What car?

[acbruce]

I need to replace my ageing Mondeo diesel estate, which has been fine, up to a point for lugging my gear about. It's not so good going down rough tracks to rivers in muddy conditions however, so am looking for something that will handle poor conditions a bit better. Also, I tend to mainly do shortish trips so think perhaps a petrol rather than diesel engine, but I'm no petrol head so could be mistaken here. I have a heavy-ish seat box as the main big item plus rods etc. to carry. My budget for new or used is about £15,000.

Any suggestions gratefully received, thanks.

 

[sam vimes]

In a similar boat a few years ago. I would have loved a proper 4x4, but the road mileage I was doing, coupled with a budget, meant that a full on 4x4 was out. I ended up with a Qashqai. Plenty of space for gear and a stance and clearance that's part way between a normal car and a proper off roader. There's enough choice in the sector of the market for it not to be a one horse race though.

 

[Titus]

Have a look at the Landrover Freelander range. Enough kudos to look good in the company car park, and plenty of off road quality to get you out of the mire at the weekend.
If you go for the TD4 you can have the BMW engine which is pretty good all round and very refined though any of them are ok.

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Rover_Freelander"]Land Rover Freelander - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

 

[rubio]

What suits me might not be your kinda thing, but you don't see many Subaru cars at the side of the road.

 

[geoffmaynard]

What suits me might not be your kinda thing, but you don't see many Subaru cars at the side of the road.

The problem with Subarus, and all the modern crossovers it seems, is the fashionable low-slung look. Not enough ground clearance for me. I'm driving an ancient P reg Rav 4, nothing other than a true Land Rover seems to have that much ground-clearance, else they have too much body 'overhang' in front of the front wheels which amounts to the same thing. I'm driving over fields with some steep ditches to cross.

 

[maverick 7]

I also was in the same boat at the beginning of the year....I owned a Suzuki Grand Vitara and it was a great car for me....especially fishing....BUT it was too heavy on juice so I decided to go for a Diesel estate in the shape of a Citroen C5 Tourer....

How glad am I that I did.....I would have liked the 2litre 160 BHP but they were just out of my price range of 9K....so I settled for a 1600 HDi SAT NAV model, powerful enough for anybody, absolutely cruises at 90mph.....and 50mpg running around and 60mpg on a run is brilliant for a big, big car like that....

Check them out .....they have so many extras and a smooth as hell drive too.......the only drawback is they are low to the ground but I manage to get over a few fields with mine OK....

Just take a look inside of one...and then have a drive......I can't imagine anybody not liking them....and they're not dissimilar to your old car too.

Maverick

 

[binka]

Have a look at the Landrover Freelander range. Enough kudos to look good in the company car park, and plenty of off road quality to get you out of the mire at the weekend.
If you go for the TD4 you can have the BMW engine which is pretty good all round and very refined though any of them are ok.

I've heard good reports about the Freelander.

One comment on the BMW engine though... I'm not sure how far across the range it extended but there was an issue with the cam chains letting go, apparently there was a Watchdog programme that raised the issue and talk across the forums of it.

Happened to me with the car I bought from new just two months out of warranty and along with a clutch cost me just shy of nine grand to replace which BMW put half towards.

I think my ideal would be something like the Volvo Cross Country Estate, not sure how much you could pick one up for but might be more affordable through a PCP if that's the way you want to go.


Edited to add: It's not for everyone but if you do go down the PCP route kick 'em in the nutz on the deal and be prepared to walk away until they shout you back at the showroom door... if circumstances change and you need to bail halfway through the contract you should be clear enough to sell privately and settle the outstanding instead of having to go the best part of the full distance before you break even.

 

[Wilko]

With 15k to spend I would be taking a serious look at a used Skoda Yeti.

Low road tax (Greenline is £30 per year}
SUV styling and road clearance
Economical (Greenline 60+ mpg)
Well spec'd (especially the Elegance)
Good resale
Basically, a rebadged VW

Skoda Yeti SUV review | CarBuyer

 

[binka]

With 15k to spend I would be taking a serious look at a used Skoda Yeti.

Low road tax (Greenline is £30 per year}
SUV styling and road clearance
Economical (Greenline 60+ mpg)
Well spec'd (especially the Elegance)
Good resale
Basically, a rebadged VW

Skoda Yeti SUV review | CarBuyer

Actually Wilko that's a good suggestion, my sister's got one and I've often cast an eye over it and thought it would be good for the gear.

If I remember rightly the rear seats are removable.

 

[acbruce]

Many thanks, chaps, for all the advice. Torn several ways, but honing in on either a Yeti or maybe the Dacia Duster. A Qashqai appeals but I wouldn't want to make it into a muck heap with all my gear.
Thanks again.

 

[Wilko]

The Duster seems to get good reviews, particularly when it comes to value for money, plus if you are a Renault fan Dacia is owned by them, it's not the prettiest vehicle though.
For me, the Yeti ticks all the boxes.

 

[kickstart]

Citroen Berlingo. XTR 115

The XTR has increased ground clearance, looks like a 4x4 with its bash plates and you can even get an internal rack for your rods. They drive well and is within your budget. I had one for 3 years and although they look pug ugly they are really ok. 50mpg.

I swapped it recently for a Freelander 2 TD4. A totally different kind of a drive, much more expensive but very very nice car. 35MPG

The latest ones do not have a BMW motor though, it's straight out of the 2.2 Ford Mondeo and not a lot wrong with that. Come to think of it, so are the instruments and gear stick.

 

[acbruce]

Thanks. Am test driving a Berlingo tomorrow. Easy to lift a heavy seatbox in and out of the rear, I think.