New car ideas needed.

[DiscoPol]

It is becoming apparent that driving my UK plated tractor over here is costing me in ways i never imagined,

firstly the Discovery isnt the most economical of vehicles,
perfect for the terrain but heavy on juice and repairs as i no longer have the time to do most things myself,

so after a chat with my accountant about my huge fuel and running costs bills, it has been agreed that the disco will be parked up and used only for fun or extreme weather

now the question is what do i get next?

the fuel costs wouldnt be so crippling if it was a Polish plated vehicle as then i could claim back the costs through my tax and my impending VAT registration would then give me back yet another 23% added to the 32% income tax i am going to have to pay as from the 1st of january this year,

the plan is to get a new vehicle through a lease company allowing for the full cost of the lease plus fuel to be deducted from my tax bill, i reckon that it will cost about 15% more than i am losing/spending now in total but allow for a brand new motor to join the household

This is where i am looking for some advice and or suggestions from you chaps, what do you reckon i should go for?
Im currently looking at a new Defender, Nissan Navara, Toyota Land cruiser, a Nissan Pathfinder and a Dodge Ram 1500/2500 all booked for test drives over the weekend can anybody think of anything i have missed?

my requirements are obviously 4x4 and chunky, i will look at other "normal" cars too but my first choice is a 4X4.

suggestions please

[Doggy]

You simply can't old boy - you'd have to renamed AGAIN!



But if you must.......





















It has to be.......

















Kewl!

[jamjar1383]

Defender

best 4x4 ever

[highlander]

Your Disco is a petrol V8, right? Why not fit it out with an LPG kit?

[Doggy]

Your Disco is a petrol V8, right? Why not fit it out with an LPG kit?

Sure he said TDi 300, Graeme

[DiscoPol]

Doggies right Graeme its the 300TDi but its not the fuel costs as such that are costing me so much its the inability to claim any of the costs back as its a UK plated motor and therefore not tax deductible from my Polish income tax and VAT payments

oh and Doggie even i would draw the line at a Hummer, the dodge Im looking at is just there for comedy value really, whatever i choose after that the wife will always be grateful i didnt choose the Ram

[Doggy]

The hummer's a bit OTT, but the colour.....

[DiscoPol]

The hummer's a bit OTT, but the colour.....

it matches your eyes Doggie

[FarmerPug]

discopol your avatar is catching my eye very strongly (not a complaint though),
but since we are on the topic of 4x4s i must now discuss them. Thats because living out in the countryside there is quite a large amount of neighbours who drive real 4x4s, and not range rover sports which are a poser mobile.
A suzuki SJ is not economical, it is not comfortable, it is not well equipped, it does not handle well, its slow, and it does not have much space, but it will get you anywhere, and is quite reliable.
I had a defender before the suzukis and all i can say is that it was the most dissapointing car ive ever owned. I expected the best 4x4xfar and got stuck where a 205 didnt.
Nissan pickups are ok, but their main problem is they are not toyotas, who are to pickups as kellogs are to corn flakes. Plus there was reports of some navaras having a terrible engine, head gasket trouble etc. However, The nissan patrol and terano are good strong workhorses.
The mitsubishi shogun is good, my uncle had one before the hilux, but spent £3000 in the first 3 months on a new clutch, water pump, PAS pump, differentials, and the air con, got a bit sick of it and sold it on.
Toyota is the best about for a dependable, strong jeep. The hilux is very strong, although you know when driving about that the rear has leaf spings its a bit jittery, but still a fine handling thing for the sheer size of it. But it will still only do about 35mpg on the 3.0d4d, and if you get it with the lower powered 2.5s it wont move.
If you want luxury, theres the landcruiser, the amazon model is the range rover equivilant from toyota. these things are very comfortable.
http://belfast.gumtree.com/belfast/08/68519408.html
there you go, few cars that old look in such good condition and these things suit lpg very well, the diesels will do around the same mpg as the hilux.

now if you want to get much more fuel economy but still stay in the 4x4 department theres a few:
- landrover freelander, get a 1.8 and enjoy trouble free motoring, in whatever you buy after it.
- nissan xtrail, they are good, they will do about 40mpg, but i know someone with 2 rates them very highly, its quite a nice jeep, the only issue is the speedo sits in the middle of the dash.
- toyota rav4 hairdressers car
- honda crv even more of a hairdressers car
- suzuki grand vitara, these seem like a good jeep, will do about 40mpg, and if they are built by the same people that made my suzuki should be very strong, a fellow farmer up the road has a 2.0td and its never gave a moments trouble in the last 6 years, and it was 4 years old at the time.
- hyundai santa fe, moving on
- the peugeot 4008/citroen cross dresser, you can get the 2.2hdi but the interior is mitsubishi so its very plasticky, even on the top end models.
And remember how much you liked the look of the 505 dangel, you could always ask and see if you could get the 406 put up on stilts and given 4x4.

[Welly]

Leasing is a good idea if you have a business, it's another monthly bill but you pay it and get on with your work. The car will need no maintenance apart from routine services and then you give it back.

Just check you won't exceed any mileage restrictions, check about the servicing, VAT etc (I guess you've done this).

Also check about the costs of cosmetic repairs when you give the thing back as this is where many lease companies claw-back the difference in any 'special rates' offered at the beginning. A simple scuff or chip can cost you dear later on

I can't really think of another 4 x 4 to choose from but you should opt for something economical, Diesel, Auto maybe? but above all it has to be comfy with squishy tyres.

[FarmerPug]

sorry i forgot to include my favourite 4x4 (bar the suzuki), this one will get you 40mpg for the petrol and well into 60mpg for the diesel:


i also see one that does this, must be an optional extra:

[steve_earwig]

Forget about the hairdresser's cars. I see a Land Crab is on your list so I don't know what the problem is Unless it's a SWB, they just look silly.

I think the Navara is now a Pathfinder pick up. Do not buy a pick up, I had one (old Navara) and it was the most pointless car I ever owned. I thought it would be good for hauling junk about, lawnmowers and stuff but could get more stuff in my estate. Handling was appalling 'cos the suspension is set up for a full load, so driving it around empty was like a tea trolley on ice. At least it wouldn't have my Navara's futile power output and amazing thirst.

Hi-and-die Santa Fes are supposed to be good, much better than you'd expect anyway. Huge warranties on them too.

What else? Not sure if the new Flealander is any good but the old ones were a disaster. Looks like they're ok apart from crap handling.

Deafeners are better than they were, which doesn't say much. Fantastic off road and, err, that's it. (I still want one but I'd hate for it to be my only car)

I know nothing about the Dodge, apart from it'll be American so fuel consumption will be an afterthought. Oooh, HJ says they're discontinued, that might just be in GB though.

[CountryPug]

How about this?



Surely no finer way of traveling through Poland, just ask the Germans....

[Doggy]

Looks like they've thought of that......

[Welly]

On the subject of those trendy pick-ups I agree on there pointlessness. I saw a guy in an Asda Car Park once 'load'? what looked like a months-worth of food shopping in plastic bags into his 'cargo area'............I can't even begin to imaging where all that stuff ended up by the time he got home

Scrambled eggs anyone?