Well after some searching and angst I now have a new car.
No, not the SAAB. Much as I liked that, we couldn't agree on the value. I've now got a completely eco-warrior friendly eco-car. It's congestion charge exempt, reduced VED and everything.
No, it's not a devastatingly fast cross-country Pious. It's a devastatingly slow cross-country urban assault vehicle. A Jeep Grand Cherokee.
First impression. My god it's slow. Slooooooooowwwwwwww compared to the Ford it's slooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww.
Anywhoo, I'll probably drive it around central London a bit just to piss off Londoners.
No, I went for a 4.0. This was an unexpected sale, someone I know getting rid of his wife's car for a good price. Not many miles on it, a good colour, a "personal" plate included in the price and just about spotless in all respects. Yes it's Slooooooowwwwwwwww. But I wouldn't describe it as agricultural. Handling is s**te compared to the Ford and the steering is laughable. Anyone in the past who has told me that a Jeep is a better vehicle than an Explorer is talking out of their arse.
However you can't get Explorers produced after 2001 for a sensible price in the UK.
It was a laugh on the motorway. I got up to 65 on the slip which was OK for merging into lane 1. Then I tried to accelerate and umm nothing happened (this was on petrol). Then I took out the Ford just to convince myself that it wasn't just false memory. No, by comparison the Ford is a sports car. It's got a better autobox, better handling and sharper steering and a more powerful engine. Oh and the Ford is bigger, much bigger inside than the Cherokee. More load space, more leg room front and back.
The Jeep's seats are softer. A long trip will tell if that's a good or a bad thing.
Pretty much all I hear from US sources re Jeep engines is that (a) you don't want a GC with a V8, if you must have one get the 4.0 as it's indestructible and (b) you really don't want a GC, if you must get a Cherokee, too many niggling issues with the GC.
It also seems to work better with LPG than the 4.7.
True, but they are minor, cheap to fix for anyone handy with tools. Spares are slightly cheaper than Ford which is a bonus for me. OTOH the Ford has used damned few spares in its life. One reason for getting another 4x4 now is that the Ford needs two front wheel bearings and I don't want to pay a grease monkey to do the work. I'm actually going to do the entire front end - while I'm at it. Differential bearings, front hubs and probably put performance disks on because brake fade is an issue crossing the mountains.
The shock has been insurance. I've got a multi-car insurance policy with
365 days use abroad so `I can drive to Italy and leave the car there for a year at a time. The policy cost less for two cars than it does to insure the Ford for 90 days use abroad.
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