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I love my X Trail, only had it since September and it is 6 years old but as I see clients at night in rural Somerset I feel a lot more confident being out.  Had several nights of real heavy rain and driven home alone in floods etc and not been perturbed by it.

Wish I had bought one years ago.

Ali

The best 4x4 in my opinion is the Toyota Land Cruiser Amazon. My friend has run them for years & won't buy anything else. He reckons they're brilliant family vehicles & good reliable workhorses.

That's what I'll buy if we decide to go for a 7 seat 4x4 but it'll have to be used, quite possibly well used for me to afford it lol.

BB

Quote: Originally posted by AndyandLynda on 24/12/2008

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Quote: Originally posted by Jellybeans on 24/12/2008

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I was thinking of buying a 4x4 so I asked my mate who works 'em all day in a workshop, his responce was "DONT". He's told me of all the problems with diffs, drive shafts, engines, gearbox's, spare parts, & the expence of them all. He is a qualified 4x4 mechanic and HATES them. They cost too much to buy & run. He said he'd never own one, & there are many other capable tow vehicles out there that are cheaper to run & maintain.

Lets face it do you really need 4 wheel drive, have you ever really needed it? You can tow perfectly well with 2 wheel drive.

I've been towing on & off for nearly 20 years & never needed a 4x4 & never been stuck anywhere.

Worst case senario if you do get stuck you can usually find a friendly tractor driver, & a tenner in his pocket has got to be a cheaper option than any 4 wheel drive

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So if you can not find a friendly tractor driver you won't be asking anyone with a 4x4 to help you then.

You don't tow in 4 wheel drive.

We have used 4 wheel drive lots of times in different situations,just ask all the visitors to the Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall who have had accidents and burnt out clutches in the car park and thats on tarmac.

We had no problem and would have helped anyone that needed it.

We have not had a single problem with diffs,driveshafts,engines,gearboxes or spare parts,if your mate hates them so much why does he work with them?

Andy

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I know you dont tow in 4 wheel drive.

I was only making a point of what my good friend said. Admittedly he does spend alot of time working on Land Rovers, we do after all live it Lincolnshire which is largly farming country. But he does also work on other makes of 4x4, & lets face it the only reason he works on them is because he has a family & house to keep like the rest of us.

I wasn't sl*ging off 4x4's as there are quite a few which I like, my point was do you really need one.

We used to go caravanning when we were kids in the early 70's & my old man used to tow a 4 berth van with a Hillman Super Minx. Nodody used a 4x4 for towing then, (unless you were a farmer taking sheep to market). It just seems that these manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon with a "this is the best tow vehicle" attitude.

I know there are many helpful caravanners out there, I myself have helped folk in the past & will again should the need arise. If I was unfortunate and needed help I would hope that a friendly caravaner would come to my assistance, & for his/her time & trouble I would be more than happy to offer a little something in return.

Lets face it we all have different views on many different things in life, it's each to there own. But my original point was :-

DO YOU REALLY NEED A 4 WHEEL DRIVE?

DO YOU REALLY NEED A 4 WHEEL DRIVE?,

Nope just something heavy enough to be legal and to get four people and a 13 stone dog and equipment into,

Still go by my comment right at the beginning of this topic,

Ther best 4x4 is the one you're happy with, not the next driver

Quote: Originally posted by Jellybeans on 28/12/2008

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DO YOU REALLY NEED A 4 WHEEL DRIVE?

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It is well known to sales & marketing people that folks rarely or never buy things because they NEED them.   They buy things because they WANT them.  It's as simple as that. 

If you were to ask "Do you really want a 4 wheel drive?" - just about everyone who has one will, I guess, answer in the affirmative.

Can you explain why you feel the urge to ask "DO YOU REALLY NEED A 4 WHEEL DRIVE?" Do you really think it is a valid question to ask and if you do, why is that? 

Regards
Andrew

 

Quote: Originally posted by Jellybeans on 28/12/2008

More Importantly

DO YOU REALLY NEED A CARAVAN ?

So it shows what a silly question that was does'nt it?