :) And for that money you can get about 6!
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A lot of good advice there guys.....thanks a lot.
The Disco seems to have a lot of supporters out there.
Now I need to find the right one
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Its a Jeep thing .....try it :D
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decisions decisions
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Disco all the way, or perhaps a Defender :D
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go and get a diesel Grand Vitara, just as good as a Jeep or Disco offroad, really nice to drive and bullet proof. 5k will get a decent 5 door, get a post may 2003 one, the interior is much better
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had a v6 Grand Vitara in the past, loved it to bits. I've actually seen a couple at £5k recently but have been having second thoughts re the fuel costs.
a diesel Grand would be excellent but finding one at £5k? that's like looking for hens teeth up here......
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was looking at a v6 for 2800 the other day, cheap as chips for them, diesels can be had, need to look all over tho
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the search continues for the perfect 4x4 :roll:
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Disco Jeep? Jeep Disco??
Well I'm gonna say Jeep, but then I'm Right! :lol:
There isn't much in it really (did I just say that!) Discos are more expensive to buy, about twice the price of a similer age and spec Cherokee. There's nothing in it as far as off road rerformance goes, they're both good trucks in the soft stuff.
On the road the Cherokee is miles better than all but the very latest Discos and it doesn't rely on fancy electronics to do it either.
The Disco wil break more often (but not that much more often) and parts are cheaper when it does.
As for the Jeep. Go for a 4L petrol, the engines are bullet proof and you don't get much better fuel consumption in the oil burner or the smaller petrol engine. LPG it if you've got the funds.
As for the Jap trucks, I don't know enough about them to comment so I won't. :wink:
Oh and there are more Landies than Jeeps cos THEY ARE MADE HERE! and no other reason. :D
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Fair comments there young man :D
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I know. I must be feeling ill!! :shock: :D
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Oh dear, went to see a Disco and a Cherry at the weekend.
The Disco had loadsa mould inside and the parcel shelf had a puddle on it.
The Cherry looked excellent until I opened the passenger door and it dropped about an inch. Tried the door behind it and it wouldn't open at all.
The search continues
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the reason you will find more disco's with higher mileage is cos they are used more cos they are better!! they only break down if you dont look after them right! they will only break down as often as any other vehicle. the disco's are cheaper on parts and have much better seating position and comfort!
cherokee is like the frontera and the jap motors, they are expensive to repair, parts are never cheap (unless you own a suzuki sj in which they are crap and being broken all the time!!! i shall get me coat! lol)
So the disco is the best option!
ahem, I drive a Japanese 4x4, it's been VERY reliable, and go to roughtrax or Milner's and parts ARE cheap :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:
Trev
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May I add to your choice ?
May I suggest the 3.0 Litre Toyota Surf ?
Trev
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Oh dear, went to see a Disco and a Cherry at the weekend.
The Disco had loadsa mould inside and the parcel shelf had a puddle on it.
The Cherry looked excellent until I opened the passenger door and it dropped about an inch. Tried the door behind it and it wouldn't open at all.
The search continues
You should be able to find a 2000 - 2001 Cherokee with low milage and all the toys for your kind of money. so don't give up yet. :wink:
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Had a look at the insurance increase which would be applied to all the cars suggested by you nice people:
Grand Vitara V6 +£30
Cherokee TD +£50
Disco +£140
Hilux Surf +£275
Would love to look at the Surf, however that's a whopping increase, unless I go for an older one and spend the difference on insurance....
Been having a look on the 'net for info on Surfs and have seen nothing but good reports about.....also, on the plus side, there are at least 2 well known import dealers close to where I live.
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I may have found the one...........98/R Jeep Cherokee 2.5td, dark blue, 73k full service history at main dealers only 2 owners.....up for grabs at £4350...
Went to see it yesterday and it is in absolutely mint condition, not a mark on it. Rear brakes were binding and there was a an oil leak from the propshaft? just around the middle of the car. Seller said it was going in to get the work done this week and get an MOT. I agreed to go back on Friday for a test drive with SWMBO
Fingers crossed :D
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Well, I've finally done it. Bought a 1998 Jeep Cherokee TD Sport, dark blue, 74000 miles, absolutley perfect condition and a full Jeep history. Pick it up next saturday.
Can't wait :D