Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: vehicle woes  (Read 11443 times)

VSS

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Pen Llyn
    • Viable Self Sufficiency.co.uk
vehicle woes
« on: July 09, 2012, 02:54:04 pm »
I have had my 53 reg Discovery for 14 months. It appeared to be in good nick with releatively low mileage. I paid £7k for it from a garage that I trust.
 
 Since then I have had over £2k worth of bills to fix it for various problems three of which have been problems with the air suspension. First was a burst bag, second time two burst air bags and a knackered compressor and the third occasion the suspension has overfilled so the back is way up in the air and it won't come down (OH has taken it in this morning so fixing this problem is not included in the £2k of bills)
 
 Am I better off to get rid? And if so what do you recommend (no pick ups please - has to double as a large family car)  Or should I stick it out?

Should I  look at switching to coil suspension? Although, I have heard that this may not be legal for 7 seaters. Any help gratefully recieved.
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HelenVF

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2012, 03:04:23 pm »
How frustrating!  Are you needing a 7 seater?  If not, I would recommend a Nissal x-trail.  I have one as I need them for upland tracks, but also want a family car, which I don't mind driving around town, or parking in the supermarket car park.  It's not too bad on fuel.

It is so frustrating when cars don't work!  It is something just not worth throwing money into one that is continiously going wrong.  We had a disco that I paid £5k for and I had to give it a friend in the end, after about 3 years, I think!

Helen

tizaala

  • Joined Mar 2011
  • Dolau, Llandrindod Wells,Powys
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2012, 03:13:02 pm »
Discos are so expensive to run and maintain, and there are so many wrong u'ns on the market that have been messed about with,
Do you need a passenger  4x4 or a towing vehicle ? or a versatile farm truck, there are more reliable forms of transport out there.
Subaru Forrester does the same job with less cost , works for me. :thumbsup:

kaz

  • Joined Jul 2008
  • Ceredigion
  • Dust yourself off when life throws you down.
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2012, 03:25:58 pm »
How about the Land rover defender double cab?
Penybont Ryelands. Ystwyth Coloured Ryelands.  2 alpacas, 2 angora goats, 2 anglo nubian kids, 3golden retrievers a collie and a red fox labrador retriever, geese, ducks & chickens.

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2012, 05:33:14 pm »
How about the Land rover defender double cab?

It hardly seems worth the bother of typing from scratch, so I've edited in blue  ;) :
 
I have had my R reg Defender for 18 months. It appeared to be in good nick with releatively high mileage. I paid £4k for it from a charlatan that I mistakenly trusted.
 
Since then I have had over £3k worth of bills to fix it for various problems.......
 
OK, OK, so it's felt like death by 1000 cuts, but I have to say, I think  :fc:  I've got to a point with it now that all is as it should be. He's still a rusty clunky leaky noisy wee fellow, and always will be without spending eye watering amounts of money. However, for pottering about the fields, uprooting tree stumps, towing trailers, fetching grain and getting me to work through snowdrifts, there really is no better car.
 
Somebody said on another thread that to enjoy owning a Defender, you really need to WANT to own one, and I think that's right. Is this the answer to VSS's prayers then?  I very much doubt it!
 
The X-trail is a great suggestion though, as is the Forrester if it's big enough for you. My friend also has a Mitsubishi Pajero which has similarly served him well, but apparently that means 'W@nker' in Spanish, so......  ;D
« Last Edit: July 09, 2012, 07:56:55 pm by Womble »
"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

VSS

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Pen Llyn
    • Viable Self Sufficiency.co.uk
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2012, 06:08:05 pm »
The problem with a defender it is just not a good enough cruiser to double as a family car on a long journey.

Womble, I think the ones you have suggested probably haven't got the towing capacity I need. Really has to have a full 3.5 tonne tow capacity and preferably traction control too.
The SHEEP Book for Smallholders
Available from the Good Life Press

