Buying a work horse

So another grand or more?

It's a ten year old, unloved, mediocre, petrol 4x4. An L200 crewcab pickup with a different rear end.

And you needed 24hrs to think about it?

Might be worth watching what this one goes for?

"Reserve not met".

I wouldn't say unloved.

Pikeys love 'em.

Nah, pikeys prefer the full-fat Shogun.

Yeh, just like that one.

Tarmac yer droive, Sorr?

Regardless of anything else, this screams out "not cared for", so I'd run away, myself.

Yes, but it's slightly better than an L200 for my purposes. Pickups are a bit s**te for use because things get wet if it rains and their load bed is never long enough.

On the plus points it has an auto box, proper high/low ratio gearbox (must SUVs just have a low first gear), cruise control and is better built than a Jeep.

Oh yes.

Anyway, didn't you just buy a Shogun with the same engine?

Yeah, this is getting a bit like the SAAB saga for me. Down here in 'Ampshire people seem to want stupid money for cars, or like the buggers I tried to buy a nice SAAB 9-5 HPT from they get seller's remorse, call up and return the deposit.

Parkers seems to agree with me on valuation, £2,600 ish.

Not for anything approaching that money, I didn't...

Yeah I think you're right and the attitude of the seller didn't help. Me: "how flexible are you on that price" He: "that's the price and it's a bargain at that."

At the other end of the spectrum the same money would get a Hundy SantaFe with a 2006 plate.The problem with that is the close to five hundred quid VED, and the fact that the Santa Fe isn't much cop off road.

Yeh, before the Shogun came up, we were definitely thinking Cherokee XJ. We were looking bargain-basement, and whilst the Shogun definitely wasn't the direction we were thinking, it came from a very good known source. It's really a bit of an insurance policy.

If we find, come spring, that we needed it then we'll decide whether to tart it and keep it or just replace it with something less risible. If we find we didn't need it, then it can just bugger off quietly. If it dies, then it was disposable anyway.

A proper Panda 4x4 or tidy Niva would be very me. If we do go Panda, then I might ask you to source the tupperware Telecom Italia-style van conversion dog-kennel...

I'd read some reviews first, if I were you.

A mate-of-a-mate had a 4.0l for several years as a hack for dragging gardening stuff to customers. It seemed to be damn near indestructible, despite extreme provocation.

As far as general behaviour goes, we're more after the ability to get us out of the house (arse end of nowhere, steep hills, small lanes) in winter, not much more.

Adrian wrote: [snip]

Oh Ghod our postman and the ENEL electricity man are still driving those.

I like the Panda and the Niva but even in Italy finding rust-free examples is hard.

I'd drive either, but SWMBO isn't great with manual gearboxes. She thinks she is, but she does bizarre things and really can't cope with driving a manual 4x4. The 4xFord suited her fine, it was rugged enough to survive abuse. The WJ Grand Cherokheep is a bit too fragile, I've spent "quite a bit" on replacing the rear bumper this year.

I'm tempted to go for a seven seat Vitara but the Hundy looks to be the right size and I won't cry if it gets broken.

Italian prices of both are truly terrifying, too...

My boss had one, it made his G class look reliable. Despite barely ever leaving the road it ate suspension components.