Looking at buying...

Hi,

I'm looking at buying one of the following. The main purpose is for towing,
needs to be < 20000miles, < £25K and a few years old.

Options:

Terrano II 3.0, Had a 2.7 TD years ago - but had problems with inside tyre
wear. Is this still a problem with the newer models?

Shogun 3.2 TD - Any problems with this?

and lastly a Grand Cherokee 2.7TD. I've seen so many posts about problems
with the Jeep this is an outsider. Are there as many problems or are the
posts isolated?

Should I also consider a discovery? are they reliable.

I'm looking for general advice on reliability, running costs.

Thanks for your time in reading this.

Kind Regards


Mike

"Mike R" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> I'm looking at buying one of the following. The main purpose is for
towing,
> needs to be < 20000miles, < £25K and a few years old.

> Terrano II 3.0, Had a 2.7 TD years ago - but had problems with inside tyre
> wear. Is this still a problem with the newer models?
> Shogun 3.2 TD - Any problems with this?
> Should I also consider a discovery? are they reliable.

You could also consider a *new* LWB Isuzu Trooper 3.0D Citation. Production
of Troopers is now discontinued, but the last few new ones are £21,600 in my
local Isuzu dealer (were £26,500 a couple of years ago). You get a 3 year
unlimited mileage warranty as standard - but can extend that to 5 years
unlimited mileage (at a price). At the very least, the Trooper is as good a
towcar as any you are considering. Its also no less reliable than any in
your list.

> I'm looking for general advice on reliability, running costs.

Over the 3 years and 65,000 miles I've had the 2000 Trooper, its running
costs for insurance, diesel and servicing have been no more than for the
Peugeot 406 2.0 (petrol) that I had before. A faulty Philips
radio/cassette, exhaust silencer, rear axle oil seal, handbrake shoes,
stuck rear brake caliper piston, rear brake discs and faulty glow plugs were
replaced under warranty. Other than that, its just been routine servicing,
brake pads and tyres. It uses no engine oil between services and still runs
like new.

Both of the Japanese vehicles that you are considering have reputations for
being good towcars and for being reliable. Whilst some (of the luckier)
owners will no doubt disagree, the Discovery has a reputation for being
neither a good towcar nor reliable - though I guess its the tops as a
pose-mobile, if that's what you want. The costs for major repairs at a main
dealers can be frightening for any of the vehicles - so a long warranty is a
*good thing*.

Fuel consumption for the Trooper has been 23mpg towing, 27mpg solo overall,
about 31mpg on a run. The Shogun should be similar - and the Disco &
Terrano maybe a little more economical.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
Andrew Kay

Hey, I was gonna recommend the Trooper. lol
I drive a '88 2.8TD Irmschur LWB Bighorn (Jap home market Trooper) imported
to NZ (Here) as a used vehicle. Goes well and as reliable as anything out
there.
I'd plumb for the 3.1TD Lotus myself as a Tow vehicle, I'm not sure of the
Citation specs, but the Lotus models have softened suspension thats more
suitable for towing than the Irmschur tuned vehicles.

rhys

"Andrew Kay" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Mike R" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm looking at buying one of the following. The main purpose is for
> towing,
> > needs to be < 20000miles, < £25K and a few years old.
>
> > Terrano II 3.0, Had a 2.7 TD years ago - but had problems with inside
tyre
> > wear. Is this still a problem with the newer models?
> > Shogun 3.2 TD - Any problems with this?
> > Should I also consider a discovery? are they reliable.
>
> You could also consider a *new* LWB Isuzu Trooper 3.0D Citation.
Production
> of Troopers is now discontinued, but the last few new ones are £21,600 in
my
> local Isuzu dealer (were £26,500 a couple of years ago). You get a 3 year
> unlimited mileage warranty as standard - but can extend that to 5 years
> unlimited mileage (at a price). At the very least, the Trooper is as good
a
> towcar as any you are considering. Its also no less reliable than any in
> your list.
>
> > I'm looking for general advice on reliability, running costs.
>
> Over the 3 years and 65,000 miles I've had the 2000 Trooper, its running
> costs for insurance, diesel and servicing have been no more than for the
> Peugeot 406 2.0 (petrol) that I had before. A faulty Philips
> radio/cassette, exhaust silencer, rear axle oil seal, handbrake shoes,
> stuck rear brake caliper piston, rear brake discs and faulty glow plugs
were
> replaced under warranty. Other than that, its just been routine
servicing,
> brake pads and tyres. It uses no engine oil between services and still
runs
> like new.
>
> Both of the Japanese vehicles that you are considering have reputations
for
> being good towcars and for being reliable. Whilst some (of the luckier)
> owners will no doubt disagree, the Discovery has a reputation for being
> neither a good towcar nor reliable - though I guess its the tops as a
> pose-mobile, if that's what you want. The costs for major repairs at a
main
> dealers can be frightening for any of the vehicles - so a long warranty is
a
> *good thing*.
>
> Fuel consumption for the Trooper has been 23mpg towing, 27mpg solo
overall,
> about 31mpg on a run. The Shogun should be similar - and the Disco &
> Terrano maybe a little more economical.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Cheers
> Andrew Kay
>
>
>

