Yes, look around and buy a good Alfa 33 permanent 4 - its great, has 4 wheel drive handles superbly, is reliable if maintained correctly, does 30+ MPG and is GREAT on the road. Forget the chelsea tractors!
Artie
The message from "Pete M" contains these words:
Oi! I liked my Allegro.
Happy to agree with that one.
You can't say that about the Alfa 33 - they're magic and a great car to drive. Does that mean you were ripped off like a sucker when you bought a knackered one?
Artie - a southern shandy drinker and proud of it!
And because they are heavier, they take longer to stop. The high centre of gravity means that either the suspension is bone shakingly hard or they roll in corners. And they can more easily roll over in case of an accident. I wouldn't feel very safe in a 4x4.
Only 4 forward gears and no PAS, but it was cheap. Yeah, I did look at one for less the 10k new, but lack of PAS in such a big car put me off.
"So WTF are you asking?" springs to mind.
My opinion would be that one of these wretched compromised "off road" vehicles is a less than ideal compromise. They're noisy, rough and thirsty. Few make good use of their interior space. Those that are fun to drive are compromised in the rough stuff. Those that are any good in the rough stuff are compromised on the road. Those that are any good at both are very expensive - but worth finding, I suppose, but c'mon you're throwing money at it. Diesel models are thirsty, petrol models are even thirstier, heh. Think low 30s on a run for the better full size diesels, and under 10 for the petrol ones in the town.
A Land Rover Defender 90 would be ideal for the towing bit. And then something more comfortable for the family.
Or as a compromise, an all wheel drive machine would work well. The only all wheel drive diesel family cars I'm aware of in recent years wear an Audi badge (the Jaguar is to the best of my knowledge only available as FWD). Otherwise, there's all sorts.
I'd put forward the Volvo 850 or S70, these are all wheel drive, relatively comfortable, safe cars. Great for towing, great for towing quicker to the garden centres than most "hot hatches" manage heh.
Or I guess the X-Type with the 2.5 or better yet the 3.0 V6. There's little difference for fuel consumption between the two.
They'll tow anything.
Jag D is FWD, yup. Not that impressively built either.
Again, good cars, even the diesel one is tolerable.
Go for the 3.0, or alternatively...
I just bought an LPG powered Range Rover for less than £1500, with the cost of LPG vs Petrol it works out at significantly less to run than a diesel one, has a proper engine instead of a diesel, looks ok, will tow virtually anything, is cheap to run, easy to fix, comfy, spacious, ok to drive and has a proper V8 woofle.
Insurance is only buttons for them as well.
Yup with none of this compromise stuff either.
And the V8 has a proper engine note.
I suspect the Accord will be replaced at the end of the year. Something with "D5" on the rump is in the running.
Yes. I don't quite see the point of the 2.5. The 2.0D is for me, the 2.1 for those people who want a Jag no matter what, the 3.0 for those downsizing from the S-type, leaving the 2.5 as, well, kinda a lump in the middle of the range.
Yup - the Rangy is one of the "good at both" types, heh.
Have you tried the X5, just out of interest?
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