BUYING A USED FAMILYSIZED 4X4
BY JONATHAN CROUCH The Market
Manufacturers of compact 4x4s often like to perpetuate something of a fib. Their advertising often features happy families enjoying lifestyle activities but in truth if you need to haul the family and their accompanying paraphernalia, you need something a bit bigger than a Toyota RAV4 or a Land Rover Freelander. Break out the tape measure and you’ll discover the interiors of these cars are sometimes smaller than your average Focus-sized family hatchback. Therefore you need something with a little more in the way of girth, presence and, consequently, running costs.
Of course there are Family-sized 4x4s that will fit the bill in this respect – and you don’t have to go into Luxury Range Rover or Mercedes M-class territory to find them. The names are pretty familiar too: Land Rover’s Discovery, Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s Land Cruiser to mention just a few. Assuming you go for the five-door long wheelbase versions, most offer many of the benefits of a large MPV, with up to seven seats and lots of storage space. But there’s a price to pay if you’re buying new, with well over £25,000 needed to secure a decent specification with the engine you really want.
Which is why the used approach ought to make so much sense, particularly as many of these cars have been around on the UK market in one form or another for more years than their makers care to remember. Of course, this means that the potential for buying a ropey example is that much greater, particularly since 4x4s of this kind tend to have been developed for more serious off road use.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that if, like many 4×4 customers, you’re buying your car to tow something substantial like a caravan or a horsebox, you have to start your search here. No matter what the dealer might tell you, there’s no point in trying to pretend that something smaller like a Freelander or a Toyota RAV4 will do the job day-in, day-out without long term problems. Go that route and you’re just storing up trouble for yourself.
As ever, there’s a huge choice of cars to consider, so it pays to do some homework beforehand and decide which part of this sector you’re going to choose to concentrate your search.
Cheap & Cheerful
If funds are limited, then there are plenty of ways to go, with older examples of models which have been around in this sector of the market for some time. The better built later Land Rover Discovery models are well worth a look as is the relatively rare Ford Explorer. The Mitsubishi Shogun Sport offers an interesting alternative. Otherwise you could always opt for the evergreen Isuzu Trooper or higher mileage Shogun models. If you’re not bothered about the lifestyle implications and simply want something large that’s going to be reasonably reliable, then this is where to shop. Be honest with what you need the car for. There’s little benefit in buying a tank-like leviathan that can scale a mountain face if all you want is a 4×4 that looks smart and can occasionally tow a trailer. Affordable Mid-Rangers
Now we’re talking about some capable contenders. If you’ve got upwards of £5,000 to spend, the default choice for many will still be the Land Rover Discovery, this time in Series II guise. For those who appreciate something a little different, the newer shape Jeep Cherokee is well worth a look, especially in CRD diesel form and the later Mitsubishi Shogun Sport is an undervalued car. Toyota’s Land Cruiser Colorado is built to last the course as is the late shape Nissan Patrol, one of the biggest 4x4s you could hope to find. If you need something a little more sophisticated, you could even take a dip into the bottom end of the luxury 4×4 market in the shape of a Lexus RX300, now more affordable than you might think. Desirable But Potentially Pricey
The king of this particular domain is without doubt the Land Rover Discovery 3. With prices now dipping under £20,000 for the first used examples, it’s well worth taking a look if you’ve had a look at what you can get for your money with a new 4×4 and just need more metalwork. Objectively there’s very little wrong with the Disco 3 but if the styling or the image don’t agree with you, the Toyota Land Cruiser makes a very capable Plan B. Even more reliable and with a better diesel engine than early Discovery 3s, the Land Cruiser will go on forever.
Late shape Nissan Patrols are worth looking for if you need something very rugged and Kia’s Sorento is also well worth a look if you’re planning on buying something nearly new but don’t want to break the bank. The Jeep Grand Cherokee has fallen off the bottom of the luxury 4×4 market to a certain extent and 3.0-litre CRD models, especially in Predator trim, make fantastic used purchases.
What To Look For
More cars in this category will have been subjected to some kind of off road use – though the frequency will still be very small. Check body panels, particularly at the lower levels, for they will be expensive to replace. Get a careful inspection done of the underside too: an AA or RAC check is always worth doing on a car of this kind. It could save you a lot of trouble in the long run.
Mind you, far more likely is that the car in question will have been used – or over-used – for heavy towing purposes. As usual, uneven steering will give the game away if the buyer has been less than honest. Insist on a lengthy test drive.
Bear in mind when you’re deciding whether to go petrol or diesel that the petrol option will nearly always be very expensive to run. Your seller won’t over-emphasise this point but you need to consider it very carefully. You’re looking at the difference between averaging 18-20mpg or close to 30mpg – and that could make a huge difference to the family budget. It’s for this reason that many more diesel than petrol models of this kind are sold. And it’s also why when a seller does have a petrol vehicle to unload, they’ll pull every trick in the book to try and do it.
Nearly all cars like these will have been subjected to much more concerted heavy family use, so check carefully for broken bits of interior trim (which can be expensive to replace) and unpleasant-looking stains on the seat fabric or roof lining that the previous owner has unsuccessfully tried to disguise.
About the Author
Author Jonathan Crouch. Anybody thinking how can I sell my car for cash should visit the UK’s cash for cars comparison site www.dealerbid.co.uk
SOLD – 2002 Mazda MPV LX 45249 Kings Chrysler Jeep Dodge
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