Reply With QuoteWhy not just hire a car for those 5% of trips?
I have a Tesla Model 3, I love it dearly. I've wanted one forever and I've gotten over how much money I've lost on it. It's hear to stay.
At the moment it's our only car. It's perfect for 95% of my usage requirements.
The other 5% includes (but is not limited to) the odd 4-500 mile trip to Scotland, carrying clean bikes to Wales and muddy ones back, some light off-road duties in muddy fields and the occasional need to carry some heavy commercial equipment; none of which the Tesla excels at.
I'm thinking of adding a second car to the fleet, it'll sit SORN'd until needed, on a trickle charger. The only requirements being that it can manage the above, be subject to a flexible £10k budget and most importantly be automatic.
My current list is as follows:
1. A leggy Toyota Landcruiser (like THIS)
2. A budget pushing Mitsubishi L200 (like THIS)
3. A reliable Freelander 2 (like THIS)
4. A bulletproof Volvo XC-60 (like THIS)
I've considered a Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4 & Audi Q3 too.
Thoughts, experiences?
Why not just hire a car for those 5% of trips?
Add Nissan Navara or any Toyota pick-up to the list, they're great for mountain bikes.Originally Posted by RickChard
I had considered that - a very quick website check of Enterprise showed it at ~£450 for a week (which we do twice a year) then ~£200 for long biking weekends again, a few a year.
It's actually not as prohibitively expensive as I first thought! I would struggle with lack of towbar for bike rack etc. But not impossible...
Last edited by RickChard; 14th March 2023 at 17:26.
I would look at Isuzu Pickup - A Rodeo or DMax.
Bullet proof and quite comfortable for longer journeys.
This - or a car club if if you have one in the area
I was going to suggest the Land Cruiser but its MOT history mentions "corrosion" an awful lot. Nice bus otherwise.
Someone near me has a Model S and an old Defender.
I've never felt the need to own an off-road vehicle, myself, my Golf Estate seems to cover everything I need .
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Basically you can say that the absence of electronics helps a lot when it comes to durability and the 'go anywhere' idea.
My wife's vote would go to the Toyota(s): when she worked for NGO's, she used to chauffeured around in Afghanistan in Toyotas and in her opinion, there's nothing that can beat them. That was before 9/11 and women are not allowed to drive themselves in A.
Buying a used HiLux or LandCruiser does depend on a proper maintenance routine by previous owners and a good anti-rust treatment. But that goes for all the rugged 4x4s listed above. Some owners take 'indestructible' to a level of: 'no need to maintain'. A car that comes with a service history and/or tons of bills is always worth a look.
A few outsiders:
- The W123 series Mercedes. If there was once a bombproof car... Slow, sluggish but it will run from here to eternity - and back.
- The Volvo 240 series or the 940 series. The latter in the non-turbo version.
- The Subaru Legacy/Outback. A Dutch TR Register mate bought a banger for 2K euros, replaced the radiator and did a trip from here (NED) to Dakar "To get that real Paris - Dakar feeling". The car didn't let him down and he sold it with profit in Dakar...
- The Santana; a Spanish Defender-clone with an Iveco engine. Perhaps only LHD and if you can find one in the UK, it should be cheaper than a Defender.
I would vote for Toyota. Go anywhere, tough as nails, and super reliable.
We had a similar problem.
My wife has a Tesla Model 3 and I have an older style Defender.
We didn't really have a family style car that we could jump in and go a long way without either being uncomfortable or have to faff around with charging. My wifes Tesla is only charged at home, she uses it for local stuff only, school runs etc.
In the end, we opted for a 3rd car and got a Land Rover Discovery 5.
I need the Defender for Shooting, taking the dogs out, launching the kayaks etc. I love the Defender and didn't really want to part with it. Obviously the Disco could do everything the Defender does, but it would ruin it quite quickly. I did also look at the new Defender, but that was the same. Too nice inside.
However, it does bother me that we have 3 cars, when we only really need 2.
To turn up for the Opera in a DJ to go shooting or the local tip there is only one LR Disco 3 or 4.
Don’t know if this’ll help, I only watched it the other day. I love watching Chris Harris and really appreciate what he has to say regarding cars. It’s an excellent watch regardless.
https://youtu.be/fnY2YdE9E2o
Easy. Lada Niva.
Love my Subaru Outback. Great sized boot, easy cruiser, comfy chairs and the 4wd copes very well with the erratic Scottish weather.
Thanks for that. Including the English Bull Terrier!
My stock answer to this question is RS4 Avant
Get a van
Skoda Yeti
I bought a 2011 Honda CRV petrol auto last year for just under 10k from a Honda dealer. Faultless so far, sailed through it's MOT. Bit thirsty but a decent buy as an all rounder
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Whatever you decide, do not under any circumstances buy the mitsubishi L200
Awful things, shocking on fuel, turning circle of the qe2 and generally unreliable with lots of issues.
We've had loads of these as work vehicles over the years and none have been any good.
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Focus estate probably all you need
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I'd go for the Volvo. And don't be put off by high mileage. I have an XC70 which cost way less than the upper end of your budget. And its brilliant at everything you have listed you want the car for. I bought it as a third car for the dog and to put the bike in and it gets used more than my other two cars.
Mercedes GLE AMG 63s
There was one of those in that colour in MB Teeside a couple of months ago, looked stunning but it was a bit above budget.Mercedes GLE AMG 63s
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Liked our Freelander 2 but boot really isn't that big. Our XC90 has been fantastic so the Volvo would get my vote.