"Mike R" <[email protected]> writes:

> and lastly a Grand Cherokee 2.7TD. I've seen so many posts about problems
> with the Jeep this is an outsider. Are there as many problems or are the
> posts isolated?

My Grand Cherokee 2.7 has been trouble-free for 62,000 miles now. Not
a single thing wrong with it all, and I do a lot of towing. The
reports I've read of problems have been isolated, and could occur with
any vehicle.

It's a superb tug, load of torque, stable and quiet. Averages just
over 30MPG solo, and about 23MPG towing a large caravan.

Couldn't ask for more really

--
Dave

Mike R <[email protected]> wrote:

> I'm looking at buying one of the following. The main purpose is for towing,
> needs to be < 20000miles, < £25K and a few years old.
[snip]
> Should I also consider a discovery? are they reliable.

Do pigs have wings? If it's jsut towing that you are interested in then
I recommend at least having a look at a late model (200/2001) Ford
Explorer. They have a 4.0 petrol engine with lots of torque. The
servicing is cheap and they are reliable. On the downside insurance is
expensive and it drinks fuel like a Glasgow alkie at Hogmanay. Also
unliek any of the others you list they actually have useful boot space,
about the same as a V70 Volvo.

--
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Mike R tried to scribble ...

> Hi,
>
> I'm looking at buying one of the following. The main purpose is for
> towing, needs to be < 20000miles, < £25K and a few years old.
>
> Options:
>
> Terrano II 3.0, Had a 2.7 TD years ago - but had problems with inside
> tyre wear. Is this still a problem with the newer models?

Dunno, never had experience of these.

> Shogun 3.2 TD - Any problems with this?

Very, very few, though we towed one out of a quarry with a broken diff a few
weeks ago.

> and lastly a Grand Cherokee 2.7TD. I've seen so many posts about
> problems with the Jeep this is an outsider. Are there as many
> problems or are the posts isolated?


They still appear to have issues ..

> Should I also consider a discovery? are they reliable.

Mine has been, is and probably always will be ..

--
Digweed
....

Dave Ross <[email protected]> wrote:

> My Grand Cherokee 2.7 has been trouble-free for 62,000 miles now. Not
> a single thing wrong with it all, and I do a lot of towing. The
> reports I've read of problems have been isolated, and could occur with
> any vehicle.

And the reason that it's at the bottom of the JD Power survey is?

--
Having problems understanding usenet? Or do you simply need help but
are getting unhelpful answers? Subscribe to: uk.net.beginners for
friendly advice in a flame-free environment.

[email protected] (Steve Firth) writes:

> Dave Ross <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > My Grand Cherokee 2.7 has been trouble-free for 62,000 miles now. Not
> > a single thing wrong with it all, and I do a lot of towing. The
> > reports I've read of problems have been isolated, and could occur with
> > any vehicle.
>
> And the reason that it's at the bottom of the JD Power survey is?

I am reporting my experience with the vehicle. That's all.

--
Dave

"Mike R" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> I'm looking at buying one of the following. The main purpose is for
towing,
> needs to be < 20000miles, < £25K and a few years old.
>
> Options:
>
> Terrano II 3.0, Had a 2.7 TD years ago - but had problems with inside tyre
> wear. Is this still a problem with the newer models?



