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yes a 4x4 will use more fuel,our Pajero drinks it for fun but the funny thing is in 2 years time (all being well) it wont have lost anything in depreciation while your average 3 year old family car will have probably lost another £3k in depreciation by then. thats a hell of alot of fuel folks !!!!!

To put the record straight, I am not anti 4x4 when they are used for a genuine reason. They are not the ideal car for the school run, but that is for another forum, not this one. I drive a 4x4 myself because I was sick of my car getting stuck in muddy rally fields. However, this is a forum where people come for advice. My advise is that the OP doesn't actually need a 4x4 because their van is stored in a muddy field. In fact this was not originally my advise, I was agreeing with someone who had already advised this! The basis for this advise was that a 4x4 costs more to run than a family saloon. I stand by this as it is obviously true. As regards depreciation, then that all depends on the age and value of the vehicle to start with. The original post did not say "Do I need to spend XXX pounds on a brand new 4x4?" The question was and is " is a 4 x 4 the only option??please advise" The answer to that is no it is not your only option because you could change where you store your van. The advise requested was that if you do change to a 4x4 then it will cost more to run. Depreciation is a hidden cost and not something that you see everytime you fill up with fuel. There is no denying that a 4x4 will cost more to run, this is not an anti 4x4 claim, but a fact.

My advise is that if you use a lot of muddy fields then you should seriously consider the option of a 4x4. If you are usually on comercial sites or hardstandings then you do not need a 4x4. If you go down the 4x4 route, remember that the running costs will be higher than those you are used to. Personally, I find that when towing with a 4x4 my fuel consumption is better than it was with my old saloon car. However, since most of my driving is solo then overall my fuel costs have about doubled. Tyres however whilst a little dearer to change are givving far better mileage so work out a bit cheaper in the long run however this saving is more than cancelled out by the increased fuel cost.

Quote: Originally posted by bluesriff on 14/5/2009

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Oh for god sake what is it with people on this site against 4x4s! I have a Land rover Discovery, it does 26mpg towing a 26ft twin axel van, I NEVER get stuck, it NEVER has a prob towing ANYTHING! when solo it does over 30mpg!! Great driving position, very comfortable, wouldn't change it for a (normal) car for all the tea in china!!! If you think you need a 4x4 then get one, you wont regret it!!

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We have had estate cars and 4 x 4s - sold my Landcruiser two years ago and then went camping at a dog show.  The last straw for me was watching my caravan being pulled out of the field by a tractor pulling a 4 x 4 (a friends) and then pulling my van!  It as better than watching Emmerdale.  Immediately went and changed car to a Kia Sorento - never looked back.

Had we had a 4 x 4 that day we would not have got into the position we were in - Mondeo pulled the van so far and then got stuck - 4 x 4 came but could not get us out of the hole we had got stuck in so along came the tractor.

We do a lot of dog show caravanning and you never know what the site is going to be like and more importantly what the british weather is going to be like - so sorry folks but 4 x 4 for me anytime!

Quote: Originally posted by Happycamper63 on 17/5/2009

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- so sorry folks but 4 x 4 for me anytime!

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Hi Everyone, Now I don't post that much on this site. I am more used to posting on www.hyundaiownersclub.co.uk and the www.tucsondrivers.com websites as I actually enjoy driving my small Tucson SUV 4x4 with or without my Avondale Caravan attached.

There are pro's and cons with all vehicles and for health purposes I drive the Tucson as in my case it's easier for me to get into and outof- this particular Tucson I have owned for 2.5years and this one followed on from the First one purchased shortly after they went on sale.

The Tucson tows exceptionally well but then again I would expect that many vehicles would tow my caravan as its not that heavy but my particular choice was the Tucson and for the first time in my driving experience of over 48 years I have gone diesel as I felt this was a less harmful product to pollute the air with and thats important in this day and age isn't it? (Then the good old labour government in their wisdom increased the taxation on diesel fuel- what do they know about saving the planet)

What I am trying to say is there are horses for courses and it wouldn't do if we all liked the same type of personal transport as we would all probably have to drive or ride on 2 or 4 wheel electric cars with a 40 mile radius before having to plug them in again and if it were dictated upon by government or worse than that bycicles then we couldn't tow our caravans anywhere could we?

I love my 4x4 You love your petrol driven xxxxyyyyzzz so lets get on with life use what we prefer and stop knocking each others preferences.

Itzafinethingthatwearehappycampersinnit :) :) :)

Quote: Originally posted by LegsDownKettleOn on 17/5/2009

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I have seen a Discovery getting stuck towing onto a rally field, who in turn got towed by another Discovery that got stuck, eventually getting pulled free by a Pajero. Ultimately, even a 4x4 can get stuck in mud.

There is more to moving in mud than having a 4x4, you need to have the technique right to avoid it bogging down. As a general guideline, keep it moving at a slow pace. If the wheels do loose traction, the worst thing you can do is feed in more power in. Far better to reduce the power. The same technique applies with non 4x4s too of course, but given that they have only one drive wheel, if that slips there is nothing else to drive. A 4x4, even an old one with no LSD (limited slip differential, not talking about narcotics) will have a minimum of 2 drive wheels and most now have 4.

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Quote: Originally posted by joecroft2 on 12/5/2009

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the only thing in using a mover , is the jockey wheel tends to dig in the ground , unless you put a plank under the jockey

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