Sounds a lot of money for very very little use
I've owned the same Landcruiser for just under 20 years (19 years and 4 months) - it's 25 years old this year and still passes its MoT without hassle despite 200k miles on the clock. It was my daily driver and family wagon until quite recently but now sadly consigned to tip duties and just the occasional run out.
For a 1997 car it has some standard features that would shame more modern vehicles; 8 seats-full leather, front seats heated, cruise control, electric (heated) mirrors, full electric windows, electric sunroof, front and rear heating/aircon...and the list goes on. The best thing is, that everything still works!
Does everything really, really well - well, apart from being able to park it in multi-storey carparks!
Last edited by vagabond; 15th March 2023 at 10:45.
You know you're on TZ-UK, right?
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
I’m confused. You’re looking to spend £10k on a car for 5% of your driving needs. By that logic you’ve got a very big budget for your main car? - once you factor in tax and insurance surely it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever?
This does it all
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Subaru Forester XT. Fast, subtle. Reliable. Bi, but not huge. It would be perfect. Also the Outback is similar if you need more boot space.
I've had two Subaru Outbacks, both 3.0L 6cyl.
The last was are Spec B with ProDrive gearbox , Bilstein etc. Would shock people when put into super sport....still managed 36mpg as an average over the years. Loved that machine...pure stealth. 4WD went everywhere....left a Landcrusier behind on farm one...he was not impressed.
Now have an Octavia Scout 181ps it is fine, but not in the same league.
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My Audi A6 Allroad pretty much goes anywhere in any conditions
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I’ve done very little off road driving, but doesn’t driving in muddy fields necessitate proper off road tyres?
Assuming yes, will you change wheels for the long distance road driving and if not, does one car really fit the brief?
Last edited by andy tims; 15th March 2023 at 21:00.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Lexus RX400/450h. Comfy, roomy, reliable, half decent turn of speed and now very cheap.
I’m pretty sure I’ll end up with another one at sone point, I certainly miss the one I had for a lot of things.
Not in my experience with older models, I've had two and now have a Toyota Kluger (Highlander to most of the world).
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Absolutely not. And if you want proof, book yourself on a Land Rover off-road day. I've done three now and the last was in December. What those vehicles can get up, through and down with standard road tyres will blow your mind.
I’ve done one of those some years back and we drove around a very wet quarry in an original Range Rover with Road tyres and it went everywhere effortlessly. Great fun too!
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39 posts, and nobody has suggested an MX-5 yet?
I was referring to that particular car and its MOT history. Doesn't look that glamorous.
Paid £5k for this back in 2014. Gets used and abused everyday, only been stuck once trying to tow a 3 ton trailer across a wet field.
Bit thirsty but although it’s used every day it only does around 3k a year. Now sitting on 126k and still sounds sweet and flew through its recent MOT. I call it the Land Rover recovery vehicle.🤪🤪
We've had a '14 d5 xc60 for 6 years now and it's done 40k with us taking it to just under 90k. Our kids are now 7 and 3 and have both tried to destroy it with body fluids, sweets, hidden fruit etc etc etc and it always cleans up a treat. It's the facelift but same colour combination of the one you linked to.
Engine and autobox feel old fashioned compared to a modern dismal with a DSG and feel prehistoric around town compared to our i3s but it's a fantastic family car and long distance cruiser. We get high 30s / low 40s depends on how many bikes are attached to it and how much of a twat i'm driving like.
It's only failed once and that was a boost sensor which our local specialist has in stock as it's "the only thing that goes wrong with this engine".
Our car is the top of the range (premium lux maybe?) and as such is proving extremely difficult to justify replacing - bendy lights, active cruise, headed screen etc etc.
Highly highly recommended
EDIT : When i ran my evora as my daily i tried a local car club for the biking trips and it was a ball ache. You don't realise how manky you are after being on the bike until you have to climb into a pristine hire car. Similarly loading bike into boot etc etc. Then i had to cycle to get the car which then made things even more complicated. Finally....and this is stupid...it makes going away for a biking day seem expensive...it's not but there's something about paying £40 or something to hire a car, plus petrol plus plus....that just stuck in my throat. Which makes no sense as the same throat would happily gobble down annual insurance, depreciation etc etc
Last edited by Lazydonkey; 16th March 2023 at 15:25.
Ah, I hadn't followed the link to get the registration to check out the history, my apologies.
This 28 year-old has now done well over 250,000 miles and the underside still shows very little corrosion.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Ditch the Tesla and get a Range Rover, then you’ll only need 1 car.
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Volvo Xc70 with D5 engine. More space and lower roof line than Xc60 if you got bikes. I’ve run Volvo D5s for 13 years and 120K+ miles with zero issues.
https://youtu.be/xj4OMPWAZUM
Last edited by MattMM; 16th March 2023 at 20:48.
As we only need one and a half cars now I was thinking of getting a GLA 45 like this:
Just need to sell two other cars
I like the Toyota FJ
No need for a lot of luggage
Porsche 911 Dakar
Octavia Scout. It’s the non-obvious but actual solution.
"Bite my shiny metal ass."
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
I have run a Hilux pickup alongside the day to day cars for the last 16 years
It will:
Do all you want (plus lots that you haven’t thought of)
Not depreciate
Not break with easy,cheap, regular maintenance
Only difficulty is finding a nice one, they get snapped up quickly
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