www.viableselfsufficiency.co.uk

Odin

  • Joined Oct 2011
  • Huddersfield
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2012, 06:16:53 pm »
Discos are over rated Chelsea Tractors from a company that has lost the plot. There is no requirement for air suspension regarding the number of passengers, coil springs are more than satisfactory. Furthermore , a garage cannot repair or maintain a vehicle to higher standard than what the manufacturer produced.
If you want to know what sort of Four Wheel Drive vehicle you need, then right down your requirements and start looking underneath some of these four wheel drives. X - trails might be reliable on roads and dust tracks, but I could snap the suspension with my little finger. Thin flimsy arms and tie bars that have no load capacity. There is a photo in a L/Rover Series One magazine of X trails been recovered out of mud by S1's.
The bigger japanese stuff like Navaros & Warriors ride and drive very nice but are on torsion bar suspension on the front axle, which has limited movement. They are also very large heavy things that drink fuel and unsuitable for tight off road spots.
There is only one all round decent 7 seat four wheel drive, which you cannot buy new anymore, Land Rover 90 County with TDi 200 or 300 engines. Just look at the second hand values. If I am not mistaken, it was Her Majesty's favourite when driven around the estate, (Blue Peter, going to the Post Office in the 1970s).
Also, if you want more capacity, then put a Sankey trailer on the back when required. Had mine over eight years, no problems and it works for a living.
Or buy a Toyota Land Cruiser. Land Rover, are you listening ? That new Range Rover thing is a Bankers Hand Bag.  :-J
A man who cannot till the soil cannot till his own soul !
A son of the soil .

NormandyMary

  • Joined Apr 2011
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2012, 06:26:22 pm »
Ive got a Suzuki Grand Vitara. I love it. It tows anything and everything, drives brilliantly and looks bloomin' good. Its fairly old now and is a gas guzzler as its a 2.5V6, but for round here, its essential. We use OH's car for the long trips (a sensible Renault Scenic), but I do all the shopping in "Bigboy" and use it when I go out alone as its RH drive and I havent mastered LH drive cars yet!

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #8 on: July 09, 2012, 06:30:57 pm »
NM, I have one too.  Mine is nice but we have never towed in it because OH's car already has a towbar
Sally
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #9 on: July 09, 2012, 08:22:05 pm »
The problem with a defender it is just not a good enough cruiser to double as a family car on a long journey.

Yes, have to agree with that one.

Quote
Womble, I think the ones you have suggested probably haven't got the towing capacity I need. Really has to have a full 3.5 tonne tow capacity and preferably traction control too.

Oh dear - that could be quite a big ask!  Even a Land Cruiser is only going to get you 2.8 tonne ish.

Rather than have everybody go off on which cars they like or hate then (bound to happen of course!  ;D ), what are your actual requirements VSS?

E.g. Overall budget, Balance of on-road / off-road, type of off-roading, relative importance of comfort / people carrying / economy etc?

By the way, when you say 'no pickups', what's the reason for that?  Just don't like them, or not enough seats? I had a 4life many years ago as a company car, and that was great fun to drive, if a little thirsty!  ;D . I just mention it because all of our local farmers seem to be running around in this sort of thing nowadays - there's not a single one with a Defender or Disco.

"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

tizaala

  • Joined Mar 2011
  • Dolau, Llandrindod Wells,Powys
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #10 on: July 09, 2012, 08:27:47 pm »
Hummer it is then :innocent:

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #11 on: July 09, 2012, 08:42:16 pm »
Friend of mine owned a Disco once. He'd had it 2 years and spent a small fortune on it. Luckily he was earning a small fortune at the time. He'd replaced the gearbox the previous week when the dashboard CRACKED IN HALF !!!!!  Get rid fast VSS.

mab

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • carmarthenshire
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #12 on: July 09, 2012, 09:00:50 pm »
If you like the disco apart from the air suspension woes, I think you can convert them to standard coil-springs.

A few years ago a friend of mine had a range rover with air sus' and he converted to coil springs 'cos he got fed up with the air sus going wrong.

You would probably have to look at the landy mags/forums for useful info (like cost of conversion) on this though as i've lost track of said friend.

m

the great composto

  • Guest
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #13 on: July 09, 2012, 09:03:41 pm »
My sympathies completely  - I would like to agree with Womble that once you have invested so much then there isnt much more to go wrong but sadly on a Disco there probably is.  I lusted after a disco or a range rover but was put off by the reputation and I bought a 7 seat shogun ( had it for 4 years now) - a bit agricultural but totally reliable. 
I would advise to cut your losses and move away from the Disco if nothing else because repairs and parts appear very expensive.   There will always be somebody to take your place owning it because they are very popular.
Good luck Either way.

TheCaptain

  • Joined May 2010
Re: vehicle woes
« Reply #14 on: July 09, 2012, 09:32:10 pm »
Mitsubishi Delica L400!!! Cheap as chips (ancient models are from around 94/95, which is what I've got) but most imported Mid to late 2000's. It's the same engine, chassis and running gear from the Pajero. Most common model is the 2.8 TD with auto box. 2wd, 4wd, high/low and diff lock, pulls like a train, off roads like a beast and the best thing is, my missus does the school run in it because it's a 7 seater family bus.

I love 'em!!!

 

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