I've got an 03 Terrano 3.0 SVE - you can pick them up at big discounts (I
paid just over 19k, brand new, official 'UK' vehicle, from a major chain)

It's my first 4x4, so I'm not able to give you a comparison with others of
the genre - but I can say (having also driven the 2.7 version for a few
hundred miles) that the 3.0 engine is in a different class to its
predecessor.


Torque is very strong (pulling a fairly heavy caravan, it just flies along
at 80 +) and is MUCH smoother than the 2.7 version. Gear changing is
minimised by the high torque, and the final drive ratio is well suited to
fast, reasonably quiet cruising.

I read many reports on different 4x4's prior to purchasing - and the
consensus was that all 4x4's were a bit unstable at high speed. I can only
say that the Terrano is feels perfectly stable at 90+ (no, I don't
habitually roar around at that rate of knots) and gives no cause for
concern when swapping lanes at high speed. In fact, it's 'skittier' on
country 'B' roads (although nothing too dramatic)

I've only done 7,000 miles - so can't really comment on tyre wear, I
certainly haven't noticed anything amiss.

Fuel consumption is very good for the size and weight of the car - a true
average of 33/34 mpg (most driving is motorway/fast dual carriageway)

It hasn't got the 'class' of the Disco - I did consider a Discovery (LR had
lopped 3k of the price of new models at the time) but, in the end, it came
down to reliability - and on that score, the Nissan won hands down.

At the list price of 24k I think that the Terrano is overpriced for a dated
design - but with the available discounts it represents better value.
Servicing is relatively cheap, and (so far) everything has proved to be
almost boringly reliable.

It's a model that's on its way out, but that means that all the 'snags' have
been ironed out long ago - pity that Nissan didn't put the 3.0 engine in
before, it's come rather too late to save it.

HTH

Have you considered the Kia Sorento. 18K brand new for the manual diesel,
22k for top of range diesel auto good reports and exceptional value.
JH

"John Harvey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Have you considered the Kia Sorento. 18K brand new for the manual diesel,
> 22k for top of range diesel auto good reports and exceptional value.
> JH
>
>

Just had a look at the Kia website, looks very good value. Whats the catch?
are they reliable? Why so cheap? Any towing reports? Tyre wear?

Mike

"Paul - xxx" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Mike R tried to scribble ...
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm looking at buying one of the following. The main purpose is for
> > towing, needs to be < 20000miles, < £25K and a few years old.
> >
> > Options:
> >
> > Terrano II 3.0, Had a 2.7 TD years ago - but had problems with inside
> > tyre wear. Is this still a problem with the newer models?
>
> Dunno, never had experience of these.
>
> > Shogun 3.2 TD - Any problems with this?
>
> Very, very few, though we towed one out of a quarry with a broken diff a
few
> weeks ago.
>
> > and lastly a Grand Cherokee 2.7TD. I've seen so many posts about
> > problems with the Jeep this is an outsider. Are there as many
> > problems or are the posts isolated?
>
>
> They still appear to have issues ..
>
> > Should I also consider a discovery? are they reliable.
>
> Mine has been, is and probably always will be ..
>
> --
> Digweed
> ....
>
>

What issues are there with the new GC 2.7TD?

regards

"Mike R" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> What issues are there with the new GC 2.7TD?


if you didn't notice this post, perhaps you should be thinking about giving
up driving altogether...


----- Original Message -----
From: "vicki" <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: uk.rec.cars.4x4
Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2003 1:04 PM
Subject: kia sorento


> I have had one since april 2003 but unfortunately a pressure release valve
> went in the oil cooler(this was a fault in earlier one's apparently) which
> now means i am now waiting for a new engine to be fitted. anyone else had
> this problem. if not beware
>
>

"Smk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Mike R" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > What issues are there with the new GC 2.7TD?
>
>
> if you didn't notice this post, perhaps you should be thinking about
giving
> up driving altogether...
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "vicki" <[email protected]>
> Newsgroups: uk.rec.cars.4x4
> Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2003 1:04 PM
> Subject: kia sorento
>
>
> > I have had one since april 2003 but unfortunately a pressure release
valve
> > went in the oil cooler(this was a fault in earlier one's apparently)
which
> > now means i am now waiting for a new engine to be fitted. anyone else
had
> > this problem. if not beware


Whoops! - apolgies, I misread you post.

