SIMON SAYS

by Simon Hastelow

No this is not going to be a lecture on cultural diversity or embracing different creeds, colours and religions - unless you think of your truck as a deity!

I have complained in the past about the cost of new SUVs and 4x4s. I know I do complain a lot, but I’m at that age when everything irritates me, but I think I have worked through my issues and I’m ready to embrace a new life.

Until very recently I had several saved searches on eBay and AutoTrader. They constantly threw up all kinds of goodies, along with a lot of scrap metal. I have now deleted them all, and I’m widening my search to ‘anything and everything’ - nothing is ruled in, and nothing is ruled out.

There’s just no point looking at a Defender anymore. The prices are just ridiculous for anything that doesn’t require a new chassis, and the new one, lovely as it is, is now only a lottery-win dream.

The TD5 Discovery II is my next favourite, but most of those are now rotten, and the £5k purchase price will need to be underwritten by at least another £5k of workshop man-hours. I couldn’t trust a D3 or D4 as I’ve seen way to many lose their minds over a splash of water on the wrong sensor.

Land Rovers and Range Rovers are generally shoddily built and have more problems than other makes, regularly topping the charts in unreliability surveys, but we still buy them, and I still look at them when they come up for sale!

It’s like that old cardigan with threadbare elbows and missing buttons that you just can’t throw out. We know its tatty but we still love it. On a side note, have you see the prices that good Discovery 1s are fetching nowadays? They are catching up with the Defender!

Japanese pickups are a great option if you can find one that hasn’t been thrashed by ‘Bob the Builder’, and Jeeps are so few in number (at least the real 4x4 ones, not things like the Patriot) that they have been modified, and are also commanding hefty sale prices too, so we start to look at the less-popular makes.

Despite what you might think, there are still a lot of newish 4x4, AWD and SUV vehicles out there. So rather than be blinkered to a particular brand or model, have a look at what is available.

The new Suzuki Jimny is fantastic, but was sadly killed before it could flourish (unless you buy the van version). Old Jimnys are abundant if you are careful about the body rust. Older Vitaras are getting rare, but the later Suzuki SUVs are coming down in price to the more affordable ‘off-road enthusiast’ level.

There’s a handful of bomb-proof Diahatsu Sportraks still to be had, and everyone should be able to find a Mitsubishi Shogun/Pajero for sale nearby.

The plethora of Toyotas still on the roads should be able to keep the ‘off road scene’ alive for a few decades at least. RAV4 (old and new shape), Hilux, Surfs and Landcruisers are abundant.

So why do we tend to stick to that one make and dismiss all of the available options?

This is all a long-winded way of saying have a rethink on what you need the car for before buying it.

I know quite a few people will say that a Defender is unstoppable, or a Wrangler is the best off-road, but I also clearly remember taking my Defender 130 up rough and tortuous route in the Italian Alps that was being similarly climbed - very slowly - by a 6x6 Pinzgauer. Only to find, at the top of the mountain, a Fiat Panda with a family on a day out!

If you need the truck for load-lugging or towing then you are excused, the heavier 4x4s are still the ones to go for, but if you just want a bit of green lane fun then any car with decent tyres will probably do!

I once had a Fiesta Van as a company car that could easily tackle all of the unmade roads and green lanes near to me. You probably wouldn’t want to take a shiny new Fiesta up them, but it did prove that they can do it.

Damian’s regular - and rather brilliant - road tests show that almost everything he drives can do some form of ‘off-roading’ or green laning, so why not go for a ten year old Fiat Panda 4x4? Or even a cheapas-chips, high mileage Dacia Duster? Or, to contradict my earlier comment, a Jeep Patriot? I found a very neat looking, although higher mileage, Patriot for just over a grand on Autotrader!

Which all brings me to my point: There’s a lot of cheap off-roading still to be had. Get a cheap hack, fit decent tyres and give it a full service and you’ll have a few years of outdoor adventure ahead.