An efficient 4x4?

Post by **mikepepler** » 03 Jul 2008, 09:39

We've not bought a 4x4 yet. We wouldn't have much use for one until winter, and as things are changing so fast in the world these days, I'm waiting to see if it's better to buy:
- a 4x4 and trailer
- two electric bikes
- crossbows, air rifles ad survival equipment!

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 03 Jul 2008, 11:38

Still hankering after a crossbow eh Mike? You know it makes sense . . .

Bedrock Barney · Post by **Bedrock Barney** » 03 Jul 2008, 12:25

mikepepler wrote:We've not bought a 4x4 yet. We wouldn't have much use for one until winter, and as things are changing so fast in the world these days, I'm waiting to see if it's better to buy:
- a 4x4 and trailer
- two electric bikes
- crossbows, air rifles ad survival equipment!

Mike - you need to get yourself one of these. You can put the electric bikes, crossbows and survival kit in the back

contadino · Post by **contadino** » 03 Jul 2008, 16:05

SunnyJim wrote:
fifthcolumn wrote:
emordnilap wrote: 25 grand? Yikes! The thought of having that much money! Let alone wasting it on a vehicle! 25 grand...
25 grand on a five year lease probably costs somewhere around 500 quid a month.

A significant chunk of change to be sure but put into perspective: someone on minimum wage living with their parents could conceivably pay for one of those things and then have a competitive advantage if they decided to run a little business at the weekend....

So not quite as expensive as it looks on the surface.
25K on something that rusts and depreciates!!! No chance! What a waste of money. I'd rather get a horse.

The Vitara is great Mike. Does everything I need, isn't too thirsty. I've hauled logs, moved fencing, sheds, chicken houses, water buts etc etc. It's fantastic. And it was ~?2k. Once I've moved everything I need, and prices have dropped I'll probably swap it for one of those 4x4 fiat panda's or something, although I don't think they are that efficient either are they? Maybe I'll take the plunge and get a nice cob.

The 4x4 Panda might not be the most efficient, but they're bomb-proof. Anything that goes wrong seems to be fixable with either a hammer, or a piece of sturdy wood and a hammer. Around here at least, parts are so plentiful that my 20-year old one will likely still be going in 20 years, and will probably be running on olive oil.

I wouldn't rule out a horse for woodland work too quickly either. A few months ago I was doing some research into working horses and it seems that woodland work is where they are at their most useful.

Post by **mikepepler** » 04 Jul 2008, 21:07

Bedrock Barney wrote:
mikepepler wrote:We've not bought a 4x4 yet. We wouldn't have much use for one until winter, and as things are changing so fast in the world these days, I'm waiting to see if it's better to buy:
- a 4x4 and trailer
- two electric bikes
- crossbows, air rifles ad survival equipment!
Mike - you need to get yourself one of these. You can put the electric bikes, crossbows and survival kit in the back

I'm sure it would be fun, but I don't think the fund would stretch to buying all of them, and if they did there'd be nothing left to buy fuel for the 4x4!

stumuz · Post by **stumuz** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:42

Mike, don?t buy a Chelsea tractor!

Get a proper land rover?. THE DEFENDER.

Post by **mikepepler** » 06 Jul 2008, 21:51

Don't worry Stumuz, anything I buy would not fit in in Chelsea - it'll be an old banger. I may go for the electric bike or crossbow option anyway!

Tracy P · Post by **Tracy P** » 08 Jul 2008, 13:30

Does Mike get that girl if he buys that car?

hmm....

No, really, we have no idea what to do - the only thing I am sure about is NO crossbow.
Everything else is too confusing.
Maybe we should just buy electric bikes and a 4x4.....?

Post by **adam2** » 08 Jul 2008, 14:00

Tracy P wrote:Does Mike get that girl if he buys that car?

hmm....

No, really, we have no idea what to do - the only thing I am sure about is NO crossbow.
Everything else is too confusing.
Maybe we should just buy electric bikes and a 4x4.....?

If electric bikes and public transport can meet most of your needs, I would buy whatever 4x4 is affordable/suitable/readily available, the fuel efficiency of the vehicle is of relativly little importance if the useage is limited.
Diesel is safer to store and can of course use veg oil, petrol is more convienient if you already need petrol for chainsaws, generators, motorcycles or boat engines.

Post by **mikepepler** » 08 Jul 2008, 22:28

Good advice I think Adam2, cheers.

We are going to test-ride some bikes soon - at ?1405 a go I'm not buying them without trying first!
http://www.50cycles.com/pro-connect-spec.shtml
They're expensive cos they're good quality and drive through the chain rather than the wheel, allowing the electric motor to use the bike's gears - vital if you're hoping to pull a trailer with a chainsaw in it up a steep hill!

The Polo will stay because it has the veg conversion, and we'll wait and see on the 4x4 - maybe they'll get cheaper over the next few months, I hear the car sales business is falling...

I'm also wondering if I can get tyres for the Polo that would grip better in mud, as they're almost due for replacement...

Post by **mikepepler** » 29 Jul 2009, 15:52

Hmmm, over a year since my last post on this thread... and now I'm finally about to buy a Defender!

Any thoughts appreciated before I go ahead:
http://www.dieselcentre.com/view.asp?ID=11029

It's an ex-Environment Agency car, so has been properly serviced. I know some people prefer the older engines to the Td5, but there seem to be a range of pros and cons, and there are thousands of TD5s out there, so I'm not too worried about that debate. We're going for the 110 rather than the 90 as quite often we need to carry more people in the car, and this will be more versatile than the 90. Apparently if we find the turning circle is not small enough, we can get a modification done later to allow the front wheels to turn more.

On a related note this means we'll be selling the Polo with the veg oil conversion, but I'll do a separate post on that later on, when we've actually bought the Defender.

snow hope · Post by **snow hope** » 29 Jul 2009, 22:20

Would have thought you could get one cheaper than that Mike....... they are looking a fair whack!

Post by **mikepepler** » 30 Jul 2009, 19:20

Yes, it was too expensive so we went and bought a cheaper one today, details here:
http://peplers.blogspot.com/2009/07/our ... ender.html
It cost us about £6k after adding on some extras, and it's coming from a Land Rover specialist (not a main dealer though!) , freshly serviced with any niggling faults dealt with.

I'm hoping it will be a good post-peak vehicle, as it's very basic so should be easy to fix. Combined with our electric bikes and the local train station we should have all of our travel needs covered...