Damn! - that's me off the road, then...

"Smk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Smk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > "Mike R" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >
> > > What issues are there with the new GC 2.7TD?
> >
> >
> > if you didn't notice this post, perhaps you should be thinking about
> giving
> > up driving altogether...
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "vicki" <[email protected]>
> > Newsgroups: uk.rec.cars.4x4
> > Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2003 1:04 PM
> > Subject: kia sorento
> >
> >
> > > I have had one since april 2003 but unfortunately a pressure release
> valve
> > > went in the oil cooler(this was a fault in earlier one's apparently)
> which
> > > now means i am now waiting for a new engine to be fitted. anyone else
> had
> > > this problem. if not beware
>
>
> Whoops! - apolgies, I misread you post.
>
> Damn! - that's me off the road, then...
>
>

maybe not asked the towing question in uk.rec.caravanns..;-) ,yep, and
should have read the post from Vicki, however, she has no replies - a one
off?

"Mike R" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Smk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > "Smk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > >
> > > "Mike R" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > > news:[email protected]...
> > >
> > > > What issues are there with the new GC 2.7TD?
> > >
> > >
> > > if you didn't notice this post, perhaps you should be thinking about
> > giving
> > > up driving altogether...
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "vicki" <[email protected]>
> > > Newsgroups: uk.rec.cars.4x4
> > > Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2003 1:04 PM
> > > Subject: kia sorento
> > >
> > >
> > > > I have had one since april 2003 but unfortunately a pressure release
> > valve
> > > > went in the oil cooler(this was a fault in earlier one's apparently)
> > which
> > > > now means i am now waiting for a new engine to be fitted. anyone
else
> > had
> > > > this problem. if not beware
> >
> >
> > Whoops! - apolgies, I misread you post.
> >
> > Damn! - that's me off the road, then...
> >
> >
>
> maybe not asked the towing question in uk.rec.caravanns..;-) ,yep, and
> should have read the post from Vicki, however, she has no replies - a one
> off?


probably due to minimal sales of the Sorrento - could still be a good car
when they sort out the fault.

Nice looking car - apart from that Achilles heel of all Korean cars, the
radiator grille. I dunno why, but they never seem to get that bit right.

"Mike R" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "John Harvey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Have you considered the Kia Sorento. 18K brand new for the manual
diesel,
> > 22k for top of range diesel auto good reports and exceptional value.
> > JH
> >
> >
>
> Just had a look at the Kia website, looks very good value. Whats the
catch?
> are they reliable? Why so cheap? Any towing reports? Tyre wear?
>
> Mike
>
>
Kia Sportage here in NZ is quite reliable, but underpowered.
Other than that All I know is the University security uses them on campus to
haul around the wheelclamps to put on students parking in staff parks and
they can't tow an Isuzu Bighorn 500 meters to the garage down the road.

"John Harvey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Have you considered the Kia Sorento. 18K brand new for the manual diesel,
> 22k for top of range diesel auto good reports and exceptional value.
> JH
>
>

Tried the local dealer 3 month wait, none in the country

"Mike R" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> I'm looking at buying one of the following. The main purpose is for
towing,
> needs to be < 20000miles, < £25K and a few years old.
>
> Options:
>
> Terrano II 3.0, Had a 2.7 TD years ago - but had problems with inside tyre
> wear. Is this still a problem with the newer models?
>
> Shogun 3.2 TD - Any problems with this?
>
> and lastly a Grand Cherokee 2.7TD. I've seen so many posts about problems
> with the Jeep this is an outsider. Are there as many problems or are the
> posts isolated?
>
> Should I also consider a discovery? are they reliable.
>
> I'm looking for general advice on reliability, running costs.
>
> Thanks for your time in reading this.
>
> Kind Regards
>
>
> Mike
>
>
>

Have now bought a Shogun, thanks to all who replied..