Workhorse recommendations

IC3

IC3

IC3

Soldato
Joined
3 Dec 2011
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My mate asked for some advice on what workhorse to buy (pickup, suv?), I can't think of anything, so hopefully you lot will come to the rescue! lol

Requirements:

- ULEZ Compliant
- 3.5T Towing Capacity
- Loads of storage space
- Open back preferred, but split tail is ok too.
- Capable in offroad (country roads, fields), some sites are in remote areas
- Bulletproof as it'll be covering 20-30k miles a year
- Preferably no older than 5 years. (I think this excludes too many good cars, he said he'll consider older cars.)

Budget: £14-20k (the cheaper, the better)
 
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On the criteria listed in an only recommend a Toyota Hilux double cab.

I wouldn't consider anything else everything else is hugely unreliable and it poorly built.

Think you probably want the 3.0 for towing capacity you want, I'm getting conflicting info for the 2.4 engine some.say it's 3.5t others 2.8t.

Looks like you can get them in budget but slightly older with lowish mileage, or just within preferred age but with moon mileage already...
 
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We don't make/have available a lot of vehicles in the UK that meet that kind of use :(

Shame Nissan never did a decent update to the Pathfinder and the older ones likely will have rotted out chassis.

VW Touareg a possibility?

Toyota Hilux as above is about as close as you'll get albeit newer ones don't have the reliability of the older ones, but if you are doing that kind of mileage on the road I'd much rather be in a Navara or Amarok.

A lot of other options like the Landcruiser you might struggle to find ones which meet the towing capacity, budget, and ULEZ compliance, etc. in one package.
 
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Big old Volvo or Toyota.

Not many modern cars are going to take that much of a beating and not break tbh. To fragile and lots to go wrong.

They have become less capable as the demand isn't there. Most of the current SUVs won't off road any better than a hatchback. Even things like the Rav 4 won't offroad as well as the original one did.
 
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jeffspuds said:
Tranny van
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I've seen some people with T4 Transporters with 4WD doing some pretty crazy stuff off-road while towing - but most vans like this are sub 3500Kg towing capacity, though some Transits are 3500.

Nasher said:
Most of the current SUVs won't off road any better than a hatchback.
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Most SUVs now are just crossovers rather than traditional SUVs with more robust suspension and more capable forms of 4WD/AWD - a lot are ditching any kind of 4WD at all.
 
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Rroff said:
I've seen some people with T4 Transporters with 4WD doing some pretty crazy stuff off-road while towing - but most vans like this are sub 3500Kg towing capacity, though some Transits are 3500.



Most SUVs now are just crossovers rather than traditional SUVs with more robust suspension and more capable forms of 4WD/AWD - a lot are ditching any kind of 4WD at all.
Click to expand...

Yep even the ground clearance has reduced quite a bit vs older models.

The Jimny still had a good AWD system and off-road focused features on the most recent one. But it probably won't pull 3.5t.
 
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Hilux.

I had an older 3ltr, absolute tank, became uneconomical to put through MOT and wasn’t ULEZ so gave to a mate, he uses it off-road and loves it.
 
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