Looking for my first vehicle

[Donnie]

14 minutes ago, doobin said:

3-5k would buy you a decent ranger. You don’t need a poncemobile. 
 

howevr, decent winter tyres on a normal front wheel drive van like a berlingo might surprise you. 

Yeah. I don't want anything fancy just something that's not gonna shit itself every other month and cost me more than it should. 

[Mick Dempsey]

Thinking outside the box here….

Move to Russia for 5 years, learn Russian, buy a Ural truck cheap cos you are accepted as a Russian, drive it back overland, with your new Russian wife and kids, set up in business in the UK, then divorce your new wife, get her deported back to Vladivostok with the kids, got yourself a decent 4x4 with little to no bother.

 

[Haironyourchest]

2 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Thinking outside the box here….

Move to Russia for 5 years, learn Russian, buy a Ural truck cheap cos you are accepted as a Russian, drive it back overland, with your new Russian wife and kids, set up in business in the UK, then divorce your new wife, get her deported back to Vladivostok with the kids, got yourself a decent 4x4 with little to no bother.

 

Heed Mick. He knows what he's talking about.

[jmac]

Berlingo style van with winter tyres and a sump guard will get you up most forest tracks. If the wood is being harvested the road will need to be decent enough to have timber wagons running on it.

[monkeybusiness]

8 minutes ago, jmac said:

Berlingo style van with winter tyres and a sump guard will get you up most forest tracks. If the wood is being harvested the road will need to be decent enough to have timber wagons running on it.

We had an old Vauxhall Combo (which was a terrible van, don’t get one but it proves jmac’s point) that had a home made sump guard and did well on rough forestry tracks. You don’t necessarily need a 4x4 and the additional running costs, and vans offer a bit more security for kit. 

[Big J]

I'd put a vote in for a Berlingo on M and S tyres. Had a 19 plate one for 2.5 years and it was great. 

 

I'm in a 63 plate Octavia Scout 4x4 and I'm very impressed with it. The 4x4 system is good (I go a lot further on forestry tracks now than in the Berlingo) and the fuel economy is actually better. It's averaging pretty much exactly 50mpg, but will better that on a long run.

Edited December 25, 2021 by Big J

[difflock]

26 minutes ago, Big J said:

I'd put a vote in for a Berlingo on M and S tyres. Had a 19 plate one for 2.5 years and it was great. 

 

I'm not in a 63 plate Octavia Scout 4x4 and I'm very impressed with it. The 4x4 system is good (I go a lot further on forestry tracks now than in the Berlingo) and the fuel economy is actually better. It's averaging pretty much exactly 50mpg, but will better that on a long run.

You appear to be very positive about a vehicle you are not driving "J".

P.S.

"Bah HumBug"

[Big J]

4 minutes ago, difflock said:

You appear to be very positive about a vehicle you are not driving "J".

P.S.

"Bah HumBug"

I only got rid of the Berlingo for financial reasons - in prepping to emigrate, I needed to capitalise on the fact that nearly new prices are very high. So 2.5 years and 42,000 miles only cost me £3.5k in depreciation. The Octavia is an ex-police vehicle with high mileage, but drives really well. I can't believe how little fuel it uses considering the all terrain tyres and 4x4 system. 

[Stere]

Suzuki carry?

[jmac]

My mate has a Suzuki jimny with mud tyres on which is a great wee truck off road but he says the fuel economy is poor.